The Shadow

Chapter 2

Kai trained for most of the next day. The exercises kept his mind focused on the present, rather than wandering into the past, to places he did not wish to return to.

A soft thud echoed throughout the room as his knife struck a target, hitting the bullseye. Kai had always loved the small blades. They were easy to conceal, deadly and could kill a man from 60 meters away. He'd had his blades forged years ago by the best smith in Northshore. The price had been high, but the knives had not let him down yet.

He drew one from his belt, taking a moment to admire their fine craftsmanship. A black leather grip and metal guard led to a sleek, dark blade. The steel seemed to swim before his eyes in waves of folded metal. Flicking his wrist, Kai sent the knife flying. It glanced harmlessly off the pommel of his previous knife, falling to the ground.

He had only trained with his knives for a few years, but had mastered them quickly. Before that, Kai had loved archery, practicing with a bow and arrow whenever he could. It had been the first weapon that he had truly mastered.

Kai sighed, retrieving his knives and pulling on his black cloak. The day was warm, but he felt vulnerable without it. Beneath the dark wool he wore a black linen tunic, tucked into his trousers. The inky material seemed to meld with his hair; a few shades darker than his brown eyes. Once he might have taken time to dress; make himself look somewhat less intimidating. But he would be leaving soon; it did not matter what the people of Northshore thought of him now.

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The sun shone down on Kai, glancing off of pockets of water that still riddled the streets from the night before. Northshore was as bustling as ever. Horse-drawn carriages made their way down the streets, cold eyed noblemen peering at the less fortunate from carriage windows. The usual city clamor filled the air; horse hooves clopping against stone, vendors promoting their goods and water dripping from rain gutters. Commoners and nobles alike walked hurriedly through the streets toward their various destinations, casting weary glances at their surroundings. Despite living at Northshore for his entire life, nearing 17 years, Kai found no comfort in the city, and cast those same glances. It was a dangerous place, and all of its inhabitants knew it. Kai likely had nothing to worry about on a busy street in the daytime. In other parts of the city, however, true monsters had made their lairs.

The Den, a place that Kai had visited years ago, when he was truly desperate for jobs, was home to the worst of them. A place where gold was exchanged as men drew each other's blood.

Kai was headed for the Den. The cobbled streets turned into little more than piles of rubble as he made his way toward the shore. Kai heard it before he saw it; shouts as fisherman lugged crates of goods from ship to shore, gulls squawking from above, children running and screaming along the pier. And amid it all, the soft lapping of water on wood and stone, the misty smell of a salty breeze.

Kai would not be going there today; not yet. Turning a corner, he walked down a dark alley, making his way to the staircase at its end. Memories flooded in as he stepped down the roughly cut stone. He had come here hundreds of times, back when he had lived on the streets, not knowing when his next meal might come. Half of the people in the Den were murderers, so it was natural that many of them wanted someone dead. Kai had walked down these same steps many times before, often with a bloody bag in hand. Although it was hidden in an alley of the slums, Kai was convinced that Lord Hewe knew of the Den. It was hard to miss, with shady figures exiting and entering the place day and night. It seemed that the lord believed that if he did nothing to stop the lowlifes of the Den, they would not send an assassin for his throat some night. Perhaps he was right.