Page 15 of The Divide that Binds Us

“I’m worried,” she finally mumbles when I unlock the office door.She sits in the white pod chair and crosses her long legs.“This is bad.”

“What?The Elite chick?Well, yeah.”I move around to sit behind my desk and power on the computer.“Once I send the report to Master Cedric, he’ll follow up with Master Azul.”

I pull up my inbox to a flood of emails from citizens with dragon concerns.Whether serious or not, we have to follow up.Maybe it’s someone suspicious watching a cluster of dragons.Maybe a dragon is stuck in trees because of its wings.Maybe dragon eggs were left behind, and someone wants to report it.Emails are converted into missions and dropped in someone’s queue in the app.

Before I can start a new email to Cedric, one from Lynn Wu catches my attention.Quiet and always in the shadows, I flag her email to read later and start a new message to Cedric.

I look up at Katarzyna, still fiddling with her fingers.“Ready?”

She quickly straightens up in the seat, tucking her hands under her legs with a fervent nod and a big, thin smile.I type the opening greeting to Cedric and pause.Where do I even begin?

Twins Eric and Derrick Fincher were on patrol duty last night on Garnet Island.Upon hearing the news of the second dragon’s death via the radio, they wanted to have a toast for the sacred species we lost from malice.That sounds good so far.

“What was that part after they went to Topaz?”I ask.

“They uh...had a lot of drinks, passed out, and kept partying the next day.”

“Right.Thanks.”I continue.“So, they went to a cave because of a dare and ran into an Elite member.Name unknown due to low lighting and inability to read the badge.Did they say how tall she was?”

“Just that she had black hair and...gold eyes?”

Ah yes.Eyes of the richest gold one could imagine.

The twins did not exercise their best judgment and approached the mysterious member.This sparked retaliation from the woman as she...“projected a purple bubble” at them.

I look at Katarzyna again, unsure if Cedric will understand the verbiage.

“What would you call what that member did to the twins?”I ask.

“Um...blasted a purple translucent force-field, maybe?”

I nod.“Hmm.I like that better.”I continue typing the email but stop midway and glance back at Katarzyna.“Wait.”

She’s twirling a strand of her wispy hair, knees tucked together.It’s not until the silence sets in that she finally looks at me.Her eyes sing with admiration and shyness.

“What’s wrong?Need another paraphrase?”

“No, this member used her powers.The twins mentioned nothing about combat.Doesn’t Elite have the same code as Ultima?”

Katarzyna frowns.“I think so.”

Really, Elite?The same architect built our bases.Our uniforms look nearly identical, but they use different colors.I KNOW they have the same code as us.Combat first, powers second, and this member violated that.I don’t understand the animosity and why she jumped to such extremes.

This needs to be addressed immediately.

The second part of their story is the most intriguing section.I resume typing, recalling the part when the twins recovered from the blow.They tried to make peace.Their approach was all wrong, and they were still drunk, which I’m sure seemed threatening from a different perspective.That explains why she...she—

“Summoned a creature that appeared ethereal and untouchable.”Goosebumps rise on my arms with a twinge of pain.The twins wouldn’t hype up something unless it’s legit, and they delivered with this member.She’d be a great addition to Ultima.

“Sounds dangerous,” Katarzyna mutters.

Her brittle voice pulls me out of my thoughts.I grimace over my computer at her, but she just crosses her arms.The sparkling, innocent smile shifts into a pout.

“Okay, and?”I scoff.“We could use someone like her.My hope is the two organizations will merge someday.”

“Yeah, but doesn’t she sound reckless?Do we really want someone like that?”Katarzyna asks, adjusting in the chair.“She can’t follow a simple code.”

I stare at her dubiously.“As if that’s ever stopped us from recruiting or coaching former Elite members.”

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