North of Widemill, the Felina Grounds shone in multiple coloured buildings, lilac flowers scaling the walls to symbolize women and their strength.

The wide courtyard, where women studied, worked and visited, had never been empty before, not will all the things to do.

Gardens in need of tending, tables under trees, and Della's most recent acquisition: seven easels she spreaded through the courtyard so they could paint.

All that, and no women. There's no one there.
She found them fast enough, though.

All of them, squeezed against the main house, so tight one could barely see the deep blue color of the wall. Some peeking through the main door, others on tiptoes for the chance to see through Katara's office windows.

Jule had no words.
But Bay... She huffed and dropped the box she had carried from the street fair.

"With all there is to do around here you choose to eavesdrop?"

Half the girls scattered through the courtyard at Bay's tone, and the handpainted golden stars on the wall came to life and shone under the sun.

Bellam moved around a brush right near the main door, gold paint shining on her fingers, in her cheek, and on the tiniest, clumsiest star that had ever been added to their wall. Jule smiled.

"It's one of my favorite traditions." She brushed Bellam's hair back from her neck and kneeled. "Katara came up with it. Every one who's ready to move on and heal, they come here and..."

"Paint a star." Bellam put down the brush and sent her a shy glance. "It looks really pretty."

Jule nodded, admiring hundreds of lopsided stars. Some big, others too tiny, but they all symbolized healing. Whenever she stopped and admired the wall, whatever doubts and fears she had about what she did just flew away.

"It does. And so does yours." Jule turned when Bay came up to them, one of her braids threatening to fall apart from all the head-shaking she'd been giving the women.

"They're already inside, let's go." She lead the way and Jule followed, taking a deep breath, as usual.

Della changed the flowers in the hall every two days, and she always brought those yellow ones with the sweetest scent. A great mental note would be to thank Della later.

Bay knocked on the wooden door and opened it as soon as Katara's voice called from inside.

Her office shared the right side of the house downstairs with a bathroom and a reading nook. The walls all had the same pastel green color in the halls, but inside the office, things turned wild.

Katara had black walls with cat portraits hanging, a still life painting by Della and lots and lots of books on the shelves. It's pleasant inside, comfy and...

A tall, lean man turned to the door, green curious eyes assessing them.

"Men aren't welcome in here." She blurted out, instinct taking over her tongue.

Lucca Taylor chuckled at the words, big, tanned arms crossing over his chest. The cotton shirt he wore wouldn't be found in street fairs or around the neighborhood, and his side-parted, undercut black hair had most likely been cut at Lorinda's central galleries.

No person from Widemill could afford that.

"I'm glad to learn you're all passionate ladies." His sensual lips showed a mocking smirk, different from the one he reserved for the people who voted for him. "Which one might you be?"

The governor offered them an open hand. Jule didn't move.

"I'm Jule Toledo."

"Great." He waved off her rejection and called over a blonde woman standing next to the window. "This is Denise, my assistant. Please, come sit with us, let us chat for a bit."

Katara snorted at the audacity.
"This is my office, and our home."

Lucca's hands flew up, in surrender.
"Alright, my bad. Whenever you're ready."

Katara crossed her arms and shook her white and black hair back. Her ice blue eyes stared Lucca down for almost a full minute, heart-shaped lips pursed. Not easy to rile, but stubborn enough to do things her own way.

Jule glanced at Bay, who shrugged. Della positioned herself in front of a chair but didn't sit.

Jule had to bite her tongue to not interrupt that defiant silence.

"Let's talk." Katara sat slowly and leaned back.

Finally. Jule sighed and plopped down next to Bay at a white couch near the shelves.

The silver tones of the dreamcatcher near the windows reflected the sun, sending light around. Bay had made it for Katara.

Lucca slid to a chair in front of Katara's desk, amusement dancing in his eyes.

"So, you're the Felinae. You must be Della, the red. And Bay Rodezo. That makes you four."
"How can we help you, governor?"

He focused on Katara again.
"I take you're the leader? Spokesperson?"

"We have no leader, we're sisters. But I do deal with the boring parts of the job."

He smiled and nodded.
"I'm afraid this might be a boring meeting to your sisters, then."
"We can take it." Della crossed her legs and leaned back on the chair.

Lucca signaled to... Denise. She passed him a folder and he left it on the table for Katara to grab.

"This is Fergus Carrillo, a Naligo citizen. He arrived to Libera yesterday around noon, carried nothing but an old backpack and is staying at a lodge, in Lorinda."

Katara opened the fille, a frown on her slim face. An artist had drawn a realistic portrait of a man, but Jule stood too far to see. She crossed her arms, grimacing at Lucca.

