The fugitive sorcerer crossed through the shadow-infested alleyway, his dark eyes flitting back and forth with the casual paranoia of a man who had lived his entire life on the run. In many parts of the world he would have been treated like a living god, but here in Vorsalos, the crown jewel of the Shattered Coast, his gifts only made him prey.
My
prey, specifically. And it was long past time for my hunt to begin.
I crept along the edge of the rooftop above him, the soft patter of my footfalls completely drowned out by the rain. I had no trouble following him when he dipped into an adjacent alley and vanished into the rising fog. I knew precisely where he was going, for one, but even if he unexpectedly changed his route I didn't need my eyes to track him. His Aether-infused blood was like a beacon in the darkness; I could actually
feel
the latent magical energy pumping through his veins. If I ever got close enough, I would probably be able to smell it, too. My mouth was already watering at the prospect of a fresh meal.
You're better than this, Valuri. Keep your hunger under control—if he commands half the power you think he does, you'll be able to sate yourself soon enough.
Grinning in anticipation, I vaulted from one rooftop to another. The sorcerer emerged from the fog exactly where I knew he would, and I continued my pursuit. I had been stalking him for almost a week now, and I had already memorized his habits and routines. Last night he had spent his entire evening drinking and gambling at one of the seedy taverns on the edge of the district, but tonight he would be visiting the brothel. Once inside, he would meet up with a blonde whore named Rayna, share a glass of wine with her at the bar, and then take her back to her room and fuck her senseless. He would emerge a few hours later, drained and drunk, before stumbling back to his home in the cistern.
If I hadn't known anything else about him, I would have assumed the sorcerer was every bit as pathetic as the other dregs infesting this part of the docks. But he wasn't actually a drunk or a whoremonger—at least not during the day. He spent the vast majority of his time as a healer-for-hire aiding the many children, immigrants, and refugees who had nowhere else to go. Devoted worship of the gods was rare in Vorsalos, making the demand for magical healing incredibly high. A sorcerer with the proper skills could make piles and piles of coin, assuming he offered his services to the rich and powerful. This man did not.
Not anymore, at least.
The brothel is just around the corner. It's now or never.
I took a deep breath and braced myself as the sorcerer made a final turn into yet another alley. He would be completely alone and isolated for the next half a minute or so, which meant it was finally time for me to strike. I drew the slender crossbow from the holster on my left hip and mentally counted off the seconds until he passed beneath me. Once I was staring directly down at his head, I vaulted off the roof and dropped down behind him—
At which point he whipped around, sank into a crouch, and shot me with a crossbow I hadn't realized he'd been holding.
The bolt pierced my leather armor with ease, and the sheer force of its impact ruined my carefully-planned fall. I landed flat on my back in a deep puddle, and my skull cracked the cobblestone hard enough that my vision went back. I clutched my chest and cried out in pain, shocked at just how much blood was already hemorrhaging from the wound. Any normal human woman would have bled out on the street in a matter of minutes...but thankfully, I wasn't a normal human woman.
I was a Senosi Huntress.
Clenching my jaw, I ripped the bolt from my chest and leaned up just as the sorcerer sprinted clear of the alley and lunged into the street. My vision was clouded and my head was still spinning, but I wasn't worried. I plucked one of the slender green crystals from my belt and crushed it in my palm. My Senosi hunger greedily devoured the latent magic energy stored within, and the pain in my head and stomach faded away.
"Clever boy," I said, glancing over at the sorcerer's discarded crossbow. Hunts were always more interesting when the prey put up a fight; I would have been genuinely disappointed if I had taken him down so easily.
Flipping back to my feet, I rushed into the street and did my best to ignore the panicked shouts of the people when they spotted my glowing green eyes. If they hadn't known I was a Huntress before, they certainly did now. The demonic visage we gained after feeding was genuinely terrifying. If only we could grow real wings...
I raced forward at superhuman speed, dodging or leaping over anything that got in my way. I felt more than saw the sorcerer duck into a side street, but rather than follow him I vaulted up onto another rooftop and tried to cut him off instead. He didn't shoot me with another concealed crossbow when I landed this time, though he did whirl around and blast a pile of nearby refuse with a jet of sorcerous flame. The smoke stung my eyes and slowed my pursuit more than the actual heat. Gritting my teeth in frustration, I rushed forward and tackled him from behind, knocking him flat against the ground.
But he still didn't relent. He slipped out of my grip as much from luck as actual skill, and he drew a dagger from somewhere in his boot and plunged it into my chest. Blood rushed up in my throat, but this time my strength didn't falter when he attempted to run away. I wrenched the dagger from his grip, slammed him against the nearest building, and clutched my fingers around his neck.
"Not bad," I said, spitting a wad of blood on the pavement. "Not bad at all."
"Vampire bitch," he hissed. "Just get it over with!"
"You misunderstand. I'm not going to kill you, sorcerer...not yet, anyway." I tightened my grip enough that he had to wheeze for air but not enough to actually choke him. "Your name is Jorem Farr, yes? The same Jorem Farr who used to work for the Lecasi Brotherhood?"
"What?" he rasped.
"The Lecasi Brotherhood," I repeated. "You used to run errands for them in exchange for protection from the Inquisitrix. But I heard you had a bit of a falling out with the boss, and now you've gone independent. Is that true?"
As his face twisted in confusion, I quickly glanced around to see if anyone was close enough to listen. Thankfully, the commoners were so terrified of me that they were giving us a wide berth. I needed to be careful. If my Senosi sisters found out what I was planning, even through word of mouth...
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he spat.
"Of course you do," I said. "Sobren Lecasi, the Brotherhood kingpin responsible for every petal of lotus in this city...you've done plenty of business with him in the past, and I bet you know exactly where I can find him now. If you help me out, the Inquisitrix might be willing to show you mercy."
"Get fucked, you heartless cunt," he spat.
I sighed. "Disappointing, but not unexpected. Men are always defiant at first. Perhaps you just need a bit more time to think about it." I squeezed hard enough that he finally started to asphyxiate in earnest. "I'm trying to help you, Mister Farr. None of my sisters would be this merciful, I promise. I'm doing you a favor."
I threw him to the ground. While he choked and gasped for air, I drew my second crossbow and inspected the poison-tipped bolt.
