Chương 104: Book 2 Chapter 56 - A Night Out

Kiara watches as a dense, white mist began rising from the ground around Kane, in a large enough area to include the entire group of guards blockading the exit. A small, protective bubble formed around Kaira and her group, keeping the mist away from them. Even so, Kiara felt the temperature begin dropping substantially from the mist. Dangerous, red streaks of light began flashing throughout the mist. The mist rose inch by inch, and the temperature continued to drop in response.

By the time it reached mid-calf, the tier 3s face had paled, and he stepped to the side, gesturing for the guards to make a path.

"My apologies, Lord Kane," he said, bowing low. He gestured to the path through the guards.

"By all means." The protective bubble around Kiara and her group moved with them, keeping them safe from the mist as they left. The red flashes of light in the mist seemed to seek out those closest to Kane, swarming their position until they fell to the ground, shaking. Kiara watched in fascination as many of the tier 1 guards succumbed. The tier 2s protected themselves a bit better, avoiding the worst of it.

Once they were past the group of guards, the mist slowly settled back into the ground, and the guards rushed to aid their fallen comrades.

"They'll be fine," Kane said conversationally as they walked. A smirk tugged at his lips though, he had clearly enjoyed himself.

"A few of them might not walk for a couple of days, but they'll recover." The faces of those around Kiara were already scared, and his comments made them more so. Noticing this, Kiara smacked Kane on the arm lightly.

"Shush, you're scaring everyone." He raised an eyebrow at her, then glanced at where she had smacked him, a playful smile forming on his face.

"My apologies, Lady Yountal." She once again glanced at this hair. The salt and pepper color hinted at an age that his face didn't reflect. She idly wondered how old he was. He escorted them the entire way back to Kiara's estate. Once they made it out of the Benson district, she had relaxed considerably. The number of roving guards with torches and magic light crystals had decreased considerably. They only encountered a few more groups directly, but they all scattered once Kane exuded his aura.

Once they reached the estate, Kane stopped outside the gates as Kiara and the group made their way inside. She had grown accustomed to his presence throughout the walk back, which took the better part of half an hour, and was surprised when he stopped. She turned to face him.

"Would you like to come in?" He smiled gently, but shook his head.

"I'd better not. Instead, once you've helped these people settle in, would you care to come back out with me, and take a stroll through the city? I'd like to talk for a bit, if you're willing." Oh? Kiara wondered what he wanted to talk about. She glanced around at the darkness. It was getting late, but it did sound fun. Exciting, even. She would have felt entirely safe on her own out in the city, especially after her tier 3 upgrade, but with the added security of Kane's presence, she was sure they'd be fine.

More than fine, now that they wouldn't have eight precious cargo to keep track of. She smiled at him.

"Sure, I'd love to. It might take some time to get everyone settled, though, are you sure you don't want to come in?" He smiled back at her. The juxtaposition of the incredible sense of danger radiating off him plus the ever-present predatory gleam in his eyes mixed with his recent behavior toward her and concern for her and her group tonight thrilled her. That smile was intoxicating in a dangerous way.

"I'll wait out here," he replied.

"I don't mind." She nodded to him, then led the group towards the house. She found Dustin and Helga in the dining hall, helping others get settled for the night. Helga waved when they entered, and waved them over to where the large table had been pushed against one wall. The table was filled with delicious snacks, and a large pot of soup, still warm. She immediately began fussing over the new arrivals, dishing out healthy portions for them all.

She paid special attention to the Jensen's daughter and the Horton's young child, making them feel instantly welcome. Dustin gave Kiara a tired but satisfied smile.

"You got them." Kiara nodded.

"It was tricky. You wouldn't believe it, but… Kane actually helped me get them out." Dustin scratched the side of his head with a confused look on his face.

"Kane Vondeer? Is there another Kane I don't know about?" Kiara nodded.

"I know, it surprised me, too."

"Did he say why?" Kiara shook her head.

"No, but he escorted us all the way here. He's still out there, actually, I'm gonna head back out and talk to him for a bit." Stolen novel; please report. Dustin pushed through his tiredness to immediately enter problem-solving mode.

"Got it. I'll alert Jaden to be extra vigilant, and you can take Zoey with you."

"No," Kiara cut in.

"I'm going alone. He just wants to talk." Dustin gave her a worried look.

"That man is dangerous, Shian. Don't underestimate him."

"I know," she said, her response a bit more wistful and dreamy than she had intended. She quickly cleared her throat to cover it up.

"Anyways, it looks like you had success today as well?" Dustin nodded, gracefully ignoring the tone of her response.

