"Ellanoire," I called, hurrying across the grass.

She turned to me, relief evident on her face. There was a slight sheen of sweat on her face and the artificial light in the cavern only served to highlight it.

"I was so worried when the door closed. Did you hurt them?"

"I harmed no one, but Liu Ming was forced to act in self-defense." Her eyes widened and I quickly added, "he was tended to immediately."

"And the both of you? Are you alright?"

"We are perfectly alright," I assured Ellanoire. Seeing Atoya and Perkha awaiting an introduction, my smile turned more forced, diplomatic. "Would you like me to introduce you to two of our council members?"

Henry was staring open-mouthed at Perkha, but she only smiled at him. I had seen her do this with a few other children on the last day. Most of them were older, but all had the same reaction to the scared woman.

Slowly, she kneeled to Henry's level and opened on hand to him, inviting him forward.

Henry looked back at his mother, but she seemed unsure of what to do at that instant. With the dazed look only a child could have, he crept forward, taking Perkha's hand and slowly reaching up to touch the scar on her face, just above the eye.

"What is it?" The little boy asked as Perkha studied him. "Does it hurt?"

"It's a scar. It used to, but not anymore."

"A scar?" Henry's eyes widened and he pulled back his hand, showing her his forearm. "Like this one?"

There was a small, white cut that took up an inch on his arm. It was pale, but still visible, nothing like Perkha's.

"Why yes, I do believe so. How did you get it?"

"I was playing with Arthur and fell. It hurt, but not anymore."

Perkha nodded, her smooth tone seeming to calm Leon as even he stared at her with wide eyes, the remains of his tears still on his cheeks. Ellanoire relaxed, her hands rubbing Leon's back with smooth, deliberate strokes as she watched the exchange.

"My son used to get cuts playing, this one will fade. It is too fun to stop, am I right?"

Henry nodded. "Can I play with him?"

"I'm afraid not, but there are others you can play with." Her eyes lit up and she stood, taking Henry's hand. "Do you want to meet them?"

"Can I?" He looked at his mother and back to Perkha.

"If it's alright with your mother, I would say so."

All eyes turned to Ellanoire who shifted on her feet. "I suppose, but careful not to wander off or go near the water's edge."

"I won't," Henry assured as Perkha led him away.

Ellanoire leaned forward, lowering her voice, though that would do nothing to disguise her words. "Will he be alright with her?"

"Perkha is my elder and acts as a mother to those who need care. Henry will be more than safe." I took her bag, offering my arm which she took. "I'll show you to where you are staying and let you settle in."

"The woman, she is a mother? Are you able to have children with," she stopped for a second, her mouth hanging open for a moment, "who you are?"

"Not that I know. We are not humans, therefore, we cannot." Ellanoire's eyes scrunched and she blinked rapidly, not understanding my thoughts. "Many of us had lives before we died. Perkha watched her children grow and die while she remained ageless."

"You never age?" Ellanoire's shocked gasp made me chuckle. She was as clueless as I had been, even with the teachings of the Hunters.

"No, we are immortal in a sense, unless killed. That is why we need you here."

"Because you need what I know." Ellanoire adjusted Leon. "What do you think I know?"

"Nothing for certain, even if you know nothing we still would have extended the invitation to you, but your husband is the one who was suggested to be in charge of the transportation of Spirits."

"How did you reach that conclusion?" Her tone wasn't bitter, just questioning. Ellanoire reminded me of Liu Ming in that sense.

"Many of us have gone missing on your property and some of our more talented Spirits have asked around," Atoya interjected from his position behind me with Liu Ming. "It seems your husband is the final transport before they disappear for good."

The information hadn't been easy to come by and Atoya had been very impatient, but he had also followed my lead. His guilt seemed to weigh on him and my unwillingness to forget had led him to act tamer.

"I know nothing of the dealings, but my husband did make many trips to a hunting cabin in the mountains. That may be where the Spirits are."

"Have you been?" I asked, my tone higher as hope scored into my heart.

She shook her head and I clenched my hands, the worn handle of the bag falling victim to the sharp tips of my gloves.

"That's alright. Would you be able to give us the location?"

"I think so, but I would need a map and I might not be able to give you an exact location, merely a general area."

"That's more than we could ask for," I assured, my canines flashing as I grinned to my ears.

"Is Isabella here? It would be lovely to see her again."

"She isn't in Intutum, but if you want to meet her I can have someone take you to her."

"And the baby?"

"She told you, I'm not surprised. It is healthy as is she. Almost seven months."

"Well I might not be much older than the both of you, but I would like to act as her midwife if she will have me."

"I think Isabella would happily have you, but there are other matters that we must deal with first."

Our group reached the village and I steered Ellanoire through the streets until we reached the main plaza and apartment buildings. They had become full as a dozen humans had been moved to the opposite building, its long-retired use coming back into use. A long table closes one half of the street that led to the fields and woods. It was a difficult shift, but meals were held at a regular interval, and Spirits were becoming accustomed to the strange visitors and vice versa.

"You came early. The sand dial in the table at the center counts down by the hour. In two turns it will be breakfast. It's a new feature actually, for our guests."

"And will you be there?" Ellanoire's eyes widened as she made eye contact.

Atoya, who was still warming up to the woman, stood with the rigidness of a tree, eyes locked on us.

"I have other business I need to attend to, but it would be a good opportunity to introduce yourself. Perkha will bring Henry to, but he is most likely with his cousins and other children his age. It's remarkable how many of our extended family members are here."

