Others

      As they searched, so did others seek them out. The police flooded the cities of Sina’s walls, taking some of the men from the Garrison to help. However, as the man had anticipated Ehrmich was not searched as thoroughly. For a few weeks they had to proceed cautiously without attracting attention, but for the most part it was a bit of a vacation. Kenny had taken a pause in business, giving the illusion, that he had gone to the Underground City, where police force had been looking for him all along. It didn’t last long, and soon it was time for further action. The girl didn’t manage to find out much about Eisner while in Ehrmich, but it wasn’t surprising. It became known, that this nobleman somehow helps one of the gangs of the Underground City and sometimes uses their favors. This circumstance even simplified some issues.       When Kenny came home, Kiva was sitting at the kitchen table reading a book she had found at the market the past day. The man knew, that if the girl was reading, all the housework was done, and he might not try to scold her for something. Without taking off his boots, he made his way into the house. “Pack up, we’re going to Krolva.” “To Krolva,” repeated the girl mechanically, without interrupting her study.       Then she stopped reading, slowly raised her head to the ceiling, she was muttering something silently. Kenny knew, that the girl sometimes remembered things that way, but it didn’t bother him, he went to the couch, where he collapsed, resting his legs. There was a creak of a chair being pushed back, Kiva slammed the book shut and headed towards the man. She warily asked a question: “Are we going to visit the Industrial City?”       The man slid his gaze over her indifferently, threw back his head and inhaled tiredly: “If you want to, it’s on the trail anyway.”       The girl whirled past him, flew up the stairs, and ten minutes later came downstairs in street clothes, carrying her bag in hands, clutching it to her chest.       Looking enthusiastic and eager to get going, she couldn’t hold back her words either. “I’m ready. It’s so great, I get to see Master Kinmaer.”       Kenny wasn’t used to seeing his ward in such a state, it made him tired in an instant and he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Be kind enough to explain to me what you’re talking about.”       The girl came back from her thoughts to the ground and calmly said the main point. “This is Anghel Aaltonen’s apprentice.”       The name was of course familiar to Kenny, you bet, who hasn’t heard the name of this talented weaponsmith, who created the ODMG. The man remembered, that the girl had a little book about the inventor, but he hadn’t read it much. It explained her childish enthusiasm to him. Meanwhile, Kiva continued her train of thought: “The diary doesn’t give a name anywhere, of course, but I learned, that it was Aaltonen who created the gearboxes. In his diary he mentioned his apprentice, Kinmaer. Of course, I learned that he was still alive and living in Industrial City.”       Kenny didn’t share his apprentice’s interest, but he thought it best to give her a chance to fulfill her wish.       There’s nothing wrong with wanting to learn something new. He waved his hand languidly, signaling her to shut up. “All right, just calm down, I’m not interested.”       The girl obediently kept silent, she didn’t want to cause any displeasure, that could make Kenny change his mind. The man nodded contentedly, noting her guesswork, but suddenly grinned, already savoring her next reaction. “We’ll be riding horses, little baby.”       Here he could savor her confusion and poorly concealed excitement. Kenny knew the girl couldn’t ride horses, there was such a gap in her skills. She gave him a look that read: “I’m ready to walk, but not horses.” The man didn’t give her time to think, he stood up and headed for the exit, his mood lifting. “I see you’re ready, let’s go.”       A man with two horses was already waiting for them at the edge of town, still in the afternoon Kenny had hired them. The man left quickly, his work was done, when he handed over the animals. Kenny jumped into the saddle with natural ease, while Kiva stood, shuffling from foot to foot, holding her horse under the reins. Ackerman watched her with a mixture of disdain and mild irritation: “What are you waiting for? If you slow down, you can forget about your intention to visit the Industrial City”       He enjoyed watching the girl crumple, trying to get over her uncertainty, but still climbing onto the horse. She’d never done it before, just repeated a move she’d seen many times before. Sitting in the saddle, intuitively she squeezed the horse’s flanks slightly, her confidence not added to. She cast a glance at Kenny, who sat relaxed on the horse as if he were sitting in his usual chair. Now he was looking at her with condescension and mockery. “You see how easy it is, no harder than slitting a throat,” his tone was soaked in sarcasm. “Everything comes easy to you,” the girl mumbled, wondering if she’d fall off in the first minute or the second. “I’m glad you realize the difference between us, now let’s go.” He steered the horse down the road leading west, leaving the girl behind. That she would figure it out sooner or later and get used to it, he had no doubt, but for now, the whole thing amused him.       