Page 34 of Marked

"In the last week." He inhaled again, the end of the cigarette blaring red against the darkness around him.

"Their location isn't an exact pinpoint, but the town is accurate.

" He took another long inhale and then opened his palm up, creating a spiral of shadow that swallowed the cigarette.

"You want to end this? You wipe out the names on that page. "

Damien nodded to him, "Feel like taking them down with me?"

The swirling shadow in Grei's hand dissipated, and he shook his head, his thick, unique voice laced with a tone of sadness as he looked up at Damien.

"I'm too old for that now. I'd hinder you more than I'd help. But listen, I know some of them. They're strong. Don't hesitate."

Footsteps echoed faintly outside, the crunching of leaves loud in the space around them. Damien and Blair followed the sound, looking out past the door .

"Expecting company?" Blair whisper yelled. Grei followed her sight and looked outside too, shrugging.

"Possibly. Or it could be just ghosts." He then turned away to leave, speaking over his shoulder, "This place is full of them." Disappearing from the open door, Damien and Blair were left alone in silence.

Blair took a quiet breath, "We came here for a kill list?"

Damien tightened his grip on her hand and led her out of the church, careful to step around the vines and broken debris.

"No. It's a blueprint on how we tear down the Hunters," he answers emotionlessly.

The sun hit them both as they step out of the hazardous church.

Both pairs of eyes immediately scan their surroundings to find the source of the sound.

With no one else in sight, she turned to find Damien taking the paper back out and turning it over in his hands.

Walking up close to him, she saw that it wasn't so much a list but a map of Opelsyk with large X’s marked over certain towns, a name scribbled beside each one.

As he refolded it and placed it in his back pocket, rustling and footsteps once again filled their ears from the opposite side of the building.

Damien brought his finger up to his mouth, motioning Blair to not make a sound.

Blair's eyes flared in panic as the sound loudened, and she huddled close to Damien, turning in the direction of the sound.

Damien walked their bodies backward until they were under two willow trees, the branches creating a pocket of darkness to hide in .

Blair felt a pulse at her feet, and as she looked down, she noticed a veil of shadows rising from the ground to create a bubble around them. As it enveloped them, they were cast in an even darker shadow. Blair's breathing hitched in response to her rising heartbeat.

"Everything is fine," Damien whispered into her hair, soothing her nerves. Her back was on his chest, and his arms wrapped tight around her. "Just breathe, I got you." He nuzzled into her, and her body relaxed in response.

The response was short-lived as a figure moved from behind the building.

Blair immediately registered that it was not Grei.

This stranger was taller and thicker in build, with a black cloak hiding his body and face.

No skin showed, just a variety of buckles and leather.

Blair searched over his body for any kind of emblem, but there was nothing besides black fabric.

Damien's grip tightened on Blair, and he quietly shushed her as he continued to stare at the stranger.

The minutes passed slowly as the intruder examined the building they were just in.

Glancing around, his hood stayed covering his face, giving no insight to who he was.

Both Blair and Damien tensed when his head turned in their direction, and he took a step toward the trees.

Damien’s shadows retaliated in response, growing thicker like a black marble barrier. The stranger suddenly stopped and paused, looking into the distance. Turning his head first, his body soon followed, and he slowly moved in another direction, away from the trees .

Blair didn't breathe until he was out of sight. Damien waited an extra few minutes to release his shadows and stepped out from under the willow trees.

They walked slowly and carefully away from the church, their heads impulsively glancing around at any slight sound. Once there was enough space between them and the potential threat, Blair broke the tension that had settled around them.

"So, can I have another 5 questions?" she asked brightly.

Damien grunted in response as he pushed a large branch out of his face and held it for Blair to walk under.

"First, what was up with his eye and the burns?

" Damien stopped and eyed the area around them, skimming over the small creek flowing next to them and the land that was covered in fallen tree limbs and medium-sized boulders.

He motioned to one of them for Blair to sit on and took out his canteens, walking toward the creek.

"It was from the camp. The king expected a lot from him because he’s Shadowborn.

They wanted him to push us harder, but he started questioning their tactics, and when he finally refused, they burned him.

The eye was an extension of his ability.

It used to swirl with shadows." One canteen filled and Damien twisted the cap on, moving the next one into the stream.

"Oh.” Blair's voice was light, as if in deep thought. “His list? We can trust it?" Blair watched as Damien contemplated this question .

"There's a risk with everything, but I trust him." Blair nodded at that and watched Damien cap the second bottle and return to her, sitting next to her on the rock.

"This is it then? This is how we take the Hunters down?"

Damien nodded, opening the canteen in his hands and taking a drink, gulping fast and hard. He wiped his mouth, handing the canteen to Blair, who tried to say no, but his eyes glowered in response, so she took it. Lifting it to her mouth, she drank the rest of the water.

"And how exactly are we going to do that?" she said once she had swallowed.

Damien’s shoulders tightened at this question, and he stared into the woods around them.

“Well, we have locations. Now we just have to find them. If we can do that, we can figure out a way to eliminate the threat."

Blair sucked her top teeth, a million thoughts whirling in her mind.

"Last question, are you always this broody?" She smiled then and nudged his shoulder.

He responded with a tight smile, "No. This is me trying to figure out a plan. A way to defeat them and a way to keep you safe at the same time." he replied, nudging her back.

“What if I also have a plan? Blair asked, her head moving to one side.