Once Winter had finished explaining everything, he waited almost two minutes in silence for Aether to respond and said nothing. “Winter, do you not know how much danger you are putting on yourself? They haven't hurt you, have they?”
“I know,” he said, sighing. “I know I am. But I want to be helpful without being pushed to the sidelines. This way, I can see what is happening inside and then tell everyone else. For example, I have overheard that the group leader is hunting for someone named Mary.”
“Mary?” he asked, frowning.
“Yes. I don’t know much about her, but the leader wants to get his hands on her, and he’s desperate.”
“Aether.” Both men turned to look at the voice to see a woman standing there. Winter recognised her; she had been one of the women in the ocean with him. She was pr
