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He nodded and walked toward the dead hybrid. Nadia could see the slight tension in his body language, but was content to see that this Bolt’s training had come along well until the city fell to Kassemyr. He’d likely had use of those skills and control since then.
“Wait, we’re following the thief now?” Harmiston whispered, walking next to Nadia.
“I think it’s safe to say we’re all thieves,” Jurnek pointed out over his shoulder, as matter-of-fact as any Wraith. He passed the hybrid and led them down a side street close by.
“All right,” Harmiston said. “We’re following a child, then?”
“He’s not a child,” Nadia corrected. “He’s a Bolt Wraith. I’d rely on him over many an adult citizen.”
Harmiston sighed. “Fine. Let’s follow theveeeeryyoung adult.”
Nadia smiled at him and then nodded sideways toward the Bolt ahead of them to confirm. This was her first solid lead on anything regarding the Wraiths. Jurnek was the first living Wraith she’d encountered since Kassemyr’s attack on the city.
“Your companions back there,” she asked Jurnek while they walked, “They were Bolts too?”
“Yes. We weren’t sure who you were. We were trying to get a good look at you.”
“You’ve been following me, then?”
“Yes. We heard news that a Shadow—”
“Former Shadow.”
“Uh, was somewhere in the city.”
It was best to keep these things straight from the beginning. They might be looking for a Shadow, but she was no longer that. Something about Jurnek’s words tugged at her mind, though.
“When you say that you heard news of a Shadow in the city,” she began, sharing a concerned look with Harmiston, who had caught on to the same verbiage. “That sounds like you don’t know of anyone else.”
“That’s right, Sentinel,” Jurnek said solemnly. “There are none.”
“So you are …”
“All Bolts.”
“Ah,” Nadia’s heart sank. She’d been hoping this Bolt could lead her to the Wraiths in general, but this didn’t seem to be the case. Still, she felt a sense of responsibility for the Bolts, having once been part of their training.
They didn’t talk much after that. Nadia and Harmiston simply followed Jurnek through narrow and turning side streets. They walked without a sound and without smell. Tracking them without knowing they were there would be hard even for hybrids. Nadia’s complete focus was on any movements, sounds, or scents around them, but the city was quiet. The odd face looking down from a window was the only sign of life in Agartha, which had been void of safety and freedom for over a month now.
That was too long. What if this situation stretched out and lasted years? What if Kassemyr turned out to be invincible? His hybrids sure made him seem like it. There was no better protection than those strong enough to withstand pain, silver, and the sun for long periods.
Nadia forced those despairing thoughts to the back of her mind and assessed her own physical condition while they walked on. She hadn’t broken anything, but she had maybe fractured the bone on her left pinky. Other than that, she would be bruised and stiff in the morning unless she took care of her battered body before she went to sleep. The hybrid’s attacks had been vicious and strong, and stiff and sore muscles would do her no good.
“Thanks for your help back there,” she whispered to Harmiston when they, to her surprise, entered Cahlmont Hollow. The werewolf district in Agartha was as quiet and shut-in as the rest of the city.
“No, thank you,” Harmiston countered. “I didn’t think we could get him. It was intense.”
“Yes. I’ve seen four Ghosts take out a hybrid before killing it. Your magic made up the difference.”
“I don’t see how we’re going to stop them,” Harmiston went on like his magic didn’t matter. “It’s like they shake off anything that even remotely bites them. Except for your knife.”
“It took three strikes, and that was a silver-bladed knife, mind you.”
He nodded. “How are we going to subdue them? They can even handle sunlight, like getting a tan would be good for them.”
“Here we are,” Jurnek interrupted and stopped on the sidewalk.
Nadia looked to where the Bolt pointed and froze.
