Chapter 14. Rogue

The leader angel, who had introduced himself as Galim, woke them up the next morning with treats and food supplies already prepared and packed in baskets. He had breakfast with them, recounting to Maeum and Seunghyun about the way the town had surged up from many refugees seeking shelter and trying to reach the northern borders. Meanwhile, Minzy and Layl accompanied two Krevatis to look around the town for possible traces of demons loitering around.

Not surprisingly, they learned that Galim was, in fact, born to be an Alpha. Daesung and Seungri shared a knowing look upon hearing that. He had looked clearly as one. But his story was sad, as many inside Shinshi. His father had been an Alpha too, but had been killed by an enraged demon; who had, also, threatened his mother. Her mother, in fear, had escaped from the city in search for shelter, and she had learned from shushed voices that there were towns in the north, well-endowed to protect people who was running away from demons, so called refugees’ camps.

“I arrived here when I was four years old, I had never the chance to enrol as an Alpha,” Galim said, while he spread butter over his toast, “But now I became the protector of this town,” he said while looking out the window to the main plaza, where angels were already walking and carrying baskets, bowls and pulling their cattle.

“Are you alone?” Seunghyun asked.

The leader Angel shook his head, “There have been protectors before me, but I was the first born Alpha to be a leader, and I started training young angels. Some are really good at fighting and tracking.”

“You trained them?” Maeum eyebrows went high up, “But how?”

“Alpha’s instincts are in here,” Galim pointed at his chest, “They surface when it is needed. My technique might not be the cleanest but it works. And we needed to get stronger. Extremist groups have been getting closer and closer. Just recently we noticed activity around the town. Everyone needs to learn how to protect themselves if they want to survive,” he added and looked pointedly at Seungri and Daesung, “No matter who were we born to be.” 

Seungri gulped and looked down. He, once again, stared at the delicacy of his hands and clenched them into fists, disgusted.

They left with plenty of food and provisions, and a promise from Galim to be always welcomed back whenever they needed a place to take shelter or rest. Minzy took the lead once they were out of the town, guiding them to the place where the demons had spent the night.

Aigiel was the first to join them, he appeared out of nowhere, surprising Seunghyun who jumped and unsheathed his knife immediately, prepared to attack and defend. For their part, Maeum and Minzy only broke in laughter, Layl shook her head, while Aigiel stared at the knife in front of him unimpressed, chuckled and boldly ignored the Alpha angel.

“Did you had a good rest?” he asked Seungri, throwing an arm over his shoulders.

“Did you?” Seungri answered back and gave a serious look at Aigiel, who smirked and pinched Seungri’s nose.

“Of course I did,” Aigiel said, “I’ve been sleeping in the wild since I was ten years old, Seungri. So has SooJoo, Jiyong, and Youngbae. We surely don’t even remember what a bed looks like,” he laughed.

But Seungri’s frown only got more pronounced at that, and Aigiel rolled his eyes and messed up his hair, “Stop worrying too much. We are fine.”

The place they had slept was between highly dense trees that acted as a naturally made ceiling. SooJoo was laughing at a joke Youngbae had just said, while Jiyong was folding all the blankets inside the satchels grinning. As if he had sniffed their presence, he stood up instantly and made eye contact with Seungri.

All kind of feelings ran through Seungri, suddenly and without warning: worry, relief, fear, longing. They him so hard and so swiftly that he stumbled back by the strength of the thoughts appearing inside his head. Jiyong broke off the staring and looked down to the satchels, but his face looked relieved, shy. And as sudden as the thoughts had appeared inside Seungri’s head, they banished. Seungri ran a hand over his chest and flickered his wings, overwhelmed, but shook his head and went to sit next to SooJoo. The female demon smiled at him, welcoming.

“I promise you, Seungri. I wouldn’t sleep in a bed even if you paid me. I’m too much accustomed to sleeping over grass and rocks,” SooJoo joked with him after Seungri had asked her for the fourth time if she had rested well enough and if she felt ok or if anything hurt.

During the day, Seungri was continuously overwhelmed by strange feelings, like sudden anger or frustration or joy. But the feelings felt so alien, belonging to the outside, and it disturbed and confused him every time it happened. Be it coincidence or not, it usually happened whenever Jiyong made eye contact with him. Flicking bursts of feelings that weren’t his, but somehow felt personal to Seungri.