"We're not your frontier guards."

"Oh, I know. They've done their job, he's not a danger to the city." He showed her a tight smile and glanced back at Katara. "He's the son of a well-known historian who died last month."

Katara frowned, long fingers tapping the desk.
"Does he have a background with children? Women?"

"No," Lucca leaned back, studying Katara "but he does have a reason to be in Libera. And I think it might interest you to act on it."

"Oh?" Katara arched one brow.
Lucca's smile stretched. Whatever the power contest happening between them was, distracted them from the matter at hands for a long, long minute.

Della sighed.
"What's the reason?"

"He's looking for the lost book of Onza. Your patroness."

Jule glanced at Bay and then at Della, both blinking fast at the words. She tilted her head at the governor.
"What..."

"Where is it?" Katara cut her short, a warning glare following her own question.

Disclosing to Lucca their ignorance of the book's existence would perhaps not be wise. If the book was real, it belonged to them, to all those women outside.

Lucca picked up on her hesitation, or on Della's puzzled glare.
"Did you not know of its existence?"

"Where is it?" Katara leaned further, hissing her words at him.

He sighed and pointed at the folder.
"We don't know. All we're certain of is that he does, and he's come to take him home with him. You see," Lucca leaned in "his father collected ancient tomes. Many of them have been taken to Naligo's National Library when he was still alive and haven't returned to their respective homes, yet."

"So, we can say he's an illegal collector? A hunter, of some sorts." Bay frowned, her fingers picking at a loose thread on her pants. Lucca nodded.

"Yes. And Fergus certainly learned more than a thing or two about treasure hunting with his father. The majority of those books are religious, too. We can all agree, for sure, books like these belong to their country. Their city."

"Onza's book belongs to us." Jule finished, dark brows lifting.

"My mission for you is to get me the book."

Katara laughed, a sweet sound contrasting wildly with the cold stare she sent him.
Jule shook her head.
"You must be joking."

Denise growled at her but stayed frozen in her place. Lucca smiled, shrugging.
"I'm not. I'll protect it with my life."

"Your life has no value to us, so where does that leave us?" Katara smirked, sliding the folder back to him.

For mere seconds, Lucca Taylor's smile slid right off his beautiful mouth. He blinked and assessed Katara as if for the first time. Jule smirked.

Katara took over the boring parts of the job because none of them negotiated better than her. Each one of them had their advantage, and as sisters, they complimented one another.

That was why they worked well together.
The negotiator, the infiltrator, the fighter, and the fixer.

Jule prouded herself of being good at both fixing and infiltrating, going with Della in many hardcore undercover jobs.

But no one negotiated and stole words out of someone's mouth like Katara.

Lucca cleared his throat, shaking his head.
"I can't let you have it. The tome must be hidden as it may say some things we don't want civilians to know."

Katara stood up, walking to his side, studying him.
"Now we're getting somewhere, getting your real motives. Why don't you use your guards?"

"My guards wouldn't understand the urgency. It's just a stupid book to them."
"And why can't we bring the book home?"

Jule frowned.
Every book said things. People didn't lock up tomes just for their irreverent sayings. Age advisory seals? Sure, but to forbid every civilian to read a book...

Her goddess had three important associations.
The protector of women who suffered at the hands of men.
The punisher of men who abused their power or connections to a woman.
And the survivor. Just the survivor.

She'd survived. Jule's eyes shot open.

"There are accusations in that book against your Gods!"
"They're your Gods, too, miss Toledo, are they not?" Lucca frowned, his shoulders sagging against the chair. "But yes. Onza is known as a survivor. Tales from the past imply that she might've suffered tremendously at the hands of bigger gods."

Jule allowed air into her lungs. The four of them had been the Felinae ever since they'd turned eighteen. Twelve years of experience, spreading the word of Onza and accepting her blessings; the tingle on their fingerss allowing them to read the truth on an abuser's brain and enhancing their natural skills.

The calling had never been questioned, but neither did their goddess's origins.

The Felinae had existed for centuries, generations upon generations of women made sisters avenging Pietran women. The first generations turned Onza's book into traditions, and they followed it, never asking why their patroness did what she did.

The book belonged to them. For them to understand, to strengthen their bound to the community.

"How do you know all that?" Della frowned, asking a really good question indeed.

No one acknowledged Onza anymore, a lesser goddess held no power that could interest civilians. But Lucca had all the information on a book supposedly lost for centuries.

"My great grandmother. She told that story countless times, and it passed to my sweet bagra, and then to my mother, and then to me."
"And you want to protect sexual predators?" Della growled, leaning in.

