13. Annalise
Chapter thirteen
Annalise
The front door opens sometime before dusk, and Matt and I instantly pop up from our spots on the couch and rush to the entryway. Hunter’s jacket is dusted with dirt and leaves, and his boots are carrying half the forest in with him.
“Well?” Mattey asks impatiently.
Hunter’s jaw tightens. “Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“No animal. No den. No sign of anything large enough to have done what happened to that recruit.”
My stomach sinks as Korr drops his blood-stained gloves onto the entry table. “Lorenson found a few things, though. Claw marks on several trees.”
“That sounds promising,” I say.
“They were inconsistent. Some were too shallow. Some are too deep. The spacing was completely different from what we’ve found on either of the victims.” He pauses.
“And there were paw prints...Random ones. Some were consistent with animals in the area, but then there were others of various sizes, heading in directions that just don’t make sense.
None of the fresher ones formed a trail. ”
“So…what?” Matt asks. “The monster just decided to leave its footprints wherever the fuck it felt like?”
Korr gives him a look that I imagine would show his irritation if his energy weren’t so depleted. “Apparently.”
Silence settles over the room; it isn't the answer any of us wanted.
“What about the recruit?” I ask quietly. “The one who was attacked?”
Korr looks at me. “His name is Markson.”
The name tugs at something in the back of my mind. “First name?”
Korr shakes his head. “Eric.”
I stare at the floor for a second. “We know him.” I rub my thumb against my palm. “He's in Vanguard with us.”
“You know him well?”
“No.” I shake my head. “Not really. But he was…nice the few interactions we’ve had.”
Korr nods once. “That's all we've got. We'll keep doing patrols, but until it attacks again, we're out of options.”
Matt and I sit in the living room while Hunter cleans up, both of us silent with the uncomfortable knowledge that something had attacked Markson.
Something left marks behind, but was still somehow smart enough not to leave enough evidence to tell us what the hell it was.
Horrified that our only chance of finding the creature hunting at Scion, is for another recruit to become its' prey.
Eventually, Matt pushes himself off the couch. “I should get home.”
“You sure?” I ask, glancing toward the window.
“Yeah.” He grabs his jacket. “I need to get my paper done for Strategy tomorrow.”
“I’m done with the battle reports from a few years ago and the old maps from some of the demolished towns if you need them?”
“That’s okay. I went in a different direction with my report. The books I need are all in my room, mostly unopened, so it’s going to be a looong night of reading.”
“Tyr will you fly over him to make sure he gets home safe? If anything so much as sneezes suspiciously, I want you to kill it.”
“Don’t worry, Blood-thirsty Faren. I won’t let anything near him.”
I can't help the small smile that pulls at my mouth.
Matt catches it. “Guessing that means I’ll have a babysitter?”
“Yup! Text me when you get home.”
“I always do.”
“You don't.”
“I always intend to.”
“Mattey—”
He grins. “Fine. I promise to text.”
He pulls me into a quick hug before heading out, and I watch through the window as he disappears down the path. Tyr's massive silhouette crosses overhead a moment later, his wings cutting across the sky.
I breathe easier…For about five minutes.
Then I start pacing. Around the kitchen, through the living room, back and forth between the front door and the windows. All the while, Korr watches me from the couch, saying nothing. I check the clock, then my phone.
“He should be home by now.”
“Why don’t you just ask Tyr where they are?”
“Because I’m trying not to be crazy about this.”
"Good, glad we're keeping calm and not wearing pacing paths into my floors."
I shoot Hunter a sharp glare and pace another lap.
“He could've stopped somewhere.”
“Could have.”
“Or something could've happened.”
“Annalise—Just. Ask. Tyr…or call Reyes.”
My fingers curl around my phone.
“I just—”
Tyr's presence suddenly brushes against mine, warm and steady. “All clear.”
My shoulders drop, and I close my eyes for a second. “Thank you.”
A second later, my phone chimes. I know it’s Mattey, but still I practically crush my phone as I try to unlock it.
Matt: Home safe. Told you I'd text.
A laugh escapes me, half relief and half exasperation.
“He's home!”
Korr studies me for a long moment before something shifts in his expression. “Good. Now, go get your gun and meet me out back in five.”
I blink. “What?”
His mouth curves into the faintest hint of a smirk. “You need to work out some of this energy, and I'm pretty fucking interested to see what you can do.”
And just like that, every thought about Markson, the tracks, and whatever the hell is stalking the academy grounds disappears beneath one very dangerous thought.
Korr is going to train me.
“Damnit! I can’t do this!” The words rip out of me as I stare at the barely clipped target pinned to the tree fifty yards ahead, a target I can unfortunately see far too clearly thanks to the light runes practically spotlighting my failure.
“You’re rushing your trigger pull before you’re set.”
“I can see that for myself, thank you, Captain.”
His eyebrow raises, but he doesn't react. “Do you need me to bring a chair out for you?”
“No.”
“Do you need me to bring the target closer?”
“No”
“Do you need me to teach you how to aim?”
“Fuck off," I snap, and Gods am I regretting coming out here with him.
“I will when you fix it.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Fix it, Annalise. You're not the type to let anyone coddle you, and you can outshoot most of the recruits at this academy, so take a deep breath and fix your fucking shot.”
“I’m trying! Can’t you see that?”
“No, I can’t. I see you burrowing deep into your self-doubt and missing the same target you’ve been blowing the entire chest and head out of for months—hell, probably years.”
Gods, I hate him, but I hate that he’s right even more.
Popping the magazine out, I step to the table holding my ammo and allow my eyes to close as muscle memory takes over. Each bullet slides into the magazine, a rhythmic click of metal on metal settling my rage.
When all ten rounds are in, I open my eyes and step back into the shooting box without another word.
Feet shoulder-width apart. Left foot slightly in front of my right. Deep breath in…and then out.
Raising the barrel to my target, I look down my sights. Another deep breath in.
Hold.
Slow release.
Pop.
“Would you look at that? There she is,” Hunter calls, already halfway to where Kali and Tyr are standing guard, with his back to me—and to the target.
“You weren’t even watching!”
“I didn’t need to. I knew you were going to hit it the second you closed your eyes.”
“How?”
"Because the target was never your biggest obstacle." He glances over his shoulder, a knowing smile tugging at one corner of his mouth. "You were. In that instant, you stopped trying to prove you could do it...and simply did what you do best."