Page 117 of Huntress

“No. There’s too much risk, especially now that almost the whole squad is together. Too many eyes belonging to too many people who don’t trust you, or my judgment.” She paused just before they reached the top. “We’ll be done with Mordane’s punishment in five weeks. I’ll give you my answer then.”

His pout dipped into a frown, but he didn’t argue. He followed her out to catch up with her people.

Trenton’s group met them before they reached the hunter’s quarters. Perrie and Marley grasped each other’s hands, huge smiles on their faces. Morgan and Trenton nodded to each other.

“Good to see you again, Captain!” Grady sidled up to Elsie with a grin.

“You too. You guys look good. Better,” she complimented.

“We’ve had an easy time of it.” Trenton looked Elsie’s group over. “The same can’t be said for you. What have they had you doing?”

“We’ll talk later,” Elsie interrupted before Perrie launched into a long-winded story of their adventures. “Why were you sent to meet us? I thought you were headed to Colony Seven for an easy, lesser demon removal.”

“We were rerouted.” The muscle in Trenton’s jaw worked. “The colony sent their squad to handle it. We’ve been put on dead zone duty. We’ve already gone out and taken a look, and it’s badly overgrown.”

“Ugh, are you kidding me?! This isn’t why I joined the hunters!” Perrie raised her voice. All she needed was to stomp her foot to make it the perfect temper tantrum.

“They lost a kid that belongs to some big shot researcher, and the entire squad trying to get her back was killed by a demon lord a bit north of here,” Trenton scolded. “So much focus was put on building Colony Ten that this nest was put on the back burner.”

Elsie glanced over at Saint, who gave her a knowing nod. Roz had told her about this incident.

“Why are we clearing trees instead of hunting a demon?” Morgan asked.

Elsie’s brow furrowed, and she glanced over at Saint, who looked just as perplexed.

“It was Haberly’s squad. Doctor Pax was their healer.” Elsie glanced at Marley. The healer hadn’t been close to him, but she’d worked with Pax several times. Trenton’s eyes shot to hers in brief surprise.

“Right. They were an elite squad, with almost a century of experience on us. They believe the demon involved is one of the Northern Lords. The whole squad was slaughtered in a few minutes,” he said.

“In other words, we’re putting ourselves at enough risk by tearing down trees near his territory,” Elsie added. “It’s been a few months, but Roz told me a full squad had already been sent to clear the dead zone here.”

“There’s been a notable concentration of earth magic in the area. The plants and trees are all growing faster than what’s ordinarily possible. We will be salting the earth after we raze it.” Trenton’s face tensed at the thought.

Two pieces clicked together for her, but they only raised more questions. Haberly’s squad was elite, but they weren’t a field squad that ran around eradicating threats where needed. They worked directly under Cornick. So what were they doing here, and why had Roz used them to justify overworking the field squads?

“What’s this nest’s designation?” she asked.

“Tallow. They mine coal,” Trenton answered, unable to hide a frown.

“Tallow?” Elsie echoed. An excess of fat from beasts intended to be devoured. The humans used it for cooking, with the more affluent among them using it for skincare. Common, attained through slaughter, but useful. “What an ugly name for a place people call home.”

“Mining coal is an ugly job,” Grady chimed in. “I seriously doubt they’re supplied with respirators to prevent black lung.”

“What the hell do they need coal and oil for, anyway?” Banks squinted against the sun to be able to see Elsie. “Why is it worth losing more humans?”

“It can take decades for the disease to kill them, giving them more than enough time to reproduce and raise their replacements,” Grady said gravely.

“They waste their lives in the mine, and the affluent benefit from their labor,” Elsie’s nerves tingled. They’d started the conversation on their own, but if she pushed too hard toward radicalized ideas, they’d shut down.

If they decided Mordane, Cornick, and those on their level were the problem, what then? What good was a handful of dissenting soldiers against a massive organization that held the keys to all the resources? The most likely outcome of her squad following in her footsteps was the death of everyone involved. They’d become an example of what happens when trying to make change.

“At least we can make their lives a little safer.” Trenton steered the conversation away from the depressing turn it had taken. “They gave us a few rooms, a pair of trucks, and tools for the job. We’re expected to return and be in the building by dark.”

“A curfew?” Elsie blinked.

“Yup. Since the girl went missing, the only exceptions are those working the mine’s night shift. Clearing the dead zone is a major step in getting things back to normal for these people,” Trenton replied.

“We have a few hours of daylight left,” Elsie said. “Get your gear stashed and we’ll head out there.”