Chapter 39: Pursuit I

The boat slid smoothly through the water, the fog around them growing thicker the further they went.

Leo had to squint to make out the distant shadow of Douglas and Dalton’s boat, which seemed to morph and shift in the mist. If he focused, he could hear distant splashes and other voices, the sounds of other Hounds.

On one hand, the fog provided them cover, and no one had attacked their boat again so far.

On the other hand, the limited vision made Leo’s skin crawl. Draped in that haze, the lake’s waters and the sky blending together in a curtain of white and grey, the world became unreadable.

Up ahead, the silhouette of the boat turned, shifting away from another island’s faint shoreline. This was the third island the two Hounds had skipped so far.

“Left,” Leo muttered, and Allan paddled more on his side. He and Spade had gotten quite good at maneuvering the boat around despite—from what Leo knew—neither of them having rowing experience.

“Is that the second one we’ve passed?” Allan asked quietly.

“Third.” Leo frowned, not taking his eyes off the boat even as he spoke. He knew that the moment he did, they would lose Douglas and Dalton’s trail in the fog.

“Looks like they do know a more specific route,” Spade remarked. “I suppose we’ll just have to hope it’s the right one.”

The boat drifted past the island. From Leo’s peripheral vision, he could make out a rockier shoreline and less visible trees as well as two other boats already on the shore. Those two groups of Hounds clearly didn’t know the route Douglas and Dalton were taking.

One hand absently gripped the amulet still hanging from his neck. The stone had cooled down, and no trace of its earlier warm glow remained. Still, Leo was acutely aware of the possible “time limit,” if Irving’s theory about the fae was true. Not just that, but even though it was hard to see through the fog, he estimated they only had a few hours before the sun set and the risk of the Silence rose.

“Behind us, on the right,” Spade muttered.

Leo jerked around, turning his head just enough to keep Douglas and Dalton in his peripheral vision while still getting a view of the approaching boat.

The rowboat behind them glided through the water, and the sound of splashing waves reached Leo’s ears. It was a larger boat, four Hounds sitting inside rowing with practiced ease.

The [Fragmentholder] tensed. The boat was far away enough that they wouldn’t be able to get a good look at their faces. With luck, it would pass by them assuming they were another group of Hounds.

On the other hand, if they did attack, they were outnumbered. Leo remembered how quickly the Hound from before had been dragged under the water. There’d been no fighting or resisting it. If a fight broke out and one of them touched the water, it was over.

Leo silently wished [Fade into Background] could affect more than just himself. As it was, he leaned over to Allan and Spade.

“Let’s turn left more, and paddle more slowly. Let them pass us.”

“What if we lose Douglas and Dalton?” Allan asked.

“Don’t worry,” Leo assured. “I can still see them.”

With a nod, Allan and Spade slowed their rowing and the boat shifted slightly to the left, putting more distance between them and the approaching Hounds.

Leo resisted the urge to adjust his cloak, not wanting to risk seeming suspicious, and kept his head turned ahead as the boat began to pass them.

In the corner of his eye, he could just barely make out a few details in the fog. Gleaming weapons, some already dripping red, and a few bags sitting at the Hounds’ feet.

He waited, shoulders drawn in a straight line, for the boat to turn in their direction, for one of the Hounds to look their way.

They never did. The boat continued past them, turning right and fading into the fog.

Leo exhaled once the Hounds had completely vanished from view.

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“We need to hurry,” he urged, and the boat accelerated again. For a brief second he thought he’d lost sight of Douglas and Dalton, but with one more push of the oars, their silhouette came into view close to another island. Their boat turned towards the shore, and sure enough, Leo could see that they were slowing down.

The [Fragmentholder]’s heart raced. This was the first island the two Hounds were stopping on. Could this one be the one with the fragment?

Douglas and Dalton’s boat gently pulled up to the rocky shore, and Leo saw the two Hounds jump out and disappear into the trees.

Now that they were closer, Leo could see that this island was much larger than the first one they’d searched. Like that one, it was covered in a forest, and he could see multiple streams running into the treeline. Through the fog, he could even make out distant hills.

