Alana was on her feet for the first time in days at breakfast. Kaleb insisted she eat lots of fruit and protein, so her plate had three oranges and a large serving of steak and eggs. She sat peeling one of the oranges with a slender knife.

I watched transfixed as the pulpy orange peel fell into a trash can below her in concentric cylindrical rings. Her meticulous knife skills left the fruit itself juicy and perfectly round.

"Good morning," Tres handed me a plate of steak and eggs. "Kaleb wanted me to remind you that you need vitamins, too. And a lot more protein since you're spending so much time with Moreno in the training room."

"Pull one of the shakes for her," Alana said. "And don't forget you have the next patrol."

"Right," Tres opened a cabinet and pulled down a protein shake. "Is Cullen back yet?"

"He should be pulling in soon based on the schedule your grandfather made," Alana said. "I'll be back on rotation today. I don't care if Kaleb wants me to rest another day. We need to keep patrolling the border around the portal."

Tres handed me the shake and popped a protein bar into his mouth. It was still weird to remember that he was my second cousin. Not to mention, my great uncle, Daleron, by marriage, had been helping organize the patrols while Alana was recovering.

"There hadn't been any action in almost a month," Tres said. "All the fun happened while you were at Half Circle, and the rest of the rebels are concentrated on the siege at Snowdon."

"We have to be focused if they shift their focus," Daleron walked into the room. "The situation at Snowdon is dangerous, and we've made ourselves very vulnerable by shifting most of our resources to that threat."

"He's not wrong," Alana said. "And Terri is here. We should expect an attack."

There was a thudding sound in the hallway that I'd come to associate with the comings and goings of halfants on their giant wings. A minute later, Cullen trudged into the kitchen, looking winded.

"Anybody seen Moreno?" He asked.

Alana frowned. "Didn't you have a shift exchange with him two hours ago?"

Cullen shook his head. "Moreno didn't come back to the compound. I checked the logs. There wasn't any sign of him while I was flying the loop, and his tracker is disabled."

Tres swore. "Not this again."

Daleron raised an eyebrow. "Explain, please."

Alana sucked in her cheeks and checked something on her wrist. "Moreno has a habit of going missing in action when he gets upset. He hasn't done it in a while, but he's overdue."

"Does Doc know about this?" Daleron asked.

"She does," Alana bit her lip. "And he doesn't need to be alone. Especially not today. I lost track of the days while Terri and I were held captive."

"It's not that day, is it?" Tres cursed.

Alana nodded. "Exactly ten years ago today, Horus Ethesis walked into Nikone capital and murdered a golden guard of the Nikone house for the murder of his wife."

"Today's the day he lost his father," my face fell.

"We need to find Moreno," Daleron said, "I'll check the cameras. Cullen, get some rest. Tres, Alana, you'll need to fly patterns to search for him."

"How do I help?" I asked. "Do I fly a pattern?"

I'd brought up his family last night. I'd foolishly suggested he relinquish his sister on the eve of the anniversary of the second time his world shattered. I was guilty.

"You'll need a guard if you leave the compound," Daleron said. "And there's only one other person with enough rank to keep you safe at the compound."

My mind immediately shot to the little girl, who was probably peacefully oblivious that her brother was missing. But Carisma was ten, and she certainly wasn't trained.

"Wake Abel," Daleron said. "He can help you search."

I frowned. "Abel?"

I didn't know much about the white-haired guy other than he was older and didn't like to be in charge. His yellow eyes were creepy, and he always seemed to work the strangest shifts.

"Abel comes from a powerful family," Daleron said. "And his mother runs Pacifica Compound. He'll do for a ranking peer while we look for our runaway noble."

Alana just shrugged. I didn't know how having a mother who ran a compound could make you a ranking peer, but I knew better than to ask questions.

I chugged the protein shake in my hand and walked down the hallway to Abel's room. There wasn't a ranking title on his door. Only a strange symbol of a twisted snowflake beside his name, Abel Glain.

I rapped on the door. I heard a muffled voice and padding footsteps. The door opened a moment later, and I was face to face with Abel Glain's very bare, milky chest.

His skin was laced with strange patterns of scars or birthmarks. They were faint but tracked every inch of his skin in a pattern resembling cracking ice and frost. I made my way to his face, blushing furiously. My eyes briefly paused on what looked like a brand of a twisted snowflake from his door on his pectoral.

His body blocked the entrance to his room, and he'd only opened the door far enough to block the way. Finally, I met his yellow eyes. He frowned from the empty shake container in my hand to the gear I'd strapped on to train after breakfast.

"Good morning, Terri," he seemed remarkably calm for a man in his boxers.

"Daleron sent me to get you," I blurted. "I need an escort to go looking for Moreno. He said you were a ranking peer or something?"

Abel sighed and shook his white hair. It didn't look bleached like Alana's; it was a pure, stark white. It matched his eyebrows, so I assumed it was natural.

"Let me guess," Abel said. "Moreno's run off to frosts knows where, and they're organizing a search party."

I nodded. "I want to help, but I need a guard."

