Hunt for the Lost: Chapter 3
Edited by Jacob Hardin
Leokah awoke to the sound of someone prodding logs with a fire poker. He rose slowly to a sitting position, letting the blankets slide off his torso. Jakob sat on the hearth, trying desperately to give the fire new life after a night of decay. Leokah scratched the side of his face, feeling the beard that was growing there. A whisper of cold air tickled his face as the bathroom door slid quietly open, and Seth entered.
“Morning,” the human said.
Leokah yawned, then wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “Morning, Seth.”
Jakob hissed triumphantly as an orange flame licked hungrily at the wood he had just piled inside the fireplace. Leokah slid his legs off the side of the bed, stood sleepily, and walked to the window. The ground outside was glistening with dew and the shady patches under trees and eaves were white with snow. Standing in his warm, woolen under-pants and fleece pullover, the chilly air leaking through the cracks in the window frame felt refreshing.
“Let’s get something to eat!” Seth said, standing at the door that led to the hall, “And we’ll wake the girls while we’re at it.”
Leokah guessed the true motivation behind his wanting to leave: he feared the two Shifters. He remembered when he had been just as afraid of Shifters. He had been different then; he had been normal.
“We won’t hurt you,” Leokah told the boy softly. “We’re here to help you.”
Seth leaned against the door, a heavy sigh escaping his throat. “You Shifters just make me so nervous. One of my sisters is gone, and we might never get her back. My other sister is sharing a room with the things I’ve always been taught are bad.”
Leokah felt a stab of hurt at being referred to as a thing. He considered being a Shifter to be like having a double life. He was still a human, and he certainly wasn’t a thing.
“We make you nervous?” Jakob asked incredulously. He laughed in a high pitched, unbelieving way.
“Yeah. I mean, you could turn into a snake or whatever and kill me.”
Jakob shared a look of disbelief with Leokah. “Do you know what happened to my brother, who was another unlucky thing like me?” His voice grew serious and more snake-like.
“No,” Seth admitted, pressing his back harder against the door.
“He was killed by humans. Know why? Just because he was a Shifter. He was still a human, still my brother—he could just become a giant snake whenever he wanted. They said he was too dangerous. They took him from me!” Jakob fell to his knees, slamming his hand into the floor. “They took my only family from me!”
Seth’s eyes had become fixed on his feet, and Leokah noticed that a tear rolled down his cheek. “I had no idea.”
Jakob shook his head swiftly three times, side to side. “I will never forget that humans did that to me.”
“Look… I’m sorry that I called Shifters things. I never meant it like that. I really do appreciate your help.”
Jakob rose and rubbed the hand he had used when striking the floor. “Let’s get something to eat.” His tone indicated that he would need time to forgive the human.
Leokah, after passively watching the exchange from beside the window, moved to his bed. He pulled his fur-lined pants on, then his boots, his leather jacket, and finally his satchel, which he slung over his shoulder. He fluffed the pillow and neatly folded the blanket before setting it in the middle of the bed. He knew that the human that came to clean the room for the next guest would see three beds—two unmade and one that someone had taken the time to help with—and that the person would assume the Shifters had left the two beds in a mess. He knew that’s what they would think. He fixed it up for the maid anyway.
The three exited the room, closed the door behind them, and made sure that it was unlocked. Seth knocked on the door opposite their own to let the girls know it was time to get up, then they headed toward the main room of the inn. Leokah glanced back as they emerged beside the grand fireplace. Adelle stared back at him from the doorway of the room she had shared with Natalie and May. Her hair was a mess and her face was tired, but she was still very pretty. He smiled slightly. She scowled and yawned before vanishing again.
When he caught up with Seth and Jakob, they were waiting in line to get breakfast. Leokah swept his gaze around the room while he stood in the queue. Many humans had entered for breakfast, and more were still sleeping in their rooms—he could hear one person snoring violently enough to be heard even from the front room. Delicious smells wafted out over the crowd from the kitchen.
As he surveyed the room, Leokah noticed that he had an observer. The odd Shifter that had been in the dining room the previous night was watching Leokah intently. He studied her briefly as she stared at him. As the line continued to move, an older man passed between him and his watcher. When the man moved, the Shifter was gone.
“Can I help you?” a gruff voice asked.
Leokah spun around to face the innkeeper standing behind the desk. Jakob looked for a vacant seat. Seth stood waiting for his food to come out, which put him five feet from the desk and Leokah.
“I’d like a breakfast plate,” Leokah said, reaching for his satchel to fish out a few coins.
“Cheapest one, I suppose?” the man asked with a satisfied grin.
