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Orlando walked backward, his gun trained before him, his eyes on Violet.

“Take it!” Violet scurried toward Lucienne.

Lucienne signaled for Orlando to get the Screamer. He took it from the redhead and held it like it was a snake.

“Follow us,” Vladimir commanded Violet.

Lucienne let Orlando take the co-pilot seat beside Vladimir as she sat with the redhead in the back. Orlando offered to fly BL7, but Vladimir politely turned him down. The two argued heatedly for a few seconds.

“Orlando will fly it when we go home,” Lucienne intervened.

“Fair enough.” Orlando flashed Vladimir a gloating grin.

“But—” Vladimir wasn’t pleased.

“Orlando is as good a pilot as you are. If he wants to share the burden, let him,” Lucienne said. “You’ve flown BL7 more often than anyone. Don’t think I don’t know.” Before Orlando could gloat further and Vladimir protest, Lucienne said, “Now, will you two be quiet for a moment and let the girls talk, please?”

Violet’s hands grabbed the edge of the seat. She loosened her grip and put on a brave face when she noticed Lucienne watching her.

“In order to locate your friend, I need to know why he came to Hell Gate,” Lucienne said.

“He’d never have come here if it weren’t for me. The law forbids anyone to enter Hell Gate, for fear of waking up an evil spirit here.” Tears sparkled in Violet’s forest green eyes.

“How do you know there’s an evil spirit here?” Lucienne asked.

“The Book says there is,” Violet said.

“What kind of book?”

“The only book we have. The Priestess keeps it in the temple,” Violet said.

A light glowed in Lucienne’s eyes. Could it be the last scroll that had evaded her family for centuries? Was it hidden in this cloaked town after all? Lucienne made a mental note to fetch this book after retrieving Ashburn. She continued to interrogate the girl. Violet was protective when it came to her friend and sly at holding back information, but Lucienne tailored to the girl’s needs. When she expressed her admiration of the redhead’s special friendship with Ashburn, Violet opened like a floodgate. Within minutes, Lucienne had all the information. The Book wasn’t the third scroll but a brainwashing tool; Ashburn was advanced; Nirvana was a wrinkled reflection of Eterne.

BL7 circled Hell Gate, then Attu Mountain, then the surrounding areas for two rounds in a slow scan. On the screen, all Lucienne saw were snowy mountains and sulfur-worn rocky land.

Ziyi reported through the communication link, “Dragonfly has searched the Aleutian islands three times. Two: no trace of the missing kid. Three: the footage we recovered didn’t show how he disappeared. Last: the satellite counted nine hundred ninety-seven humans within the nameless town.”

“How many people do you have in Nirvana?” Lucienne asked Violet.

“Nine hundred ninety-nine,” Violet said.

“Then Ashburn isn’t in the town,” Lucienne said.

“Our fuel’s low.” Vladimir turned to look at Lucienne over his shoulder.

“Outside the mysterious town, all three hundredsquare miles of the island are covered in snow,” Ziyi said. “Even if he isn’t wheelchair-bound, he won’t survive long.”

“Ash must be around, somewhere. He must be.” Violet begged. “Please find him!”

Ziyi’s voice commented. “Guys, sorry to interrupt again, but you have an imminent crisis: two hundred or so peasant soldiers are marching in your direction with primary weaponry. See for yourselves.”

The townsfolk marched with burning torches and weapons, including kitchen knives and spears.

Lucienne turned to Violet. “We’ll look for Ashburn again tomorrow. Where should we drop you?”

“Can you just look for him a little longer? Maybe you’ll find him if you—”

“No, we can’t. We don’t have enough fuel,” Lucienne said. “Which means the bird is hungry. Without proper food, it won’t stay in the sky.”