The Hunter

Chapter 6 - The Eight Hundred Crown Coat

John flew down the hallway and heard both Tina and Jonas following him. As he crossed a passage that lead off toward the Yard, he pointed down it, “Tina. Captain and lockdown.”

The sound of her running footsteps trailed off as she took the hallway.

“Who is this Willie?” Jonas breathed as they rounded a corner.

“A cutthroat mercenary,” John replied. “Who used to be my Second.”

Jonas fell silent but was immediately replaced by Jack. “Someone just took a shot at her. Can’t get out of the atrium.”

“Why are you still in that damn atrium?” John growled back at him.

“The Lady--” The feeling of panic cut the thought off short.

“Shit,” John cursed just before he increased his full sprint to a pace only an immortal could match. “Fletch. Location.”

He rounded the last corner and bounded down the long hallway that led to the atrium, Jonas panting heavily behind him.

“Rooftop. Coming up from the south end of the atrium. No sign.”

A gong went off in alarm just as John and Jonas skidded to a complete stop at the mouth of the atrium.

Enormous in size, it held a small forest. The pathway that connected their hallway to the next winded through a small garden. Seeing trampled flowers, John followed the hasty trail back through a low bush and past a couple of trees, toward the nearest wall. He found Jack on top of Lola protectively in the corner, some distance from the path. Behind a nearby tree, Chad’s massive body was trying to hide itself behind a thin trunk. When Jack’s back rose as he breathed, John caught the sight of an arrow lodged into his coat. Looking down, he found another on the ground nearby--presumably having fallen off from the long coat.

“North side of you Jack. Where is he?” John broadcasted the thought to the team.

“First shot came from the west. Second was from northwest. Fletch, can you see this bastard?”

“Negative. He is still up here though.”

John held up his hand when Jonas tried to enter the atrium. Shaking his head, he held up his finger to his lips. Jonas nodded in understanding.

Using his enhanced vision, John cased the hole in the ceiling from his advantage. Looking off to the right, he didn’t see any sharpshooters or a green glow.

John signed with his right hand, “Speak hand talk?”

When he nodded, John signed, “Enemy. Northwest. Rooftop. Traveling north. Split and walk. Friend up on roof. Sign when see.”

The Ghourdian nodded and turned off the main path to the left, stalking along the outside of the atrium while keeping his eyes on the rooftop.

“Talk to me people,” John said as he went in the opposite direction, stepping over a low bush.

“Too many rain catchers, skylights, and irrigation pipes to see clearly up here. Circling due east to north.” Mike replied.

An arrow suddenly came down from the gaping ceiling and landed right on the tree trunk that Chad was behind. The Kalian didn’t budge but John heard him exhale loudly.

Pushing past a tree, he ducked behind a bush. After looking around for witnesses, John cloaked.

Like drinking a steaming glass of cider in the heart of winter, warmth filled John’s body. Looking down he watched a blacker than tar goo crawl along his appendages until he was completely covered in it. Smiling dumbly, John strode out into the open and looked right where the assassin had shot from, invisible to anyone but a mage. His eyes immediately latched onto a shadowy figure stalking away from the area. Like peering through a looking glass, the man’s features suddenly came into focus. Kalian.

John didn’t recognize him but he did see the bow. For the first time, he actually looked at the arrows and his heart skipped a beat.

How could that be?

Storing away the question for later, John said, “I have a visual. Kalian male, black cloak. Early thirties. He is on the move, heading west. Wait. He has stopped--right behind one of the rain barrels. Mike, do you see him?”

“On the move. Give me five seconds.”

John kept his eyes on the assassin as his thoughts raced.

Why is he still here? He should be long gone after the first miss. Jack has her covered. And why shoot at Chad?

The soldier’s name pulled at his thoughts until he looked back at Chad. He suddenly realized what kind of a shot the assassin was getting. “Jack! Get Chad to move!”

John’s stomach tightened when the faint sound of a bow string being released filled his ears. Turning back to the assassin, he caught the sight of an arrow already halfway to its target. Almost faster than the eye could see, John turned back to Chad just as he Accelerated.

Before he had taken his third step towards Chad, however, a sliver of energy lashed out from Jonas’s location, sending the arrow into the ground, spans away from its original mark.

When he released his Acceleration, Fletch’s calm voice filled him. “Visual. Firing.”

