Raging Storm {book 2 in SOSfanfic series} [ON HOLD]

A Surprisingly Cold Welcome

Reyna looked down at the Egyptian skyline. The city was sleeping, but some lamps gave its belly a soft glow. The life and the bustle of the markets were now quiet and the heat of the day was now replaced by a chill that was too cold, but refreshing still. Where the Sun once had beaten down upon them were now a trail of stars, too many and too bright, resembling spilt milk across the deep blues and blacks of the night sky. The crescent moon was yet to make an appearance. But even without it, the view Reyna had reminded her of the story she read once when she was a child: The Arabian Nights. She had wanted to part the pages of the book and step inside the story where words came of life in exorbitant colours, shapes and smells. Now that she was here, she no longer found it exotic. She found it homely. And due to that she felt homesick.

She shook her head to jar herself out of her memories. She had work to do. She looked down into the dark street, still empty. She was leaning on the slanted roof of a hotel, hidden from and light or sight. A good vantage point. She was wearing her gear, black leather pants, short tunic and laced up black boots, with her hood drawn up and a dozen knives concealed wherever they wouldn't cut her skin when she moved. There was no need to bother with the hood, her dark hair was useful enough and her skin matched the locals exactly. But then again, if she was going to be standing her dressed like this to result a perfect cliché then she could wear a bothersome hood to perfect the look.

Maybe I should just take it off-

Reyna saw something move on the far end of the road from where it disappeared into darkness; a carriage. They were here. She rolled her shoulders and laid down on her stomach, which was easier said than done since they roof was slanted so.

The carriage stopped in front of the door of the hotel and a European man stepped out. A sharp black suit, a sharp tanned jaw, a sharp quick glance at his surroundings and a face carved out of granite resembling a Greek God. Reyna frowned from the shadows. With his dark hair, everything about him looked dark, hidden in shadows, save for his icy glare which she could still feel even though it wasn't directed at her. She hoped that the men wouldn't notice this and grow suspicious.
Karim stepped out behind him, with one huge hand clamped down on the hilt of a massive curved kirpan. Mr. Ambrose looked around to see if there were any people hiding in the shadows. He didn't even look up to where she was lying, almost right on top of his head.

Reyna smirked. She was enjoying this too much for some reason.

The men stepped inside and the door of the building shut behind them, a pair of guards on either side. Reyna got up silently and ran along the perimeter of the square, always in the shadows, until she reached the opposite of where she was standing earlier. She slid out a thin, curved blade and swiped it slowly between the two window panes until the latch lifted. She shook the widows once, as silent as she could be and the let the latch slowly set down, on the other side of the handle. She opened the windows quick and with a one peak, hopped inside and shut the window.
The dull room had a bed, empty. The only source of light was the next room where a man was getting ready for some sort of an event. Throwing something besides him, she opened the door and slipped out just as the man bent to see what he had accidentally dropped from his dresser. Crouching, she made her way to the corner of the corridor.

The whole building was a hollow square. The courtyard in the centre was made of smooth flagstones, and in the centre grew a tree, staring up at the lit skies. The walls were bare but the corridors had a narrow wooden railing, painted bright orange. It was an exquisite Chinese restaurant and hotel of sorts, dim, but luxuriant.
Mr. Ambrose and Karim stepped out into courtyard, escorted by armed Arab men. Reyna could see what she wanted to through the cut out patterns of the railing, and the lighting was dim enough to make sure that she could not be seen back. A small pudgy man, slightly paler than the Arabs entered the courtyard from the Eastern side. He wore all black and had slanted eyes, a Korean perhaps?

He bowed to Mr. Ambrose and gestured towards the corridor he came from. As soon as all the men left, Reyna stood, the railing reaching her waist, in plain sight for anyone to see if they stepped out from any other save the western side of the hotel. She gripped the railing and raised one leg up behind her, tilting her spine forward. Soon, one of her foot was on the ground of the first floor, the other was in the air, sticking out at 180 degrees and her head could see if there was any person standing in the western corridor below her. It was empty.

She dropped her leg back to the floor and straightened up. She backed up as far as she could and ran along the length of the corridor, swift and silent like a feline, a smear of shadows out of place. She jumped, one foot on the railing that was on her right, the other crossing the gap and setting upon the railing in front of her. As quick as a cat, she bent her knees and jumped again, her arms reaching out above her. She grabbed the roof and pulled herself up. Using her momentum, and the distraction of the party entering the East gardens of the hotel, she vaulted over the crest of the roof, and slid down the other side, enveloped again by the shadows. She stood with her back pressed against the earthen tile.
Below her, Mr. Ambrose, Karim, the Asian man and the armed escort entered the lawn. There was a table in front of them, with two chairs at it. One was for Mr. Ambrose and the other was occupied.

Mr. Ambrose walked straight ahead and pulled out his chair and sat while the armed guards fanned out around the table. Karim stood behind his master's chair. The other chair, right across from the only European man, was in shadows. There were two enormous hedges on either side of the person and the only thing visible were his folded hands across the table. The table was ten to fifteen meters from Reyna, not calculating the height. Mr. Ambrose spoke to the man in low voice, who replied with an even lower voice. Reyna couldn't hear the words from here, the crickets were too loud.

He is old. He is Asian, East. Probably thin. He has money but he's not a usual spend-thrifting idiot. He is smart but he is currently out of his depth.

Reyna took notes while Mr. Ambrose conversed with him. Mr. Ambrose's voice had risen slightly although she could not quite hear the words. His back was to her but she saw his hands clench, he was pissed. Uh oh.

How does he make up for the insecurity of being in a place like this?

Reyna was wondering when Mr. Ambrose stood. This got over a lot earlier than she expected. The whole conversation took approximately two to three minutes. It hadn't worked out. The man in the shadows said one last thing to him and she saw the standing man freeze.

Reyna tensed. Something was about to happen.

What would he do? What would this man do in a situation like this?

Reyna's eyes widened. She knew what was going to happen. And at that second a state of pandemonium was unleashed.