Kova was pacing through the halls of the Haven thinking about how he knew the mission was coming to an end and nothing should go wrong if Hykee decides to keep his cool.

  His mind was a labyrinth of calculations and each turn led to the same inevitable conclusion. The silver trail was being followed and the pieces he had set on the board were beginning to move with a life of their own. Every step he took echoed against the stone walls of the mountain fortress a reminder of the order he worked so hard to maintain.

  In a lower section of the Haven within her room Kaola paced with a frantic energy that reflected the storm in her mind. Her fingers twisted the fabric of her sleeve her eyes darting toward the heavy door. She had not spoken to Koma since she arrived back and that silence was more terrifying than any lecture. She was nervous the kind of deep seated anxiety that came from the mere thought of being on the wrong side of Koma favor. Kova had just told her that Koma wanted to kill her and the reality of the threat felt like a physical weight pressing against her chest. She needed to figure out how to stay alive before they even had their first meeting.

  "I have to do something." Kaola whispered to herself her voice trembling as she stopped in the center of the room. "I have to find a way to make myself indispensable again."

  She looked toward the door her mind racing through a dozen different plans to appease her brother.

  If she could find Kota before the others or if she could provide Koma with a challenge worthy of his power perhaps he would look at her with something other than cold indifference.

  But Koma was not easily impressed and his boredom was a dangerous thing. She remained pacing in her isolation completely unaware of the conversation taking place between her brothers.

  "Kova!"

  The voice boomed not from the Haven but from within the fabric of the air itself vibrating through Kova's Void. Koma was calling out to him his presence a restless shadow within that dark pocket of existence.

  Kova paused in the hall his expression remaining a mask of cool neutrality as he acknowledged the call. He focused his mind toward the internal space where Koma waited.

  "I am bored brother." Koma stated his voice echoing with a flat and dangerous edge. "The enemies you let me fight are pathetic. They break before I can even enjoy the sound of their bones snapping. They are weak and predictable and they offer no sport."

  Kova answered within the silence of his thoughts. "They were meant to test your reflexes not your limits Koma. The real challenge is still ahead."

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  Koma let out a sharp mocking laugh his presence looming within the Void. "I do not want reflexes. I just want this boredom to end. Where is Koa? Send her to me. She is someone who can actually entertain me for more than a minute."

  Kova remained steady his eyes fixed on the stone wall ahead of him. "Koa has her own tasks Koma. She is not a toy for your amusement. However if you are truly that desperate for a distraction how about I send you Kaola instead?"

  The air in the Void seemed to crackle with a new jagged energy. Koma stayed silent for a heartbeat the suggestion sinking in. A low dark chuckle vibrated through Kova mind.

  "Kaola?" Koma repeated the name with a hint of genuine excitement. "Now that is an interesting thought. I have things i want to say to her. Better yet do not send her here. Bring me out. I want to talk to her at the Haven. I want to see the look on her face when she realizes I am standing right in front of her."

  Kova did not flinch though his mental tone sharpened. "You cannot fight in the Haven. Having your Yen fully released here is already enough to deal with and I will not have the mountain crumbling because of your lack of restraint. If I bring you out you will keep your hands off her."

  Koma laughed a jagged sound that felt like glass scraping against stone. "Fine Kova. I accept. I will not fight my little sister. I just want to have a conversation. Bring me out."

  Miles away the dry windswept path south held a different kind of tension. Lokee and the others were still moving and the weight of Kova orders felt heavier with every mile. The air was changing as they approached the outskirts of the territory where the doctor was said to reside.

  Lokee stopped and closed her eyes her fingers grazing the air as she activated her sensory. The world around her dissolved into pulses of heat and vibration. She could feel the silver energy of the trail ahead flickering like a dying candle against the vast darkness of the canyon.

  "The vibration has stopped." Lokee said her eyes snapping open. "They are not moving anymore. Hykee they are right there. Enter the veil now. We are closing in on them and we need to move before the situation shifts."

  Hykee stood on a stone roof above looking down into the shadowed pass with a manic grin. "Enter the veil? No. I am not waiting for a slow crawl. I am going on."

  "Hykee stay back." Lokee warned her voice sharpening with a rare urgency as she saw him start to move. She turned to Kana who was already stepping forward to follow. "Kana stay near Juno. Do not interfere with Hykee. I am telling you now if either of you get in his way or try to take his kill he will kill you. Let him go first."

  Kana hesitated looking between the dark pass and the dangerous glint in Hykee eyes. She stepped back toward Juno as Hykee began his descent toward the valley floor his excitement radiating off him in jagged waves. Lokee watched him go her eyes fixed on the point where the silver energy was pooling. She could tell by the weight in the air that they were nearing him.

  Deep in the shadows of the pass Kota suddenly came to a halt. The air around him was thick and distorted the Yen sickness leaking from him in visible ripples. He could feel the manic energy of Hykee drawing closer a jagged lightning strike in the dark. He looked at the path ahead then back toward the approaching shadows.

  "Girl we stop here." Kota said his voice heavy and raspy. "Those people hunting us have gained on us. We will not reach our destination. We will have to fight."