John’s eyes snapped back to the assassin. He had left his nest and was heading south when he stopped. Turning, he looked up as if hearing something. With a wave of his hand, a wild wave of energy snapped upward, blocking a black fletched arrow.

“Get out of there Mike!” John roared through the mindlink.

Instead of the assassin moving toward the shooter, he turned and ran in the opposite direction. To John’s puzzlement, he saw fear in Kalian’s footsteps.

“What the hell was that thing?” Mike said aloud. John looked from where he heard the voice and saw Mike at the edge of the hole, looking off in the direction the man had fled.

“Tina and Ben, shift all men from the south to the north end,” John said.

Realizing he was still cloaked, he ran back to his hiding spot. Peering through the manicured bush, he made sure he wasn’t being watched before he de-cloaked.

“You know that the man was heading south?” Mike yelled down at him as John emerged from his hiding spot.

“Aye,” he yelled back up. “The man is a scared Slayer. Best let him run or he’ll do something foolish.”

“Slayer?” Mike asked with a frown, “Like in the children’s stories?”

“Later.”

“Always later,” he grumbled just within his hearing.

At the sound of sobbing, John looked in Jack’s direction to see him helping a distraught Lola get up.

Chad moved out from his tree and pulled the arrow out from Jack’s cloak. Looking at the arrow in awe, the Kalian dog whispered, “What in the Seven Sin’s is that coat made of?”

Jack gave him a sly grin. “It was the best eight hundred crowns I ever spent.”

John grimaced before he said, “You mean what I spent?”

His chronic gambler waved his hand dismissingly. “Yours. Mine. Who keeps track of these things, Boss?”

Grunting, he said, “Get the girl to her room and find her a white robe to wear.”

The sobbing died away and the brunette looked up at him in a haze. “What?”

Not in the mood to explain anything--which he really never was in the mood--John turned to Mike. “Was that the same guy as last night?”

“Aye. What do you want me to do about it?” There was a wisp of fear to his voice.

“Leave him to me. Play angel for now until they get to Sev3n. Com me when you get there.”

“Sev3n?” Mike annoyingly repeated him questioningly.

Jack coughed rudely. When John turned to face him, the man looked nervously at the forest floor. “Uh. Yeah. About me and Sev3n.”

John’s eyes narrowed on the gambler. “What is it?”

“Just a little…tiny….incident. Funny story, really.” When John’s face darkened, the gambler sputtered, “It’s really nothing Boss. Honestly. The wench there ran into my hand, I swear.”

“You’d sell your own mother if it would get you out of trouble,” Mike yelled down at them as he loaded an arrow into his bow. He wore a broad grin as he artfully turned his back to them.

“Not. Helping.” Jack muttered under his breath.

A lifetime ban from a Sev3n wasn’t uncommon, especially in Kalian. It was one of the few powers of the Mistresses that they took seriously. John had known nobles giving hundreds of crowns to the Mistresses as an apology. Only on rare occasions did the women actually let them back in.

Knowing Jack, he knew he shouldn’t have been surprised. Gritting his teeth, John said, “Tell her that I sent you and that she will lift up the ban for only as long as Lola is there. And I better hear that exactly from her or I will dock your pay for it.”

Jack starred at him. “Tell her…?”

John knew Christi personally. She was a sweet girl who had enough gull to ban any noble from their flagship Sev3n--the perfect candidate in John’s opinion. Christi was also one of the ladies daughters or, as they put it, part of the Family--with a capital F.

“You heard me. Now get Tina and a few of her recruits--and use him as a headpiece,” John said, pointing Chad.

Chad looked at John’s finger hesitantly. “Headpiece, Sir?”

Lola was looking doe eyed at John when he made a ‘shoo’ motion to the three.

As they guided Lola away, he heard Jack say, “Ever wanted to dress up as a Lord and own a slave?” just before they disappeared around the corner.

Fletch stood up from his perch and started to follow the small group as they headed for Lola’s room. He’d play guardian angel until they were all safely tucked into Sev3n’s walls, a place he had personally made sure was safe.

“No sign of him, Boss.” Ben’s disembodied voice said.

“Didn’t expect you would. Package is leaving for Sev3n within the hour. Investigate the breach. You have theater.”

“Copy. Will report back in an hour.”

Jonas shifted his feet, brining John’s attention to him. Before the giant could say anything, John said, “Good work. You are earning your keep already.”

The man opened his mouth twice before asking, “May I ask how you knew it was me, sir?”

