“So that’s it then?” asked Nicolas suddenly, “You just drop by in the morning to tell us someone died in your funhouse that we helped put her into. Then it’s” His face grew animated and he voice raised several octaves, “Oh yes, she’s dead, terrible loss and all that rot. But stiff upper lip and all that, we have work to do and another field trip to go on.” He started waddling from leg to leg in mock excitement. “Yes, much to do, much to do, cheerio, what what!”
Despite how horrible he felt, William couldn’t help but let a small smile touch his lips. Katherine’s back was still turned so he couldn’t read her face but Charles did not find anything about the situation amusing at all. The smile immediately fell from William’s face in shame.
“Are you quite finished?” Ansuya asked, deadly quiet.
Nicolas looked as if he might have said more but then thought better of it and stood still.
“We have survived for thousands of years by being strong and only accepting the strong. You are young, but the wisdom of strength, especially now, still holds true. Our people have been hunted to near extinction and those who would hunt us have always found the weak in our packs, used them, and killed all they could.” Ansuya’s eyes glazed as her mind reached back to some distant past. “The City Under the Clouds was our greatest mistake. We had won a great many battles and secured a peace for mankind that lasted generations. It was that time that we allowed ourselves the luxury of the weak.” Ansuya’s eyes refocused and bored directly into Katherine’s, who was still standing in front of the Elder. “We made our mistake once, we will not make it again, no matter how desperate our situation may seem.” William couldn’t read how Katherine took that, the girl remained rigid and upright in front of the Elder.
William had never heard about such a city, but he was starting to understand just where some of the amazing things in the city had come from. Efraim, had mentioned a City Under the Sand. How many more Shape shifter cities were there? It might be worth looking into.
Ansuya caught Aceso’s eyes and spoke directly to her. “Aceso, you, Katherine, and Charles will stay here. You three will train with Acharya and his pack. They are learning with the rest of the Elders today about advanced techniques for your abilities.” Aceso nodded, Katherine and Charles did not move the slightest inch to even indicate that they had heard the Elder or not. Maybe it didn’t matter. They would do as they had been ordered to do. Even with the short time he had been here William had understood very early on that obedience to the City was paramount to everything else, and the Elders spoke for the City.
“So where are we going then” Nicolas asked, a little too harshly.
Ansuya glanced between himself and the Tracker, “We are traveling to Los Angeles. We are going to meet a long time friend who may be able to help us figure out who this Kenneth Pacifico is and where he came from.”
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William nodded to himself. Kenneth: the vampire who had known about the invasion of his forest. He had somehow found out where he lived. He knew about his escape and at least that he had made it to the City, obviously. He didn’t know where the City was, at least William hoped that that was the case. That would be a blessing, but Kenneth seemed to know more than enough to make himself a very real threat to the City and those who lived in it. If William could do anything to help bring Kenneth down and ensure the safety of his home, he would.
“When do we leave?” he asked as he glanced over at Nicolas.
Ansuya looked at William directly for the first time that morning, “We will leave immediately. You will not need anything other than the clothes you have on right now everything else has been arranged.” She looked at Katherine once again. “Sage, will you make them travel ready?” It was asked as a question but the weight behind it made it anything but.
Katherine lowered her eyes to the ground and turned toward Nicolas and William. She focused intently on them for a moment or two then nodded. Katherine looked different. She didn’t look beaten, or tired, or reserved, or angry. Her body posture was not rigid but it wasn’t soft either. Her eyes were not hard but there was something behind them, some great storm of emotions or thoughts that made William very concerned for her. Before he could do or say anything, she turned away from him and side stepped around Ansuya to join Charles.
He looked up and caught Charles’s eye. The tall man had seen what William had seen and nodded softly to his friend. William knew that Charles would look after her and be there for her if she needed it. She needed it, even if she didn’t want to admit it right now.
Ansuya looked over the pack as a whole once again. “You all have your assigned duties. William, Nicolas, come with me.”
And that was it. William found himself falling in step behind the shorter Elder as Nicolas trailed after him. He glanced over his shoulder has Aceso turned away from him and started in the opposite direction. Katherine stood still as death, watching Ansuya leave. William watched as Charles put a hand gently on her shoulder. She didn’t shrug it off, nor did it look like she was pleased at her friend’s reassurance. She allowed it to be there, nothing more. William turned around and followed the Elder through the massive labyrinth that was this city and his home.
After a short distance, Ansuya stopped and turned around to look at both young men. She focused on Nicolas. “William, will you excuse us for a moment?” William let his puzzlement show openly on his face. Ansuya looked over at him and raised a single, slender, questioning eyebrow at his not moving. William shook himself and moved off to the side of the street they had been traveling and leaned up against the cool smooth black stone of one of the buildings.
William watched as Nicolas fluidly turned away from the Elder and walked to a nearby building. He rounded the corner and disappeared. William pushed himself away from the building as Ansuya, strangely and unexpectedly glided over to him, instead of following after Nicolas. She walked past him without a word and sat down in a nearby building that had a few chairs and benches sitting inside of it. Ansuya motioned for him to join her. Glancing back at where Nicolas had disappeared, he followed the Elder into the mostly empty building. Ansuya had picked a rather plain looking chair that was partially facing a nearby bench, this is where William took his place.