Sepia Blue- Nameless: A Sepia Blue Novel- Book 4 by Orlando Sanchez (best self help books to read .txt) 📗

measures necessary to make sure we walk out of this hellhole.”

“You say hellhole like it’s a bad thing,” Destin quipped. “Usual route to the Keep?”

“No,” Pira said. “If she is there, the Director says she’ll be a magnet. We take the scenic route to avoid any Unholy.”

They had been walking for several minutes when Destin tapped Pira on the shoulder.

“This scenic route,” Destin began as he scanned the area. “Does it include a visit from Dreadwolves?”

“Shit,” Pira said, drawing two blades from her thigh sheathes. “How many?”

“One, maybe two.”

“Dreadwolves?” Pira asked as she scanned the night. “Scouts?”

“Packs,” Destin said, drawing a sword. “One or two packs. So much for conflict avoidance.”

TWELVE

Wake peered down on the street below.

She glanced over at Jas, who fidgeted as they kept watch. Anna had told her about Velos, a Hunter going around killing other Hunters with a sword that turned into a black cloud. She didn’t entirely understand what Anna was explaining to her, but after what she had seen with Sepia, a sword turning into a black cloud of death wasn’t the strangest thing she’d heard of in the last few days.

“Why can’t I go see her?” Jas asked as she leaned over the edge of the roof. Wake pulled her back. “Calisto put those things on her wrists, it should be safe.”

“It would be,” Wake said, “if she weren’t situated in the center of the Park. The Keep is barely safe enough to travel to during the day, and it’s suicide to try and go there at night—or have you grown tired of breathing?”

“No, I haven’t, I just wanted to see how she was doing,” Jas answered. “The last time we saw her, she was in that crazy Demon mode. I want to make sure she’s okay.”

“Sepia isn’t your responsibility,” Wake said. “She can handle herself.”

“She’s a Sister,” Jas replied. “At least she was.”

“Listen, the restraints Calisto used are effective, but Anna doesn’t want you—or me for that matter—staying at the Keep, Sister or not. That place isn’t for us.”

“Why not?”

“It’s called the Hunter’s Keep for a reason,” Wake answered with a sigh. “We aren’t Hunters. Besides we have more important things to worry about tonight.”

“Sepia saved my life.”

“She’s also some kind of demon creature right now,” Wake said. “She’s not a Sister any longer, at least not in any conventional sense.”

“Do you think Anna will kick her out?”

“I don’t know,” Wake answered pensively as she looked down on the street. “It’s not like we have an abundance of Sisters right now. I don’t think we can afford to lose the few we have left, even if they turn into monsters.”

“Sepia isn’t a monster,” Jas protested. “She’s my friend.”

“The Sepia you know may be gone,” Wake said. “You saw what Fuma did. It changed her. She wasn’t exactly acting friendly before Calisto put those restraints on her.”

“Yeah, the scales and claws were different,” Jas said. “If Calisto hadn’t—”

“We wouldn’t be here tonight,” Wake finished. “Let’s focus. There’s a Hunter out there hunting other Hunters with a dark blade.”

“Is Anna sure about this?” Jas asked. “Why would they give him a dark blade?”

“An excellent question,” Wake replied, “but one we will not be asking anytime soon. Our job is locate and report on his location—not to engage. I don’t want to face a Hunter tonight, do you?”

“Not really, no.”

“Good, then this should be easy,” Wake said. “Last report said this area was the last place he was seen.”

“He? A male Hunter?” Jas asked. “Since when?”

“Since Regional thought it was a good idea to give him a dark blade, I’m guessing.”

“That sounds crazy,” Jas said. “On top of that, they gave him a dark blade? Like Sepia’s?”

“Worse, but yes. A dark blade,” Wake answered. “This blade has extreme defensive capabilities according to the report.”

“Defensive capabilities? Like?”

“This Hunter can form and manipulate a black cloud of energy that protects him from attack,” Wake explained. “It has both defensive and offensive properties.”

“A black cloud?” Jas asked, pointing to the street below. “You mean like that one over there?”

Below them, and several blocks away, one street was filled with what looked like black fog. In the center of the fog, untouched but surrounded by it, stood a man.

“Exactly like that one,” Wake said grimly. “I’ve never seen a sword do that.”

“Maybe the dark blades are special?” Jas said. “Like super blades?”

“Special or not, this ‘Hunter’ is a threat.”

“Is he like the Black Hunters that attacked us?”

“I don’t know,” Wake said. “This feels different.”

“What do we do now?”Jas asked. “We know where he is, now what?”

“We need to get closer,” Wake said. “Follow me and remain silent.”

Wake looked across the gap to the closest building. She stepped to the edge and jumped across, landed in a roll, then began moving fast in a silent run. Jas followed, landing with less practiced grace, but remaining mostly quiet.

“You’re too loud,” Wake said as they moved. “Sisters are invisible until they want to be seen. You sound like a herd of angry rhinos stomping across the plains.”

“Hey,” Jas said, “I’m still a Sister-in-training, you know.”

“You were,” Wake clarified, crossing another roof effortlessly. “You can’t afford to be in training forever. That’s a good way to get dead.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Jas replied, crossing the roof and making less noise. “I’ll make sure to practice.”

“That way,” Wake said pointing across. “We approach at an angle.”

They crossed several roofs in the same manner until they were above the black nimbus of energy on the street below. Standing well out of the reach of the cloud stood a lone woman holding a sword.

A Hunter.

She was dressed in black leathers with white accents. Each of her forearms held sheaths with short blades. In her hand, she held a white, gleaming sword that seemed to keep the black energy cloud away.

“I’m looking for a gunman,” Velos said as the black energy swirled around him. “Maybe you’ve heard of him? His name is Cade.”

“Never heard of him,” the woman said. “You, on the other hand, are