Chapter 13

Delenor lagged behind the lesser Children, alongside Vodtak. She eyed Vodtak who remained silent.

What does he want? She thought.

"Why did you do this?" She asked, gesturing to the bandage wraps on her body. Delenor forced herself to speak up as his silence was unnerving. He rubbed his hand on the cold tree bark as he replied,

"Have I attacked you once?"

Delenor's expression morphs into a scowl, "...". She attempted to speak but couldn't.

Wait that's odd, he never… what's this guy playing at.

Vodtak nodded as he walked, "I know you're confused, but as you can see, I am not uncivilized like my lesser siblings."

Delenor eyed him with contempt and Vodtak noted her,

"Don't look at me like that, I can't attack my kind like them." he gestured towards the hostages.

"So you call attacking them, your fellow hu–"

"No," Vodtak interrupted her. "Don't classify us with those animals."

Delenor shook her head. He doesn't really know.

"What separates us from them?"

Vodtak lifted his hand from within his cloak. He clenched his fist and struck the next tree they passed. The tree's trunk broke and the snow it held poured to the ground. Ahead of them, the lesser Children jolted into defensive stance as they glanced around. Vodtak waved them to keep going.

Delenor gave him a puzzled look, "you didn't answer my question." She said.

Vodtak kept silent for a while, "well they can't do that," he gestured back to the broken tree. "And many more." He continued.

"And so does killing the humans make you civilized?"

"Does humans killing cows make them uncivilized?"

Mother, this man sees them as…

"You're a monster, Vodtak."

"At least I don't hurt my kind," he said. "Unlike these cannibals," he gestured to the hostages and left her lagging behind.

"Don't you think I'll escape?" Delenor called out.

"And leave these things with me," he replied, still looking forward. "I highly doubt that," he continued.

"But you can still make your pick," he added and this time, he turned to her, smiling.

Delenor stopped walking, with her eyes squeezed shut. She stood for a while and shook her head before following the 'Family'.

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They arrived at a huge crater. Some of the lesser Children shot Vodtak indecisive glances and he waved them to go ahead. Delenor arrived at the edge of the crater and gasped at the size. The crater was as large as a city, spanning almost a hundred miles across. Right now it was covered in a thick layer of snow.

What happened here?

"Now you know how powerful Mother is," he shook his head. "Hypocrite."

"So…"

"In her days, she was more like a god," he gestured to the size of the crater. "Mother did this," he paused for a few moments and kicked some snow down the crater. "Now you know why I have to stop her."

He's afraid of her, she thought.

"Because you're afraid of her."

"No… I'm just being logical here."

"Fear has to do with emotions," Delenor replied.

"Well maybe you're right, maybe I'm scared. Either way," he pointed down the crater, "I can't leave this kind of power to fester… lest it rises against me later."

Delenor shook her head and crouched. Mother what were you even…

"Little bit of a heads up," he turned to her. "If I were you, I'd start thinking of another lead, in case she isn't here."

He turned to glance at the far reaches of the crater, "Like usual, your pets get it."

"What's it with you and killing pe–"

"Pets, lesser species…" he said with a high tone. "If goats don't get in line, don't the owners kill them off for food. They're lucky I'm vegetarian," he paused. "I'd have addressed them as livestock."

Delenor spotted some 'Children' coming from their search. She heard a sound in her mind,

She isn't here,

Her eyes widened, so they could use the powers this way, she thought.

Vodtak heard it as well and turned to the refugees behind them.

Mother,

Delenor took deep breaths as Vodtak armed his wind blades.

"You know why I'm doing this," he said. "I want you to get desperate."

"What do you expect me to do?" Delenor asked.

"Think… perhaps," he struck one of the refugees then glared at her, "I need some leads… and please be quick about it."

He struck the next one.

Delenor flinched.

Keep it together, Delenor.

"Okay," she muttered. "what would a retiring immortal conqueror search for in a hideout?" She took deep breaths.

Vodtak armed his wind blades, "time is running out…"

Oh, Mother…

"reminders for childhood memories," she said through breaths.

"Yes, yes good," Vodtak said.

"Oops," he struck the nextrefuhee with his blades. Delenor gasped.

"Oh, the timer ran out," he gestured to a counter ticking and smirked.

Mother, he just created it. Her home is destroyed and… first laboratory.

"First lab!"

Vodtak had armed his blades for the next person but paused, "mmhmm."

"Her first laboratory," she said. "Where she earned her immortality."

Vodtak extinguished his blades and dusted snow off his cloak, "now we're talking. How can we get there?"

"I can get the coordinates on the console pad," she gestured to 'Children'.

"Right," he rubbed his chin. "give her the pad."

One of the lesser children hand her the pad. Vodtak walks off while Delenor hurriedly searched out the location.

"Now this is why I love desperation," Vodtak said.