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Chapter 28
Dorian
We finally made it through the mountains and found the compound. It was larger than I expected and placed well on a good stretch of elevated land. There were spaces for crops and trees that provided shelter, but there was also a walled enclosure, which seemed like overkill, considering the location.
From my viewpoint, I spotted a massive building at one end of the space while two long, narrow buildings stood on opposite sides. Scattered around them were some smaller buildings. Tiny children played in the snow. For some reason, I hadn’t been expecting that.
I met back up with Ryan and Byron. “There are children,” I told them. “It can’t be that dangerous.”
“Did you get a good look at anyone?” Ryan asked.
“They were bundled up warm,” I said. “I couldn’t make out any features if that’s what you mean.”
Ryan looked to Byron for guidance.
The alpha mused in silence for a moment. “They’ll want to protect the children, so there shouldn’t be much trouble as long as we keep our distance. I’ll go alone to the gates to see what I can find out.”
Ryan immediately protested. “I’m not leaving you alone. Besides, I have a better chance of communicating with them, no matter what language we speak. We’re practically in Ukraine by now. It could go either way.”
Byron looked me over. “Dorian could watch our backs from a vantage point.”
“Come on,” I said, frustrated. “You can’t leave me out.”
“We can’t walk in there without backup,” Ryan said. “If it goes bad, somebody needs to get home and warn the pack, so do what you’re told and watch our backs from a distance.”
“Fine,” I said irritably.
“Let’s move then,” Byron said. “Ryan, let’s take the conservative method. Leave if they ask. We won’t give them too much information. We’re testing the waters. We can always return later.”
While they hashed out a plan, I moved to higher ground, keeping watch in case anyone snuck up on them. I was still within hearing distance, so that was something at least.
After climbing a tree for a better view, I watched Byron and Ryan descend onto the trail that led to a large gate. As they approached the compound, a couple of white-haired, blue-eyed men hopped up onto the wall. The gate slowly swung open, only to be blocked by a tall, skinny man holding a shotgun.
“You’ve no business here,” he said in Ukrainian. I could understand fairly well though I was rusty and his accent was unusual.
“We seek help,” Byron said, eyeing each of them. Most of them looked nervous. One didn’t, only stared quietly in an unsettling sort of way.
A man from the wall called out in English, “You’ll find no help here.”
“A friend,” Byron continued, “a harbinger, is hurting from their gift. We want to know how to help her, how to stop it from harming her.”
“No harbinger would befriend you,” one of the men scoffed.
Ryan switched to Ukrainian. “We don’t want trouble. We want to help a harbinger. There has to be something—”
“Leave,” the man with the shotgun barked. “Before we spray your hides with pellets.”
That startled me. Was it a figure of speech or had he meant to imply he knew what we were?
“That means run, dogs,” he continued, taking aim.
Byron held up his hands. “We’ll leave.”
He and Ryan backed away. Byron made a hand signal for me to follow, but I stayed put to watch the reactions. The men on the walls spoke rapidly under their breaths, but the quiet, unsettling one suddenly grabbed the shotgun and strode after Byron and Ryan. The others held him back, protesting loudly until one managed to take the shotgun away. They argued for a while then closed the gate and went inside, but the quiet one sat on the wall for a long time, glowering at the trees.
When nothing else happened, and the man showed no signs of moving, I finally left to find the others. I glanced back, and it seemed as though the man was staring right in my direction.
I hurried to the others. Byron was furious that I had taken my time, but by the time I recovered from running so hard, he was concerned. “What is it?”
