Phoenix Maplewood No more need for the old empire

They found Augur’s trail and followed it as far as it led them. There was no scent to follow beyond a certain point, yet Masque refused to accept Avicus’s disappearance without trying to locate her or at least some clue of her whereabouts. The tracker selected a direction at random and began scouring the wilderness, calling out for their mother until their throat grew hoarse and raw.

They had no choice but to fall silent and seek a cold drink to soothe it somewhere in the maple grove southeast of the rise. As they approached a stream, a familiar scent filled Masque’s nostrils. It did not belong to their mother and it took the Caru several beats to place it. When they did, their eyes squinted, then widened. They halted.

What was Atreus doing here? Their lips parted when a thought hit them, causing them to literally stagger. Did he have something to do with Avicus’s disappearance? Against their better instincts, Masquerade loped after his trail, prepared to confront him if it might mean getting some answers about their mother’s fate.