"Allow me to slip into something more protective and allow my guest to see herself out," Abel said. "I'll meet you in the launch room in five minutes."

He moved to open his door further, and I saw Kimmy, wrapped in a silk robe, standing behind him. She waved at me, and her smile was soft and secretive.

My face heated again. I'd clearly interrupted both Kimmy and Abel's leisure time. I'd never seen any signs that they were a couple. Not that it mattered. They were both entitled to do whatever they wanted. They were older than even Petra and Cullen by a decade.

Kimmy walked out of the room and across the hall to her room. Abel shut his door, presumably to put on some clothes. Kimmy produced a piece of chalk and wrote on a chalkboard posted to her door below her name.

A and I are casual. Please don't tell anyone.

"Your secret is safe with me," I said.

Kimmy's hand erased her words, and she disappeared into her room. It was probably hard to maintain a relationship and work at this compound. At any moment, someone could order you on patrol or send you away on a mission.

I didn't blame them for keeping a casual relationship on the down low. It was lonely and isolating in this compound, especially with the dozen halfants serving at Snowdon.

Abel met me in the launch room right on time. He hadn't dawned full gear. He wore the armored bottoms and a tank top instead of his fitted jacket.

"Won't you be cold?" I asked as he pulled on his winged pack.

Abel laughed. "It's nice to have someone around who doesn't know everything about me from one look. No, Terri, I won't get cold. It's a part of who I am."

He checked the screen on his arm. Then he helped me into the launcher and prepped my wings for the massive crossbow.

I'd had some practice with the launcher over the past few days. Moreno had taken me out flying twice. Still, the sensation of being shot out a window and catching myself in the wind with metal wings wasn't something I'd ever get used to.

Abel launched out behind me. He flexed his wings with ease and floated right beside me.

"Alana went north to check the Ethesis lands, and Tres went to check the cliffs," He said. "We're going to check the flying routes. Follow me and let me know if you need to slow down."

The wind nipped at my face. There was no way that Abel wasn't cold. Giant blood made us more resistant to the cold but not immune.

I followed Abel down routes in the sky he clearly knew. He watched the ground blow us carefully, but all I could see was grass and rocks.

"Where would he go?" I asked.

"It's always different," Abel said. "Hopefully, he's not doing anything too stupid."

"Is he known for that?" I was almost sure I knew the answer.

"Last time he did this, he was plastered when Bryan dragged him back to the compound," Abel said. "So the faster we find him, the better."

That didn't sound good. I wondered what drugs they had in the giant realm other than wonderland berries. I had a feeling there was some giant equivalent of self-medicating.

Abel climbed higher into the clouds before dropping down soaking wet. He shook his hair like a wet dog and grinned.

"You're going to catch a cold," I said.

"How much do you know about me?" Abel asked.

"Your mother runs Pacifica, and somehow that makes you some low-ranked noble?" I asked.

Abel shook his hair again. "My mother is Lyssa Johnson, the Commander of Pacifica, yes. However, my mother comes from a special group of giants. Some call them frosts or ice giants. They prefer the Hoarfrost Jotnar. They're one of the only families in Jontun that haven't lost their magic."

I sucked in a breath. "Moreno said magic was rare."

"It is," Abel said. "Still, there are only a handful of the Hoarfrost Jotnar with the magic, but there are other traits. Pale skin with icy patterns. I have that and a stronger resistance to cold. White hair, too. I don't have blue eyes or lips. My veins aren't dark blue either."

I thought back to the woman on Doc's video screen. That must have been Abel's mother. She'd even had blue lips, and her skin was so pale with all those patterns.

"So you're not a true Hoarfrost," I said.

"No," Abel said. "And thank the frosts for that. The Hoarfrosts are obsessed with breeding. I have two half-siblings sucked into that madness. My mother is always playing diplomat. She doesn't have the magic, but she does have all the traits."

"So being a Hoarfrost gets you recognized," I said, reminded of the giant when I'd first arrived cursing at Abel.

"It's easy to spot," Abel said. "I think Alana has a distant Hoarfrost relative, but I never asked. The traits dilute easily. That's why the family's so selective about pairing. My halfant father wasn't their first choice."

Even if he was removed from the Hoarfrost Jotnar, I could imagine the shadow of his family hanging over any relationship he tried to have. No wonder he was keeping Kimmy a secret.

"Are there nobles in the Hoarfrost Jotnar?" I asked.

"Yes," Abel said. "But they don't have the magic. No other group has been successful in breeding their powers. The Hoarfrosts are revered but also feared. Trust me, you're not the only one with weird family members."

He sounded almost bitter. I wondered how often he was forced to visit the Hoarfrost Jotnar or if they didn't even want him around.

Abel looked down at his wrist and sighed. "Alana found him, and she's going to need our help."

"Where are they?" I asked.

"Edge of the world," Abel said. "It's a short flight. Come on, now. And try not to fall into the abyss." 

Hey friends!! So what do you think of Abel?  I hope you liked this chapter. What do you think will happen when Terri finds Moreno? Let me know your thoughts and opinions. Until next time!!!