A Storm of Chaos (The Hunter Legacy #1)

Chapter Eighteen

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PART TWO

The Blue-Eyed Bloodhound

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Two weeks had passed since Kaya returned to Klave City, and it took both those weeks for Lecreux to send her on another errand. Kaya had almost been disappointed that the errand hadn't required her to head back out of the City, considering it was a local request. It also meant her target had been foolish enough not to attempt to make a run for it.

So now Kaya was in the western district of Klave City, perched on a rooftop that wasn't at risk of caving in. The City didn't improve even during the day; at night it was decrepit, dangerous and full of Reapers while during the day it was still decrepit and dangerous but simply lacked the Reapers.

Kaya focused on the nearby square, where a communal well drew people during the day not only to collect water but also to socialise and let their children play where it was open and safe. Right on time, her target walked across the centre toward a pottery shop. She rose with a languid stretch and then eased herself over the edge of the roof to the ledge of a shuttered window. From there, she leapt down and landed in a crouch that absorbed the impact. 

Kaya was just lifting her hood over her head when she felt the familiar cold touch of someone's eyes on her back, setting her instincts on edge. She reached habitually for her dagger, her fingers curling around the leather-bound handle before—

'Oh, come now. Have I really been gone that long?'

The familiar voice brushed against her like sandpaper, dragging memories from their graves before Kaya could push them back down. She dropped her hand from her dagger, her jaw clenching, and turned around to meet Brocard.

It had been almost two months since Kaya last saw Brocard, on that day before she had left for Hisane and he had left for "the south". Lecreux hadn't mentioned anything about Brocard's delayed return, and whilst Kaya was curious – and concerned – she herself had taken longer than expected to return from her errand, so she didn't push for answers. But even from here Kaya noticed his eyes, usually a simple brown, seemed to be bloodshot.

Whatever the errand had been, clearly it had taken its toll on Brocard, and Kaya wondered what had happened.

'What do you want? I'm busy,' she said, adjusting her hood to shadow her face.

'I merely came to check on you. I heard all about Vartha's ambush, and your encounter with that pack of mutts. I'm pleased to see you alive and well,' Brocard told her, smirking. 'Aren't I allowed to worry?'

'Not when it interrupts my work,' she quipped, and with a dismissive flick of her wrist she turned away from him.

With her hood up and the cowl of her cloak hiding the lower half of her face, Kaya wasn't recognisable as she made her way out of the alley. The city's residents would be able to recognise her face anywhere, knowing her for being one of Lord Lecreux's personal guards, and so they knew that if she was seen in public during such busy hours it could only mean she was here on business.

And Kaya didn't want anyone raising the alarm for her target.

Kaya made her way around the edge of the square, keeping to the intersecting streets that surrounded the square like a web. She reached around her back, idly checking the two long hunting knives that were sheathed beneath her cloak, and then entered the pottery shop.