The note that appeared hidden between the food in the baskets caught everyone by surprise. The first to notice it was Layl, who gasped scandalized and looked around as if she was trying to find someone hiding behind the trees around them. Maeum, once he saw her distress, asked her what was wrong. The note was simple, concise and written with a sloppy calligraphy as if the one who had written it had been in a rush. Though the small piece of paper had been neatly folded and hidden, impossible to spot unless you stirred and moved the contents of the basket.

The note read like this:

Extremist group at the other side of the north bridge. 25 at the camp.

Avoid popular paths.

“What is this?”, Layl asked, turning the piece of paper and looking intently on both sides, looking for something, a mark, a name, anything.

“How do we know that’s not a trick, a scam to catch us?” Aigiel said, frowning and kneeled next to Layl, taking the piece of paper and reaching it to his nose, “There’s no scent in this,” he said and his scowl grew in discomfort, “I don’t trust this.”

Seunghyun stepped up, “Someone knew where we were and where we want to go. That is worrying enough,” he claimed, sternly and as same as Layl, he squinted his eyes and looked around in distrust, “We are not safe.”

“Do any recognize this calligraphy?” Aigiel asked, showing the piece of paper to everyone. All angels and demons, shook their heads.

“How did it get there? Could it have been Galim?” Maeum asked and frowned, looking at the note and the baskets with food, “Doesn’t make sense, he could have told us directly.”

“Did any of you watch them preparing the baskets?” Jiyong finally asked, somehow his eyes looked hopeful while he stared at the note, “Is there a chance someone could have sneaked that note?”

“They had them prepared already when we woke up,” Minzy shook her head, “But it is possible. They might have prepared the baskets during the night. That leaves the whole night available for someone to put that note inside.”

Jiyong scowled and nodded his head, met eyes with Youngbae and looked at Aigiel.

“Can you go?” he asked the tracker.

“You mean to the bridge?” Aigiel asked back, his wings tensed up and he looked at SooJoo, “I would prefer not to go alone.”

Jiyong nodded and straightened up his vest, “I’ll go with you.”

“No,” Minzy interrupted them and stepped up, “I’ll go with him. You should stay here. If this is a trap, it’s better if the strongest ones stay here,” she said, turning his eyes to where Daesung and Seungri were staring at everyone with confused faces.

Jiyong, following her eyes, looked at Seungri and let his hands fall from his vest. He nodded and looked one more time at Aigiel, “You take care, don’t get too close. Just see if you can get a sniff of something odd.”

“Will do,” Aigiel said and took flight, followed by Minzy, who surprising everyone, followed the tracker with trained motions in the air, the perfect movements as to not be spotted. Seungri let out a small smile full of pride, she had learned well from Aigiel.

“Maeum,” Youngbae called the Alpha angel, who raised his head from the note Aigiel had passed to him and raised an eyebrow, “Help me look for alternative routes, will you?”

Maeum nodded and gave the note back to Layl, “Don’t lose it,” he said with a tender smile and approached the demon. Both demon and angel kneeled together and spread the map that was inside Youngbae satchel, over the ground. Seungri, in his usual curiosity, approached them too, despite Daesung trying to stop him with his hand. Jiyong grinned at the scene and shook subtly his head, but moved close to and kneeled next to Seungri to listen.

Daesung for his part stuck next to Layl, who sat beside SooJoo, who relieving enough for Daesung made no move to acknowledge both angels next to her; but closed her eyes and touched the ground, breathing deeply. Layl watched curiously at the demon and her eyes sparkled with some kind of fascination that Daesung couldn’t really understand.

“Do you know anything about the northern canyons?” Youngbae asked Maeum, looking at the vast territory that separated them from the northern borders represented on the map.

Maeum traced with his finger the miles of unknown territory that they had to cross and pulled his eyebrows together thoughtful, “I recognize some of the canyons… We flew through them during one of our training, back when I was younger. But I don’t remember much.”

The northern canyons were treacherous lands of deep ravines between rocky and, most of the time snowy, cliffs. The rivers cutting through their underl