I exited the tent while rubbing my side. He hadn’t been gentle, far from it. It was probably for the best. The gauze he’d wrapped around me held everything in place and acted like a strong support for my torso. Before I left the old man assured me that I would heal up in a matter of days. No biggie.

  “He killed this?” Whispers escaped the broken tent where I’d fought. I smirked and felt a bit of pride well up at the thought of my handiwork. One of my best kills yet—in my humble opinion. The spider had been crafty, quick, and sturdy, and the whips had been a nightmare to deal with. Even then I’d come out on top, even when I was holding back. And most of my resulting injuries had been self-inflicted. I was definitely getting stronger.

  I decided not to poke my head inside. They’d just stop talking about it if I did. Everyone was still on Daryl’s side, and supported the idea that I was walking misfortune. And if I couldn’t change their minds with something like this, then it was best to let them talk. Best to let them fuel my acclaim. No matter how much it chafed against my ego.

  The sun began to set over the camp. Lights kicked in automatically, and large spotlights in the watchtowers lit up the surrounding desert with globes of light that looked strong enough to melt eyeballs.

  I passed the cars with no intent to check in on the progress. Nyla and Quinn were probably planning our next steps. I wanted in on that.

  “Yo, er, Cal?” the mechanic called out.

  I stopped with a sigh and turned to her. “Yeah?”

  Her head popped out from under one of the jeeps, the fiery red of the setting sun glistened against her sun kissed skin and stark black hair. She wore an army green overall with its top open and tied around her waist. Probably the only logical choice when working in climates like this one. Her white tank top was stained with oil and sweat.

  She reached a hand out from under the car. “Help me out would you?”

  I bent and pulled her out. She smelled of machinery.

  “I swear I’m going to shit sand for months,” she grumbled and tugged at her tank top.

  She got dangerously close to revealing herself as she emptied her clothes of sand. I gulped, and thanked my lucky stars that she didn’t notice. My reputation couldn’t take many more hits before it fully crumbled.

  I cleared my throat. “How’s it going?”

  She turned to me, looking like a question mark. “Oh? It’s going. We’ve got the keys and everything, but it seems these pieces of shit were left because they don’t run. Typical, huh?”

  Just my luck. In what world would salvation be so easy to come by.

  “Can you fix them?”

  She looked me up and down with a smirk. “Oh papi, I could fix this with just duct tape, grit, and bad intentions. I have all the tools I need here. I’ll get them running, don’t you worry. Just sit back and enjoy the show,” she teased and winked.

  Trouble.

  I nodded stiffly and walked away, much to her enjoyment. Her mischievous giggles followed me all the way inside the command tent in the middle of the compound. It was where me, Daryl, and Julia first ran into trouble.

  The insides were dimly lit with light bulbs lining the skeletal structure of the tent. Nyla and Quinn had rearranged the furniture, clearing the center of the tent save for a large table on which they’d placed Quinn’s map, GPS, and a crackling radio.

  Nyla held her chin in her hand and stared intermittently at the map and radio. Quinn nodded in greeting but didn’t say anything. Like any good subordinate she wouldn’t mess with her commander when she was concentrating.

  “Right,” Nyla declared and broke the silence. “We need to get the radio working. That should be our first order of business.”

  “Not possible. The signal is not strong enough to piece the veil.”

  “So we fix it. Gerrard has his theories. We just need one of them to work.”

  Quinn stepped up to the map and studied it intently. “It will take time. Not to mention the tools and equipment we’ll need to collect.”

  “That doesn’t matter. We can’t keep wandering through the desert aimlessly. What happens to us if the next rendezvous point has been compromised?” She shook her head. “I’m not willing to find out. We need information.”

  Quinn nodded. “I’ll give him command of a small group to take stock of the base’s remaining inventory. He should have a list of materials needed by morning.”

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Nyla nodded and Quinn hurried off without a word.

  “That bad?” I asked.

  She glanced at me in surprise as if she hadn’t seen me before I spoke. “Today was proof enough that we aren’t equipped to face a journey into the dark. We need eyes and ears.” She sighed and plopped down on a chair near the table. “Question is how we get that.”

  “Gerrard will manage.” I didn’t know where the confidence came from, but my trust in the man was unshakeable.

  “He will. If we provide the support he needs. Can I count on you?”

  I nodded. “Of course.” I thought I’d made that much clear already. We even had a contract that forced me to help them. Though I suppose this was not part of what I’d signed up for. I didn’t mind though, Gerrard and Stewie were good people. So were Nyla and Quinn.

  “Good,” she grumbled and leaned back in the chair. “I’ll need you to take point if we have to split up again. And I expect we will.”

