Wings of the Walker - CoraLee June Page 0,410

screen of my Tablet.

"If I don't make it, I need you to go back to Dormas. I need you to protect my people," he pleaded.

My heart sank as I took in the danger we faced. I wanted to leap through the Tablet and pull him through. I shook as nausea gripped me.

"I refuse to make such a ridiculous promise," I replied. “You’ll be fine.” I expected him to reassure me, but he didn’t.

“I just sent the coordinates. I’ll meet you at the safe house, be safe Agapimenos.”

I wanted to keep him on the line to reassure myself that he was ok. My mouth went dry with uncertainty and I cursed that I didn’t fight to go with them, that I didn’t trust my gut.

“Nikketa!” I yelled throughout the camp as I stomped through the maze of tents. With tears streaming down my face, I tried to make a plan. The fear that gripped me was nothing like what I felt when I learned of Cyler and Patrick's disappearance. This was a debilitating fear.

They’ve been taken. All of them.

His words circled over and over in my head. I wanted to crumble and scream. I couldn't think. Couldn't speak. I needed my Scavenger with his riddles and kisses. I needed to feel the rumble of his voice. I needed to hold him.

A man with long white and teal hair stopped me.

“Are you okay Mistress?” he asked. I recognized him as the Scavenger that was Tallis’ sparring partner, Thurst.

I swallowed down the bile that threatened to snake up my throat. I placed a shaky hand on my forehead before speaking. “Can you show me where Mia’s tent is?”

“Sure,” he offered while pointing towards a tent to the left of us.

I briefly thanked him before running inside and finding her trunk of clothes. There was nothing but weapons and leather. If I was going on a rescue mission, then I’d dress the part.

I was going to wear trousers. Mother fucking trousers.

Chapter Seventeen

I left camp without talking to anyone. I was on a mission and refused to let anyone stop me. No longer would I be the woman that hid away in a safe place. Today, I was the hero. A terrified, panic-prone hero. But a hero nevertheless.

Many Dormas citizens crowded around me on my way to Black Manor. Angry chatter filled the town’s center, and Mark Caverly blocked my path with a grim look on his face. "Where is the leadership council, Jules?" he demanded but I didn't respond. I wasn’t in charge here. I was on a mission.

People flooded out of their buildings and homes, bombarding me with questions and concerns.

"Where is Cyler?!" a man asked with a frown.

"Where are you going?" another asked.

I wanted to keep moving, but they blocked my path. Irritation hit me, and in a moment of frustration, I let loose a screech which caused the mob to stop and stare.

“No need to burn the town down. I’ve got this under control,” I yelled with a nonchalant wave of my hand.

I hoped my reassurance would placate them, but instead, more questions were thrown my way. This time with much more anger.

"Where are you going?"

"Who’s in charge?"

I looked up to the sky and sighed deeply. I didn't envy my brother's job at this moment.

“Look, I don’t have time to answer your questions, I’ve got places to be,” I complained as someone pushed closer. I took a step back but was pushed into a thick chest. I screeched again.

"BACK OFF!"

The crowds pushed as more complaints were thrown my way.

"She was kicked out of their home, she probably doesn’t even know where they are!” a man who I recognized as being a mine worker yelled before pushing into me. Someone pulled my hair, and I fell to my knees as chaos broke out. The normally calm people of Dormas were crumbling under their fear, and I was their unwitting victim.

A loud shot pierced through the sky. The bang reverberated throughout the town's center like a firework. Dormas citizens dispersed and moved away from me while I stood dusting off my pants.

Once my eyes focused through the dirt and crowds, I saw a group of Scavengers, some of them I remembered from my classes, some from the mines. In the middle stood Nikketa who held a shiny, black metal object angled with a handle.

"You all back off that poor woman this instant!" Nikketa yelled out over everyone. People immediately stepped away as the stern Scavengers walked towards me. Their eyes were fierce and