Graydon eased closer to Kira.
Several rifles snapped in his direction.
"Move again and you're dead," someone barked.
Graydon shifted forward another step, his gaze on those who still had their weapons trained on Kira. His movements stealthy. Predatory. A hunter stalking its prey.
"Graydon," Kira warned.
If she didn't stop him, there would be a blood bath. And it wouldn't be her team's blood staining all this pretty snow.
Graydon stopped, the ki he'd been summoning sliding away as he gave her a rueful look. "The things I do for you, coli."
"I'll be sure to reimburse you later."
"I'll be sure to take you up on that," Graydon murmured.
Kira acknowledged his statement with a wry twist of her lips as she focused on the woman and her companions. "You asked why we're here. It's simple. We’re looking for someone."
To Kira's surprise, the woman nodded. "I know. You're here for the All Father."
Pallas's head jerked toward Kira. "No."
His reaction made the humans jump. Their rifles swiveled toward Pallas.
Not that he paid them any attention, his focus on Kira. "You were supposed to cut off all contact with that person!"
"As we've established many times over the years, I'm neither required nor am I obligated to listen to the forty three's requests."
If Pallas was under the mistaken impression otherwise, that was not her fault.
The veins in Pallas's neck and temples protruded as he pointed at her, looking like he was about to say something several times before shaking his head wordlessly.
Well, well, well. Would you look at that. She'd rendered him mute. Her most dangerous brother. The man who always had a witty quip, no matter the situation.
Jin would be proud.
Too bad he wasn't here to gloat with her.
Pallas shook his head at her again, his anger still too great to allow for words.
A human tried to intercept as Pallas walked away. He was lucky her brother didn't immediately kill him. Instead, he grabbed the barrel of the rifle pointed at his face and used the human's grip on it to fling him away. The human sailed several feet before hitting the snow and rolling.
"Very mature, Pallas," Kira called after him.
The snow covered landscape swallowed Pallas.
"Let him go," the woman ordered when her companions moved to engage.
Kira approved of that decision.
In Pallas's current mood, he wouldn't be gentle to any human that antagonized him.
At the moment, no one had died and everyone was still in possession of all their limbs. Kira would like to keep it that way. Especially since this woman seemed to be familiar with Odin. At least familiar enough to know Odin's moniker.
"You've seen my face and know my name," Kira told her softly. "I think turnabout is only fair."
"Brie," a man protested.