  “Can’t wait.”

  She grunted something in response and waved at me to leave. I did so quietly. The bunks had been calling out to me for long enough that I’d started giving the various beds I passed different personalities.

  The mechanic giggled and winked when I hurried past her again. I didn’t even know her name yet she had me pressed against the ropes. A damn frightening woman that.

  I entered the tent with the most activity, earning me a good amount of stares as I settled onto a bunk somewhat distanced from the others. No way was I going to sleep in a tent all alone. What if there were more scorpions? No, I’d be sleeping with the rest of them whether they like it or not.

  I removed my shoes and recoiled at the stink of my feet. We had walked through a desert all day. Anything other than stinky feet would be weird. Still a few dissatisfied grumbles arose from the beds around mine. I shook it off and slipped into my sleeping bag still wearing my armour.

  Sleep came quickly when enjoying the comfort of a bed.

  * * *

  “Cal, wake up.”

  My body moved before I could think and I reached for the dagger in my belt.

  Quinn sat close enough that her breath felt warm against my ear. Her eyes flitted to the sharp steel tip poking out of my sleeping bag. I relaxed and unsummoned the dagger with a groan.

  “Ssh!” she pressed a finger to her lips and eyed the others. The room was dark, and still. The others were fast asleep. Quinn stood up and gestured at me to follow. I followed and cringed at the crinkling of the bag and summoned my shoes. The stench of the day before had disappeared as if with magic.

  We stepped outside. Dark skies draped over the world like a comforter. Distant stars sparkled and I craned my neck to look up at them. I realized then that I never used to appreciate the night sky enough.

  “What are you doing?” Quinn hissed. “Come on!”

  She led me to the center tent in silence. We passed by the mechanic who snored like a sawmill, she slept in one of the humvees, cradling a wrench. Her hair stood on end and pointed in every direction. The coquettish personality had been washed away without a trace. I much preferred her when she didn’t talk, but she didn’t seem too bad.

  “This way,” Quinn whispered and ushered me inside the command center. Gerrard and Stewie were locked in a heated discussion, too preoccupied to even notice our arrival.

  Nyla waved a lazy greeting.

  “They’re still at it?” Quinn whispered.

  “It’s like you never left,” Nyla muttered and stifled a yawn. “Welcome to the madness, Cal.”

  “What are they on about?” I asked.

  Gerrard whirled to face me. “Caleb! Just the man I hoped to see.” He hurried to me with a speed not fit for a man of his age and grabbed my arm. “How about you lend us a couple of those threads of yours?”

  I plucked a thread from the veil and handed it to him without delay. His eyes grew wide with jubilation.

  “Gloves,” Nyla said. Her voice was stern and left no room for arguments. Gerrard complied like a scolded child, first placing the thread on the table then scampering off with his assistant to don the necessary protection.

  They returned with thick plastic gloves and some sort of handheld apparatus. I sat down with Nyla and Quinn and watched the two men excitedly discuss the capabilities of magic in thread shape. And I handed them more threads whenever they requested it. Plucking a few threads didn’t put much strain on me anymore. I could go for hours without feeling drained.

  I learned, from watching, that the handheld device was a high powered receiver. They used my threads to see how it affected signals, and had me tie them into different shapes, including intricate nets. We kept going for hours, until the camp stirred awake outside.

  Quinn and Nyla had left us some time ago to go fetch some food. Being reminded of food made my stomach grumble like a wild animal.

  “That’s it!” Gerrard exclaimed. He grabbed Stewie by the arm and shoved him to a screen that measured the power of received signals. “Look! It’s the exact same patterns.”

  Stewie gasped and leaned in closer. “You’re right…”

  Gerrard face contorted into a wide smile, his eyes pressed into tiny slits. “We should be able to circumvent the muddled signal with an empowered emitter.”

  I paid attention to their discussion at first, but as they grew more zealous I felt my mind start to drift. There was no way in hell for me to keep up with the increasingly difficult terms. I closed my eyes and tuned out the sound of their voices and started to doze off when I felt a scalding heat press against my neck.

  I jerked upright and turned with a scowl.

  The mechanics pearly white smile peeked out from behind a steaming pot of porridge. Two slices of toasted bread balanced on the pot’s rounded edge.

  “Breakfast!” she sniggered and pulled back.

  “Where’s Nyla?” I grumbled.

  She dragged a chair and shoved it into mine and sat down cross legged. “Dunno. Talking to the troops I guess.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Why aren’t you with them?”

  “What’s with the inquisition? You want the food or not?”

  “I do.”

  She smiled and handed me a spoon, placing the pot on the pressed together armrests.