Ashes of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #2) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,31
the spell for invisibility, I hid within the shroud of it, as I moved toward the sound of horse hooves trampling cobblestone. Knox wasn’t the only hunter, nor was I the only prey.
Chapter Ten
I entered a town teeming with life. My gaze followed some of the men from Knox’s army, who had broken away to go deeper into the village. Men and women danced on the streets, drunk with wine that smelled sour, and not to my liking.
Knox spoke to Brander, who seemed distracted, looking over his shoulder and then spinning on his heel, catcalling to a woman that swayed her hips, licking her lips seductively as she moved toward him.
Knox shook his head and slipped into a building, but I didn’t dare follow, sensing the wards around the structure. Instead, I crossed the road carefully, dodging drunken villagers who danced to a flute that someone played deeper in town. Leaning against a wall, I rested my head while searching the windows across the road for any sign of Knox.
A candle lit within one of the many windows, and then Knox appeared, staring up at the stars as I took in his tired face. A dark-haired woman emerged behind him, and he removed his shirt, turning to sit in a chair. She moved around his back, running ruby-red fingernails over his shoulder before finding one of the ravens that adorned his skin, lowering her mouth to brush against it softly.
Anger pulsed within me, inciting a jealous rage that had my nails digging into the soft flesh of my palm while I fought the urge to enter the building and rip her lips from his body. She reached toward a table, producing a needle she dipped into a clear inkwell, before slowly poking it into his flesh. Knox didn’t so much as wince from the bite of her needle.
I watched them together, noting the way she continually touched him when it wasn’t warranted. Blood dripped from his raven, but if it pained him, he didn’t show it. His head turned, and he looked down at where I stood, noticing my anger. His nostrils flared, and then his eyes lowered to where the woman’s hand stroked his arm.
Dismissing Knox, I turned my attention to where Brander, Lore, Killian, and Greer sat outside the building, smiling at their antics. Lore was balancing himself on a chair, and Brander sat in another, holding a blonde on his lap, nuzzling her neck. The woman who thought to entertain Lore was failing miserably, and that caused me to chuckle. Giving up, she walked away with a stern frown, either from something he’d said, or her inability to lure him to her.
Greer spoke to a male who had his hair pulled back in braids, secured in a bun that would make many women jealous over its beauty. Killian, well, ever watchful Killian studied the drunken crowd of people who milled about, slopping ale over the stone street.
My eyes slid around the square, and it reminded me of Bourbon Street in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, the streets reeking of alcohol and spirits. Women were topless, but they weren’t requesting beads to see their tits.
Men hooted and grabbed for them, but the women denied their advances, holding out their hands instead, wanting money for their services. It was dark out, and yet the moon offered enough light, along with the torches, that I clearly saw my surroundings. The more I studied the crowd, the more I noticed the lack of clothing worn and the lewd, sexual acts taking place in public.
Down the street, a woman danced to the music playing. Her body swayed, hips adorned with chains rattling soothingly, adding to the song. Further down the road, another woman with dark kohl around her eyes and henna over her body was giving a lap dance to a warrior who watched her with lust burning in his eyes.
Intrigued by the dance, I lowered my gaze to her nether region, realizing it wasn’t a dance after all. Smiling at my naivety, I looked away from the couple and saw a girl with sad eyes following a boy.
They moved through the crowd, picking the pockets of drunken villagers before vanishing into a dark alleyway. Frowning, I noticed more children doing the same, each working in pairs, before sliding off into the shadows to disappear. Turning my attention back to Knox, I found the candle extinguished and the window empty.
I studied the other rooms, watching as a light appeared within another. Knox