This would take a much longer time to search. If his memory of the map of the Glass Lake was correct, this was one of the largest islands within this portion of the lake.

Their own boat gently hit the shore just between two rocks, stopping a little ways away from Douglas and Dalton’s.

After taking a second to make sure the two Hounds weren’t nearby, the three of them jumped out. With a bit of pulling, they managed to get the boat further onto the shore where it wasn’t in danger of being washed away by the waves.

“Should we split up again?” Allan asked, dark eyes studying the forest ahead of them. Leo hesitated.

Based on the footprints left on the soft earth, the two Hounds were staying together. Considering both Douglas and Dalton were higher level than them—the former especially—it would be bad for any of them to run into the Hounds by themselves.

Splitting up, however, would let them cover the most ground and get off the island as soon as possible.

Just as Leo opened his mouth to respond, he paused.

Passing through the rolling mist, the silhouette of a boat passed the island. Its movements were jerky, progressing forward in sudden bursts, but what caught Leo’s attention was the fact that there was only one person on the boat. Every other one they’d seen had contained multiple Hounds in one group.

Leo squinted, and he felt the passive effect of [Judgement] take hold.

Name: Ivan

Age: 24

Level: 20

Class: [Mercenary, Tier 0]

Personal Skill: [Foresight Lvl 2]

Ivan raised a hand, and a blast of wind bursted out of his palm, propelling the boat forward. Leo recognized the spell from the confrontation with Fergus.

Though it was hard to make out from the distance, the Hound seemed to be moving with a steady purpose. He didn’t give the island a second glance, simply continuing deeper into the fog with single-minded determination.

Leo furrowed his brows, glancing back at the forest Douglas and Dalton had disappeared into, then back at Ivan’s boat.

Did the Hound know something? Based on the meeting he’d eavesdropped on, it didn’t sound like [Foresight] had shown the man any specific locations. Had he lied to Sonia?

Or maybe Ivan was following his own pre-planned route just like Douglas and Dalton were, and he knew no more about the fragment’s position than the high ranked Hounds did. But then, why was he alone when not even Douglas was?

Whatever it was, he’d have to make a decision soon or Ivan would disappear from view.

Leo exhaled and clenched his fingers into a fist.

“Change of plans.” He turned to face Allan and Spade.

“I’m gonna follow Ivan. The two of you stay here and search the island, but keep out of Douglas and Dalton’s sight.”

“We can’t just leave you alo—”

“I’ll be fine,” Leo insisted, cutting the [Healer] off. “I can handle Ivan by himself. We can meet up again later.” He pursed his lips. “You two’re the ones in the more dangerous position. I’m serious about avoiding Douglas and Dalton, you know.”

He could tell Allan wasn’t convinced. In the corner of his eye, Ivan was making his way past the island.

“Then let’s all follow Ivan if you think he knows something.”

Leo shook his head. “Nothing’s guaranteed right now. We need to make sure the fragment’s not here either; there’s no time. If you finish searching and it’s not here, you can come find me, and I’ll do the same if Ivan doesn’t know where it is.”

“And how exactly should we find you?”

Spade’s expression was as unreadable as ever. Leo frowned, closing his eyes for a brief moment.

[You have switched to an open party system]

[You are no longer the leader of your party]

The [Executioner] raised a scarred eyebrow, and Leo knew she and Allan must’ve gotten the notification as well.

“There,” he said. “Now we can all use the party map.” He shifted closer to Douglas and Dalton’s boat and began pushing it back into the water, leaving their original boat for Allan and Spade to use.

“You sure about this?” Spade asked. Leo glanced back, setting his jaw.

“I’m trusting you,” he said. Beside the [Executioner], Allan was frowning, still clearly unsatisfied with the situation but knowing that he wouldn’t be able to convince Leo otherwise.

The [Fragmentholder] picked up the oars. He could just barely make out Ivan’s silhouette through the fog.

“I’ll be fine, I promise,” he assured the [Healer] again.

Dark brows furrowed, but slowly, the man nodded.

“Stay safe,” he called.

Leo adjusted his hold on the oars. “You too,” he said, then he pushed off from the shore and into the lake’s waters.