Page 32 of Fated to the Hunter
“Oh, look! Fancy water. Good thing too, because all the plastic bottles are starting to break down.” She stuffed those into the new bag as well.
“I will carry it.” I took the bag from her, glad she did not refuse my help this time.
We headed back the way we came, Kiera walking in front of me. She was completely oblivious to my attention as she climbed the stairs, but my eyes never left her perfectly round ass. The small stuffed representation of Tooth dangled from her bag, hitting her soft bottom with every step. She’d called it a good luck charm, and it was indeed lucky. Too lucky.
Krux! I was getting envious of a stuffed rodent. What was next? Wishing I could be the clothes adorning her body?
She gravitated toward a set of doors with a pair of statues in front. I frowned.
“What are those animals? I have never seen them on your planet.”
“Oh, they’re lions.”
“I have seen your large cats. These are not them.”
She sent me an amused smile. “They’re stylized version of lions. Sometimes they’re meant to bring luck and prosperity. And other times they’re for protection. And sometimes they’re just for decoration.”
“They do not look very formidable. They should put two Xarc’n warriors instead.”
She chuckled and pushed open the door. “I agree! I bet this must be the guy’s home office. I didn’t see one downsta—” She gasped, her face lighting up. “A library! Look at this collection! I’m not even sure what's in it, but I’m sure it’s a freaking goldmine.” Her pace quickened as she scanned each shelf, the building excitement giving a bounce to her step. “Wow. This guy dabbled in a little of everything. Science. Philosophy. You name it. It’s here.” She took several long videos of the room, panning from shelf to shelf, with her communication device. “Dottie is going to want to see this!”
“Who is Dottie?”
“Dottie’s the head librarian. I work with her. Technically, I archive electronic data, and she does physical books. But we both handle acquisition procurement.” She looked around her, eyes sparkling with excitement. “This is like finding actual treasure.” Then her face fell. “But I’m not sure we’d be able to get any of it back.”
“We will take some back in my shuttle.”
The smile she sent me was enough for me to offer to come back to retrieve them all.
“You’re right. We can!” She started drafting a message on her device, dictating the words out loud. “Can only save a shuttle full. Here’s the selection. Let us know what to take.” She attached the video she’d taken earlier and sent it off. “I sent it to Sam. We’ll come back and search this place thoroughly.” She took one last look around. “And I’m sure there’s something important in here as it pertains to the riddle. But it’s going to take me a while, so let’s finish the rest of the house first.”
I was almost disappointed to leave the room of books since she seemed so happy in there. The way her eyes sparkled and her voice became charged with energy filled me with joy. I wanted to see her this way all the time.
She went down the hall, methodically checking each and every room the same way she’d done on the lower level. The flyers that had been lured away earlier had returned, and we had to be careful not to stray too close to the windows lest they saw us.
Each time she stepped out of a room empty-handed, she looked a little more disappointed. I didn’t like it.
“What are you searching for? I will help.”
“Honestly, I’m not too sure myself. Something related to the riddle? Point to the stars with a question, and there you will find the answer. So, I guess something to do with stars. Or maybe the question of life? If something says forty-two, I’ll probably take it as a hint.”
“Forty-two?”
“Never mind. I just think I’ll know it when I see it. Intuition, you know?”
I did not know, but I let it be.
We’d just stepped into what I’d guessed was a youngster's room when she grabbed my arms excitedly.
“Look! Our first clue!”
Chapter 17: Kiera
There it was! We’d finally found the first clue.
About fucking time too. For a moment there I was losing hope, and thought maybe we’d done-goofed and went to the wrong place. But now I was as sure as a conspiracy theorist at a UFO convention that we were on the right track.
We were in a girl’s room, a pre-teen, by the looks of it. It was that special age in between where teddy bears and teen idols existed side-by-side. But alongside her interest in nail polish and accessories—holy crap, was that a Vivian Westwood purse? For a pre-teen?—were the proof of her other hobbies.
