If I thought we were busy the day before, it was nothing compared to this. Dozens of sick children and elders crammed into my small living room, amongst the usual injured.
We had almost forty cases of the fever. So far, no one else had died, but I knew it was a matter of time. The earliest symptoms were a cough that wouldn't go away and a low-grade fever. Patients then started to vomit, experience red eyes, and experience hallucinations. The last and fatal signs in the elderly had been their limbs turning a strange bluish color as the fever sucked away the circulation to their limbs, difficulty breathing, rapid dehydration, and then death.
Panic crawled up my spine as I saw the children in that middle phase, slowly spiralling towards the final. There was nothing I could do. I didn't have the resources or the knowledge to stop this. I had to find the source and stop it there.
Anyone who was old enough to shift into a wolf, or young enough to still shift, was unchanged, not even a sniffle. Surely if it were viral, it would have been more widespread, but so far, it looked like most of the patients came from right against the wall or within a few blocks of it.
"Did you eat anything odd? Were you given anything unusual?" I asked one of the older children. He was around twelve and seemed alert despite his illness, a good sign.
"No, just the normal stuff," he said, but glanced at his mother, who frowned.
"Listen, I don't care what you did. If you stole something or whatever, that is not my problem. I need to know what could have caused this."
She just frowned at me and shook her head firmly. I sighed and nodded. Of course, it wouldn't be that easy. Everyone lived in fear of being found out, of the Alpha raining down on them to risk a confession even to me.
By the time the last patient left that day, I was left with only a headache and no answers. Mira watched me with large, round eyes, picking up on my distress. I smiled down at her, trying not to frighten her.
"I need you to do something for me. You trust me, right?" I asked, kneeling so I was at her level.
"What is wrong, Lils? Why is everyone so sick?" she asked, looking like she might burst into tears.
"We've got to find out, and I need your help. Ask around, see if anyone where you live has found a new food source or water. Ask your momma if she has eaten anything new recently. Babies eat what mommas do. I want to stop people from getting sick," I said, wiping away her tears.
"I will," she said, hugging me tightly. I hesitated for a minute and patted her back awkwardly, not used to affection.
"Good girl, also try not to eat anything that I don't give you for a bit. I will send you home with enough to share," I tweaked her nose as I spoke, getting to my feet.
I had deduced it had to be a contaminated source of some kind. One subtle enough to slip past most people. So it couldn't be something obvious like a bad mushroom or something unfamiliar. It had to be something they trusted, or assumed was safe.
I needed to speak to a thief, and I just so happened to know one, if not begrudgingly. Cinder.
⋆···✦···⋆
Once I had fed and tucked Mira back into her mother's arms, I made my way deeper into gang territory. Particularly the Ashclaw territory, but I had to cross several others to get there.
Generally, I was considered off limits. No one messed with me. If they lost me, that was it; no one was left to patch them up or tend to the sick. Despite my lack of magic, I was considered valuable.
But I faced a whole other set of problems by coming down here. I was unattached, single, and female. Something more and more rare as time went on. Not to mention the rumors that I hadn't unlocked my powers because I was unclaimed, there was a lot of pressure to see me nailed down.
I pushed back, refusing to be saddled with a random man, for the sake of it. That wasn't how magic worked. Mate sure, that was one thing, but just a random wolf? Nope, that was impossible. More than likely, I was just a dud. A wolfless wolf, how pathetic.
As I approached the first of the gangs' territories, the newest and weakest, Fangshade, I could hear something strange buzzing around me. I paused, listening intently.
Quill noticed me and jogged up, looking pleased to see me. "Hey, Lilliah, did you need something?"
"Just passing through, but what is that sound?" I asked, still searching for the source.
"Electricity! Isn't it amazing? I think it could really improve life for everyone."
"Human technology?" I asked in a scolding tone.
He drooped slightly, but nodded, then regained his excitement, "Want me to show you how it works?"
I wrinkled my nose, trying not to imagine how long that would take, and shook my head, "Another time, I am in a hurry."
He looked deflated but stepped aside. "You know, the human's new a lot a bout medicine."
My ears perked up, and I glanced back at him, intrigued despite myself. "Is that so? What sort of things?"
He grinned, eyes shining like an eager pup once more, "I would love to show you what we found if you have the time."
I bit my lip, frowning. I really didn't, not if I wanted to get the information I needed from Cinder.
"If now isn't good, maybe tomorrow? I could treat you to dinner, and we can go over it," he said when I hesitated. His voice shaking slightly, face red. Did he have a fever or something?
"Sure, if I have time," I said, studying him. I turned to walk away, but a thought occurred to me, and I walked back to him. "Actually, do you mind doing me a favor?"
