Page 439

~~Holiday Special (Day 4/7, Page 3/6)~~
Hector’s eyes fell upon her gauntlet. “What can that thing do, exactly?”

“Well, it’s malleable,” she said. The shadow took the shape of a small bird perched on her arm. “It seems like it can conform to any shape I want it to. I’m still learning.”

“Does it have like a... maximum range or something?”

“Yes, it does.” The shade shot out toward the garage’s far wall and reached it, then looped back around but stopped halfway. It strained to reach her but could extend no farther. “What would you say that is? Twenty meters or so?”

“Maybe. But, uh...” He turned to look at Garovel, who’d retreated behind him. “Would you mind not doing that so suddenly, though? I think you scared Garovel.”

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” She reeled the shadow back in. “Where is he? I didn’t hurt him, did I?”

“N-no, he’s fine.”

She put her arm back down, keeping it inside her dirty cloak. “The shadow also protects me from harm, but I’m sure you knew that already.”

“Y-yeah.”

“It has another power that I haven’t been able to use yet. Something called Incineration.”

He tilted his head. “Incineration?”

“Don’t ask me what it means. That’s just what I heard the Vanguard servants calling it.”

“Hmm...”

She rolled her shoulders and neck. “Maybe I should just tell you the whole story. Ah--but it might be pretty long. Do you have anything to eat around here first? I’m starving.”

“Oh, sure. Uh--follow me.” He led her to the kitchen. The choices weren’t exactly gourmet. Everything here was meant to last for months without requiring refrigeration.

Lynnette grabbed a bunch of different things and sat down at the small table by the door. Atop the pile, she added the contents of her rucksack: a slab of charred meat and some wild berries. “So we flew to Korgum first,” she said, unwrapping a packet of beef jerky, “and that was a dead end.”