The fire crackled in the center of the shallow valley sending sparks dancing toward the heavy darkness of the borderlands. Hykee did not look up immediately when the crunch of boots on loose gravel echoed from the ridge. He continued to tear at a piece of charred meat with his teeth his bandaged fingers trembling slightly from the strain of his previous battles. Beside him Lokee remained motionless her eyes fixed on a point in the blackness that no one else could see. It was only when the shadows of two women stretched across the firelight that Hykee finally raised his head.

  "So" Hykee said his voice raspy and dripping with a venomous amusement. "The first thing Kova does as a leader is send a pest of a dying clan and a discarded object to help us."

  He spat a piece of gristle into the dirt his eyes narrowing as they settled on Kana and then shifted toward Juno. The disdain was thick enough to choke the air around the small camp. To Hykee the presence of his sister was an insult and the presence of Kova servant was a reminder of the power dynamic he desperately wanted to overturn.

  "Shut up" Lokee said her voice low and cutting through the tension like a cold wind. "The time for your nitpicking is not necessary."

  Unlike the jagged edges and sharp tongues of her other brothers Lokee possessed a quiet sentiment for her siblings that the others had long since buried. She turned her head slightly a small softened light in her eyes as she looked at the new arrivals.

  "Hi Kana" Lokee said softly before nodding toward the fire bearer. "Hello Juno."

  The simple greeting hung in the air a stark contrast to the hostility radiating from Hykee. Juno stepped closer to the warmth of the fire her posture remaining professional but her guard lowering just a fraction in the face of Lokee's kindness.

  "Kova sent us for support" Juno explained her voice steady. "But his orders were clear. Lokee is to take the lead. We are here to follow her direction and ensure the mission is completed."

  Lokee nodded her expression thoughtful. She closed her eyes for a moment her brow furrowing as she reached out with her senses. While she did not possess the mastery that Kaola had she could still sense Yen with enough clarity to be usable. Since Kota had unmasked his Yen back in the settlement the resonance of his power was still vibrating through the atmosphere like a distant bell.

  "I can feel him" Lokee whispered her eyes snapping open. "He is not as far as he thinks. His Yen is still loud after what happened in the settlement. It is like a beacon against the void."

  "Then why are we still sitting here?" Hykee demanded standing up with a jerk. The bandages across his chest shifted and he winced but the manic grin returned to his face. "I am tired of the smell of smoke and failure."

  Lokee rose her movements fluid and silent. She looked at Juno and then at Kana her eyes finally focusing on the path ahead. "The trail leads south toward the outskirts. Kota is moving fast but he is leaving a residue of light. The air will get denser as we move souther Kotas Yen is well on par with that of Komas and Kotas so move cautiously and maintain your breathing."

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  "Caution is for the weak Juno" Hykee rolled his shoulders his grin widening as he looked at the servant. "I want to see what this pest and this object can actually do when the void starts to push back. Let us see who breaks first."

  Lokee cut him off before he could continue. "Don't listen to him he's just worked up because he hasn't punched anything since being out here."

  "I punched Kaola" Hykee muttered under his breath mocking Lokee tone but he did not argue further.

  They began to move out of the valley leaving the dying fire behind. The terrain grew more difficult as they approached the outskirts of the settlement that Kota just left. The air was thick with the scent of ozone and old signs a sign that they were nearing the settlement. The ground was littered with the remnants of the recent struggle and the very atmosphere felt heavy as if the void itself were pressing down on the structures Kota had recently abandoned.

  Lokee took the lead her senses guiding them through the treacherous paths. Kana followed closely behind her every sense heightened and her hand resting on the hilt of her own blade. She could feel the presence of Hykee and Juno flanking the group.

  As they moved through the outskirts the wind began to howl through the narrow canyons of decaying buildings carrying with it the faint sound of laughter. It was a sound that made the hair on the back of Kana neck stand up. It was not human and it did not belong in this world.

  "Do you hear that?" Kana whispered her voice barely audible over the wind.

  "Ignore it" Lokee replied her voice coming from directly ahead. "It is just the wind playing with the echoes of the past. Focus on the ground and your breathing. These ruins are not forgiving."

  Hykee was humming a low discordant tune as he walked his heavy bandaged form moving with a strange silent grace that defied his size. He seemed to be enjoying the tension as if the encroaching darkness were a fuel for his own internal fire. He was a ticking clock and Kana knew that eventually the pressure would become too much for him to handle.

  They reached a clearing that overlooked the dense perimeter of the settlement. Ahead the structures rose like the teeth of a giant beast their tops lost in the swirling gray clouds. A faint trail of silver light was visible winding its way through the narrow streets.

  "There" Lokee said pointing toward the light. "That is him."

  "Then what are we waiting for?" Hykee asked stepping forward and pushing past Kana. "I am tired of walking. I want to start the real hunt."

  He did not wait for an answer moving into the shadows with a burst of dark energy that left a trail of black smoke in the air. Lokee followed him her body blurring as she moved through the void.

  Juno looked at Kana a flicker of something that might have been concern crossing her face before it was replaced by her usual cold mask. "Can you keep up?"

  Kana looked at the dark ruins and the jagged debris ahead. She felt the fear rising in her throat but she pushed it down. She thought of Kova and the way he had looked at her with such clinical detachment.

  "I can" Kana said.

  She broke into a run her body feeling lighter than it ever had before. For a moment the world around her turned into a blur of gray and black. Her feet hit the hard pavement of the settlement outskirts and she stumbled forward her hands scraping against the stone.

  Juno landed beside her her breathing even. "Good. Now keep up. Lokee will not wait for you and neither will I."

  They continued their trek the silver trail of Kota growing brighter with every step through the abandoned district. The air was becoming colder and the pressure of the void was a physical weight on their chests. Every breath was a struggle but they did not stop. They were close now. The hunt was nearing its end and the true test was about to begin.