"Anything!" he squeaked. He then cleared his throat, sounding much deeper than usual, "Of course, how can I help?"
"I need you to look around the wall, see if there is anything unusual. Use your gadgets too, maybe, if any are good for things like that."
"What am I looking for?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Anything that could cause over forty children and elders to suddenly fall deathly ill," I said, turning to walk away.
He grabbed my arm, eyes wide with alarm. "Wait, what?"
I frowned, realizing I hadn't told the gangs, just the old packs.
"Right, there is a deadly illness that targets only elders and children. I need help finding out what it is. It isn't viral, as far as I can tell. People exposed to it by contact don't catch it, so it has to be something else."
His eyes widened, and he released me, nodding, "I will look, we all will. You should tell the others."
"Not a bad idea, thanks, Quill," I said, rushing off to the next territory, or really just four blocks over.
It was amazing how much the two zones looked different. Gone was the quiet hum of Quill's gadgets; the only sound in the Nightstrand district was silence.
At first look, it was easy to assume you were alone, that it was just another abandoned human settlement. But if you listened and watched carefully, you would see the eyes watching from the shadows.
I stopped in the middle of the street and looked around, waiting. I knew he would come; he never missed a chance to gain information. A gentle tap landed on my shoulder a minute later. I turned, meeting the devilishly amused eyes of Thorne Cowl.
"Little healer, you are so far from home. What brings you here, business or pleasure, or perhaps a little of both? That is my favorite," he said, smirking at me.
Thorne was one of those assholes who looked good and knew it. He had dark, almost blue hair, deep, void-like eyes that threatened to suck you in, a pouty, playful mouth, and an air of mystery so intense you had to resist the urge to figure him out.
He was deadly in a pretty package, all stealth and shadow, but so quick you would never see him coming, until it was too late. Dealing in secrets was his specialty, either selling them or being paid not to spread them.
"We have a problem, and I am approaching everyone for a solution," I said coldly, refusing to give him the reaction he wanted and expected.
"A problem?" he frowned, leaning down, "Personal or other? I am happy to take out anyone that is daring to mess with you…for a price, of course."
"It is more of an everyone problem," I sighed, explaining the situation. His amused smile faded into the cold, unmasked version of Thorne that sent chills running up and down my spine.
"I hadn't heard," he said, sounding amazed there was a rumor he hadn't heard yet, "That is indeed serious. This one is on the house, little healer, but I do want an equal chance to that giant flaming idiot."
I tilted my head curiously, trying to think of what the hell he could be talking about, "I am asking Cinder for help as well, if that is what you mean? I already asked Quill, and he agreed to use his gadgets."
Riven snorted, amused once more, "I bet he jumped at the chance to help."
"He did, and he is showing me some things he found over dinner tomorrow, so maybe we can come up with something for those already infected," I said with a shrug.
"Did he now," he sneered, tone dropping several octaves darker.
"No fighting, this is too important. You can fight later."
"Fine, fine, but I also want dinner," he said, waving away my order.
I frowned up at him, "No way. You would find a way to twist it so I owe you my firstborn or something."
"Have my firstborn more like, but fine, we can think of something else."
I frowned at him, grinding my teeth. "Fine, but no funny business."
"I can't help it, I am very funny."
I didn't dignify that with an answer, pushing through towards the Ironhowl.
I sighed with relief as shadows gave way to makeshift roadblocks. Not that we had had anything to block. We had no horses or even goats in the Outskirts; those were for the city dwellers and the Collectors.
"Hault," an authoritative voice called. A boy in makeshift leather armor barred my path, trying his best to look intimidating. Since I had to look down at him, he came to only my chin, and was probably nine at most, he failed.
"Hey, I need to speak to Frenrick. Is he around?" I asked with a yawn, damn, this was exhausting.
"The Commander," he corrected haughtily, "is busy."
"It is urgent," I said with a shrug, "You know I bet he will give you a commendation if you fetch him for me."
The little soldier thought it over for a minute, then turned and ran into a nearby house. I followed, assuming that was where Frenrick would be. Sure enough, he was sitting behind a desk that was too small for him, looking rather amusing, hunched in on himself, scribbling on a paper.
"Lilliah," he said, face stern, "What can the Ironhowl do for you?"
I repeated the same story, feeling worn out by the time I was finished. "Thorne and Quill are searching as well. We could use everyone we can get looking."
"On it, any civilians in danger is our highest priority," he said, sounding very pretentious, but I wasn't about to argue. Not when I was getting my way.
"You would make a fine member of the Ironhowl, Miss Salvi. All warriors need a backline," he said, raising to his full height. If it was meant to be impressive, it failed long ago.
"I'll pass, I am not good at following orders."
He looked grave but nodded, "Very well, we will report to you if we find anything."
