BLOOD AND BONE | rewritten

7

Rainey was already bored.

When they finally landed and began their journey through Nolakoy in an armored vehicle, she had exhibited rare interest. Rainey had never left Rienga before, and Bereysk's opulent beauty was exactly as it was rumored to be, with its domed roofs, meticulously detailed exteriors, and cobbled streets. The Ruka Kervony-the Scarlet River-was as wine-red as its name suggested. Rumor had it the river was flowing over with the very lifeblood of Bereysk.

Personally, the color was just morbid enough for Rainey's liking.

But the splendor of the place was ruined when the IMC agent, Eve Heisenberg, opened her mouth in a tirade of what would be done to anyone who stepped out of line. Rainey had half a mind to inform her that her pinched facial expression gave the impression of someone who'd eaten an entire lemon, but she wouldn't waste her breath. Given the woman's uptight air, it seemed she had no chance of being attractive anyway.

Finally, Heisenberg looked as if she'd run out of threats and shut up for a moment. Her gaze had locked into an estate as they pulled up to its gate. Even just the manicured grounds were dripping in wealth. It looked somewhere between a palace, a city hall, and a museum. A bit pretentious for Rainey's taste, but undeniably magnificent.

The gates opened and the driver pulled down the obnoxiously long driveway. Five figures stood on the marble steps of the main edifice. Waiting.

The vehicle's engine was still running when one of the soldiers gripped Rainey's handcuffed arms and wrestled her from her seat. She gave him the most withering stare she could muster. Under select circumstances, Rainey wasn't against a bit of manhandling. But this was a bit much.

A few moments later, the eight criminals were lined before the newcomers, the soldiers at their backs. At the top of the steps, the massive front doors were thrust open. The five red-suited officials parted for a single woman as she descended. The silver threading in her coat and double tassels hanging across her chest hinted toward a high rank.

"Volya Stepanov, Minister of the Bereyski Third Province, position rivaled only by the Empress's," one of the officials introduced her in heavily-accented Riengan.

The Minister assessed them from above. "Oh yes," she said. "You'll do nicely."

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The inside of the place was as luxurious as the outside, the front hallways lined with wide golden windows showing the abounding lawns. Stepanov led them through the various chambers, most of which were populated by Bereyski officials hard at work. Rainey understood nothing of what they muttered in passing conversation.

From what she gleaned, this was a governmental headquarters from which the top officials in the province worked, as well as lived. Stepanov quickly filled them in on her suspicions that she was the target of the next terrorist assassination. With so many influential figures under one roof, it was no wonder they suspected a strike from Hunt's terrorist. If it was Rainey, this place would be high on her hit list.