Chapter 38 Ash
Ash
The cold breeze ruffled Ash’s hair, sending a shiver over his body as he crouched in the overgrown grass. Tension coiled in
his muscles. More victims of the Revenants—both Hybrid and original—had been discovered during his last few missions. One
would think he’d be used to it by now, but being around so much death was beginning to affect him.
The old school compound looked innocent enough. Weeds sprouted from the cracks on the running track and the paint on the small
cluster of buildings was well-worn. The population in this area outside the city had dwindled in recent years; with the lack
of amenities, families had moved out too, and the school shut down a while ago.
It was high noon. The Revenants would be hiding in their nests, and even if this was one of the Hybrid hideouts, they wouldn’t be at their full strength. Ash’s intel implied the place had been abandoned, and
the mission was to clear the area for the forensics unit waiting a couple miles away.
The combat team Ash had brought was small and nimble: two Exorcists—Surin and himself—and one cadet, Jonathan, who’d been
eager to get more field experience. They had swept the smaller buildings and found little of interest. The last stop was the
gymnasium and assembly hall.
Silently, Ash rose to his feet and signaled with his hands. The team emerged from their holding positions, dispersing according
to his instructions. He and Jonathan flanked the sides of the dilapidated building, while Surin entered from the front with
weapons drawn.
Minutes later, Ash heard her voice in his comms earpiece. “All clear in the assembly hall, but my sensor’s detecting traces
of leftover spiritual energy. Both yinqi and yangqi.”
“Copy that.”
Ash entered from the back of the building, checking the corridors before heading to the assembly hall where Surin and Jonathan
were gathered.
The place smelled of stale sweat and blood, the walls scuffed and the wood on the floor scratched up. There were some suspicious
markings that indicated a fight—or fights—had taken place.
“What do you think?” Surin asked. She looked troubled too.
“I’m not sure,” Ash replied, sliding his pistols back into their holsters. “The energy in the air feels familiar, but I can’t
place it. We should take another look around.”
“I didn’t spot anything, but I’ll do another sweep of the locker rooms in case I missed something,” Jonathan offered immediately.
He ran off before either Captain could respond.
Ash couldn’t help but smile at the cadet’s enthusiasm. The next generation of Exorcists were a talented, dependable lot. “What
is it?” he called out, noticing that Surin was staring at the rafters.
“I’m not sure. Probably just the light.” She sneezed multiple times in quick succession. “Ugh, dust allergy—thanks.” She walked
to the edge of the stage and took the tissue he offered, blowing her nose into it. “By the way, I followed up on that lead
about the mole. We can strike Lieutenant Hong off the list; it’s not him.”
“That brings us to the end of our suspects.” Ash had made a list of Exorcists and administrators with access to vital fieldwork
information. So far, everyone had turned out clean.
“What if there isn’t a mole?” Surin said. “What if there’s a really smart Hybrid who’s able to extrapolate things from observing
the Guild and information that’s already public? Or what if it’s a retired Exorcist? Someone with knowledge of how the Guild
works but who’s inactive now.”
“That would be a very short list of names,” Ash said thoughtfully.
Few Exorcists lived to old age. Most stayed with the Guild until death or injury prevented them from serving, but there were some who left the Guild to work for the city’s upper class.
Still, it was worth a shot. “I’ll look into it tonight. ”
Surin sneezed again. “Any word from Rui? She might have some ideas.”
“She’s not back yet.” Ash had been worrying ever since his favorite mentee had declared she was going to the freaking underworld.
He didn’t know when she was returning, but he understood her reasons, and he knew what was at stake for the city. He also
knew there’d be no stopping her once she made up her mind, so he hadn’t tried.
Surin sensed his concern. “She’s doing what she needs to, and what only she can do. It’s up to us to hold the fort here. She’ll
come back—I know it.”
Ash nodded, trying to stay optimistic. He felt a buzzing in his pocket. Auntie Kimmie? Knowing he was busy at work, it was unlikely for the housekeeper to call unless something significant had happened. Was Yiran
finally home? Ash had been living at the Barracks for the past week, and he hadn’t been back to Song Mansion in a while.
“I have to take this call. Get forensics in.”
As he strode out of the hall, Surin went back to staring at the rafters, this time with a sensor in her hands.
Finding a spot closer to the gates of the compound so he could flag the forensics team down, Ash called home.
“Da shaoye? I’m so sorry to have disturbed you.”
He could tell from Auntie Kimmie’s tone that something was wrong. “Is it Yiran?”
“It’s Master Song. He didn’t go to the headquarters this morning, and I thought he was working from his study. But when I
went to tell him lunch was ready, I found him unconscious in his room.”
“Again? I thought the healer said he was fine. How is he now?”
“He’s up, and he says he’s all right, but I called the family healer again. Your grandfather didn’t want to me to tell, but
I couldn’t hide this from you, da shaoye.”
“Thank you. Please let me know what the healer says. Anything from Yiran?”
“I’m afraid not. And I know it’s not my place, but surely you can send a search team to find him. I’m so worried—it’s been days.”
