Chapter 8Dressed mostly in black, walking the trail along the river, our group got some odd looks from the few midnight joggers we encountered. One woman, a small leashed corgi in tow, gave us as wide a berth as she could. I couldn’t blame her. Despite the promise to her husband to stay out of the fray, Callie had decided to join us, bringing along her own special ops starseeds. The team of six didn’t introduce themselves or say much of anything, and I felt relieved not to have to engage in extra conversation. I was used to the serious demeanor of Light Guards, but these guys took it to a whole new level.
No one smiled or spoke. Between the starseeds and my friends and family, our procession varied wildly in age: from me at nineteen to Callie in what I gauged to be her early sixties. Glan