The girl’s desire to visit the Industrial City had made only minor adjustments to the original trail. The horses could cover sixty kilometers in a day, then they would stop in that city, giving the horses a rest, then another spurt and they would already be in Krolva. There they would have to act quickly, and then take the same route back. The man turned around, Kiva could be seen about twenty meters behind him and was able to start moving slowly. It wasn’t often that the girl had trouble with anything, so the sight of her tense, obviously cursing to herself, was amusing and satisfying. It showed once more his superiority over her. The road led through picturesque scenery, which the girl hardly noticed, she was too focused on how to stay in the saddle. Her horse trotted, eager to catch up with its friend ahead. Kiva would have cursed aloud, if she hadn’t feared the animal would catch her intonations and react with more acceleration. She couldn’t get used to the swaying yet.       Soon she caught up with the rider ahead of her. The man seemed to be enjoying the ride, relaxed and in a good mood by his standards. His hat saved his eyes from the sun’s rays, the wind stroked his face pleasantly. The girl was not enjoying herself, so Kenny relented and gave her some advice: “Relax your lower back, it will get easier.” The girl didn’t even look at him, concentrating on the horse’s movements, but followed the advice. Soon she began to trust the horse, and felt more confident. But after an hour or two of riding and the initial improper posture, her thighs began to ache, rubbing against the saddle. Kiva patiently endured, trying to distract herself from the discomfort with thoughts of the Industrial City. The place was famous for its independence, where one could find a craftsman for any work. Its inhabitants were not interested in politics and other things, they were absorbed in their favorite business. The City produced blades for scouts, ODMG, cannons against titans, rifles for the guards and other things for the troops.       The material for steel was mined from the northern region of Utopia, and the steel itself was created in the city. No possibility of going to the actual process, but always was an opportunity to visit a craftsmen and see their work. Kiva had heard, that they even sometimes took on apprentices. With all these thoughts, evening came, and they reached the town. The girl was ready to thank Kenny, when he led them to their lodging. A full day in the saddle at a fast trot had finished off the skin on the inside of her thighs. Ackerman had been to this town twice, so he knew, where a good inn was located. While the girl took the horses to the stalls and unsaddled them, Kenny made arrangements with the owner for a room for the night. In silence they ate a meal of some porridge that tasted very bad, but they had both tasted worse.       When they reached the room, the girl took off her unchanged backpack, which was tight against her back, and bent forward, kneading her back. The inside of her thighs ached and pinched. She felt the man’s hands on her back, they lightly massaged her shoulders. A small lump of anxiety inside her stomach; she’d learned to suppress it during all this time, convincing herself almost every time, that nothing bad was happening. Kenny leaned toward her, inhaling the scent from her neck, pulling the girl’s pants. Kiva was ready for the familiar sensation of another man’s body inside her, but for now the man stroked her back pleasantly, kissed her neck suspiciously tenderly, no bites leaving lingering marks on her skin. He was probably really in a good mood, since today he wanted to not only receive pleasure, but also give it.       Kenny bent the girl over on the bed, stroking her buttocks and squeezing them painfully. Kiva obediently rested her hands on the bed, keeping her feet on the floor as she was required to do. She had learned over time, that it was foolish to resist his whims and desires. The man pulled her pants down to her knees, unbuttoned his own, and Kiva felt the touch of his cock against her flesh. He ran his cock along her labia, pulling them apart, rubbing against her clit, placing his palm on her lower back, signaling her to flex more. When he entered her, the girl was even pleased, which was very rare in this manifestation of their lives, the man didn’t care about the girl’s satisfaction, but today was different. He didn’t move roughly, giving them both pleasure. His hands on her waist were not thrusting her on him, as they usually did, but just stroking her, squeezing her pleasantly.       