changed into a host of other feelings as Trace rose, dragging the limp body of Dal up with him. With one hand fisted in the back of Dal's cloak, Trace just started marching to where their old Master stood with his mouth gaping as if paused in mid-conversation.
I jerked Rin, forcing him to move. Rin stumbled behind me, but I continued, lacking sympathy for him.
When I reached Trace, I slowed and asked, “Feel better?”
“Not really. Scratcher is heavier than he looks.” Trace nearly dropped Dal, only catching Dal at the last moment before he dragged the listless body.
“What is this?” Master Laeru demanded, hurrying towards us.
“This would be the part where you thank me, Master,” I answered dryly. When his head snapped up to look at me rather than who Trace pulled behind him, I continued. “Who is in charge of Investigations here?”
“Oh, well, that would be Master Port.” The old Reaper glanced back down before looking up to me once again. “I'll send someone.”
Kian seemed to come out of nowhere when he jumped into the conversation, just appearing beside me. “That's okay, Master Laeru. I can do it, if that's all right with you, Master Healani?”
“If you know where they would be, I would prefer if you did it.” I didn't want the gossip to begin, and if any of the locals went out, they wouldn't be able to help themselves. The last thing I wanted to deal with was angry parents who thought they were above the laws, and the old-name types always did.
Kian nodded and pulled the aged Master to the side, talking quietly. Trace and I continued our walk. Axton became part of our parade when he grabbed Dal beneath one arm, taking some of the weight off Trace.
We were only missing one of our little group, and I paused, floating up to spot her more easily. Her white-blonde hair helped her stand out as she hurried around the outside of the crowd. I altered Rin's and my path so we would meet up with her faster.
When she reached us, she clutched the ferrule to her chest and glanced at me with questions in her eyes. They remained there, though, as she silently slid into line.
It didn't take long to throw the two assholes into one of the offices and shut the door, locking them in. Alone in the hall for the moment, Axton took advantage of the last bit of quiet we would have for a while.
“So, what's with the show?” He gestured to the office without looking at it, choosing to keep his eyes on me.
Instead of answering his question, I had a few that were slightly more pressing. “Do any of you know the rest of their Grouping? Did you see them out there? Grace, can you check the ferrule and determine if they have any more members?”
She nodded, her brows furrowing as her fingers began flying across the surface of the ferrule. Even if Axton or Trace knew, their information would be old, so I wanted confirmation.
“They have two more, but I didn't notice either of them here. And I looked for them.” Trace folded his arms across his chest before leaning against the wall.
“The other two members weren't expected to be here. In fact, none of them were amongst our initial recruits, but I found where a Grim Grouping Leader Dal and Grim Rin were added to the list shortly before we arrived. Let me keep…” Grace trailed off as she swiped and tapped and searched.
Axton cleared his throat, drawing my attention. He glanced between the three of us, his cheeks grey and his jaw tight. “Would someone tell me what's happening before Master Laeru shows up? I'd like to pretend I know why one of my Group members tried to squish one of the Dal's.”
Trace peered over at me, and I sighed.
“Fine. Quick version is that those two spent the entire time I stood on the desk discussing a lot of crimes they'd committed. Then they thought their names meant they could speak to me however they liked. But I didn't like it.”
“And how did you find out?” Axton's eyes strayed, sweeping across my shoulders.
“Shadow. I'm going to have to make something up for that part when asked.” When Axton opened his mouth, I waved him off. “Not a problem. Harvesting could explain it, as could a host of other abilities. Actually, for most of those, I'd prefer that no one knows I had them to begin with. So, Harvesting