Dark Empathy by Archibald Bradford (inspiring books for teens TXT) 📕

It was only when they rounded the corner of the central building that Milly broke the silence between them again.

“Do you, I mean, do you really think that would be possible? To find my mother?”

Volka was slow to answer, wanting to articulate herself as well as she could.

“Milly, I’m sure that if we worked together, we could find her someday. I am also sure that we would have no shortage of people willing to help.”

Their conversation was cut short however when Nina pushed off from leaning on the stone wall by the front entrance.

“Hey golden-tits, mind if I borrow our bond-sister for a moment?”

She had been standing guard while Nameless and Ophelia were inside, her vigilance undeterred by the big city and the proximity of the Aegis.

“Of course, oh Mighty Destroyer of Worlds.” Volka replied sarcastically.

“Finally someone gets it.” Nina nodded in approval; “Come on Milly, we need to talk.”

She walked briskly towards the main gate, the Minotaur closely behind.

“What is it?” Milly asked when Nina turned to face her.

The Gigas set her hammer down and leaned back against the wall, the noise of the children playing and learning within was much quieter outside the stone wall as she stared at her bond-sister.

“Something I’ve been neglecting for way too long.” She answered finally.

The Minotaur’s apprehension spiked at the giant’s grim tone.

It took the little red monster a few minutes to gather her thoughts before she would explain.

“When you and Erica first wanted to learn to fight, why did you go to the Amazons instead of me?”

Milly’s eyes widened and her mouth worked as she tried to find words.

“Nina we-”

But Nina answered for her.

“I’m not complaining, just making a point. You did it because you thought I was out of your league, maybe you didn’t know it consciously but there it is. Same reason you would never have asked Xalanth.”

The cow girl frowned, processing the giant’s words.

“M-maybe?”

Inside, they heard some more children making a noisy fuss over Volka, which distracted them both for a moment, until Nina continued.

“Before Evadne, I was more than happy to let the Amazons train you. Even when we got home and I knew she was around, I focused on my own shit, in my head I saw her showing up and me standing between her and all of you.” The Gigas ground her teeth together as she remembered the sight of Milly slumped against the ruined Hornet hive; “I was so focused on making sure I was ready that I didn’t do a damn thing to make sure that you were.”

Milly couldn’t speak around the lump in her throat so instead she fell to her knees, reaching out and hugging her strongest sister.

Nina hugged her back, but the embrace was brief as she wasn’t done talking.

“It’s time for me to do what I should have done months ago.”

The Minotaur leaned back and tilted her head to one side in confusion.

“What do you-”

“It’s time I taught you how to fight outside your weight class.”

Milly’s mouth fell open in surprise.

“Neat hat by the way.” Nina added as an afterthought.

Chapter 4: Running Wild

It is often said that while Garland was a city of the old world, Algrade was a city of the new.

The University City was founded over the richest lost-tech dig-site ever uncovered as some centuries ago thousands of people migrated there for work.

Never before has the notion ‘first-come first-served’ proved so apt.

For a few hundred years many fortunes were made on the technological wonders uncovered there, but eventually, perhaps inevitably, the most profitable sites were monopolized by the founding families.

Today these families live in the city proper, with all sorts of lost-tech conveniences at their disposal, their wealth inherited from ancestors who struck it rich long ago.

Meanwhile, people eked out a living however they could in the shanty towns outside the city; their own ancestors either too late or too unlucky to have made any significant finds, and now their descendants were either too poor or too stubborn to leave, convinced that all it would take to set their family up for life was one lucky find.

A rare occurrence, but it happened often enough to keep people digging into the hills and mountains surrounding the city.

In the midst of this bizarre juxtaposition of wealth and poverty intellectuals from all over the world flocked to the site to study the lost technology even as the hopeful diggers pulled it from the earth.

Hence why it became known as The University City.

Though it was certainly famous for its dig-sites, Algrade was also famous for its high society, boasting the largest population of elegant Flutterby anywhere outside of the wilds.

Sitting at a much higher elevation than even Garland, it was also known for its winters: the locals typically measuring the snowfall in feet rather than inches.

One such snowfall had taken place the previous night and had insulated the city with its icy blanket, enforcing a sacred hush on the city that muffled most sounds.

All but the loudest.

“Gangway!!”

There were a couple of startled exclamations and even a shrill scream of alarm as a Lapine did nothing to arrest her frantic pace through the narrow and winding streets that abutted the walled-off neighbourhoods of the city center.

Her blonde hair had streaks of red dyed into it and was cropped close to her bunny ears, which were long and grey with numerous piercings running up the sides.

“Look out! Hot-stuff coming through!” She said blithely as she deftly leapt over a startled busker and his cart.

“Hey! Official courier, watch it lady!”

A woman had walked into the street and obliviously blocked her path with a rolled up carpet over her shoulder. With no time for another leap, the bunny girl ducked