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Well, what does it mean, then?She didn’t ask. Instead, she turned on her heel and walked away, knowing she’d frustrated him yet again.
Strangely, she took no satisfaction from it.
The next morning, the verdant line of the Southern Continent appeared on the western horizon, growing thicker and greener, until the city of Jibaut was before them. The strange hodgepodge of wooden buildings drooped in the heavy drizzle that began when they were still out at sea.
The rain was miserable, but it dampened the sewer stench that pervaded the port, at least. Jibaut was new, with the coltish sprawl of something unplanned. Only twenty years before, it had been a fur tradingoutpost for the Karkauns. But since those idiots had attacked the Empire and been routed by Empress Helene, they’d withdrawn from the port and no nation claimed it.
Despite the stench, Sirsha loved Jibaut. She loved its ever-changing nature, usually reflecting whichever gang or family happened to be strongest. She loved the way the edges of the city disappeared into the misty, pine-drenched hills. She loved that by day, Jibaut was languid, but by night, the lamps flared and knives gleamed and the real business took place.
But her favorite thing about this grubby little city was that, unlike the rest of the south, the Jaduna hated visiting it. Which was why it was the perfect place to learn more about the killer she hunted.
If Kade was still in the city, that was. There was a crater in Jibaut’s outer wall, and one sector of the docks was destroyed, littered with the splintered masts of half-sunken ships. Jibaut had not escaped Kegari violence. Atop a tall wood-shingled building in the center of the city, a white flag of defeat fluttered. Night approached, and many of the buildings that should have been lit up remained dark. Either a fair number of Jibaut’s residents had fled, or they were lying low.
Sirsha counted on the fact that Kade had fought too hard and sacrificed too much to leave his business. He’d be here. She just had to find him.
The Jaduna girl bounced on her heels, anxious to get away from this little crew. It wasn’t that she disliked them. Rather the opposite. The three of them had an easy camaraderie that Sufiyan and Arelia, at least, had extended to Sirsha.
But that same affection set her on edge. She looked forward to it. Craved it, even. But she was a tracker, and trackers needed to move swiftly and selfishly, with no thought of anything but the hunt.
Now that Jibaut approached, the hunt was on again.
As Sufiyan angled the boat into its slip, Quil appeared. He wore a set of dark fatigues and plain leather armor he’d found in the shabka’sstores. His hood was pulled low, but as he peered up to the skies, dotted with Kegari Sails, rain dripped down the hard line of his jaw.
“Where is she?” Sirsha eyed the Sails. “They all look the bleeding same.”
Quil nodded to a now-distant speck, heading north. “She wheeled off a half hour ago,” he said, hand tight on his scim. “Shame she didn’t say goodbye first.”
Sirsha eased his hand off his scim with a light touch. “Don’t draw attention to that.” She nodded to the Kegari in their blue-scaled flight leathers, weaving through the few dockworkers loading cargo in the downpour. “Those sky-pigs will take no prisoners.”
“You saved us. Outside Navium,” Quil said, and Sirsha looked at him in surprise. He was staring out at the city, taking in the Kegari damage. “Whatever your reasons, if we’d headed directly south, we’d probably be dead. Or imprisoned. Thank you.”
About time you showed some appreciation.She nearly said it, suppressing it at the last instant. He was being sincere. It wouldn’t kill her to return the favor.
“You’re welcome.”
The boat lurched as it hit the dock, and Sirsha stumbled, catching herself on Quil’s arm. His peppery scent washed over her and she pulled away quickly. As she straightened her pack, she looked up. His hazel gaze was guarded but softer than it had been the past two weeks. She wished she knew what he was thinking. Or that he’d talked to her more. She wished—
The gangplank landed with a thud onto the dock when Arelia unhooked it behind them.
“This is good riddance, then.” Sirsha stepped away quickly. “Good luck in Ankana.”
She didn’t wait for his response. In moments, she was down the gangplank and lost among the blue-inked Karkauns and fur-clad Mariners,the dour-faced Kegari, and the green-clad Devanese. She made herself push away any thought of the rich boy and his voice, his body, the way his skin felt under her hand.
As she walked, she squared her shoulders, threw back her hair, and glared at any who dared look at her with disdain. The only way to survive Jibaut was to make sure everyone knew you were smarter, meaner, and better with a blade than them.
Which was why it was a shame that at that exact moment, Sirsha felt a presence so oppressive it was like a great hand squashing her head. Her steps faltered, and she looked frantically for a place to disappear and collect herself. But the crowd tightened around her even as the earth screamed that a monster had walked these streets, left cracks in the bones of the earth.
Someone scrabbled at her pack, and despite her disorientation, instinct had her smashing the thief away and snarling, knives free and spinning in her hands.
The criminal retreated quickly, but there would be others. She needed shelter. Fast.
Once she’d made her way past the main thoroughfare, Sirsha stumbled into a side street, catching her breath against a wall. She wasn’t sure how long she waited for her breathing to slow, for the awful feeling to recede. But it lingered at the back of her head, a sustained buzz that made her nauseated. She knew she should search for the presence of Jaduna, as unlikely as it was. But it was all she could do to remain upright.
Sirsha glanced around, expecting, at least, to see a trail somewhere in the air, bold as if painted in blood. But there was nothing.
She jumped when she felt something brush against her leg, but it was only a cat, brown and white, one eye shuttered from some old battle. Sirsha knelt and stroked the creature’s soft head. It nuzzled her hand, purring.
Sirsha shook herself—she wouldn’t be safe on the street for long.Especially if anyone had trailed her from the docks. Kade’s quarters were halfway across the city.
