Sixteen days later..

  I sat in the Flames' meeting room. The heavy table smelled faintly of wax and old smoke. Nothing had changed about the room's layout. The same chairs, the same brass lanterns lining the wall, the same high-backed seats, but the feeling in the air had shifted. Where once it had hummed with edge and the constant itch for battle plans, today the light through Sun's world made it t felt less warmongery. I waited for Leo to arrive. All that paperwork and keeping tabs on our rackets must be tiring. It was tiring for me to keep my army from dying of boredom.

  The door creaked and the weight of expectation settled back on my shoulders. Leo walked through the orange wooden door. He moved with a step that cut through like a blade through cloth. Even his shadow seemed to take command of the room as he crossed the threshold. He sat on the end, overseeing all other chairs. He crossed his arms, "Did you find Ryuha?"

  I scratched my eyebrow, the dry skin catching under my nails, "Shouldn't you have read my report? He wasn't there."

  The flap of papers shifted when I moved my hand; the report's pages were still slightly rumpled from where I had gone over them the night before. Leo sighed, the sound low and thoughtful rather than exasperated. "Yes, I did. It's a worrisome report. I was hoping for some good news."

  He stood up, and pointed to the map with his sword sheath, the metal catching a sliver of light as he did, "Where do you think Ryuha is, Vellin?"

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  I didn't know. I said, "I don't know. Chatna maybe?"

  The cloth of my sleeve whispered as I lifted my chin. There were pins all over that map now. Leo smiled and put his sheath back on his hip, a small motion, "Correct. Our scouts found Surge scourging the streets in an unusually high number."

  Then he frowned, a crease cutting into his brow like an old scar, "The experiment was the last thing we needed. If even one of the Major Clans has enough funds to buy some, and hires the remnants of Obsidian, we could be in big trouble. That's disregarding the transcended like Hematite, Borschmack, and Haet still running around. They're laying low, but who knows if they'll keep laying low after even Joe Schmo can be a threat."

  I raised my hand up, the movement small but emphatic, "You've given me a week of rest already. Let me take Kaiguya and Odina to kill him."

  He shook his hand, a flat, deliberate dismissal, "No, no, no. Kaiguya is a loose cannon, and Odina isn't that strong."

  I shrugged, the motion tired. "Then what? We let them make more until we get overrun through sheer numbers?"

  Leo folded his arms, "You haven't met Alexander yet, and now is a good time to. You and him will go."

  This is a bit of a misstep.

  I stared him down, letting the weight of my look sit between us, "Sure, but let me take Kaiguya and Odina. They're motivated. Odina is on the level of an officer, and Kaiguya is still a transcended."

  For a long breath Leo watched me. The usual click-and-tilt of his jaw was gone. He seemed to be weighing not just my words but the tempo behind them. Leo noticed I stared him down, but eased off, the stance in his shoulders loosening, "Fine. You can babysit if you want. Just make sure to bring me Ryuha's head."

  I stood up and walked to the door, my boots whispering on the floorboards. I paused with my hand on the handle and looked back, "What is Alexander like?"

  Leo looked to a photo on the wall of an old man, the frame catching the lamp’s glow, "He's a very solemn man."