Blood Will Tell

XXV

Edin tugged on the straps of his backpack as he walked along a dirt path. His smile beamed like the Sun above him, which kept him warm while the morning blew its cool breath onto the world. It was his first day of work in months, and the Guild had assigned him to Irien. He did not know if the placement was intentional but was content regardless. Having work so close to home meant that he could walk instead of drive, allowing him to save on fuel and get warmed up prior to his shift.

Edin reached his workplace a half hour after he started his journey by foot. Irien's station looked like Stoll's, except it was roughly twice the size. The presence of a sedan parked next to it told him that the previous shift's guardian had not yet left. Actually, now that he thought about it, he had never seen anyone pull up to Stoll's station after him and Rowan, nor had he caught anyone leaving from it after they arrived. Was it simply unmanned at night? He could find out later. Edin pulled his phone out to check the time; it was nine minutes to nine. He still had ample time to change into his uniform. His hand reached into his pocket to grab the key he was given, but just before he could unlock the door, it swung open.

The cadet who answered the door, a tall brunette of nearly Edin's height, leaned against the door frame. She tilted her head as her black eyes scrutinized him. "Are you that Edin kid everyone's been talking about?"

"Uh, yes."

The cadet stepped aside to make way. "Come in."

Edin set foot inside the station. Memories of his time at Stoll rushed back into his mind as he glimpsed the interior—there was no difference between his previous post and his current one except that Irien's had much more space, as well as an additional room for changing in and out of one's uniform. There was a hard click as the cadet shut the door behind Edin.

"I was watching you walk here," she said, pointing at one of the screens. "Where d'you live?"

"Just further down there. I can show you." Edin strode towards the control panel. His hands reached for a knob and joystick, and a moment later, the camera zoomed in on a granite castle with five spires.

The cadet blinked twice. "Arden's castle? I didn't know it was that near."

"It's still quite a walk from here," Edin said, "but not too far."

"How long?"

"Half an hour, about that."

"I'd rather drive if I had to walk that far," she said.

"But it's nice to walk here," Edin chirped, "plus I get to have a little exercise."

The cadet scoffed. "Wait till Miroel comes. It's near the end of Sigelend and it's already getting chilly; you'll start driving to work soon enough."

Edin glimpsed the wall clock. Eight minutes till the start of his shift. He headed toward the storage room to store his belongings, then entered the adjacent room to change. The changing room was bare-bones like the rest of the post: there was nothing inside aside from a full-length mirror and a coat rack to hang one's clothing. The female cadet's clothes—a thick, long-sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans—were still hanging from the pegs.

Edin heard a new set of footsteps enter the post while he was changing. That must be his new partner. He edged closer to the door to listen in on the conversation happening outside.

"He's here?" a male voice asked.

"Yeah. He's getting changed right now."

"I'm so excited to meet him. My best friend was his partner when they were still recruits!"

His current partner was best friends with Rowan? Edin slipped on his uniform top, tugging at the sleeves and bottom hem to straighten out the wrinkles. The voices became clearer as he rested his ear against the door.