Page 21 of Muted Voices (Broken Ashes #1)

“H i,” I greet her again as we reach her, Griff and Ransom having caught up to me. “I just wanted to check you were okay?”

The guys stay silent, and I’m really glad that they’re letting me lead this. She is obviously visibly upset; there are tear tracks on her cheeks, and her eyes are still watery. I have a hunch about why she’s so upset, but I need her to confirm it. She’s around the same height as I am and dressed in a similar style, although she’s got a few more splashes of color in her outfit, mainly from the beads that she’s wearing on her wrists, visible thanks to her jacket sleeves being pushed up. She’s around our age and, therefore, a similar age to the hybrid.

She’s also armed.

She looks over us all, her voice hinting at an accent, although it's subtle enough that I can’t identify it, “You’re all agents, aren’t you?”

I nod and then add with a smile, “Well, they are. If I’m being honest with you, I’ve only just become a SID agent today.”

She smiles slightly, “Yes, but you were an agent before that, no?”

The guys tense, but I just smile, “I was. How did you know that?”

“I know things, just like I know that you are safe to talk to,” she replies, quite matter-of-fact. She winces as she glances at the guys and admits, “I’ve seen you around the training academy.”

Ransom’s eyebrows raise slightly, “You’re an agent?”

“Not exactly,” she grimaces.

Understanding crosses his face, “You’re a student. That explains why you were cloaking. You’re not supposed to leave the academy after hours. Especially on an unsanctioned case.”

I hold up my hand, “Hang on, I don’t think she was out here for shits and giggles. Why don’t we let her explain why she disobeyed orders.”

For some unknown reason, I feel a kinship with this woman; maybe it's because we’re women, or maybe it’s because I recognise the sadness in her, but for whatever reason, I think that she deserves to be heard.

“Neith is right,” Griff states, glancing at Ransom, who nods.

The woman looks at me, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Start with your name, and then tell us why you’re out here. I’m Neith,” I reply.

She nods, “I’m Navy. It’s kind of complicated, but my big brother went hiking with his friend a few months ago, and they never came back. A part of my gift is that I can always find someone’s magical signature once I’ve built a relationship with them. As you can imagine, I could always find my brother and easily too. Well, his signature completely disappeared. I couldn’t sense him anywhere, but at the same time, I would’ve been able to tell if he had died. It was like he just didn’t exist anymore. There was a massive search, but SID eventually gave up. I lost hope too and went back to my training, still searching for his magic every now and then, so I guess I hadn’t completely given up hope.” She swallows thickly as she glances away, and her eyes glaze.

“It’s okay, take your time,” I tell her softly.

“Thanks,” she replies and then takes a deep breath and continues, “earlier tonight, I felt his magic. It felt wrong somehow, but underneath it all, it was him. I know I should’ve gone through proper channels and gotten permission to leave after hours, but honestly, it didn’t even cross my mind. My big brother was back, and judging from the state of his magic, he needed help. I had only just left when I felt his magic die, not just disappear like before, but I felt it die. I couldn’t turn back; I’d already gotten a really good lock on his magic anyway, so I carried on following it. By the time I got here, SID agents were already here, and he was very definitely gone. I just wanted to make sure that he was taken care of properly before I went back.”

Doing something that is entirely unlike me but that somehow feels natural in this situation, I hold my arms up, and she steps into them with no hesitation, so she must feel the same. Thank fuck; otherwise, that would have been really weird.

“I’m so sorry,” I tell her softly.

“Thank you,” she replies and then steps back.

The guys offer their condolences as well, and then Ransom says gently, “Do you know the exact area where they were hiking? It might be worth having a look with a fresh set of eyes, especially if, as you said, his magical signature just disappeared. It could suggest that there’s something hidden there.”

“We’ll find who did this to your brother, Navy,” I tell her.

She nods, seeming to trust that I mean what I say even though we’ve only just met; she then quickly reels off the exact location.

“Thank you. We’ll personally investigate this and I’ll make sure that your instructors know that there were extenuating circumstances. You’ll still have consequences, but you won't risk expulsion.” Ransom tells her.

Her eyes widen, “Thank you, sir. I really appreciate that.”

“No worries. Our team member is the ME, so I’ll make sure he knows to keep you informed. I’m going to get you to give one of the other agents your statement so that it's all gone through official channels, but they’ll all be aware that it’s our case.” Ransom adds.

“I’ll walk you over there,” Griff offers.

Navy looks at me slightly apprehensively, and I smile, “He’s lovely really. Don’t worry.”

She smiles, looking slightly relieved and then amused, when Griff starts grumbling under his breath. She surprises me when she pulls me in for a hug.

