Bounty Hunter (The Black Tulip Chronicles #1)

15. Vera

Chapter 15

Vera

I know right where to find him. He frequents a tavern in town with rooms above-stairs anytime he’s in the area, and that’s exactly where he is. I’ve never had a reason to track him down or enter this establishment before. He sits at a table, a scantily-clad woman upon his lap as he drinks and laughs with four other men, a forgotten game of cards lies strewn across the table. I frown. I shouldn’t be surprised by what he does on his own time, but I ignore the pang of disappointment. I’m not here for a date anyway, if I was, I would be no longer. I’m here for a job. I set my resolve and straighten my shoulders, blatantly ignoring the woman who scowls at my approach, and stalk toward Rhette. When he spots me, he quickly sets the woman to the side and stands, his eyes guarded. Rupi’s feathers ruffle sharply against my neck. She doesn’t hate him, but she certainly doesn’t like him. We’re on the same page right now.

“I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Obviously. I choke down betrayal. He never indicated he wanted to be more than friends. I just misread all the relationship cues, as usual. I gesture toward the doors with a nod, and we leave the building, finding privacy in the alley beside it.

He begins to speak. “That girl and I…”

I cut him off, not wanting to hear it. I get straight to the point before I cry at how this day has turned. “I’ll take the contract. Where was he last seen?”

His smile slowly grows, and I can practically feel the I knew it that is so clearly written in his expression but remains wisely unspoken. “With the mercenaries, of course.” His eyes light with that hint of eagerness that I see in many hunters before tracking their prey.

“Of course,” I mutter.

We head directly to a local official contract shop, and as I watch the parchment begin to be filled with the conditions, I begin to think about what I’ve agreed to do.

“What happens if either of us gets injured or dies?” I ask the contract writer.

The man stops writing for a moment to meet my eyes through his spectacles. “You are paid in relation to your work. If you die before he’s arrested, or if you end up not helping in the arrest after all, you’ll get nothing. In the case of death, whatever you’ve earned will be prorated and sent to next of kin.”

I gulp. Every contract has asked about next of kin, but it’s something I never think about. This time, I am. I give him Renna’s name first and Mama Tina’s as a second. Rupi sidesteps on my shoulder, either feeling my tension or disapproving. I hope it’s not the latter because it’s too late to turn back. Within the hour, I’ve committed my magic, and possibly even my life, to assisting Rhette in capturing a Class A criminal to save my Tulip sister.

Two days later, I’m still trying to convince myself this was my only option. Too late to change my mind anyway, since I signed the contract and all. But signed contracts don’t stop thoughts. I admit it’s dangerous to take a bounty hunting job, but oh, how well they pay. For Renna . I repeat for the hundredth time, steeling my resolve. We wait for an enchanted river boat to become available, sitting on a damp, warped, wooden bench several feet back from the churning waters with an assortment of other nervous travelers. Rupi sticks close to my neck, her tiny body unable to handle the colder weather, but I don’t mind, her presence helps me.

I don’t think people really get used to river travel. I roll my shoulders to combat tense muscles caused by a heavy dose of apprehension. The rushing of the river, its dark depths, freak me out to no end. My magic already picks up on the gloam that lingers in its depths—gloam creatures. I appreciate that warning aspect of my magic, but sometimes I wish it could be quiet.

“You’ve done this a hundred times, Vera. Relax,” Rhette mutters.

Logically, I know that, but it doesn’t help. If one of these boats capsizes, and you touch the water, you have no idea how many miles ahead, or behind, your intended destination you’ll end up. You go where the river sends you. Or you’ll get eaten alive by some atrocious river monster before you end up anywhere at all. The main river that twists through this land, the Lucent River, winds between the kingdoms and is full of magic. It used to be the most efficient, preferred way to travel and trade. A simple connection with magic would have you going in the direction you wanted, with the current or against, and did I mention fast ? The water is said to have been so clear and bright that you could see every pebble and fish beneath its deep, shimmering surface. It went from beautiful, accurate, and fast… to inconsistent, muddy, and dangerous. Dangerous is the only way I’ve ever seen it. The enchanted steel crafted by weapon masters lines the bottoms of the boats, acting as a buffer against gloam and its monsters, but we still don’t have the abilities to travel the river like people did before.

