Chapter 33 #3
Elsie dragged the remains of the deer onto the fire so she could bury the bones once they were charred beyond recognition.
She’d done the same with all the other bodies.
Without her map, she could only give Mordane an approximate location, but with all the proof she had, she was reasonably certain they wouldn’t send anyone to check.
Saint held Morgan down for another half an hour after Angela’s departure before letting him go. The demon stayed on him, making sure he didn’t try to follow the woman he was determined to kill.
“You have endangered all our lives!” the sniper seethed.
“Your life is in the clear. I made the decision alone, and against your will, and I’ll make sure to clarify the truth of it when you rat me out.
Saint and I are the only ones at fault. Riven’s not supposed to be here, and nothing that happened can be pinned on her.
Tell them what you need to when we return. I won’t force you to lie.”
“Elsie! This isn’t a joke! You’ve crossed a line you can’t come back from.”
“If this is where the line is drawn, I don’t want to come back from it.
Come on, Morgan! Rabbit demons?! Are you telling me that if I told you to kill an entire herd of them rather than chase them off, you’d fall in line and do as I say without a second of hesitation?
You’d question my sanity, and you damned well know it. ”
“That’s different because you’re different. An order like that wouldn’t mesh with who you are. We’re a field squad, we have the expertise in handling demons, and a colony squad doesn’t have our resources.”
“It’s not different. They have better resources than we do. They have freaking barriers and a warehouse full of weapons at their constant disposal. Her captain didn’t have to give that order, he did it because he wanted to. It has ‘bored little man with a giant ego’ written all over it.”
“Her refusal to listen cost two humans their lives.”
“How many lives have we lost over the years we’ve been together? Hell, in the battle of the rats alone we lost more than thirty times as many. But you fought for me, hell-bent on making sure we left there unscathed. How are we any better than her?”
“We were fighting for our lives, and Angela was fighting for the enemy. Why can’t you see that?
She chose demons over her own people.” His eyes cut over to Saint.
“Something you’re getting way too comfortable doing yourself.
Letting that woman and that demon go is worse than what she did.
Insubordination, refusal of orders. Sympathy for a demon. ”
He took a deep breath, soft brown eyes leveling on hers.
“With every passing mission, you grow more headstrong. At what point will you finally care that you’re putting the rest of us in danger?
If you keep this up, it won’t be the higher-ups that put you down.
It’ll be one of us, protecting our own from you. ”
“He’s a child, Morgan! An innocent child of a species that has never and will never harm a human.”
“After his entire herd was killed, do you really think that’s true?
! That demon isn’t a cute little kid to the rest of us, it’s a future problem with razor-sharp teeth.
Elsie, I’ve watched you bleed for this squad.
I’ve watched you nearly die for it. And now you’re choosing to throw away what we’ve built together to impress the demon in your fucking bed.
” He was inches from her face; the harshness of his words was made worse by the bitterness in his voice.
She recoiled as if he’d slapped her. She’d always relied on Morgan to have her back. He may not always agree with her decisions, but he was usually reasonable. Kind. She’d never seen him like this.
He kicked his bag and walked into the woods, the opposite direction from where Angela had run.
Saint moved without her asking, following the sniper at a discreet distance. He’d know he was being watched; Morgan was too observant to miss it, but he wasn’t likely to retaliate. If he fought the wolfhound, he’d have to fight Elsie too, and that was one fight he’d never win.
Riven grabbed her in a tight hug. “You did the right thing.”
“I know.”
Elsie stoked the fire, making it burn hot until the bones crumbled. She snuffed the fire out and buried the bones, marking the spot with a large stone.
She paced around for a while, her nerves shot. Anxiety built every day, and Elsie wasn’t sure how much more she could take. She’d have taken Saint and run by now if it weren’t for the damned ravens.
Morgan kept to himself when he returned. The sniper snatched up his bag and led the way back to a place he’d found to make their camp for the night. He kept muttering angrily under his breath. Once they arrived, he set up his tent and shut himself inside.
“I’ve never seen him that angry,” Elsie said quietly, hours later, after the sun had gone down.
“I get why you’re so paranoid about anyone discovering your relationship now. Unfortunately, I really can’t take you back to the mage village with me, but if I were you, I’d be coming up with my exit strategy,” Riven suggested.
“It’s not that easy, though I wish it were,” Elsie sighed.
“I liked Morgan. I thought he was a great guy, but underneath?”
“He is a great guy, within the confines of training and indoctrination,” Elsie defended him, a gut reaction. “He was born into the role, and the hunters beat this stuff into their brains from the time they can walk.”
“That doesn’t change my opinion of him. He’s a grown man capable of using his own brain, and he’s choosing to be an ass.
I trust you, but I don’t feel safe with your people anymore.
The second we get back to the compound, I’m grabbing my gear and leaving.
My morals won’t allow me to continue living among people who can justify killing that woman and her boy.
I’ve learned what I came to learn, and that’s enough. The hunters are fucking barbarians.”
“I’ll miss you when you go.”
“Of course you will. You don’t have anyone else around you that hasn’t been brainwashed. Except him.” She jerked her head at Saint. “I’m going to try getting some sleep, you should as well.”
“I’ll try,” Elsie lied, knowing she wouldn’t sleep a wink. She had to keep an eye on Morgan and make sure he didn’t try sneaking out in the middle of the night.
Once the mage was in bed, Saint opened his sleeping bag to share under the stars. He kissed the top of her head and stroked her back; their bond told him exactly what she needed. Comfort, not words.
Two weeks later, Elsie, Perrie, and Marley stood around Riven.
“Please don’t leave, it’s more fun with you here!” Perrie pleaded.
“Sorry, girls, I’m not interested in staying with people who hunt and kill their own. It’s against my morals.”
“It’s the way things have to be in an organization as large as ours. Law and order have to be maintained. If that woman had followed the rules, she’d still be alive right now,” Marley objected, though she shifted her weight uncomfortably. “I’m with Pear, please don’t go.”
“I’ve already told you what I witnessed and why I’m against it. I was hoping you’d agree with me, but honestly, since the two of you think what happened was okay, you’re just as bad as the rest of them, Mar.”
Marley stepped back, crestfallen. Riven’s jab had hit the mark, and it stung.
The mage hugged Elsie several times, both women in tears.
“Maybe we’ll catch each other out there sometime,” Riven said, though neither of them believed it.
Mages tended to stick to their own, and outsiders weren’t welcome.
Backing away several steps, the mage blew a few kisses, then turned and walked through the barrier, leaving them behind.
Elsie watched her go for a moment, Saint at her side.
Clearing her throat, she glanced up at him, then started making her way back to their room.
Only then did she spot Trenton and Morgan standing a short distance away, speaking too quietly to be overheard.
They stared at Elsie and glared at Saint, arms crossed over their chests.
A chill ran down into her bones, and Elsie couldn’t shake the thought that someone had just walked over her grave.