“Thank you,” she says and then adds even quieter, “Don’t worry I won’t tell.”

Before I can say much, she steps back and looks at Griff, who gets the message, and they start to walk away.

My brain finally catches up with what she said, and before I can think better of it, I call out after her, “What won’t you tell?”

She turns around and smiles, as her eyes swirl with iridescent colors, looking like pearls, as she says, “I’ll tell you, but not yet. See you soon, Neith.”

I’m still in shock from her eye change; that was fucking amazing and so pretty, so by the time I’m coherent enough to string a sentence together, Griff and her are already at the crime scene and talking to another agent.

“She’s a seer and a fucking powerful one too, which makes it even more curious that she didn’t see what happened to her brother.” Ransom explains as we start to head back toward the other guys.

“What do you think she meant?” I ask him, although I know that it’s a pretty impossible question to answer.

“I don’t know, and it wouldn’t have mattered if you did manage to ask her. She wouldn’t have told you; that’s how seers work. They can’t tell you, and if they can, as she said, it won’t be until the time is right,” Ransom explains as we come to a stop in front of the others.

Thanks to their supernatural hearing, they all heard what we were talking about anyway, and Reed says, “At least you know that she is going to tell you what she meant at some point.”

I glance over to where Griff is saying goodbye to Navy and find that she’s already looking at me. She smirks and salutes me with two fingers, instantly making me smile, and without thinking, I return the gesture, touching my fingers to my head and saluting her back.

Turning back to the guys, I smile, “Yeah, at least there’s that. Did you guys hear what she said?”

“I did,” River smiles, “I filled the guys in on what was said. You should know that we’ve had another case of a Hybrid showing up in those woods, and it’s the only instance where there has been a link in location between them. Otherwise, they seem to pop up everywhere.”

“So we need to check it out then,” I state the obvious.

“Yes, we do, but Doc is going to be tied up with the autopsy for the next day or so. We’ll go in a couple of days; we’re going to need the expertise of the whole team,” Evander replies as Griff meets us again.

“Good idea. I wonder if it was the friend of Navy’s brother?” I question out loud.

“Possibly,” Raiden replies.

“Alright, now that Griff’s back, I really need to get you guys back home. They’ve been waiting for a while now,” Doc says.

We all head the short way up the street and down the alleyway, and hop back into the van.

“We’ll keep you updated on any progress we have, mostly with the whole spirit guide thing,” Evander says to Doc.

Doc nods, “Thank you. I’ll keep you updated, too.”

“Are you coming home tonight?” I ask and I’m aware that I called the guy's place home and that they’re all grinning at me now.

Has it only been two days? Seriously? It feels like I’ve known them forever.

Doc smiles, “Probably not. I’ll work until I’ve got the answers I need.”

I frown, “Make sure you rest though. You’re more likely to make mistakes if you're tired and I don’t care if you’re a supe or not!”

Doc’s eyes fill with some kind of emotion that I’m not equipped enough to know as he says, “I promise I will rest.”

“Thank you,” I reply, “now, go do your thing.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he smirks and then slams the door behind him.

After a couple of minutes, I ask, “What’s he waiting for?”

Evander chuckles, “I fucking told you that if she says she can feel the magic, then she can.”

The doors pop open again, and Doc winks at me, “Sorry, Sugar, we wanted to make sure that what you were feeling really was the magic.”

“You might want to tell Reed to take a breath before his magic builds anymore, and you’re all feeling the force of it,” I point out.

“How the fuck could you know that my magic was starting to build?” Reed exclaims, his magic going back to normal levels, “I had only just picked up that it was building.”

I shrug, “At this point, I have no idea, I’m weird we’ve established that. All I can think is that because I’ve felt your magic a couple of times now, I’m tuned into it, kind of?”

“I honestly have no fucking idea,” Reed replies, seeming completely stumped by the idea.

“You need to go,” I remind Doc when he just stands there looking like he's trying to solve a complex math problem. He doesn’t even know the really weird stuff yet.

“You’re right,” he gives the guys a stern look and reiterates, “keep me updated, and if there’s some sort of progress, let me know. I want to be involved.”

Evander’s eyebrows rise slightly, and he says, “You’ve got it, man. Any information that we find, and we’ll let you know.”

“Thanks,” he replies and then looks back at me with a smirk, “This time, I really am sending you home.”

The doors slam, and the guys all wait in anticipation. They all look at me weirdly when I chuckle though.

“Doc!” I yell.

His magic finally fills the air along with his laughter, and I know that this time, he’s actually transported us. I can’t help but feel strangely proud when the guys all look at me, and River asks, “Are we home now?”

I chuckle, “Yeah, he sent us back.”

