Bab 71: The Hunt  

Ma'stbaut waited for the door to the castle to close behind him before he retracted his exoskeleton that covered his wrist unit. Punching in a series of codes that he still remembered after all this time, he waited.

It didn't take all that long for him to become invisible. The same nanos that would have originally camouflaged his appearance before now simply extended until they encased his exoskeleton. He narrowed his eyes as his helmet adjusted his sight to better deal with the bright glare of the sun off the snow.

The planet hadn't changed at all since the last time he was outside the castle. The hissing part of his brain hated this place; there was no way to hide, no darkness to blend in with. The creature inside of him didn't use technology to hide, and it didn't understand that it was now protected. It kept pushing him to run until he could find a safe place.

But his safe place was back at the castle.