"Not at all." Lucca grimaced, lips pressing together. "These people have faith in their gods who've done many great things for them, for centuries. You can't erase a whole pantheon like that, it'll only bring discord and rip out their faith. Some of these civilians work in shrines to feed their kids. Things aren't always black or white, miss Marissa."

Jule pressed her fingers to her lips, walking around the couch. They'd been chosen to bring justice to their people, not the gods. Pietran women were all that mattered. Certainly, Onza agreed, or the Felinae wouldn't exist any longer.

"There's a pertinent question, Taylor." Katara did, but Jule had a hard time ignoring Denise's hiss at the governor's last name thrown around so carelessly. "What's in it for us?"

Lucca chuckled and looked up at her, his charm always clawing for attention.

"I'm not an unflexible man, Katara." No miss Monzar for her? Just Katara? "I'm open to discussion on whatever terms you want to add."

They had no time to talk, figure things out. But the book had to stay in Felina. No arguments on that. Katara would never give it up.

Jule walked to the desk and peeked at the folder, finding the portrait of a handsome man.

His expression had been drawn so sad, dark eyebrows sunken deep. His dark hair fell on his shoulders and his simple cargo pants and short-sleeved shirt revealed nothing. He could be there on vacation.

The only obvious feature that showed his Naligo origin was the tattoo on his upper arm, a symbol wealthy, centenary families had adopted for hundreds of years.

She glanced at Katara when she talked.
"We want the book where it belongs, with the promise in Onza's name to not show what you want hidden. But it stays home, and we own it."

Lucca hesitated, studying Katara's expression. She stared back, unbending.
"We can work with that. Any more demands?" Lucca stood up.

Katara smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.
"I'll let you know."
He smiled and clicked his tongue.
"There's not much time for you to think."
"I think pretty fast."

Jule rolled her eyes at the both of them.
"I'm sorry to burst your bubble of whatever's going on over there, but I'd like to know if there's any more relevant information we should know?"

Lucca finally looked away from Katara, nodding.
"It's all in the folder. You have free will to come up with a suitable plan. He's traveling with another man and they have no intention of asking for help from officials, perhaps because he knows I'd never let him have the book."

Della stood up so fast the chair almost fell back.
"Please, tell me he's not going to ask that fiend for help!"

"Yes, he's asking Phillip Boza for help, instead. I already took my precautions on that, though."

Katara leaned against the table, narrowing her eyes at him.
"How so?"
"I took the liberty of assuming you'd be sensible women and say yes. So I guaranteed Phillip one of you would be there tomorrow for the meeting."

At Widemill? With the most wanted criminal in Pietra, who would certainly ask for something in return? Outrageous.
He lived off of people's debts.

Bay flew out of her chair too, shaking her head.
"We don't work alone, we're a team."

They did work alone, from time to time. But Bay's concerns were in the right place, for sure. Phillip Boza wasn't to be trusted.

"I understand, miss Rodezo, but we don't know what he might ask of Phillip. Protection, weapons... Whatever it is, he's not going to ask for four beautiful women to follow him to a place he's been working hard not to reveal."

If Lucca had stayed in Phillip's debt, the fiend got involved before they did. Not much to do about that. And if they left Lucca to solve it another way, they'd never get the book.

Still, Katara gave them the chance to refuse.
"What do you think?"

"It seems like there's not much to think." Della shrugged. "If we don't accept, we don't have much time to gather info. Phillip won't say anything unless we bargain like mad women."
"We all have to agree." As it always was.

Jule nodded, and so did Della. Bay sighed and nodded too.

"Very well," the governor grinned "it was a real pleasure doing business with you all. Katara." He shared a small note with her. "Time and location for tomorrow. Choose wisely between the four of you."

Denise followed the governor to the door, glaring back at them with her amber eyes. Della snorted.

Bay stormed to the desk as soon as the door closed.
"I know we have to do this, but don't you feel trapped? He could do this without us and we'd never find out."

Katara considered, a smile on her face while she opened the folder.
"I think he needs us for something, yes."

Jule frowned. Her instinct not the sharpest on people's intentions, she'd focused on the case.

Della peeked over her shoulder at the sketch.
"I feel like of all involved, we're the ones doing the heavy lifting and getting less back."

Katara's smile grew a little devious.

They leaned forward, heads almost touching around the table. When she smiled like that, a second plan had certainly slithered its way into her brain.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure we get out of this with a lot more than what we asked for. There's only one thing we must do."
"Sit down and plan?" Bay smiled.

"Yes. And make sure we get that book."