A Storm of Chaos (The Hunter Legacy #1)

Chapter Six

Kaya had, of course, considered escaping. It was the most obvious thing to do, but regardless she had to find out what the House of Wind knew about her, if anything.

Approaching the window, Kaya slid open the panels and looked out over a small, interior garden that the inn wrapped around. Several people were making use of the daylight that remained by lounging on the benches that occupied each corner of the garden, while a delighted child chased a butterfly around a patch of white, elegant flowers.

A glint of sunlight had Kaya squinting, only to realise that it hadn't been sunlight. It was another will-o'-wisp, fluttering through the air toward Kaya like the butterfly amongst the flowers. Kaya regarded it as it approached, and then promptly closed the window before it reached her.

Turning her back on the window, Kaya leaned against the shutters as she considered the House of Wind's emissary and his guards. She supposed the House of Wind wasn't as too concerned to her as the other Houses, if only because the House of Wind no longer had a Descendant.

Kaya was too young to remember what caused the death of the Descendant and his only heir, but the rumours had been rife with treason and betrayal, with political unrest and conspiracies between the other Descendant Houses of Water, Thorn and Stone that lived in Reven. But there had been no civil war that followed the death of the Descendant, no invasion by another country, and once the House of Wind had mourned then the former advisors of the last Descendant had come together as a ruling court, using emissaries to conduct all of its political business with the neighbouring countries in Reven.

But Kaya wasn't naïve enough to let her guard down just because the House of Wind didn't have a Descendant; she suspected the court would have the exact same inclinations and desire for power as a Descendant did. She remembered her mother's words, warning her away from Anarchists and Descendants and anyone else who would seek to take advantage of her power. Whilst the Anarchists were merciless, cunning atheists who hated anything to do with the Gods, Descendants were loyal servants to the Gods and, being the only people with the blood of those Gods, were incredibly powerful. They had been the first to oppose the Anarchists when the war began, but they had been uncaring of the collateral damage that were civilians.

She knew a few Descendants had died during the Anarchy Wars though, because despite the magnitude of the power they wielded they were limited to how frequently and how intensely they could use it. The Anarchist armies had been large and persistent, and once the Descendants had exhausted themselves the armies had stormed through.

It was during the War that Descendants had proved they couldn't be trusted. Descendants, after all, had been tasked by the Gods to protect, train and guide the Hunters of every generation. The Hunters had been just as revered as the Descendants, often called to meetings of political importance to offer guidance and insight. But as an attempt at brokering peace during the War, the Anarchists had suggested that if the Descendants handed over the Hunters then they would withdraw their forces.

Exhausted and desperate, the Descendants had agreed - and the Hunters had been executed, one after the other.

Though the Anarchy War had ended, tensions were still rife between Reven's countries. And Kaya knew that if anyone learned of Chaos' existence nothing would stop them from using Chaos for their own gain. She would be made a political weapon.

A quiet, malicious little voice in her head said, but aren't you a weapon already?

There was a confident knocking from Kaya's door, and habit had her hand falling to her dagger as she turned toward the sound. She regarded the door for a long moment, the sudden idea of escaping spinning through her mind again.