“I’m working on it. Don’t worry, he can take care of himself,” Ash comforted the housekeeper. “I’ll be home tonight.”
It was a bad time for his grandfather’s health to take a turn. He’d also fainted just two nights ago, but the stubborn old
man had refused treatment beyond a cursory checkup. His mind was still sharp, but he’d started exhibiting signs that appeared
to mimic a degenerative disease last fall, around the time Yiran had enrolled in the Academy. The family healer had expressed
concerns about his spirit core, though she wasn’t sure what was happening either. Song Wei kept his mystery illness from everyone
and instructed Ash to do the same. Even Yiran was in the dark.
Sighing at the thought of his brother, Ash kicked at the rocks on the ground, watching one skip along the path. Theo had finally
confessed that Yiran wasn’t staying with him. At first, Ash had been pissed about the deception, but quickly, the feeling
that his brother was in some kind of trouble sank in.
Auntie Kimmie was mistaken; he couldn’t send a search team. Guild resources couldn’t be used for private matters, though Ash
had been sorely tempted. He’d almost hired a private investigator, but he didn’t trust anyone to not leak the news that one
of the Song grandsons had vanished.
And with Rui gone, it felt as if everyone around him was disappearing, abandoning— Stop. He let out a loud groan. He didn’t have time to spiral or feel sorry for himself. Taking action was what he was best at. He
would talk to his grandfather about a private investigator later. It didn’t matter if there was gossip; his brother’s safety
was more important.
Mind made up, Ash inhaled meditatively, arms reaching up to the sun and down to his sides. A group of crows cawed from a nearby
tree, and the wind rustled the dried grass. His comms had been quiet for a while. Weird. The forensics team should have arrived
by now, but there was no vehicle in sight. Surin and Jonathan hadn’t come out from the assembly hall either.
Whether it was instinct or something else nudging him, he drew a pistol and crept back to the building.
The assembly hall was empty.
“Surin? Jonathan?”
All he heard were the faint caws of the crows outside. Where was his team?
A loud screech pierced his ears, and he jerked his head away involuntarily. The speaker at the far corner of the hall. He
didn’t know it was still in working order.
“Looky here, seems like we missed one,” a husky voice echoed.
Ash pointed a pistol at the speaker. “What have you done to my friends?”
“Oh, they’re your friends, are they?” the voice drawled. “I thought you were just coworkers.”
His ears pricked. He spun around, pointing a pistol at the rafters above as he moved closer.
“Clever boy. You found me.”
A young woman in a green jacket appeared from the shadows like an actor stepping into the spotlight. Sweeping her ponytail
over her shoulder, she said, almost flirtatiously, “Hi there, Exorcist.”
“Hybrid,” Ash growled, an age-old hatred rising inside him.
His first shot hit the metal walkway she was on, but she backflipped away. His second shot grazed her leg, but in a split
second, she leaped, grabbing one of the thick cables hanging from the roof.
He blinked. It wasn’t a cable. It was one of her spinal blades, acting like a rope hanging from the ceiling. Sparks fizzed
as he fired another shot, swearing when he missed again. The Hybrid spun gracefully, like an acrobatic dancer, moving from
ropelike blade to cable to blade. The retraction and extension of her weapons caused violet light to burst and lull in a mesmerizing
way. It felt oddly like a performance.
With all the metal and cables, it was hard to get a precise aim. But if he curved his yangqi bullets and combined it with
some spell work, he was sure to get a hit.
“You want an actual fight? Why don’t you come down from there?” he called out, pulling a binding talisman from his pocket.
“You can’t bait me. Besides, we’ve already got what we wanted for today. But don’t worry, clever boy, I’ll be back for you—if
you survive.” She winked at him and yelled, “Hit it.”
Ash had gotten it wrong.
She wasn’t a performer; she was the distraction.
The assembly hall exploded.
The force flung him into the air, but he veered left just in time, avoiding the worst of it. He landed in a heap near the
exit, crawling out on his hands and knees, the gravel cutting his skin. Scrambling to his feet, he ran to the open field.
His comms set had flown out of his ear, but his phone had survived. He hit the speed dial.
“Shuang? We’ve got a situation,” he said, quickly explaining how Surin and Jonathan had been taken.
“I’m sending someone to pick you up right now,” Lieutenant Shuang said. “And, Ash?”
“Yeah?”
“I hate to do this to you, but I’ve been fielding reports all day.”
“Tell me everything,” Ash said as he ran toward the main road. His ears rang from the explosion, but he heard every word,
every name, Shuang was reciting.
“Lieutenant Chu’s team failed to check in last night—I’m afraid we lost at least two of them. Security cameras showed Officer
Min Lee snatched off the street while visiting her parents, and there’s been another ambush today. Recon Unit F, about an
hour ago . . .”
As Shuang’s alarming list went on, fear dug its talons into Ash. Surin was right. The Hybrids had moved on to the next phase of their plan.
And they were picking the Exorcists off one by one.