Leokah hated the contempt from the man, and his anger was kindled by the memory his insolence to his cousin. However, he kept his anger in check and nodded stiffly.
The man yelled something at the cook behind the door, then turned back to the chicken Shifter. “Four rounds.” Leokah nodded resignedly and pulled the specified amount from his pouch, which was already quite light. Suddenly, Seth appeared next to him. “Hey, you only charged me two rounds for a meal.”
The man narrowed his eyes at the human boy. “He pays four!” he said defiantly, pointing at Leokah as if he were a strange rock on the road. Seth was about to continue the argument when Leokah dropped the coins on the counter. The man snatched them up instantly. No thanks followed.
At that moment, Seth’s food was brought to him by a servant that came through the door, delivered the tray to its recipient, and disappeared again in the blink of an eye. Leokah pushed him away from the man behind the counter, pointing to Jakob. “Go sit and eat.” A minute later, Leokah’s food appeared on a tray held by a hand that jutted through the door. The hand tossed the food onto the counter in front of Leokah, sending some of the meal to the floor. He sighed, grabbed it, and carried it off. Taking a seat next to Seth, he began eating the shabby food. Jakob, on the other side of Seth, hissed softly at his tray.
“Awful.” Jakob let the spoon drop from his hand onto the table.
Seth glanced at his unhappy neighbor, then returned to his own food. Leokah hated to admit it, even privately to himself, but Natalie’s suggestion of pecking corn off the mill floor sounded more appetizing than the food that sat in front of him. He reluctantly forced himself to eat a portion of it while he waited for the other half of their party to arrive.
Adelle appeared at the table, opposite Leokah, and seated herself. She had no tray of food. Then May sat next to Adelle, already scooping the hot meal into her mouth. She looked famished as if she had starved overnight. Natalie plopped down next to Leokah, surprising him, which caused him to jerk his arms like a scared bird. His little cousin laughed at him and patted his shoulder.
“Morning, Leokah.” Natalie tore chunks of the meat off and popped them into her mouth.
Adelle turned and watched Leokah’s cousin greedily munch on her food, a broad smile breaking out across her face. “I like this kid!” she said, wrapping a comforting arm around Natalie’s shoulder and pulling her close.
The five ate in relative quiet for the rest of the meal. The other diners talked, utensils clinked, the fire roared, and the innkeeper shouted at the cook. Once those of the party that had received a tray had satisfied their hunger, they returned the plates to the counter with nods of thankfulness.
Adelle turned to Leokah. “We need to discuss the next step.”
Leokah turned his head to face her—a very chickenish movement—and nodded. “Yes, we do. Let’s talk by the fire.”
The dragon Shifter led the group over to a couch and three chairs. Two humans were occupying the couch, but a glance at the approaching Shifters roused them from their seats. The humans left and began seeking seats far away from the group. Adelle motioned for everyone to sit down. Natalie and Jakob took a chair each. May insisted on sitting with her brother, so they took the couch. Leokah seated himself gently beside Seth. Adelle dropped into the final place and stretched out again, appearing completely unconcerned.
After a brief pause, Leokah raised his eyebrows at Adelle. “We need to decide what our next step is.”
The dragon Shifter brushed a strand of hair from her face. “Tell me, May, do you have anything of—what’s your sister’s name?”
The human girl stiffened visibly. “Sarah. Her name is Sarah.”
“Do you have anything of Sarah’s?”
May nudged Seth. Her brother pulled his bag up to his chest and opened a pocket. He pulled a cotton over-shirt from it and sat it in his lap. Everyone looked at it. It was the starting point for the whole quest. Leokah blew his breath out between clenched teeth. It was not going to be an easy task.
“Natalie, can you track somebody by their scent?” Adelle asked.
Leokah thought the subject seemed inappropriate to talk about so openly. His eyebrows curved downward and his lips pinched together tightly.
Natalie’s cheeks warmed. It clearly embarrassed her to talk about shifting, especially in public with humans around. Leokah knew she wasn’t as comfortable with her ability as he was; he didn’t want her to feel responsible for the success of the first step of the adventure—which would mean her having to use her other form.
However, she nodded confidently. “I can track anything. But you’ll have to take me to the last place you know she was. I need somewhere to start.” Natalie tightened her satchel belt. “Let’s get there before we waste any more time.” She stood.
Adelle looked up at her approvingly. Jakob and May glanced at the dragon Shifter.
“You heard her! May, you take us wherever Sarah last was.” Adelle said, springing up from her chair.
Leokah followed Jakob as the last in line. They headed out the door of the inn and into the cold winter town of Ravensvale. May pushed ahead in front of the rest. She walked with purpose, her footfalls echoing the heartbeat of the group.
