Evergreen [Book 1 of the Hierarchy Series]-Revising

Prologue

        They waited in near silence, invisible to the crowd in the alley with them. His sister shrunk into him in their hiding place. Crates piled over them, a blanket concealing them. The men outside conversed quietly, oblivious to their stalkers.

        "Have you heard the rumors about one of the princesses," the first man asked. A second man gave him a list, revealing the true purpose of their congregation. The black market traders looked around, staring unknowingly into the crates the siblings lingered under. The third one took the list, signing the bottom of it. "It is rumored that she is the reincarnate of the first celestial."

        The pair shifted under the crates, the man's words discomforting. If the rumors held true, they needed to change their objective. Find her, and explain the truth. The man continued, breaking their thoughts. "The one who hasn't exhibited her wolf. People are beginning to think her loss of memory tore her away from her true self, and when her mother died, she suppressed her abilities resulting in memory loss."

        The other man shrugged, indifferent. He scratched his face, the nervous tick of a man terrified of his profession. The second man gestured for his lackeys to move the crates onto his mule-drawn wagon. They immediately reacted, shifting the containers. The two siblings slipped from the pile of boxes, behind the adjacent building, and onto the roof. They slid onto their stomachs, peering over the edge.

        Their dark, hooded clothing concealed everything but their eyes. They blended into the darkness above, completely hidden as the wagon began to move. The people below followed the last man disappearing into the streets. He wasn't the one they were after. They shifted from rooftop to rooftop, following the load to the edge of the city.

        The crew promenaded further into the city approaching the slums. The two shadows slipped into a building adjacent to a club and brothel — the Jade Tiger. The green and white sign stripped away at the bottom, the structure creaking in the slight wind. They shifted over the edge of the roof and peered down at the group below them loading the opium crates through the back door of the club. They watched for the next hour until they thinned and disappeared deep into the dark streets.

        The two siblings disappeared across the rooftops, slipping further into the slums their home lay concealed in its depths. Another club sat at the edge; the building colored a fading white: The White Wolf Lodge. Although they operated in a gang, their morals and motives set them apart. They protected the frailty of their kind, innocent people from the gang traffic, and offered agreements that were unacceptable to any other gang.

        They descended the roof and entered through the front door. Walking towards the back of the room, they approached a table at the corner of the room. A man sat alone, fiddling with a lighter as he hunched over the counter. He looked up as they sat down. They removed their hoods, the contrast of white and black hair capturing the interest of a few spectators. The only faces in the room were their kind, but several remained judgemental. Her albino skin remained unblemished, his tanned skin pockmarked with black markings and ghastly scars.

        "Ghostie! Black Hat!" A man sauntered into the room, made a beeline towards them, and slammed his palm into the albino twin's back. "What did you find?"

        "Just as you thought. The Jade Tigers obtained large quantities of opium from the Northside docks from a new seller. It is scheduled to arrive three times every week. They continuously switch days to keep others off their tail, but they have noticeable patterns. Their Cap'n has the files."

        "Can you get into his office," the man sitting across from them asked, staring through the window at the seaside. He shifted back, eyes hard.

        "He's out on particular days. Breaking in will be...manageable. A week of observation and I can break in easily," she replied, turning to her brother. She knew he would not like what she said next. "One man job."

        "Good. We have another job for The Black Hat. Actually, for both of you. We have reason to believe one of the princesses will be at the festival — the one who has no recollection of her childhood. I am sure you heard recent rumors about her. We want you to find out what she is. Intrigue her and make her want to see the world. See if you can find out what happens behind the walls of that castle."