Hide and Seek: The Mad Girl Sees All novel Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The phone rang in the command center. The comms officer picked up, listened for a moment, then turned to Lana.

“Report. Belsoria command on the line. They’re thanking us for the noise distraction our player generated-their player. Sergei, has broken free of Wraith pursuit because of it.”

Lana didn’t say anything.

The officer hadn’t even set down the receiver when a second line lit up.

“Gallia on the line, also expressing thanks. Their player was cornered by a Wraith. When the first pile blew, the Wraith withdrew. They’re asking, in the name of humanitarian principles, that our player extend aid to more international players.”

Garrett glanced at Lana’s expression.

The comms officer said, “Third call, Marsupia-

“Standard reply.” Lana cut him off, her voice quiet. “Tell them their thanks are received. As for any rescues, the actions of players from Draconia are based on personal judgment and imply no obligation toward foreign players.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Ms. Reed lifted her coffee mug and took a sip. “Lana, talk tough all you want. As long as you’re smiling on the inside, that’s what matters.”

Lana didn’t reply. Her gaze returned to the screen..

Lyra was still sprawled on the pavilion roof. All four fires were still burning, bamboo joints popping now and then. The Wraiths were spinning in place, scattered across the garden.

“Does this kid have any idea how many people she just saved?” Ms. Reed set the mug down.

Lana stared at the eyeless face on the screen. It took her a long moment to answer. “No.”

On the pavilion roof, Lina was pressed flat against the tiles. She could see it all. Fires in all four directions lit up half the sky, black smoke rolling upward, bamboo joints popping in wave after wave.

The Wraiths were gone.

The two that had been by the pavilion charged off toward the first fire the moment they heard it, the sound of their hook-

1 scythes hitting the ground fading further and further away.

Lina let her hand drop from her mouth and slumped against the tiles. Her back was trembling-not from cold. Delayed 1 terror.

When she’d lit the fire, the starter had almost slipped from her fingers.

She looked down at her palm. The fire starter was still there. She tucked it carefully into her pocket.

“We did it,” she whispered, voice shaking. She looked toward the northeast. Lyra should be over there.

She couldn’t see her.

Then it hit her-Lyra was still in that red outfit, blending in with the Wraiths. Impossible to pick out.

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Chapter 27

Lina buried her face in her arms and drew a deep breath. Being alive felt so good.

On the west pavilion roof, Lydia sat cross-legged on the ridge, watching the fire below. It burned strong, bamboo joints popping and snapping inside, debris scattered across the ground.

Two Wraiths were spinning not far off, ears whirling so fast it looked like they didn’t know which way to go.

Lydia watched them. The corner of her mouth twitched up. “Idiots,” she muttered under her breath in Ursagian.

She leaned back against the ridge and reached behind to feel the wound on her back. The scab had cracked against the files. oozing a little blood. She didn’t care.

She was thinking about Lyra. What was actually going on inside this girl from Draconia’s head? Using fire and sound to ter ten Wraiths into a tangled mess-she’d met plenty of capable people, but never anyone who played the game like this.

Deeper in the garden, a Gallian player was crouched behind a rockery. He’d heard the bursts on all four sides, then the footsteps of a Wraith passing close by, fading further and further away.

He didn’t dare move.

Only when the footsteps had vanished completely did he slowly raise his head and look out.

Firelight. Firelight in the distance. He had no idea what had happened-but the Wraiths were gone.

Behind another rockery, two players were huddled together, arms wrapped around their knees. Two Wraiths had been attacking right here moments before-one had shaved half the rockery flat, the other had its hook-scythe raised straight at

them.

Then the bamboo blew.

The Wraith’s ears snapped toward the noise. It dropped them and ran.

One player clutched his chest, lips trembling, eyes rimmed red. The other patted his shoulder and gestured for him to keep quiet.

Lyra climbed down from the pavilion and walked along the covered corridor. The Transform hadn’t worn off yet. She strolled along with the hook-scythe slung over her shoulder, passing three Wraiths who didn’t so much as glance at her.

She went looking for Lina first.

When she climbed up onto the pavilion, Lina was still lying flat. At the sound, her whole body locked up again.

Lyra whispered, “It’s me.”

Lina looked up and saw the eyeless face. She froze for a second before recognition hit. “Lyra!”

Lyra hushed her.

Lina dropped her voice and leaned closer. “It worked, didn’t it? They’re just standing there!”

“Yeah, they’re gone.” Lyra crouched down. “Come on, let’s go find Lydia.”

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“For what?”

“Food.”

Lina blinked. “Food… food?”

I’m hungry. With that. Lyra flipped down from the pavilion. Lina froze for a beat, then scrambled after her

They circled around to the western pavilion, and Lyra glanced up.

“Lydia.”

A blonde head poked over the roofline. Lydia spotted the red Wraith, then Lina behind it, and didn’t hesitate-she shd down off the eaves. Her calves wobbled on the landing, but she caught herself against the wall.

Lydia said something in Ursarian. Lina translated, “She’s asking where we’re going.”

Before Lyra could answer, Lina launched into Ursarian and explained the kitchen plan.

Lydia tilted her head and answered with a single word. Lina didn’t bother translating-that one didn’t need it.

Lydia answered, “OK.”

The three of them headed north along the corridor. Lyra led the way, red robe trailing, hook-scythe dragging behind her- indistinguishable from any other Wraith. Lina and Lydia followed in her footsteps, muffling every step.

The kitchen sat on the north side of the garden, a low brick room. The Wraiths had ripped through it: pots knocked off the stove, bowls and plates shattered across the floor. Lyra stepped over the threshold and took it in.

Shelves hung crooked. Dry goods and jars had tumbled down, and flour dusted half the floor white-she left pale prints in it.

She crouched and dug through the rubble, fishing a piece of cake out of the mess. It was smudged with dust, the edges crumbled. She brushed it off, popped it in her mouth, chewed twice. “Mm. Not bad.”

Lina crouched beside her and spotted a half-box of intact pastries tucked into the corner of the stove. The lid had popped open from the shock, a few pieces spilling out. She picked one up, hesitated. “Is it safe?”

“Yeah. Just a little dirty.”

Lina blew the dust off and took a bite. Sweet.

Her eyes flooded red. She kept chewing, mouth working, and the tears just fell on their own.

When Lydia came in, she found the two of them crouched on the floor eating. She scanned the wreckage, crossed to a corner, and pulled two shortbread pieces from beside a smashed jar.

They’d broken into three chunks. She fit the pieces together in her palm, looked at them for a moment, then shoved the whole thing in her mouth.

Lydia chewed. Lina wiped her face and pushed the pastry box into the middle of their little circle ‘Eat together

Lyra dug a cardboard pastry box out from under another pile still half-full of cinnamon rolls, the icing dusted with crumbs. She picked one up and bit in. Cream cheese. “So good. So good”

Lydia took one, bit it open, glanced at the filling, and said something in Ursartan. Lina translated. She says these are pretty good.”

Lyra said, “Tell her these are called cinnamon rolls.”

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