Noir
Chapter 87

When Lyra turned seventeen, under all of our tutelage, she and I, as well sometimes the others, had begun tackling cases that grew increasingly dangerous over the years, our bond strengthening with each victory. Yet, the whispers remained, urging me to seek out the truth. They spoke of a prophecy, a child born of two species who would tip the scales of power. As well, the whispers hinted that I was more than just a huntress. That my destiny lay within the prophecy also. One night, as Lyra and I lay on our backs in the moonlit yard, catching our breath, I had asked, "Do you ever feel like you don't belong?" Having been staring up at the stars, she had rolled onto her side, propping herself up on an elbow. "All the time," she had murmured. "But here, at the agency, I feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be."

Another year had passed, and now, I once again found myself having to hunt another friend. I felt the loss of the friendship deeply, but Lyra had become something dark, I had seen it for myself the night she had stood outside the agency. Noir, had been the first to turn and the agency hadn't been the same since. But after he had captured Lyra? Things had become down right nasty within its walls.

Eton and Thorin seemed to always be bickering, and I had heard the rumors within the agency, that the agents felt as if they were walking on eggshells. I knew the feeling. Eton was riding my ass hard. It seemed that no matter what I did, he was always gazing at me with a disapproving glare. Our friendship had detreated to the point he'd already made me want to quit the agency several times now.

With a yawn, I pushed the covers off my legs, as well shook off the memories. The night before had been long, and once again fruitless. Noir and Lyra were always one step ahead of us.

"Rise and shine, sunshine," Thorin's gruff voice echoed through the halls, interrupting my brooding. "We've got a new case."

I rolled out of bed, quickly donned my combat gear, and met him in the briefing room. The map sprawled out on the table was covered in pins, each representing a crime scene or sighting of the elusive rogue fae. "Looks like we've got a series of kidnappings in the East End," Eton said, his eyes grim. "We need to get ahead of this before it turns into something worse."

The whispers within my head grew more insistent, a low murmur that seemed to resonate with the gravity of the situation.

"I'll take it," I said firmly, wanting the distraction.

Thorin nodded, his expression a mix of concern and respect. "Keep your guard up, Jerricha. We don't know what you're walking into."

~~

The East End was a labyrinth of alleyways and shadowy corners, the perfect hunting ground for someone who didn't want to be found. As I approached the latest abduction site, the energy of the area was thick with fear and despair.

As I sifted through the detritus of the alley, my eyes fell upon a glint of metal. A necklace, half-buried in the grime. It was fae-made, the silver chain delicately etched with ancient runes. I recognized it immediately as the one Bright had worn in our youth. "Dammit Bright," I hissed, disappointed he had obviously returned from whatever realm he had transported himself to on our last encounter. Tapping into the slight remainder of his magic's essence, I began following the trail, a thread of power that led me through the city. It was like a siren's call, guiding me closer to him.

The trail led me to a dilapidated warehouse on the edge of the river. The stench of rotting fish and the acrid scent of industrial waste hung heavy in the air.

Inside, the darkness was absolute, broken only by the flickering light of a single candle. The floor was sticky with a substance that made my stomach turn. I drew my sword, the steel whispering its own promise of protection.

A sound, barely audible, reached my ears. A whimper. Human. I followed the sound, each step taking me deeper into the bowels of the building and to a room where the air was thick with the smell of fear and magic.

As I pushed open the door, I was greeted by a scene straight out of a nightmare. Cages lined the walls, filled with terrified humans, their eyes wide with terror. At the center of the room stood Bright, his eyes glowing with a malice that was foreign to the friend I had once known. "Jerricha" he hissed, a twisted smile playing across his lips. "You've come to join the hunt?"

The rage within me boiled over. This wasn't the creature I had been sent to capture all those years ago. This was a monster, twisted by power and pain. "You're going to pay for this," I said, my voice cold as steel.

He laughed, the sound echoing off the metal walls. "You still don't understand, do you?" He waved his hand, and the cages began to shake, the humans inside crying out in fear. "Our worlds are colliding, and the prophecy will be fulfilled. Whether you like it or not, you're a part of it."

The instincts grew to a fever pitch, telling me to trust in myself, to trust in the power that had been growing within me. I took a deep breath, and the room grew still. The cages stopped rattling, and Bright's smile faded.

"You've changed," he murmured, his voice filled with a hint of admiration. "You've become something more."

"And you've become something less," I countered, advancing on him.

The fight was fiercer than any I had ever faced. Our magic clashed, sparks flying as we danced through the cage-filled room. My instincts grew stronger, feeding my power, guiding my strikes.

In the end, it was a simple move, a strike of pure instinct, that brought him to his knees. The cages fell, the humans within them rushing to freedom as the whispers grew silent. The prophecy had led me here, but it was my choice that had decided the outcome.

As the police sirens grew closer, I stared down at Bright, his once proud form now broken and defeated. "Why?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

"Because," he whispered, his eyes meeting mine as he once again opened a portal, "the whispers told me to."

The realization hit me like a punch to the gut. The whispers that had guided me, had been guiding him as well. But while they had led me to protect, they had led him to destroy.

As he once again stepped through the portal, I called, "This isn't over."

I walked away from the warehouse, knowing that this battle between Bright and myself was far from over and that our dance had just begun.

~~

When I returned to the agency, Eton and Thorin, as well Cotton, Sterling, and Lyra's team, Aidan, Becca and Wildhorse (I'd never heard his given name), were all peering down at something on the table. As I drew closer, I realized Becca held a chain with a crystal pendant dangling from the end of it in her hand over the map; she was scrying.

The room was silent, everyone watching as she moved her hand over the map, the crystal making slow circular movements.

Eton snorted, "This is a fucking waist of time," he growled.

Becca shot him a glare, "Your disbelief isn't going to help us replace her any faster," she replied, her voice steady despite the tremble in her hand.

"It's not disbelief," he spat, "it's practicality. You think a glorified crystal ball is going to tell us where she is?"

Thorin stepped in, placing a firm hand on Eton's shoulder, "Let her do her job," he said calmly.

I felt torn. Eton had a point, but I knew Becca's talents were genuine. Plus, we were desperate. "Just focus," I murmured, "We need to replace her."