"Are you sure we can trust them?" Ellanoire lowered her voice, eyes dancing around the plaza as though someone was waiting to scoop her up. "They are Hunters after all."

"I mean this as kindly as possible," I took Ellanoire's one hand, her warm skin radiating through the cool metal of the glove. "We can trust them as much as we trust you. I understand better than most not all Hunters are evil. That is why you are here, for your safety and ours."

"There is a way we could tell," Atoya muttered, but my look silenced him.

Ellanoire seemed to catch our exchange but remained silent.

"Come now," I kept her hand, leading her through the open doorway into the halls of the apartments.

The human building was being refurbished, the old use coming into practice on more. Dark hallways were opened, candles hung at regular intervals, and locks put on doors.

It was remarkable how much I hadn't noticed before complaints had arisen. Many questions and concerns were justified, the want for privacy in the strange terrain and some level of normal; however, I doubted others. As time ticked by, more complaints filed in and I had a lingering suspicion that they had more to do with boredom than any relevant concern.

Ribbons hung on each door: reds, blues, and yellows. I found a deep gray on a farther door and knocked gently. When no one replied, I pushed it open, pulling the silk piece off the handle.

"This will be your room, you are free to come and go as you please but I have to ask that you stay in Intutum unless you have a Spirit with you for your protection as well as ours."

I herded the two into the room, Atoya guarding the door. His lips softening from the hard-line under his beard, the frown lines softening.

"May I talk to you after this?"

"After," I agreed.

I turned my attention to the woman scanning the room. "We'll have another bed brought in for the boys, some furniture perhaps. The ribbon on the door tells us that you have children. Other yellow ribbons are parents and children if you would like to socialize. Red are single women and blue are men."

Ellanoire sank into the bed, her shoulders sagging as she laced Leon next to her. His small hand still clutching her index finger, chubby digits clinging to her as his life depended on it.

My heart warmed watching the woman visibly relax in front of me. This was all it took, kindness and trust in her for her to relax.

"Maurea, thank you and you as well." Ellanoire did not look up at me, but I could see the small droplets of water on her cheeks. "I appreciate the trust and I am grateful to you for helping my boys."

"I am as well. Now rest and settle in, I will check on you later."

As I turned to leave, I was almost knocked over by a small force at my knees.

My legs locked, adrenaline pumping as my breath left me. That was until I noticed the small child pulling at the ends of my shirt.

Henry stood there, cheeks red and chest rising and falling as he huffed for air, Perkha behind him, the motherly glow in her eyes.

"There are kids. They have a beach and we can dig in it and there are little ships and I met a blond hair man and he showed me how to sail them and-" Henry cut off, looking between me, Perkha and his other, "can I go back later?"

I looked back to Ellanoire, her smile both mournful and proud.

"I suppose we could, Henry."

The little boy beamed, his eyes shining as he smiled with missing teeth. The bottoms of his pants were soggily rolled up to his ankles. He was adapting splendidly.

"I'll leave you now." Atoya slipped through the door and I nodded to Perkha, leaving her in the room.

Our pace quickened as we left the building behind us, the nonexistent breeze holding the air still in a state of worry that appeared the moment we left the family behind.

"What did you want to speak of?"

"I worry that you're letting your own experience blind you to the danger these Hunters present. If we could use the Seductors, ask them a few questions. It would help us greatly."

Atoya had reason to be concerned, but the council had decided, with a stark input from me, that using our gifts would not help our growing relationship with the few Hunters who were trusting us.

"I see no need as of now to push our guests away."

"You must have heard the rumors."

We stopped just outside the woods where they met the water. My toes dug into the earth as anger burned through my veins. My fingers tapped against my thigh as I straightened my back and looked into the tired eyes across from me.

"There is no proof behind the rumors, and I refuse to believe a mother or father would willingly endanger their child. Most of our guests are just that, women and children. Do you think they would betray us? Why send them if they only wished to attack?"

"I don't doubt the Hunters could and would." His bushy eyebrows pulled together. "Can we put the fate of Intutum in their hands, enemy hands?"

"If you can bring proof that someone is feeding information to the Hunters from inside Intutum, then, by all means, I will investigate myself."

Atoya nodded. "Thank you."

"If you will excuse me," I forced a small smile, the nerves in my stomach showing themselves in the twitch of my lips. "I want to go for a swim."

Atoya let me pass, but I could feel his eyes on me as I ducked under the water.

It was different without a companion, but I had learned to navigate the tunnels and find my way to the ocean. Usually, I would travel around the bay in a large, slow circle. Today, however, I turned to deeper water, passing the stone walls that separated the bay from the open water.

It only took minutes, but I made it to The African Queen, the figurehead treating me with the same stony, cold look as the dozens of times before. It was a good place to think, relax and reflect which is what I did.

I doubted Atoya's fears were real, but I knew there was discourse among the Spirits with the new guests. Even then, their worries weren't baseless. I found myself dreading, late in the night, the pain that the Hunters could bring. Was it my place to make the decisions for the Hunters, or should we segregate between the species? It wouldn't work, but perhaps both groups will be more open then.

I shook my head, the strands of hair bobbing in front of my face. That wouldn't work, it wasn't what I wanted. We needed unity and trust. We couldn't give in to fear.

There was no right answer, only the hope that we could find the missing and restore the companionship that had existed between humans and Spirits years before.