John looked at him thoughtfully before saying carefully, “You aren’t the only one running from Tekal.”

A distant memory came to him, one that had him waking up in cold sweats for a whole decade. It was when he had first heard of Cedrick’s arranged death by the Empress Tyrn. Having the giant’s only surviving son standing in front of him only made the meaning more vivid.

If I had just agree to stay with him…

The boy opened his mouth again before shutting it. Both curiosity and confusion played on his face. Pulling both his eyes and his mind from Cedrick’s son, he strode over to the arrow Chad had yanked out from Jack’s coat.

Examining it, John’s fears solidified. There was no mistaking to it. The black fletches tipped with red and gold--feathers only found on a falcon found in the Empire--and the dark Ghourdian wood used for the shaft…

It was one of the arrows used by Tekal’s kill squad that had hunted him for the better part of his time with Maxine. Even she didn’t know how the Fourth Triangle had found him. They had both been careful.

John’s thoughts drifted to his mentor’s death and he immediately pushed it away. He had long imagined that if he ever met his mother, that she would be like Maxine. Because of that train of thought, it only magnified the pain he had felt the day of her death and the reason why he ignored the subject even now. Only Sikes knew of that dark chapter in his life.

“Sir?”

John realized he had been starring at the arrow as it twirled in his hands.

“From now on you will be a Private until stated otherwise. Find Tina and stick with her. Do you have a Backer account?”

Jonas looked at him blankly. Picking up the other arrows, John said, “The Backer is part of the Sev3ns. Instead of keeping your money in a safe at home or on you, you can keep it there for safe keeping. You can also transfer your money to any other Sev3n in the Kalian kingdom. Ask Tina to set up an account for you. You have today to get up to speed on how we work so be sharp.”

Sensing the dismissal, Jonas saluted him.

“And don’t ever salute me,” John said irritably as he turned away from the confused man.

He left the atrium and Jonas to walk along the halls, keeping his ears open for anything unusual. It was during this leisure walk that John ran into Lord Victor.

“John,” he said in greeting.

“Victor.”

The Lord stopped and turned to follow him when he walked past him. Frowning, the noble said, “I heard there was an assassination attempt.”

“You heard right.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

John stopped and looked the Lord in the eye. “It was God boy. I have a feeling he won’t be bothering us. The White Council is getting involved and it will only be a matter of time before he is caught, along with this Archmage.”

Lord Victor nodded slowly and the lines of stress eased some. “Where is she now?”

“In route to Sev3n.”

“What?”

John turned and started to walk again, scanning the halls for any prying eyes. “The mansion isn’t safe yet. I’d advise you not to visit her until it is. If you must, it would be wise to use a white robe when you go out. You need to give the illusion that she has a minor cold and turn away any visitors. We can contain any future assassination attempts this way.”

Again, the noble slowly nodded. “Next time ask me before you make such a decision.” When John didn’t argue, the Lord Victor said, “I just finished a conversation with one of the King’s aides. He wants to announce it in four days.”

It was John’s turn to be angry. “What?”

Lord Victor sighed in defeat. “I know. She is far from ready but the King is getting pressure from the other Houses to announce a successor.”

The ‘other Houses’ was most likely Dresden. John snorted. “He is King. He can say no.”

“Aye, if that were only true.”

When John rose a questioningly eyebrow, the High Lord said, “As long as the King is alive, disputes can be squashed safely. If he was to die and the announcement was made afterward--war would be certain. This way, he has a chance.”

John didn’t see it that way but he kept his thoughts to himself. In his mind, it only painted a bigger target on Lola--not to mention the possibility of ‘persuading’ the King into making a different choice. As long as the King was alive, the chance of events changing from their course would always be present. At least until the crown sat on her head.

“You know I will have to tell Lola about everything now?”

Victor mauled over this before saying, “Aye.”

“Do you want to do it?”

The man looked at John as if he were an idiot. “I do not want to be in the same city when you tell her.”

Grunting, John said, “If that will be all, I have a few things I need to address before I make my way over to the Sev3n.”

“Of course. Keep me posted.”

John gave a half bow out of respect before veering off from the hallway.

“Anna. I have to go through with that plan we discussed. They are either in route or already there. Deadline has been drawn to four days.”

As expected, both frustration and anger flooded through the mindlink.

Fortunately for John, Sikes was the one who replied. “We will meet them in the lobby.”

“And Sikes… Tekal’s kill squad just took a shot at her.”

Silence answered him.