Soon the girl herself was thrusting toward him, unable to hold back a ghostly moan. Kenny began to thrust full length into her, the sudden acceleration making Kiva clutch the sheet in her hands, glad it wasn’t causing a painfully dull sensation in her lower abdomen tonight. Kenny grabbed the hair at the back of her head, forcing her head back. Today he wanted a response from her, so he wasn’t so selfish. A few of her moans of pleasure, not of pain, gave his ego a thrill of delight. Soon he cum on her back and left her young body. The girl stood in an unchanged pose for a while, then straightened up, she was breathing heavily. Suddenly she felt a touch on her back, Kenny was wiping her with a towel. The girl pressed the back of her head against his chest, rubbing herself lightly. The bed was much narrower than the one Ackerman had at home, but tonight the more frequent and denser touches didn’t bother her, and the two of them fell asleep, so unaccustomed to being close to each other.       In the morning they had breakfasted on the same porridge, they had been served for dinner yesterday. Kenny said he was giving the girl a few hours to do her business, and that at one o’clock they would continue their journey to Klorva. Kiva nodded and left the tavern. In the time she was gone, Kenny had time to check on the horses and chat with the owner of the establishment, who was an acquaintance of his. The town was safe, as if its laws reigned supreme. The girl returned early satisfied and excited. Kenny didn’t ask her, how her search had gone. He said farewell to the innkeeper and went to the stalls, where their horses were. The girl groaned, climbing back on her animal. The horses had rested overnight and moved briskly at the set pace. On the second day the girl was calm and correctly stayed in the saddle, only now her chafed thighs were in the way, but it didn’t get worse at least.       In the evening they had already reached the wall of Rosa. This time Kenny was not going to stop somewhere, he wanted to do everything tonight. And so it was. Tying the horses outside of town on a long tether near the river, they made their way into Klorva, the sun was still up and giving its light. They were very lucky, today just today Eisner was meeting someone from the Underground City, so he was not at home, but in one of the hotels with a group of his men. That’s where the two of them went. Kenny didn’t need to explain the plan of action to the girl, she could feel his mood perfectly well. He smiled his creepy grin, his bloodlust in the air. He didn’t give Kiva any instructions on how she should enter the house or how long she should stay in the shadows, so he wanted her to act, he wanted her active cooperation.       When they reached the place, the meeting between Eisner and the bandit Mora of the Underground City had apparently begun. There were twenty people in the room, a motley group divided into two camps. No outsiders were in the house. They were talking quietly, when Kenny stepped inside. A second’s confusion was interrupted by a man with the manners of an Underground City man and headed toward him, nodding a greeting, he stood with his arms crossed over his chest. “Ripper, the boss wasn’t expecting you, leave.” “What a shame you’re the one here, Zack, nothing against Mora.”       Kenny, paying no attention to anyone he knew, made his way to the stairs. He didn’t turn at the sound of a dagger being drawn from its sheath, and stepped onto the first step. Zack wanted to come up and plunge the dagger into the Ripper’s back, but his palm was pierced through.       It was probably only then that everyone noticed the girl, who had been standing by the door, but now held the man’s hand with her knife, preventing him from moving forward. There was regret in her eyes, now that she realized what her role had been this evening. Kenny ignored the slight shriek behind him, the sound of chairs being pushed back, and he walked slowly, inexorably up to the upper room. No one moved, no one yet willing to act openly against the Reaper. Kiva spoke in a calm voice, that had a threat lurking in it: “You can’t get to him that easily.”       Zack would have wanted to twitch, but the girl turned the knife in his palm, causing pain, but he didn’t scream. Only spat out toward Kenny, who had reached the floor landing on the second floor: “Nothing better than dragging your whore here you couldn’t think of, huh?”       Reaper stopped near the door, turned his head slightly, and tossed carelessly: “It would be better for you, if she really was a whore,” he adjusted his hat, a creepy smile lighting up his face. “But to your misfortune, she’s like my shadow.”       With that, he opened the door on the second floor and walked in. Everyone stood there not knowing what to do, however, the confusion of Mora’s bandits was more brief than Eisner’s men. Kiva quickly assessed the situation, the terrain, and began her dirty work.        