The Lion's Gambit (Book One) Fully Released

Chapter VII - Old Contacts

Moving through the bustling outer city of Baris, the group headed toward the darker areas of the city as the buildings turned from beautiful stonework to worn-down brickwork. Lucinda stopped as her cloak fell off her shoulder, revealing the blood that was now dry against the blue fabric. She moved to the side of the pathway before she tied the cloak together again. Checking her shoulder, she saw the browning stain before she lifted the cloak, hiding the blood.

Kota walked up behind her and put his hand on her right shoulder, giving her a small scare. "Is everything all right?" he asked. "You seem quieter than normal. Even Sonya is more talkative than you, even if it's about the local flora and fauna, which she knows a lot about, remarkably."

The two of them moved out of the middle of the road, as the city did not stop around them while they talked. Lucinda smiled at him, seeing his eyes below his hood. Leading him closer to the wall, she sat down on a barrel outside a tavern, changing the look on her face as she turned away from him. He took a step closer to her.

"I am not happy about what I used to be, Kota," Lucinda confessed. "I may look young, but I am only a year younger than you, and I have a dark past. Done things that have hurt people, good and bad people..."

Kota took a second to think about what she had said before leaning on the wall next to her. The two watched the busy road in front of them in silence as the sun rose.

"Alone in a church at night, with what appeared to be a picked lock where Lukas and I entered." Kota paused, turning his attention toward her before smiling and continuing. "I had my assumptions about you not being as innocent as you appeared to be."

"Alexis said you were always quick to notice the minor details. What made you trust me with something as important as finding your sister that night?"

Kota smirked as he gave a small chuckle, and he looked up at the clouds as they grew darker. The sun, which had risen only a few moments ago, hid behind them. Kota smiled as he placed his hand on his chin. "I don't know how to describe it, but even though I had my suspicions about you, I knew I could trust you. Maybe it was the air around you, but I sensed peace that night."

"You have a good heart, Kota, but my past is not one as kind as yours. Just remember to keep your guard up, particularly in this area." Lucinda looked around at the citizens, who walked past as if nothing outside of their lives mattered.

Kota looked over at Sonya, who had stopped with Alexis and waited for the two of them to finish talking. "Just keep an open mind yourself," he said. "Your past does not always define your future."

He stopped as she laughed at his response. "You are something else entirely. Interesting for sure."

Lucinda kicked off the barrel to land on her feet. She then turned away from Kota to see Sonya and Alexis leaning against the wall further down, talking about something else.

Lucinda had moved away from Kota when he pushed off the wall and followed her, adjusting his hood to cover his face more as he spoke. "Interesting? And what does that mean exactly?"

Running to meet up with her and the other two, he moved up behind Lucinda as Sonya spoke in their direction without moving her head. "We do not have time to waste, you two. The party is later tonight, and we still have to meet Akar and persuade him into helping us."

"You are right. Sorry. I got caught up in my thoughts, and it will not happen again," said Lucinda, meeting Sonya's eyes as she turned her head.

Alexis looked around Sonya and meet Lucinda's gaze. "Where would we meet him? Since the last time we met with him, he has moved to a different location."