A Most Dangerous Weapon

Chapter 41: Cat and Mouse

Marcus was always a fast runner.

Our childhood games of hide and seek were not just critical to our progressive climbing abilities; they also taught us how to run at abnormal speeds as if our life depended on it. Neither one of us was good at losing. The one being chased made sure that their pursuer couldn't catch up, but the pursuer was always determined to never give up the chase despite the improbability of capture.

Most of our games ended in a stalemate.

This past year of my life has felt like a long game of hide and seek between the two of us, only this time our lives really did depend on it.

My brother goes missing after the Galacian raid on Kent. He is hiding, I must find him, but in the end I can't catch him.

I'm trapped in the palace while Marcus is set loose from Gaius' hold. I am hiding, he must find me, but in the end he can't catch me.

Now my brother is trapped as an assassin who needs rescuing before he finishes the dastardly deed. He is hiding and I must find him.

But once I do, I had to stop him from running away. For once in our lives, we couldn't let this game of hide and seek end in a stalemate; I had to be the winner. I had to catch him.

Octain Port was a very small town that relied solely on the fisherman's lifestyle. The boardwalk that expanded alongside the rocky beaches had dozens of stalls selling fishing goods, fishing supplies, and last minute travelling necessities. A handful of wooden docks sprout out from the boardwalk for easy access to the various fishing boats and larger ships. Further inland there was more of a civic landscape where the locals would reside. Everything important seemed to rest along one main street. There were also some storefronts that sold essential non-fishing related goods that had been brought in from other towns, such as farm based foods, clothing, furniture, and so forth. There was also a local bar, hostel, town hall, and medical facility. It was a lot like Kent in most respects, filling me with a strange sense of home and familiarity. The greatest difference was the horrid smell... I would take the scent of cow dung over fish guts any day.

Kilgorian, Theo, Loxley and Camilla went directly to the local store to gather supplies, knowing that the food offered on the docks was all perishable and the merchandise was only usable if we intended to fight on water. Now that we had even more mouths to feed and bodies to protect, we had to trade for non-perishable goods, blankets, cloaks, and perhaps a few more horses or a wagon to make travelling a little easier. Theo and Kilgorian were also taking a few of our dulling weapons to the local blacksmith for repair. They would have their hands full for a while.

Rowan, Evander, Arrian, Arlo and I decided to search the docks first for Bailer. If this was the town that he dedicated his life to, it was highly likely that he was a fisherman or had ties to one. Our best bet was to ask around for his whereabouts and hope that these people were familiar enough with the boy to provide quick answers.

The five of us begin to interrogate the people on the streets, though things don't seem to be going as smoothly as we'd hoped for.

"Excuse me! I'm looking for a man named Bailer..."

The man walks away from me with a crate of fresh bait over his shoulder, calling out to the men about to board their ships in hopes of selling some last minute goods.

I turn to a group crowding a stall displaying beautifully coloured trout.

"Do any of you know a man named Bailer?"

They all ignore me as they veraciously attack the stall owner for prices, trying their best to haggle for their family's potential supper. The stall owner shouts back to convince the people that these fish are worth far more than they're offering.