When Kiva went upstairs, Kenny was already done, he had killed both Eisner and Mora, no one needed witnesses indeed. Ackerman didn’t ask her if everything done was downstairs, he didn’t doubt her, her skills or her loyalty. All the people below were dead. The girl looked tired, it was hard for her to keep up the pace? that allowed her to finish everything on the first floor quickly. She closed the eyes of each one she killed, knowing she wouldn’t sleep if she didn’t. It was one thing to kill in defense, but quite another to take lives on purpose, as had happened today. Kiva lifted a distracted glance at Ackerman, who was sitting in a chair with his feet on the table, where the dead man lay. Kenny looked a little annoyed, and the girl dared to ask: “Found out something?” “Took you a long time there,” he couldn’t resist a caustic comment. “Yes, there is not only the ruling king, but these bastards, turns out, to be a whole family, he even told me that recently the king was replaced.” “More than was previously known.” “But not enough to find and kill the fancy family. Eisner didn’t know any names.”       It was probably the first time Kenny had ever said his intentions out loud.       It didn’t shock the girl, but she pondered the thought. They were silent, she came closer to him and said: “There are two more attempts.”       The man nodded silently. He looked at the girl, found no external injuries, and couldn’t resist another mockery: “Did you decide not to collect marks this time?”        She smiled weakly, lifted her hand in the blood-stained sleeve of someone else’s, and scratched the back of her head. “I had better luck today.”       “And they weren’t all ready,” she added to herself, knowing that such a thing would only provoke Kenny to be aggressive towards her. Indeed, two groups of people unaccustomed to working together were a sorry sight. Her time with Kenny had completely honed her knife skills, and she had someone to look up to. Plus she was pissed off, when they called her a slut. She stood awkwardly still, while Kenny sat back in his chair, and asked uncertainly: “Shall we go?” “Yeah, let’s go.”       The two of them walked out into the deserted street, it was getting dark. The noise of a fight in the inn was not uncommon among the inhabitants.       They went outside the city, found their horses, mounted and headed for a hamlet near Klorva, where they spent the night. Kenny had sex with her, shrugging off the stresses of the day, once again paying attention only to his hunger. But the girl didn’t take offense, she was already overwhelmed with the emotions of the evening. Kenny started to fall asleep afterward, but Kiva interrupted him. She twisted and turned, sometimes raising her head to listen. The girl could not get used to the fact, that in such an area one could hear the rustling of trees, branches touching the roof, hear night birds, other rustles unknown to her. It went on like this for about ten minutes, until Kenny pressed her head into the pillow. “Sleep, there’s no sleepover tomorrow.” “I’m sorry, it’s just… that everything seems to be moving.” “It’s normal here,” he said a little harshly. “Now sleep.”       The next morning they headed toward the Industrial City, expecting to pass through it without stopping this time. Kiva only asked for half an hour to see Kinmaer again. This time Kenny went with her, and watched through the workshop window. The man in his forties was glad to see the girl, even got up to greet her, hugged her cordially. At this point, a twinge of…jealousy moved in Kenny? Maybe. He regarded the girl as his property, and a very profitable acquisition at an additional cost. Until today, he had never seen anyone touch the girl in a friendly way. Kenny didn’t like his things being touched. The master went to the shelf, pulled out a package and handed it to the girl. Kiva hadn’t expected it and looked shocked to the core. Both of them had a good-natured look on their faces, as they talked about something. Ackerman spat under his feet, feeling angry, he couldn’t remember, had he ever seen the girl like this. When Kiva came out, Kenny looked calm on the outside, but on the inside he could barely contain himself. He wanted to give her a good thrashing, but he decided to wait.       The girl glanced at him and read his displeasure, perhaps vaguely understanding his reasons. She froze in indecision, when Kenny asked her a question: “Nothing you want to explain to me, little girl?” “Sorry, you didn’t ask any questions about that.” “I am questioning you now, little one,” his voice was quiet and calm, but that made it all the more frightening.       They got on horseback and rode out of town. Kenny pretended to look at the road, but in fact he was watching the girl’s face from under the brim of his hat, reading every change. Kiva stared thoughtfully in front of her, as she began to narrate. “I handed him the teacher’s journal, I don’t know, what was so valuable in it, but Kinmaer was very happy to see it. He told me, it was very important to him, that Aaltonen had left some of his designs in it.” The girl was silent, they were approaching the borders of the city, Kenny didn’t find any signs of lying, and decided to listen to the girl, after all she hadn’t given any reasons for distrust before. “Funny enough, I only saw the initial sketches of the ODMG there, but Kinmaer assured me, that the teacher had hidden them from view. Next he showed me his work,” she rubbed her cheek in embarrassment, “I was interested in the knives and daggers, of course, and he noticed it.”       