The briefing room felt smaller than usual. Maybe it was the weight of the moment. Maybe it was just Alistair’s glare.

"Today you have your first real mission." He stood at the front with his arms crossed, the same grey uniform he always wore, same tired eyes that had seen too many teams come and go. "For the past weeks you’ve been training, honing your skills. Now you need a field test."

Cora’s hand shot up before he finished speaking. "Finally." She was grinning, that sharp, competitive grin that made her look like she was already picturing herself tearing through something. "I was getting tired of all the theory. I need action."

Alistair stared at her. "Cora. Do not interrupt me."

She dropped her hand and mumbled a sorry, rolling her eyes so hard it was a miracle they stayed in her head. Then she glanced at the rest of the team. Mason sat like a statue, arms folded, face unreadable. Sera was scrolling through her phone, but her thumb wasn’t moving—she was listening. Derek was shaking. Just a little. His staff rested across his knees and his knuckles were white. Lucian sat at the far end, looking bored, but his eyes were sharp.

Cora scoffed internally. A ghost kid, a quiet giant, a phone addict, and a mystery. What a squad.

Alistair continued. "Your first mission is recon. We’ve been noticing unusual activity in a nearby town—Millfield, about two hours east. Kids have been disappearing at night. Initially we dismissed it as normal kidnapping, let the local police handle it. But now we believe it’s more than that."

He pressed a button on the console. A screen flickered to life, showing grainy footage of an ambulance parked outside a small police station. Medics were loading stretchers. Body bags. Three of them. Then a fourth stretcher with a living person, thrashing, arms strapped down, mouth open in a scream that had no sound.

Alistair’s voice dropped. "One survivor. A patrol officer. His speech is gibberish. Doesn’t remember his own name. Doesn’t respond to questions. Just babbles about shadows and teeth."

The room was quiet except for the hum of the projector.

"You are to go to Millfield. Speak to the local authorities—what’s left of them. Talk to the families. Get a feel for the place. Investigate what’s happening and report back to me. I will give you further commands based on what you find."

Cora’s hand went up again. She couldn’t help it.

Alistair’s eye twitched. "What."

"What if we find the monster? Or whatever is taking the kids. Can we engage?"

The glare that followed was the kind that made junior hunters reconsider their life choices. Alistair didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t need to.

"You will observe. You will gather information. You will not engage unless your lives are in immediate danger. Is that clear?"

Cora opened her mouth.

"Is. That. Clear."

She shut her mouth. Nodded.

Alistair looked at the rest of them. "Get ready. You leave in five minutes. Your transport is waiting outside the Keep. The armory is open—gear up, but keep it low profile. You’re not going to war. You’re going to ask questions."

He turned to leave, then paused at the door. "And Cora?"

She winced.

"Don’t do anything without my command."

He walked out.

Cora blew out a breath. "He hates me."

"He doesn’t hate you," Mason said, standing up. "He just knows you’re the most likely to get us killed."

"Rude."

"Accurate."

Sera pocketed her phone and stretched. "Recon mission. Boring. But at least we’re getting out of this place."

Derek finally spoke, his voice small. "Kids are disappearing. That’s not boring. That’s... that’s really bad."

Everyone looked at him. He shrank under their attention. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Lucian stood up. He hadn’t said a word the whole briefing. Now he walked toward the door, pausing next to Derek.

"Then let’s go find them."

Derek nodded, a little less scared.

They filed out of the briefing room and headed for the armory. The hallway was long and grey, lit by fluorescent bulbs that buzzed like angry insects. Cora fell into step beside Lucian.

"You were quiet," she said.

"I was listening."

"To what?"

"Everything."

She wanted to ask more, but something in his tone told her to let it go. So she did.

The armory was a wide room with glass cases and steel racks. Weapons of all kinds—swords, crossbows, staves, gauntlets, even a few guns for the hunters who preferred modern solutions. A technician handed them each a duffel bag with their gear.

Lucian strapped his twin fang blades across his back. The weight was familiar now. Comfortable.

Cora chose a short sword and a belt of throwing knives. Mason slipped on his heat gauntlets and tested the flex. Sera grabbed her folding crossbow and a quiver of bolts. Derek clutched his staff like it was the only thing keeping him upright.

The technician also gave them civilian clothes—jackets, jeans, sensible shoes. "You’re supposed to look like students on a field trip. Blend in."

Cora held up a jacket. "This is ugly."

"Blend in," the technician repeated.

She sighed.

Five minutes later they were in the back of a black van, driving through the Keep’s underground tunnel toward the surface. The city lights faded behind them. Trees and fields replaced buildings and traffic.

Derek stared out the window. "Millfield. I’ve never heard of it."

"Small towns are usually where the weird stuff happens," Sera said. "Less witnesses. Less scrutiny."

Mason leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "Everyone get some rest. Two hours."

Cora looked at Lucian. He was staring at the ceiling of the van, lost in thought.

"You okay?"

He didn’t look at her. "Just thinking."

"About what?"

"What we’re going to find."

The van hummed along the highway. The sky was grey. Somewhere ahead, in a quiet town with too many missing children, something waited.

And Ashen Dawn was about to walk right into it.

A/N

Ashen Dawn is the name of the team.