One of the larger boats dock, and a frail-looking plank is tossed across the expanse of water from boat to river bank. I stand back and watch warily as a few other people walk across the dangerously bowing board and pay their fare. The captain lifts a no-nonsense, bushy brow at me and asks if I’m coming. I nod and cringe as I walk ever so carefully up the plank as it bends beneath my weight, over the dark water, but I make it aboard and dump a handful of coins in the man’s hand. I take a seat beside Rhette and press my back against the ratty, cushioned bench. At least this one has cushions. Most don’t.

“The city of Kivan is near some of the mercenary camps. We’ll start there,” Rhette says as he rubs his arms to warm himself.

I nod. “Sure.” Like I know what he’s even talking about. I know my way well enough on the main thoroughfares between large kingdoms and villages. I travel those distances often and choose my contracts accordingly. I go off the beaten path occasionally, only with experienced hunters on bounty hunts that I was supposed to be done with. I blow a piece of stray hair from my face.

These bounty hunting contracts are an iffy sort. Sure, they pay great—there’s got to be something that entices people to bounty hunt. Along with that excellent pay, though, comes danger and sometimes losing out on the money altogether, like if the bounty escapes or we can’t find them, or worst case scenario, we die. I remind myself that all the hard stuff, the tracking, fighting, physical strength, and map reading are all the hunter’s job—not mine. I simply need to share raw, lucent magic and stay alive. I can do that.

I repeat it to myself as the boat starts sailing, and I grip the edge of my seat tightly. I feel Rupi’s gentle tremors, my generally calm bird hating the river as much as I do. It’s a testament of her loyalty to me that she hasn’t flown from my shoulder and left me to the consequences of choosing river travel. Rhette gets comfortable, sliding down a bit in his seat and folding his arms. I press my lips together and shake my head at his lack of concern, but I admit many hunters have the same disposition.

A nerve-wracking amount of time later, we dock right outside the city of Kivan. I’ve been through a few times. It’s a major shipping and trading hub. The familiarity of this city is calming, and I allow myself to relax and browse the shops as we make our way along the cobbled streets. We visit several of the taverns, but it’s tricky asking about a mercenary when so many people we ask have a good possibility of being one themselves. I don’t know their culture, if there’s some sort of brother code or if they all hate each other as much as they seem to hate everyone else. I mostly stand back and let Rhette do the asking, hanging in the shadows with my hood over my head, hands in my pockets, trying to be invisible. Any one of these honorless soldiers could be hunting Tulips. I don’t know how they would recognize us, but I’m not intending to find out.

While I’m in the midst of perfecting the art of blending with shadows, Rhette comes out of the last tavern with a grin on his face. I’m apparently not very good because he spots me right away.

“Owner said the bounty won a big prize during a fight here a few nights ago.” I can almost sense the hunt driving him forward. He gets like this when he knows we’re getting somewhere, and I almost sigh. Means we’ll continue tracking into the night. No cozy bed at a nice inn for me.

“What was the prize?” I ask out of boredom, as I follow him down the stairs and back onto the dusky streets.

“Some list of Tulips or something,” Rhette says flippantly.

I jerk my head toward him in horror the same time Rupi’s feathers burst into quill tips and stab the tender flesh of my neck. I wince, but he doesn’t notice my reaction. He’s tracking, instinctively still on the hunt. I wince and carefully touch the top of her head, the only place that won’t draw blood, until she calms and I can rub the spots of blood from my neck. She rarely stabs me, so she sensed something, my own reaction or the information Rhette just shared. I know she’s intelligent, but at times, I’m still caught off guard and wonder how much she truly understands.

“Why would a mercenary want a list of flowers? Strange if you ask me,” he mumbles and shoves his hands in his pockets.

I am silently screaming in my head. Rhette has no idea that it’s not simply a list of regular garden flowers. I want to wrap my arms around myself and rock back and forth to self-soothe, but instead, I force my hands into my coat pockets and pull it tight around myself. I still have my hood up so that Rhette doesn’t see the expression on my face as I grapple with whirling panic. The mercenary we’re after is a Tulip killer, and I have no choice but to keep my end of the contract.