Darkblade Justice: An Epic Fantasy Murder Mystery (Hero of Darkness Book 7) by Andy Peloquin

Author:Andy Peloquin [Peloquin, Andy]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, mobi
Published: 2018-10-01T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Two

Finding the Night Guild proved easier than the Hunter had expected. After leaving Baronet Wyvern’s mansion and The Gardens, he decided his best choice was to take to the rooftops.

After all, he’d reasoned, if they know I was up there earlier, that’s where they’ll be looking for me.

He’d found one of the Night Guild’s concealed rope ladders in The Gardens and used it to climb onto the flat roof of an abandoned mansion. Slowly, cautiously, he’d worked his way across the darkened rooftops in the direction of the spot where he’d confronted the Guild assassin. He’d kept to the shadows, using the darkness of the night to conceal his movements. Less than half an hour later, he’d spotted someone slinking across a plank bridge that connected his roof to the next. A chimney provided ample cover for him to watch the newcomer without being seen.

Moments later, three more figures had appeared from the darkness to join their companion. Though he was too far away to hear their conversation, he could be fairly certain that he’d found the men he sought. As the assassin had said, the Night Guild ruled the rooftops.

Now he followed at a safe distance, hanging back to remain out of sight yet keeping within eyeshot. He’d picked up their scents as well. One man stank of turmeric and onions, with a generous helping of dried sweat for good measure. Another smelled of a warrior: leather armor, steel weapons, the oil used for honing and protecting the sword, and a hint of nightshade. The other two had similar scents—wool and leather tinged with lard—but where one reeked of garlic, the other had a lighter, fresher smell that reminded the Hunter of mint oil.

An odd assortment of odors, but the Hunter had grown accustomed to it. No amount of perfume could ever truly mask the natural scents, those formed over years of contact with metal, fabric, spices, herbs, and plants.

The smell made it far easier for the Hunter to track the men through the darkness. When they raced across one large, flat warehouse roof, the Hunter had to hang back to avoid being seen. Only once they had leapt to the next building and out of sight did he move from his hiding place and follow them. He kept his senses alert for any sight or sound, but let his sensitive nostrils guide him.

The trail led toward Vendor’s Block, but turned sharply southward in the direction of a tower that rose high above the surrounding buildings. His gut clenched as he scanned the rooftops and saw no sign of his targets. The wind hadn’t yet carried away their scents, so they’d just passed by. Had they somehow spotted him in pursuit and decided to lay a trap for him?

Crouching in the shadow of an overhanging roof, the Hunter closed his eyes and let his keen ears search. Up this high, easily thirty paces above the deserted city streets, few sounds filled the night. The occasional rumble of a distant wagon wheel.

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