Calli and her ragtag group of improvised hunters began to march towards the orphanage located at the top of the hill.

  “And you’re saying that you’ve seen these two individuals at this orphanage?” Calli asked.

  “Yes, they fit the description you’ve given us. One of the border guards spotted one leaving the Market earlier accompanied by an unfamiliar woman. As for the kid you’re mentioning, he’s probably still back at the orphanage,” said a tall hunter, who went by the name Gravel.

  “Something about that woman seems familiar…” another hunter by the name of List said. Hair tied up in a ponytail, and outfitted with standard leather equipment, she seemed more of a scout, than a hunter. She was contemplating for a while, with Calli watching her, before speaking up again, “Maybe it was just my imagination. I’ll let you know if something comes up.”

  Though this woman didn’t fit any description that Calli knew of any Golden Order members, it was the best lead she had at the moment.

  “Okay, just let me know.”

  Calli looked up at the familiar streets of the Night Market, and the nearby slope which led up into the Little Miracles Home. So this is probably where Aio came from when Caz found him, Calli thought.

  “Be polite to Madam Roberta, ok? She’s done a lot for-” another hunter began.

  “I know who she is, Kenan,” Calli replied, cutting the disheveled looking hunter off. He had a couple of scars and face tattoos, and was of strong build, despite being a bit shorter than average height. “I used to live around here too, back in the day.”

  The group of five, including Calli began to trot up the slope until they reached the gateway which led to the orphanage. With only the light of some lanterns and beams of sun rays coming down from the cavern above, it looked no different than how she remembered it when she passed by this area all those years ago.

  “Let me head in first. A group of hunters would look a little bit suspicious hanging out around an area full of kids,” Calli said. The others looked at each other and nodded.

  Gravel spoke up, “Did you want us to keep an eye out for the woman as well?”

  “Yes, if you spot her nearby. Feel free to follow, but don’t engage unless she spots you first. If that happens, you can either retreat and report back to me or try to capture her, but do not kill her unless absolutely necessary.”

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

  “That’s a tall order, miss,” Gravel said.

  “I’ll throw in a little extra if you do – make it worth the effort,” Calli responded, pulling out another chip for the crew to inspect. After confirming the amounts, their eyes beaming, they agreed to her request.

  Running unofficial requests like this…good things there aren’t any Auditors here to judge, Calli thought.

  Opening the gates, Calli walked into the general vicinity of the orphanage. She looked at the leaves on the ground, which fell off from the unusual trees which surrounded the path leading up to the building. She approached, knocking on the door lightly. A few moments later an older man peeked out, voice questioning.

  “Um, who is it?” he asked.

  “Hi, sorry to bother, but did a kid named Aio come by here recently. I’m one of his mentors from the um…”

  “Oh, are you a Blackbirds member as well?” the man asked. He pulled back the door a bit more. “Come in, come in. Aio’s best friend was waiting for this Cyr guy to come back to talk to him about Aio, but it’s been a while and you’re here so maybe you might be able to speak in his place.”

  A pang of pain shot through Calli.

  “Oh, ok, sure,” she said, voice straining to maintain normalcy.

  Kids watched intently as the tall woman and the old man began walking down the hallway towards the living room. When she approached, she noticed a kid sitting next to a hearth, facing the flames from a short distance.

  “Riven,” the old man said. “I found another friend of Aio’s who came by. This woman-”

  Riven spun around, looked at Calli, and Calli swore his now calm eyes had a hint of panic in them just a second before.

  “What was your name again miss?” the old man asked.

  “Calliope”, she replied.

  “Trimbotin,” he said. “Well, I’ll leave discussion of Aio to you two. Come along now kids,” he said, shooing the peeping kids looking at Calli from the end of the room.

  Riven spoke, “Are you really from the Blackbirds?” A surprising question.

  “Would you believe me if I told you that I was?” she said.

  He thought for a moment, eyes sharp.

  Kids pretty analytical, despite his age, Calli thought.

  “I’m not fully convinced, but…I don’t get bad vibes off of you.”

  “Thanks, I guess,” Calli responded.

  “How do you know Aio?” Riven asked.

  “He’s the little pipsqueak rookie who underwent basic weapons and hunter training with me back when he first started. The Blackbird himself saw to it that he had a round of tutoring with each of the hunter members, to understand our strengths and weaknesses, and learn from a number of different sources.”

  “And what do you think of him?”

  “I think…” Calli said. She thought about her response. Was this kid more likely to help her if she told the truth? He was clearly probing her for some reason. Why? Was he naturally suspicious?

  No…Calli thought. He knew something was up and wanted to assess whether or not I could be trusted.

  “I think,” Calli repeated again, “that the rookie is too na?ve when it comes to trusting people.”

  “You got that right,” Riven said, and he smiled for the first time. “Okay, I trust you and…I wanted to let you know, that I think Aio might be in trouble.”