"The tracks are still fresh," Farias murmured as he examined a patch of disrupted soil off the edge of Krauth Forrest. "Looks like there was a struggle."
"Take a look at this," Jahren called from a few feet away. "Someone tried to cover them."
Farias stood and made his way over to the spot that Jahren was looking into, and noticed the way the earth had been tampered with.
"This is the work of an elemental," he began, and then shook his head as he took a deeper look. "No, no. That's not right. This is clumsy work. Someone who isn't used to controlling elements."
"The Gaidec start training their kin young. A child maybe?" Jahren mused softly, running the tips of his fingers over the sifted soil. "Although, I don't see any small tracks. Maybe they were carried?"
"Mmm, I don't think so," Farias scrutinized the prints with a thoughtful gaze. "From the size and depth of these footprints, I'd say a male adult was the one struggling. Why would they cover their own footprints? That doesn't make any sense."
"Could be the Naugu," Jahren drew back to study the scene from afar. "It adds up. They may have fed on the Gaidec and borrowed the power, but it doesn't mean they have the skill to use it."
"It's the best answer we have at the moment," Farias replied with a sigh, "but that poses an even greater question. What would the brotherhood want with an elemental?"
"Take it from a brother of the fallen," Jahren turned his gray blue eyes in his companions direction. "The Dominion is a nasty bunch. Who knows what kinds of things they have going on behind the scenes?"
"What are you implying?"
"When I was still acting as a double agent, I caught wind of certain... Experiments, among other things. For all we know these Gaidec are just glorified Pitri dishes to the Naugu."
"That's disgusting," Farias growled. "I refuse to believe the Kyaga have any knowledge of it."
"As far as I'm aware, they don't," Jahren explained as he stood up. "The Kyaga may be violent, but they at least have respect for their enemies. The Naugu have always been heartless animals."
"I've never seen anything good in that plague of a race, it's a wonder that-" Farias stopped mid sentence and dipped behind a tree, waving to his comrade to do the same. The two fell into hiding and silently watched as a single woman appeared from beneath the canopy of trees. Her hair was as white as paper, and her ice blue eyes glittered with anger as she slipped through the trees with a quickness that attributed to her knowledge of her surroundings. Farias held his breath while she approached, praying that she didn't notice them as she passed by.
"I'll kill him in his sleep if I have to!" she muttered angrily to herself. "He's crossed the damn line! I'll run this government alone, customs be damned! Who said a woman can't be Overlord anyway?"
Farias turned to give Jahren a surprised look. Nora Gallindo? The notorious brazen princess of the Dominion herself? But she was Kyaga! Surely she would have sensed them by now. He watched as Jahren pointed to his wrist, and then looked back to her. Ah, she was wearing a power suppressing bracelet. But why? He pursed his lips as she walked directly past them and stopped.
He held his breath at the sight of her. His first glance did not do her any justice. Her hair was so silver, that at first it seemed to glow like mist on a moonlit night. But as the sun hit her tightly knit braid, something about the strands glowed from within, like the cascading orange and red hues in a sun set sky. It was so curiously subtle he almost didn't notice at first. He wondered at the color; maybe she tinted it with dye? No... Something about this women seemed as if she was above such trivial nonsense like that. She wore men's clothing tailored to fit her body, the only thing accenting her feminine charm was the suede leather corset she wore almost painfully tight around her bodice. It was as if the corset itself was the walls around her self control, holding her in and giving her composure. She seemed lost in thought, and the way she walked suggested that she was more than angry with whatever she was mumbling about. Even more curious was the fact that she was covered from head to toe in clothing on such a hot day. Was she frail and prone to shiver at the slightest breeze?
No, that was another mistaken assessment. She looked strong, supple; a heavy handed warrior in all aspects. He could see the sheen of sweat glistening on the nape of her neck, and considered other reasons why she might suffocate herself the way she was. Maybe she was simply a modest women, but somehow that didn't seem right either. Not that she didn't have self respect, no. It was more or less that she didn't seem the type to cower behind clothes or, well, anything for that matter. She was not one who would be ashamed of herself, or her body. So what was she hiding behind all of those layers? He almost choked on a shaky exhale as she stopped and turned so suddenly, observing the ground they had been looking at only a moment before. He was wrong about her eyes as well. They weren't just a blue like any other Kyaga. They had a stormy color about them, like the crashing waves of the ocean during a heavy rain. Inside those deep, swirling irises held a storm unlike any he had ever seen before, the tidal waves of her inner turmoil lapping away at his soul as he was lost in their watery depths. He could drown in those eyes and die a peaceful death.
The sound of her voice brought him back to focus.
"What the hell happened here?" she pondered softly, kneeling to look at the tracks they had been following before.
Jahren and Farias took the chance to slip into the trees while she was distracted, and continued to watch as she looked around the surrounding area. If she was a skilled tracker, it wouldn't be long before she picked up on the lighter trail they left behind when they scurried into hiding. Just as Farias suspected, the young woman was quick to pick up on the lighter footsteps leading to where they were hiding.
She followed the trail up to the tree, and looked up in time to find Farias dropping down to ambush her. He made quick work of subduing her and looked around for Jahren. She thrashed around in his arms but it was futile to be fighting with the bracelet handicapping her. He hushed her softly and thought of a way to calm her down. An irrational thought called him to hold on and never let go. He wanted to ride the waves of her fury, of her passion. He wanted to meet her storm head on and see what she hid behind that rigid exterior. But he knew that he couldn't do that. She was the enemy, and he would be stupid to let himself entertain such ideas.
"Cooperate and I'll let you go," he stated calmly. "I'm aware of the bracelet. It's no use to resist. I could easily take you captive now if I chose, but that is not my intention."
She relaxed and nodded her head. He released her from his hold and she spun to face him, a dagger in each hand. Her gaze snapped between he and Jahren, scowling even deeper as she looked them up and down. His mouth curled at the edge as he watched her move. She was so quick and graceful, even handicapped as she was. He hadn't seen where she pulled the daggers from. There was no fear in her eyes, only anger and suspicion.
"What are you doing here, pigeon?" she growled, "and you! I see your eyes, Daegra mutt. Why is a Kyaga working with the republic?"
"We were tracking a missing person, and they led us here," said Jahren. "The subject was taken in Kaharin territory, and dragged all the way here. An abduction like this is a breach of our treaty. This is grounds for war."
She seemed shocked by his words, but worked quickly to guard her reaction. Her expression was unreadable, and it only drew Farias deeper in. She was such a mystery, this woman, and he wanted to know more.
