A Storm of Chaos (The Hunter Legacy #1)

Chapter Seven

There was no ambush at lunch, no attempt to throw her in chains, and the rest of the journey passed without incident. It was reassuring enough that Kaya began to relax – not enough to drop her guard, but enough that a sudden movement from Felix or Addius didn't have her reaching for her dagger in response.

Besides, if they had intended to ambush her they would have done so on the Road when no one was passing nearby. They were now approaching Wayside and, in a couple of hours, the sun would begin its descent.

Wayside was more than just an inn; it was like a grand estate. It consisted of a series of buildings, including an inn to house up to fifty guests, stables to hold an equal amount of horses, a bathhouse, and a tavern with an outdoor courtyard. The surrounding woods formed a natural wall around the estate, with only a wide section cleared to distinguish the entrance off the Guarded Road, where attendants were waiting to greet approaching guests and hired guards monitored nearby.

'Welcome!' said one of the attendants, while the other waved over two stableboys. 'How many rooms can we offer you tonight?'

Noah opened his mouth to respond, but it was Felix who said, 'Three, thank you.'

Kaya didn't have to ask why; one of them would stay with Noah, to guard him. Whether this was because of her presence or because they were staying an inn which housed visitors of all sorts, so long as they could pay, she didn't know.

Kaya had to be careful herself. Whilst she did her best to keep her identity concealed when carrying out her master's orders, and her master didn't often have her at his side during meetings like he had Brocard, there were still people who might recognise her; residents of Klave, though not many residents would be wealthy enough to travel this far, or stay at Wayside, but also some of the people her master had colluded with – and betrayed, too. Fortunately, Kaya didn't have to worry about any imperial Shields since she knew they stayed at the many watch towers lining the Guarded Road.

While their horses were led away by the stableboys, one of the attendants escorted them to the entrance of the inn. It was architecturally impressive, made of varying woods, the framework dark while the panelling was light, the tiled rooftops peaked and given the inn was two stories, foot bridges had been built for those on the second floor to cross from one wing to another without making use of the stairs.

Lanterns hung outside the entrance to the inn, and Kaya could see as they walked through that they were each filled with a sunstone the size of her fist. Glancing further around the grounds, she saw a sunstone lantern almost on every corner of each building. Kaya knew what the cost of a single sunstone was, even a small sunstone, which meant Wayside certainly wasn't short on funds.

With the thought of money on her mind, Kaya's eyes drifted to the rather heavy sack of coins which Felix revealed from his pack when he paid for their night's accommodation. She hadn't even attempted to pay for her own room, and clearly they hadn't expected her to either – Felix paid for all three rooms without so much as a glance in her direction.

The staff led them to three spares room on the ground level which, whilst furnished individually, had sliding panels that could open each room to the other and combine to create a large suite. There was, fortunately, a lock to ensure they remained closed.

Felix and Noah took the room to the right, with Addius to the left, leaving Kaya to take the room between them. She heard Noah say something briefly to Addius about some sword training, but Kaya entered her room and closed the door behind her without a word to any of them. Her gaze swept the room from the futon in the centre, the circular window, the mirror, the desk and drawers and fresh towels laid on top for her use in the bathhouses.