I left, my bare feet sloshing in the slushy snow, trying to melt on the road, and glanced at the sky, wincing. It looked ready to dump another two or more inches on us.
I huddled in on myself, trying not to think about how bad my feet would be by the end of this. If I were a real wolf, I would just shift and not have to worry about the cold. If I… I stopped myself from thinking those kinds of thoughts. They wouldn't solve anything.
The Ashclaw district rose before me; it was more of a giant, makeshift pub than a territory. One large, loudly decorated building on the edge of the Outskirts. It was designed to look a bit like a face, at least I think. Large gaping mouth filled with jagged "teeth" for an entrance, windows tall and bubbled that looked like eyes, even spikey ridges like hair at the top.
I walked up the large metal doors, knocking loudly to be heard over the ruckus of voices coming from within. A face appeared in the slot above me, a man peered down at me curiously, then gave a shout of alarm and swung the door open wide.
Hux, a large, excitable puppy of a man, swung me up in his arms, pulling me inside. I squeaked as he squeezed too tightly.
"Cinder! Cinder! Look, it's Lilliah! She is here!" he called loud enough to make me wince.
Silence filled the room, thirty or so burnt, dirty men stared at me, then a riot of noise as they loudly exclaimed, pushing tightly around me.
"Enough," Cinder laughed, and they fell silent, looking really, really pleased to see me, a little too pleased. One guy was even clutching his hands under his chin like a little girl. It was very disconcerting.
Hux released me, and I stumbled into Cinder, frowning up at the large, scared behemoth. I brushed off my filthy rags, wincing at the soot streaking them now. I would have to wash it.
"Right, to the point then…" I said, trying to get on with it, but Cinder stopped me, staring down at my bright red feet.
"What the hell happened to you?" he asked, shoving a man out of a seat and pushing me into it, kneeling at my feet. "Your feet are freezing."
"Yes, well, I lost my shoes in a river last year, and can't replace them," I huffed, trying to get my foot back. He clung to it, rubbing his hands over my stinging skin.
"Put more wood on the fire and fetch her warm socks and shoes. Oh, and a coat as well," he demanded, and men ran off to obey.
"That won't be necessary, we both know I can't accept," I said with a sigh.
He ignored me, rubbing life back into my aching feet. "You know, for someone who spends so much time taking care of others, you are shit at taking care of yourself. If you lose your feet to frostbite, how are we going to survive?"
"Somehow, I think you would be just fine," I grumbled.
He scooped me up and sat me on a long, surprisingly comfortable couch by the fire, and plopped down next to me. "You had something to ask me, my sunshine?"
"Nope, not calling me that, denied."
"What, it is cute, seriously, you have no taste."
"To the point," I shouted, speaking over him, "I am here to ask a favor."
"That is surprising coming from you, shoot, I am all ears," he said, arm wrapped around me, leaning into my personal space.
I pushed him back with one finger, and he backed up, grinning. "There is a mysterious illness making its way through the most vulnerable, children and elders. We need to find the source."
"Ah, yes, that was what had you so upset the other day. I will look around, but my expertise is in burning things and stealing things."
"I actually came because I think it might be something poisoned people are stealing. It could be anyway. When I asked about it, everyone got really cagey about it."
"Really? Interesting, I will ask around. I look like less of a narc than you do."
"Seriously, I would never betray anyone," I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Yeah, yeah, I know that, but they don't. People need you, but they don't trust you. You don't meet their expectation, or well, rather, you blow their expectations away."
"So I am too good at my job? Don't be stupid, if I were, I would be more like my…mother," I choked on the word, turning away from the sudden softness in his eyes.
"Well, you have no powers, aren't even a wolf, yet you still have managed to keep us all up and going. I think your mother would be extremely proud of you."
I frowned at him, not answering for a long time. I sighed and shrugged, remembering the other reason I wanted to speak to Cinder.
"There is one more favor, this one is more of a personal one," I said, not looking at him. "I can repay you for it; I don't expect you to do it for nothing."
"Now that is interesting," he chuckled, rubbing his chin. "Tell me what you need, and we can work something out."
I took a deep breath and blew it out, "Mira's father is abusing her and her mother. I would like you to have a talk with him and convince him to stop."
He stared at me, serious for once. "Do you want him dead?" I could feel the color drain out of my face. He leaned in, nearly bumping foreheads with me. "Cause I will do it."
"No, no!" I said, holding my hands up, warding off the idea, "Just make sure he knows to stop, or something."
"Aw, you are too soft. I think that is your only flaw, Sunshine. Alright, but if I have to tell him a second time, he won't live to see the third."
I gulped and nodded, terrified of the man who could be alpha of the Outskirts for the first time.