Labyrinth of White - The Moon Trilogy - Book #1

Chapter seventeen:

"Have you sent any troops out yet?"

"No, not yet. But I will, very soon."

"And why, dare I ask, haven't you sent troops out yet?"

"I'm waiting for the techs to develop a new type of weapon. Once it's ready, getting Alex back will be much easier."

"Very well, I'll permit it. But you must send troops out the moment it's ready."

"Yes, sir."

Alex held his hands up. He heard a faint click, and a flashlight shined into his eyes. He held his hand up to block the near-blinding light, blinking.

"Who are you?" the young woman's voice was no longer angry, in fact, she sounded rather amazed. "No wait—what are you?" she sounded bewildered.

The beam of the flashlight shifted and Alex could see again. She had lowered the shotgun and was staring in amazement at a point above his left shoulder. His wings.

He stumbled to his feet, using the barn as support. His breath was still coming quite rapidly, and he was pretty sure his heart hadn't ever beat this fast in his life.

"I'm Alex. Alex Price." He said, his voice sounding shakier than he had intended. He drew in a huge breath, trying to calm himself down. He reached out a hand, trying not to seem too much of a savage. He was sure he looked sufficiently the part without acting like one.

The young lady looked down at his hand. It was covered in caked-on blood, made worse by mud and grime and the dust from his haystack hotel. She stayed motionless.

"Umm... my name is Heather." She said after a pause. Alex once again noticed the slight southern accent. It sounded more defined now, but that was probably because he wasn't frantic with survival instincts.

"It's nice to meet you, Heather," Alex said, letting his hand drop to his side. He eyed the shotgun where it now hung at Heather's side.

"It's okay." She said, seeing his unease. "Ain't even loaded." She pulled the trigger to demonstrate. There was a loud click but nothing else. He let out a long breath, rubbing his eyes.

"You okay?" she asked after a moment had passed. She was looking at the dried blood on his hand and leg, and probably more. He had no idea what he looked like. "You can come inside if you want to."

"I'm fine." He said, blinking. And then a moment later, "Are you sure your parents would be okay with me coming into your house?"

"Sure they would. They've never been the kind to refuse help to those in need." She started walking away, towards what Alex had guessed was the farmhouse. It seemed he'd been correct. After a few steps of walking with him not following, she turned around and beckoned to him. He walked after her and she continued on her way.

Sam opened his sore eyes. He had stayed up so late the night before that it technically didn't count as night anymore, on an errand for some associates. He stayed in bed, staring at the ceiling. He could probably sleep for hours more if he wanted to, but he had to get up and about.

He swung his legs over the side of his bed and looked down at his feet. They were covered in tan fur, mottled with darker brown spots. That fur had been a cause of more trouble than it was worth. Too bad shaving it off didn't work.