Chapter 106: A moment of rest.

"Sir, it is not a good idea." Garon raised his voice. "We are not the only ones looking for her in the dark. The Duggar’s are also after her and a third force we haven’t identified yet. We clashed with them with the wild lands and they killed six of my men. We need a small team that trusts each other. Not another burden that may or may not be useful."

Logan turned around, a dark, cynical smile playing on his lips. "Having him on the team is the only way I can be absolutely sure that you savages won’t ’accidentally’ hurt the girl when you find her. He will keep you honest."

Ocean frowned. How was a young man with zero real world experience supposed to keep them honest? The mayor’s words were cryptic.

Sheila tightened her hand on her blade, her expression unreadable. Garon clenched his fists, but he smiled at the mayor. The man wondered how the mayor expected results while dumping useless baggage on his team. Now, they had to keep the Scorpion boy alive at all costs. A waste of time!

Logan reached for his phone and made a call. A moment later, the door opened again and Angus walked in, flanked by two soldiers. He was carrying a big, heavy black duffel bag that hit the floor with a thick, metallic thud. The zipper was slightly open, revealing energy stones.

"You’ll need resources for this mission," Logan said, eyeing the greedy glint that instantly appeared in Garon and Sheila’s eyes. "Use this to cover your expenses. There will be more when you bring me the girl."

"Yes, your honor." They chorused.

Logan looked at each one of them, if they failed, he would put a bullet in each of their skulls.

*****

The biting wind of the frozen wild lands sliced through the air, carrying with it the kind of cold that didn’t just chill the skin, but it offended the soul too.

Zyra and her group had been marching for hours. They weren’t anywhere near their ultimate destination, but they were close. Close enough to see the jagged, glowing white peaks of the Frost-Vein Ridge on the horizon. But close in such a wilderness meant nothing if your legs were turning into lead and your eyelashes were freezing shut.

"If I take one more step, my toes are going to snap off like cheap icicles," Gilby groaned, his breath puffing out in a big cloud of steam.

"If your toes snap off, pick them up," Tessi muttered, barely audible. "We must get there..." she stopped and crouched, breathing ruggedly.

As much as they all wanted this to be a single day mission, it was proving to be a challenge. Flying would have been easier, but they didn’t want to be noticed by anything in the area.

Hunter stopped, turning around to face the ragged crew. The dark was setting in fast, the sky bruising into a deep, ominous grey. "We’re not going to make it today," he announced, his voice steady but heavy with reality. "Pushing forward in the dark is just begging a Frost-Beast to use us as chew toys. We need to find somewhere to spend the night."

Zyra squinted through the swirling flurries, her eyes catching a faint, crystalline shimmer. She raised a gloved hand and pointed toward a nearby cliff side. "There. Look."

Nested into the side of an icy ridge was an ice grotto. A natural cave of thick, translucent white ice. It looked beautiful, which in this world usually meant it could be lethal.

"I’ll check it," Hunter said, his hand automatically dropping to the hilt of his blade. "Just to make sure it’s not already occupied by a beast. We’ve fought enough of those things today to last me a few days." He glanced at Gilby. "With me."

Gilby sighed a deeply dramatic, long-suffering sigh. "Of course. Ladies stay here."

The two slipped inside the grotto. A tense three minutes passed before Hunter signaled from the entrance. It was clear.

Inside, the grotto was surprisingly spacious and completely shielded from the howling wind. It also seemed to defy the frozen wasteland around it because the inside was dry and strangely still compared to the blizzard outside.

Thanks to their beast fur clothes, they didn’t even need to risk lighting a fire that might attract unwanted attention. Besides, they had a Squirrel’s Tail that was providing just enough light, its soft, warm amber glow flooded the icy walls, making the cavern look almost cozy.

As Zyra sat down against the smooth ice, a sudden chime rang sharply inside her mind.

[Host, there is a group of people at the Beast valley gate requesting entrance.] Beauty’s voice echoed in her consciousness.

The virtual screen showed the live footage of the entrance of the valley. She saw faces. The hunting group had returned. They had gone out to hunt and scout the neighborhood hours ago, but things had clearly gone sideways. One of them was heavily injured, pale and bloodied, practically being dragged by his two comrades.

Malia was standing near the gate on the inside, looking up at camera and waving frantically.

"Let them in Beauty and then lock it down again."

They stretched their muscles. Everyone dug into their bags and pulled out their rations. They had packed enough carbs and dried meat to survive out here for at least three days. As they chewed, the tension of the day finally began to melt, replaced by the easy camaraderie of people who where depending on each other to survive.

"I still can’t stop thinking about that white antelope," Tessi said around a mouthful of dry meat, her eyes glossy. "Seriously! It looked so angelic. It was literally glowing! And then, snap! The second Gilby sneezed, it turned into a five-fanged demon from the underworld! The beasts out here are as weird as the weather."

"Hey, my sneeze didn’t provoke it," Gilby defended himself, pointing a half-eaten piece of meat at her. "Its face just did that. It was a deceptive and wanted us to lower our guard. That’s what mutated beasts do."

Hunter let out a rare, low chuckle. "That’s exactly why we have to be careful out here. In the wild lands, the prettier something looks, the faster it tries to have you for lunch." He looked at Zyra. "What rules did I give you for survival in a new environment?"

She almost rolled her eyes. Every second was a teaching moment to this man. Never the less, she replied. "Find the nearest food source. Know where the strongest beasts live. Know the safest places for safety. Know the direction to run in case of danger."

He stood up, shaking the frost from his shoulders. "Good. Everyone rest. I’ll watch the entrance."

Zyra shook her head, pushing herself up to her feet before he could even finish the sentence. "No. We’re taking turns. And since sleep and I aren’t on speaking terms tonight anyway, I’ll keep watch first."

"Zyra, you do not have to, you need to sleep_" Hunter started.

"I said I’m first," she interrupted, giving him a look that could freeze a volcano. She didn’t wait for anyone to argue. Grabbing her scarf, she stepped out of the warm glow of the grotto and sat right at the snowy threshold.

She didn’t want to become accustomed to his protection so much that she threw away her instincts to rely on herself for survival. Zyra did not allow herself to forget for a second that she was a hunted woman. Also, a warm cave in a frozen land gave her the creeps.