The flames curled up into the night sky, their warmth spreading across the cold ground, fighting against the freezing temperatures. Loch pulled his cloak tighter, flexing his hands in the gloves as the cold made them feel tight. He watched the flames cast shadows across the yard in the rear of the school.

  People gathered around, standing knee deep in the snow as there was not enough cleared space. It wasn’t everyone in the Clan. Most couldn’t be bothered to come out in the cold, even for a solemn occasion like the burning of the dead. Loch couldn’t blame them.

  The dead had been found inside one of the bunkhouses. Loch wasn’t sure what had killed them. Lack of food or warmth, probably a combination of both. Just four members of the Clan, but that was four too many. They had lost some in combat, in the Dungeon runs and fighting the monsters, but as much as those hurt they were somewhat expected. These had come out of nowhere.

  Loch had thought they had been doing a good job protecting the Clan through the winter. The weather had taken a turn for the worse, snowing almost constantly for days, then the temperature dropping insanely cold at night. The yard was piling up with snow, impossible to keep up with. The days it didn’t snow, the temperature never rose above freezing, keeping everyone inside.

  More fights had broken out, tensions high, everyone ready to explode. And then they’d found the dead. That had just made things worse.

  Loch had known the winter was going to be harsh. The next one would be easier. They’d have more time to prepare, know what to expect. They wouldn’t all be crammed into tight quarters. The Clan just had to get through this first winter.

  Which wasn’t easy.

  Loch had spoken, had tried to be hopeful, to give reassurance, but he wasn’t sure he had succeeded. He had a hard time convincing himself. The deaths had hit him hard.

  The Clan had lost people, but when it came from fighting monsters, Loch was better able to handle them. Losing anyone was hard, but with fighting there was a reason for it. They died defending others. That was a noble death, a good death.

  Freezing and starving to death? There was nothing good or noble about that.

  People started leaving, talking quietly amongst themselves. Soon it was just Loch, his girls and a small handful. He’d expected more anger, but there had been none. So far. People were still numb.

  Loch sighed, watching the flames.

  He blamed himself. There should have been more he could have done. Something. Anything.

  “Next year,” he started quietly. “Next year this won’t happen.”

  A smaller hand grabbed his. Looking down, he saw Piper smiling up at him. It was a sad but encouraging smile. She gripped his hand tighter. Another hand grabbed his other. Harper gave it a squeeze.

  Loch watched the flames with his daughters.

  ***

  Six more. Kelly sighed, watching the flames eat away at the bodies. Six more dead, frozen and starved. It had been a couple of days since she’d gotten the message from Loch about the four that had died in Northwood. She hadn’t the heart to tell him that she’d already lost eight.

  She’d let him rant and rage, pouring his anger and frustration out on the pages of the notebooks. Kelly had told him the words he needed to hear, knowing that it would help sooth his soul, help him get the strength to continue.

  She didn’t need those words herself. She felt the same anger and frustration, but unlike her husband, Kelly had a direction to aim that anger. Loch had no one to take the anger out on. His deaths were from bad luck. So were hers, but the situation of her people had been made worse by Senora Barkfall and the other elves. That was where Kelly’s anger was aimed.

  It wasn’t time yet to take out that anger. That would come soon enough. Instead, she would hold onto it, etch each of the names into a list. Those names would fuel her revenge.

  The crowd around the pyre was small. Most were still huddled in the various apartments, people going through and checking on everyone. The valkyries, those not assigned guard patrols, were with Kelly. They surrounded the pyre in a circle, none taking their eyes off the flickering flames.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  The last week or so had been brutal. Bitter cold at night, constant snow during the day. It looked like it had stopped and Kelly could only hope that was true. They couldn’t endure another week like that last.

  Eventually the flames died down. One by one the Valkyries drifted off, leaving Kelly alone. She stayed until the pyre was just ash. One by one, she recited the fourteen names. Slowly, carefully, reverently. When she reached the last, she nodded to the fire and turned, looking around the area. She was tired but didn’t feel like sleep would come that night.

  There were patrols she could run. Kelly was sure one of the guards would gladly let her take their place. She walked past the apartments, heading for the ring of guards, ready to hold a cold and lonely vigil.

  ***

  “That is… wow,” Kelly said, smiling, the largest and most real smile she had in weeks.

  “Right?” Lisa asked, just as excited.

  Kelly could feel the excitement running through the small group around her. All were smiling. The day was cold but at that moment it didn’t bother any of them. How could it, with what they were looking at.

  A large single story building sat alone in the middle of what would have been a parking lot, the ruined and torn up asphalt buried under feet of snow. The snow was so high around the building it covered most of the entrance, but Kelly knew where the glass doors would be. Even though the exterior facade of the building changed depending on the town, the layout was the same. It wanted to be the same, so anyone could enter one in any state and instantly find what they were looking for.

  The familiar green and tan colors of Talmart covered the building. The roof, though buried under snow, looked like it was holding up.

  So far.

  “That is beautiful,” Tammy, one of the newest Valkyries said.

  It earned a laugh from everyone else.

  “Yes it is,” Kelly said, studying the snow out front.

  From where they were, on a small hill looking down into the parking lot, it didn’t look like anything had ever entered the building. The doors, what they could see under the snow, looked intact. No prints marred the snow heading for the doors, though there were wolf and deer prints throughout the parking lot.

  “Don’t get too excited,” Barry, a Striker said. “It’s Talmart and we’d been in Fall. That meant they’d have their summer clothes out already.”

  That earned more laughter.

  Kelly loved that sound. Laughter had been in short supply since the Connection had struck. Long days of marching, followed by staying in the apartments and fighting through the cold. No one had felt like laughing.

  But just seeing a single Talmart, that brought genuine joy and laughter.

  Even if it had been looted, there would be stuff they could use.

  The only drawback was that it was so far from their camp. A couple of miles, not quite a day, but through feet of snow. It would take a lot of work to dig a path from the store to the apartments. But before she got that far in her thinking, they’d have to investigate it first.

  ***

  Kelly stopped as the Notifications filled her vision. They’d made their way around the building toward the loading docks, thinking that might be the easier way in. One of the docks looked like it had been ripped open. Not a large opening but enough for a couple of smaller creatures to get through. As she’d gotten within a couple feet of the dock door, which had been elevated barely above the snow line, the words had appeared.

  YOU HAVE ENTERED THE TALMART RESOURCE ZONE AND ACTIVATED THE RESOURCE CONTROL EVENT. THIS IS A UNIQUE AREA EVENT.

  THIS ZONE IS CURRENTLY UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE HOARSTONE CLAN. THE BRADY CLAN AND THEIR ALLIES WILL NEED TO TAKE CONTROL OF THE TALMART RESOURCE ZONE FROM THE HOARSTONE CLAN. WHICHEVER CLAN CONTROLS THE TALMART RESOURCE ZONE AT THE END OF THE EVENT WILL RECEIVE REWARDS BASED ON THEIR PERFORMANCE.

  Kelly smiled at the reference to Clan Brady. Her large group of survivors were not an official Clan, but it appeared that through her the Connected System recognized them as part of Clan Brady. That made her happy.

  “Hoarstone Clan?” Lisa asked. “What’s that?”

  “No idea,” Kelly answered, moving closer to the dock, looking at it and trying to figure out how to widen the entrance so they could squeeze through.

  How to do it quietly though?

  “With that unknown, do we risk it?” Barry asked.

  “For this treasure?” Kelly answered, pointing at the big box retailer. “Absolutely.”