“Phew, I’m exhausted, and I feel like he could play that game for a while,” Raiden replies, as he gets up and opens the doors, hopping out in front of the house. He looks back at me curiously as we all file out and back through the front door, “I wonder if you’d be able to recognise all of our magics after a while or if there’s something specific about Reed and Doc’s that makes you more sensitive to it?”

River starts bouncing as we get into the kitchen. I don’t know about the others, but I want a snack before I get some more sleep. I may have slept for twenty-four hours, but apparently, I’m still tired. At least if I go to sleep now, my sleep schedule isn’t going to be all fucked up.

“Oh, that’s an excellent question. We should test it!” River exclaims.

“Wait, what if something goes wro . . .” Raiden starts to say, but it’s too late. River transforms into his kitsune within a matter of seconds and prances around me like a puppy.

“Oh my god, he’s fucking adorable,” I say out loud, unable to help myself.

“How many tails can you see?” Reed asks me curiously.

“Nine,” I reply without any hesitation.

“She can definitely see through glamour,” Reed says.

Raiden looks at me curiously, “Well? Do you think you could recognise his magic?”

“Yeah, I think I could, but this is the second time I’ve fully been around his gift. He transformed when he fought the hybrid,” I reply honestly.

There really isn’t any point in keeping things from them. It was easy before because I didn’t talk to anyone and when I was younger, everything that was different about me was a lot more subtle, so easy to ignore and hide. I’ve only been with these guys for two days and I turned up under questionable circumstances at a place I shouldn’t have been able to get into. They’re super observant and I’m now a member of their team, so it's going to be practically impossible to hide some things from them. I’ve already shown them how weird I am.

Not only is there all of that, but I live with them; I have no idea how long I’m going to live with them for. I mean, it would make sense for me to get my own place, but they all live in the same house, so maybe it’s a requirement for teams all to live together? That’s beside the point; my point is I’m currently living under their roof, and there is no way that I can not show my weirdness if I live with them. Eventually, they’re going to wonder who the fuck I’m talking to when the voices get too loud. I still haven’t worked out why they get louder sometimes, even though I can’t understand them still. When it happens, I just have to ride it out because there’s no way that I can tune them out. They’re just too loud.

It’s because of all of that I’ve decided to be honest and allow them to help, at least with some things I’m not ready to share completely yet.

“Huh, it's definitely a mystery,” River says as, in the blink of an eye, he’s back in his human form.

“I think we should focus on one Neith mystery at a time,” Raiden says, and then adds, “Personally, I’d like to focus on the biggest one and I don’t know about you guys but I feel that’s Winston.”

“Yeah, I agree,” Evander says, “especially since he escaped detection from all of us, including you, and you’ve got a damn good grasp on the spirit realm for obvious reasons.”

“I know I’m interested to know if he’s friend or foe at least, especially since he said he was going to come back at some point,” I add.

Raiden smiles, “He’s definitely a friend. I know that much for sure. I just don’t know why he’s here or why he’s attached to you.”

“Well, at least there’s that,” I reply, and then yawn, “I’m really sorry to throw a wrench in this conversation, but I’m exhausted. Can we talk about it tomorrow?"

“Of course,” Ransom replies, “I think we should all get some sleep anyway.”

“Ideally we need to talk to someone who has more information than we do about spirit guides,” Raiden says, and then adds, “sorry, I’m just thinking out loud. We should get some rest. I’ll try and see if I can think of anyone that can help us out.”

“Good idea,” Reed replies and then adds, “Just don’t compromise yourself trying to find someone.”

Before he can reply, I do, “I don’t know what that means but don’t you dare do anything that could cause you any kinds of issues just to find out something about me. I can guarantee that there are other ways to reach the same conclusion even if they take longer, got it?”

Raiden’s eyes are wide, but he nods rapidly, “Yep, I’ve got it.”

“Good,” I reply and then yawn again. “I am now out before I start making no sense, and you think that I’m crazier than you already do. Good night, guys.”

They all say goodnight back, and I have to admit that it's nice to say goodnight and get a goodnight back, as sad as that is. I leave the room with a smile on my face.

“Your welcome packet should be here tomorrow,” Griff calls out after me.

I pause and turn back around, “My what?”

“From SID, it will have your badge, all the information about the job, and what’s expected of you as well as what you will be paid and things like that,” Reed explains.

“Oh, cool,” I reply, and turn back around, holding one hand up to wave, “I’ll get more excited about that prospect tomorrow.”

For some reason, soft chuckles follow me down the hallway and disappear by the time I’m slowly dragging my feet up the stairs. I think I might be walking with one eye open; I’m suddenly so tired.

It does occur to me that they’re most likely discussing me downstairs, but that’s okay, I would if I were in their position.