Page 141 of Swords of Soul and Shadow
Hallie wasn’t sure if that was good or bad fortune. How ironic one was to be killed in the morning only to wake as the sole leader of a country under fire. No wonder he had five guards. From what she’d gathered since her arrival, Harlan had admitted to covering up Kase’s role in the Kyvena fire. She’d heard a few nastier rumors about abuse that she knew weren’t hearsay.
None of it sat well with Hallie, and a small, vengeful part of her wished he hadn’t survived the attack like the rest of the High Council.
Technically, they were at war with Cerulene at last, but if her memory served, she’d thought there was a system in place and votes from the City Council and City Governors. Maybe the Stradat Lord Kapitan had gotten the votes this time. She’d heard from Petra that they’d tried to declare it after the deaths of the Richter family, but the majority of the City Governorsopposed the move. Maybe with the destruction of the capital, Harlan Shackley had taken it into his own hands. He had no fear anymore. What could they do to him? He was the only one left who had an inkling of how to run an entire country.
As much as Hallie despised him for his role as a father, she couldn’t help but wonder if more guards might be necessary.
Hallie ducked into one of the side passages nearest the tent and was about to enter the first smaller cavern when someone called out from behind her.
“Hallie Walker! I haven’t seen you in ages.”
She paused just outside, allowing a small family with a screaming toddler to move past her. She turned to find three young men watching her—refugees as well, by the state of their dusty and torn dinner attire. The Catacombs had large bathing chambers making use of underground springs, but those had long lines and weren’t to be used for clothing.
That one was an even longer line, and honestly, some of the stains would never be washed out no matter how hard anyone tried.
Hallie gave the men a cursory nod, unsure of what else to say because she only vaguely recognized the one who’d spoken. He had warm brown skin and darker hair that had a slight curl to it. The others were a mystery. The tallest of them looked rather like he’d always lived in the Catacombs with his sallow skin and sunken eyes. Something about him felt off, but she couldn’t necessarily pinpoint why.
She had half a mind to ignore them, but the first one spoke again. “Ancient Technologies of the First Settlers. Sheffield’s course. The name’s Waylan Peters.”
She narrowed her eyes. She did remember that course, but per usual, she’d always sat in the very front of the auditorium and hardly paid attention to the other students. Why would she? Most of them were insufferable uppities who spent more time atthe taverns than on coursework. And besides, the professor had been the premier researcher in all Yalvara on the subject of First Earth tech. She hadn’t had time to play nice with the others. Both Petra and Ellis had taken it the semester before and had sung its praises.
“A pleasure.” Hallie gave him a small smile. “I apologize, but I don’t really have the time to chat at the moment.”
The man in the back stepped forward, the one who resembled an animated skeleton. “I’m Mr. Gray, though unlike my mates here, I wasn’t a student. And unless my eyes deceive me, you look rather lost.”
“I’m not.”
“My mistake,” Mr. Gray said with a short bow. He looked back at the final member of their trio, who looked as if he’d rather be anywhere else but there. His dark eyes only glared at Hallie’s feet. “Then you must be trying to rob the Stradat Lord Kapitan? From the way you eyed his new tent, that was my next guess.”
The man, Waylan, gave him a pity laugh. The other moved his stare from her boots to the ground beneath them.
She wouldn’t say they made her fearful, just uncomfortable. Mr. Gray had a look about him that screamed he’d been through something, though she wasn’t sure if it was the way his eyes darted here and there looking for threats or the dark circles underneath them. The latter made his eyes look more like small hollows in his face.
Thankfully, the corridor had plenty of witnesses. She would just make sure she lost this trio before long. “Thank you, but I really must be going.”
She went to go back to the larger cavern and find someone to help her. She might be able to ask one of the soldiers out in front of the Stradat Lord Kapitan’s tent. If the three men were a danger to her, she couldn’t fight them. Even if her powerresponded, which it still hadn’t, she didn’t want to do whatever she’d done to the Cerl soldiers to them. No one deserved that. She also didn’t know if innocent bystanders would be safe from whatever power she would unleash. It was too much of a risk.
Mr. Gray caught her by the upper arm and gave her a warm smile. “Didn’t mean to make you uneasy, but if you’re looking for Kase, he’s up the other way in the third cavern. Brown tent. Scary-looking soldier outside it. Looks more like his face was carved from marble.”
Now the fear spiked, cold and sanguine, emanating from his hand.
She wrenched it out of his grasp. “If you lay a hand on me again, I will report you, sir.”
Maybe too strong, but while she’d had a course with the other one, Waylan or something, this one really acted as if heknewher, though she couldn’t remember him. Something was most definitely off.
Mr. Gray let his arm fall and shrugged. “We’re only trying to help a friend out. Kase and I go way back, and I can see why you’re his next conquest. He’s always liked them fiery.”
Waylan laughed at that, but Hallie narrowed her eyes. “You don’t even know me.”
She should have just left. She should have gone onto the hospital ward for her shift. This was a mistake. But his words dug a little too deeply for comfort, as much as she hated to admit it. Despite his appearance, he had that haughty air that most of the uppities held. If the other had been at the University, he most likely came from money. Very few were like Hallie, paying their own way through school.
Mr. Gray put his hands in his pockets as the surlier man and Waylan left the group, the latter distracted by someone else he supposedly knew. Mr. Gray leaned in, and Hallie edged away, but the wall was at her back.
“Played Hanged Man with Kase the other night, and when Kase lost, he told us Lavinia Richter was his way of getting back at his father—and that you, Miss Walker, were the latest iteration of that.” He clucked his tongue, shaking his head. “Might’ve been Waylan who called you a conquest, but Kase didn’t correct him.”
Who did this person think he was? “I’d advise you to sober up and stop harassing women in the corridors.”
Hallie finally turned on her heel and went back toward the Stradat Lord Kapitan’s tent, leaving the odd Mr. Gray behind. She knew he was lying. Kase wasn’t the type to play around with a girl’s feelings. He had his flaws, but with everything they’d gone through, she knew Kase. She hadn’t known the mysterious Mr. Gray existed until five minutes ago.
