Spirits

Chapter 30

"I told you to be careful when you grabbed him," Liu Ming hissed as she dragged the unconscious man through the forest, "How could you be seen?"

I brushed my hand along my forehead, the thick layer of sweat gleaming on my dirt-caked hand.

"I didn't expect there to be so many guards. I lived here for eighteen years and have never once seen more than one or two guards on patrol," I grumbled, remembering the dozen or so men that stood around the gates to our estate.

Their crisp blue shirts with bronze buttons gleaming in the light. Before I had been able to turn around, they had let out a cry and proceeded to chase me until Liu Ming had interfered, causing a distraction while I managed to escape. Her screams had led to men astray and she was able to pick off the slowest soldier, his head now swollen from where the butt of her danger had met his scalp. Our plan had gone horribly wrong, but we managed to write it in time. Unfortunately, we'd also lost the element of surprise.

"We'll have to hurry. Quickly, take his uniform," Liu Ming ordered, lifting his head to study his face. That was the hardest part I was told, the face and eyes.

I hesitated, I hadn't thought this far. Leaving the young boy tied up in the woods seemed necessary before, but now staring at his boyish features. I felt the guilt build up. His couldn't have been more than sixteen, face still clean of any hair. Before I could back out, I quickly stole his shirt and trouser, leaving a cloak to cover his underclothes that thankfully covered his body.

"Will you be able to imitate him?" I questioned, looking up to Liu Ming who's eyes were closed. Her face was tense, beads of sweat racing down her face, her long black hair slick to her scalp.

"If you let me focus," Liu Ming grunted as her eyes flew open. They were no longer a mix of amber but a dull green. "Are they his eyes?"

Liu Ming pulled the boys' eyelids back, revealing white. At the top of his lid, I could see a light green peaking out, the same shade Liu Ming's now were.

"They appear to be, but I couldn't be sure." Liu Ming let go of the boy's skin, letting his eyes close once more. I was thankful I didn't have to keep looking at the demon like sight, the pupil-less eyes still seeming to follow me.

"Are you ready to face your family?" Liu Ming asked and I smiled, thinking she was finally starting to care about something other than our mission. She had been cold and distant on our long trek here, but perhaps that was due to the esaustion of travel.

I opened my mouth to reply when she continued. "If you can't convince them, you'll be putting me in danger as well. I can go alone if that's what it takes."

"You won't find them if they're hidden," I retorted. "We discussed this. The only way my father would reveal the location is if he thinks he holds all the cards."

"You lived with them for eighteen years and never realized they were Hunters. Do you really know them as well as you think you do?"

I watched as Liu Ming's nose thickened, growing gown as her jaw elongated. Her eyes never looked up from the boy whose name I didn't know.

I didn't need to reply. Liu Ming was right and we both knew it. If I had paid more attention to my family's actions, I might not have needed Isabella's help to defeat them. She would still be safe and I wouldn't be a hazard to the Spirits.

"When you're done daydreaming, you can help me infiltrate the estate," Liu Ming bit as she began pulling on the uniform. Her face and body were strikingly similar to the sleeping adolescent at her feet, but her words sounded unnatural. They were thick and bland, unlike a child's would be.