Page 62 of Urzra

“I wonder why the Mad Prophet hasn’t said a word since you found the ham radio,” Bria mused.Xathan’s voice was the only one they’d heard so far.

“Perhaps something happened to him,” Urzra said.“I hope the human will be okay.Fate has been using him as her tool from what I can gather.”

“Then she’s probably looking out for him,” she figured.

He stopped half a mile from the outskirts of the town and pulled over behind a cluster of trees.“We’ll go the rest of the way on foot,” he said.He’d brought a rifle he’d found with him, but hoped he wouldn’t have to use it.Bria was armed with a knife in a sheath on her right side.

They raced closer to the small town and halted when they sensed people were in some of the homes.“I doubt the stores still have any food in them,” Bria murmured.

“Then we’ll have to search the houses instead,” Urzra decided.“Someone must have some vanilla stashed in their pantry.”

“Should we split up?”she asked as he headed for the closest home.

“We’ll stay together,” the warrior said, unwilling to be parted from his female.“I sense the humans living in the house next to this one have black souls.”

She nodded in agreement and waited for him to break the lock on the back door.He opened it for her and she entered quietly.Urzra kept watch while Bria searched the pantry and cupboards.She even checked the fridge even though none of the homes in this settlement had electricity.“No luck,” she reported when she was done.

They bypassed the houses that were occupied and searched the other homes.Humans began rousing and going about their day.So far, they’d all had black souls.While they were coexisting at the moment, it was only a matter of time before they turned on each other.The houses had been broken into already, through the front doors rather than the back.All of the kitchens had been raided for food.Bria’s hope that just one bottle of vanilla essence might have been overlooked hadn’t panned out.

“It’s no use,” she said with a scowl when they finished with the last home.“We should go before someone discovers us.”

“The humans in the house right next to us are leaving,” Urzra said as he sensed the four people filing out through the front door.“We can duck inside and check their pantry, then be gone before they even know we were there.”

Bria seemed dubious about taking such a risk.“It’s not worth it,” she decided with a heavy sigh.“Let’s just go.”

Her disappointment was intolerable to the knight.“Wait here and I’ll make sure the coast is clear,” he said, then left the house.He raced towards their truck, pausing at one of the now empty homes briefly before heading back.“It’s clear,” he said as Bria emerged from the house.

They sprinted to the truck just in time to see two men driving past in a sedan.The passenger saw them and shouted at the driver to stop.

“We’ve been busted,” Bria said grimly.

“I’ll handle it,” Urzra said, then called on his sword.None of the other townsfolk were aware there was a problem yet.He skewered the passenger as he climbed out, then rapidly rounded to the other side of the car to take down the driver.Bria hurried over to open the back door.They stuffed the bodies into the back, then she slid behind the wheel.Urzra strode over to their truck and moved it out of the way so she could park the car in its place.She left the keys in it and hurried to climb into their vehicle.

“I think we got away without being seen,” Urzra said, looking into the rearview mirror as he drove away.

“That was hectic,” Bria said, turning to stare out through the back window.

Urzra kept his senses alert, but they weren’t pursued as he drove back to their base.They climbed out and his female preceded him into the house.“I have something for you, female,” the knight said, taking a small item out of his pocket.

She turned around and her face lit up when she saw the bottle he was holding.“You found some vanilla essence!”she exclaimed in delight.Snatching the bottle out of his hand, she lurched forward to wrap her arms around him.“Thanks, Urzra,” she said.

He hugged her back, knowing she could feel his happiness and desire.“You’re welcome, my cambion,” he murmured, amazed at how small she was.Her head didn’t even reach to his collarbones.

Bria pulled away, smiling in joy as she hurried to the kitchen to boil water to make some vanilla flavored coffee.