The story explained more and more of what he had seen, slowly calming the man’s anger. “We talked about blades, even argued about which blade tilt was better. He also had stilettos, interesting stuff. And as I was leaving, he invited me to stop by one of these days, if I was in town.”       At those words, she reached into her bag and pulled out a roll of cloth, unwinding it carefully. “And today he gave me this,” she threw something toward Kenny       He caught the object, examined it. It was a fine knife with a curved blade.       It was a very well-made weapon, Kenny realized at once. The handle felt good in his hand, comfortable to hold, and the weight was a little heavy, just right. The Reaper twirled it in his hands, noting that it would be much more comfortable to kill with. The girl watched him, knowing the craftsman’s work would please. “It is made with added super strong steel. Keep it, you’ll find a better use for it.”       Kenny looked into her eyes. She didn’t say: “I’m giving it to you,” but they both knew, that she was exactly giving him a gift. Kenny tucked the knife away to his side. “It is a nice piece of work.”       He didn’t say: “Thank you,” but both knew he was thanking her. They rode to Ehrmich’s until evening, occasionally talking about something. The horses were beginning to tire, but Kenny planned to spend the night at his house.       A week had passed, life had taken on a quiet hue again, and they were going about their usual business. A visit to Storn at Orvud was in order, and preparations were in progress. But luck suddenly came where no one expected it. Kiva walked around the market, planning to buy groceries. She was already planning to start shopping, when words came to her ears: “What a surprise, Karon, you’ve come early.” “Don’t tell me, even though I’m early, I’m damn tired.”       A name quickly resonated in her mind, Karon from Shiganshina. Is it the same one? She didn’t turn her head, knowing it would attract attention, but patiently looked at the fruits and vegetables on the counter in front of her. “You should be, you just arrived from Shiganshina last night, it’s scary to be in such a hurry.” “Let’s go to the bar, Martin, I’m thirsty.” The man’s identity was almost confirmed. “Would I dare to miss such a chance?”, of course not. She followed the pair. Karon was probably here incognito. He was dressed in unassuming clothes, and looked no different from an ordinary civilian. So suspicious, and so reassuring. Maybe she would be able to hear something she needed to hear. Right now, the girl was trying to blend in with the flow of people, and not arouse suspicion.       The two men walked into the bar, sat down at a table, ordered drinks. Kiva positioned herself at the counter as close to them as she could, and asked for some wine. She didn’t drink, she pretended to drink, and she tried hard to distinguish their words from the general hum. Sometimes the words got through, sometimes the hum squashed them. They chatted for an hour about something unimportant, before Kiva heard what she wanted to hear. Karen’s interlocutor asked a question. “It’s uncomfortable, when the king tears you down in such a hurry, isn’t it?” “Don’t tell me, and when you get a real letter from Reiss, you say goodbye to your life. But it didn’t go so badly.”       Next they talked about the mission assigned to the current commander of the Scout Corps, but the girl didn’t care that much. Willingly, she learned what she had been trying to find all along. Reiss. It was a surname the girl had never heard of, but not surprising since they were secret monarchs. It was likely, that they were hiding under the guise of an ordinary family, and she didn’t pay much attention to ordinary families.       With an effort of will, she waited about ten minutes and then left the inn. Kiva had time to run to the market, knowing that such a long absence would make Kenny angry, especially if she returned without food. The girl walked into the house carrying a paper bag of groceries, Kenny was sharpening his knives at the time. He was always the only one who did that, leaving only the cleaning of weapons to his ward. Kenny just gave her a look that didn’t bode well for her and went back to his work. Kiva had no doubt that once she said what she had learned, the man’s displeasure would go away. “Well, I’m waiting for your explanation of where you’ve been hanging around for two hours, even though I only let you go for half an hour.”       The girl walked to the table, set her burden down, and answered him with a satisfied look, not missing the opportunity to play a little. “Believe me, my absence is justified.”       Kenny didn’t look at her, twirling the knife in his hand, checking how evenly it was sharpened. The silence dragged on, and only when the man irritably began to get up, did the girl say: “Our family of kings is called Reiss. Most likely.”