"Indeed. We were able to contact every one of our employees here in Easton, and most of them took us up on our offer. A few preferred to stay in their own homes, mostly those that are far from the current trouble. I assured them that the offer remained open to them if they changed their minds. We're still working on acquiring enough cots and tents for everyone, but tomorrow or the next day should get us where we need to be on that front."

"Thanks, Dustin," Kiara said gratefully, resting her hand lightly on his shoulder.

"I couldn't do any of this without you." She paused, then added.

"You're all good here if I head back out?" He nodded.

"Be careful." * Kane walked quietly next to Shian, just enjoying her company. Life was good. The contract was on the verge of being fulfilled, and things were in motion now that couldn't be stopped. The tension between the three large factions in Easton had already reached the boiling point, and had begun to boil over a few days ago. Kane had helped urge each faction on, pushing in the right places at the right times to stoke the fires.

He had fabricated events when needed, just to get everyone's engines started, then helped guide their energies in the right directions to ensure the conflict would build to this point. A small-scale war was now underway in the city, even if all of the factions didn't know it yet. Lord Goren's faction was ready, and Kane had it on good authority that they had even found a tier 4 of their own to come down from Portish to help in their fight.

Kane knew the man they were bringing in, and while he wasn't nearly as strong as Kane, he was still a tier 4, and would give Lord Goren's party a definitive edge against the other two factions. Not that it mattered. The entire purpose of this turmoil was simply to weaken the powerful houses of Easton. They were now at each others' throats, and within a few weeks they would be reduced to remnants of what they were before this all began.

In their weakened state, they would be ready to submit to Baron Norshod's rule again, and would likely welcome the ensuing peace and stability that would follow him taking the reins of Easton once again. All according to plan. Kane had told the baron to simply stay out of the way, and he would orchestrate everything. Thankfully, the baron had listened, and Kane's plan had come together flawlessly. It was honestly one of his better missions, a testament to his brilliance, power, and experience.

Elsa Undril and the Silver Serpent Clan would be very happy with these results. A few days ago, he would have hesitated to share any of this with Shian, for fear that she might disrupt it somehow, jeopardizing the mission. Now, though, everything was too far along for anyone to stop. He could speak openly with her, and that felt liberating. He was drawn to her in a way he had never experienced before. Ever since he was little, the clan had been his family, his life, the only thing he knew.

At first, training and personal progress was everything. Then, once he gained his power, they started entrusting him with missions. He had participated first as part of a small team, reporting to a team lead, and then as a team lead himself. Once he had proved his competence, and had advanced to tier 4, Elsa had appointed him as her specialist, someone who operated above the normal team structure. He reported directly to the councilwoman herself, a position of extreme trust. One that he had earned.

The mission was everything, the only thing he knew. And yet, Shian Yountal was intriguing. He found himself thinking about her at random times, and for no particular reason as well, something that had never happened to him before. He liked the fire in her eyes. Her spunk. Her reaction to his presence and aura when he had first arrived in town. He liked how she spoke her mind, and wasn't scared to tell him how she felt, or what she was thinking.

Most people were too scared of him to interact with him so familiarly, and her interactions had sparked a growing interest in his chest. When those thoughts of her came unbidden to his mind, he felt warm, happy, and even excited to see her again. His loyalty was to the clan. It had to be, and he wanted it to be. He knew that, so he hadn't let those thoughts distract him from the mission. He had carried it out to perfection. Now that his part was done though, he was letting himself let loose a little.

He wanted to be frank with Shian, tell her how he felt, and see if she felt similarly. Would she accept him for who he was? Or would she be appalled at the things he had done, and would continue to do for the clan? That was the part he wasn't sure about. That was the part he needed an answer to. He hoped she would be accepting. He yearned for it in a way he couldn't explain. Something about her felt familiar to him, reminded him of himself in a way.

Either way though, regardless of her reaction, after tonight he would have his answer. He would either be able to get to know her better, or he would know it was a waste of time, and he could put her out of his mind. Elsa still hadn't found out any more information about House Yountal, so there was a certain element of care that he needed to take with Shian, but surely she couldn't fault him for honesty. He would simply tell her how he felt, explain his part in the Easton conflict, and see how she reacted.

It was so simple in his mind, but he found himself hesitating. If she couldn't accept him for who he was, and hated him after this, he wanted to at least enjoy this moment for a bit longer before telling her everything. The temperature was pleasant, and a light breeze tousled her hair as he glanced her way. He smiled, and she shyly smiled back. They had been walking for a few minutes now, and Kane realized that subconsciously he had been taking her somewhere specific without even realizing it.

Towards the Norse storage facilities. Kane had burned the first one down, months ago, and pinned it on the Henitons. The Henitons thought that Lord Goren had framed them, but now they were taking strides of their own to continue the legacy. They had plans to destroy a few more of the Norse warehouses tonight.