Rain fell in thin lines, steady and cold. The air tasted of metal and smoke in Hollowshade, streets twisted like veins, alleyways disappeared into shadows. Vendors spoke in low voices, buyers kept their heads down. Marla Dren moved fast, her coat hood stayed low, hiding the sharp points of her ears. She was half-elf. Half-bloods were common in Veyrun, but rare in Hollowshade. She carried a small wooden case under her arm, inside was a vial of elven blood which was worth way more than what most people in Hollowshade earned in a month.
While walking, she noticed two Blood Hunters leaned against a wall up ahead. They wore dark coats marked with a pair of distinct red thread at the cuffs, their eyes following her as she passed by, Marla's hand gripping the case tighter. A merchant at the corner waved her over. He sold bottled rainwater and burnt herbs in his stall. "You're late," he said, "Traffic," she replied almost instantly. He tapped the table twice which meant 'lemme see', she placed the case right on the table, he took it immediately and slid it under the counter without taking a peek inside. From beneath the table, he pulled a small bag that made a coin-filled sound. "Here", he said as he gave it to her, then Marla reached for it hesitantly.
Just then, a shadow passed behind her, "Stop," a man's voice said. The Blood Hunters had crossed the street, one stood to her left, and the other to her right. "Routine inspection," the taller one said, Marla kept her face still, fear racing through her mind, "I'm here for herbs", the shorter Hunter leaned closer, his nose twitched, "You smell wrong". The merchant stepped back, "Stop this nuisance, my stall is licensed". The taller Hunter grabbed the case from under the counter and opened it, the vial inside glowed faintly, pale gold.
"It looks Elven," the Hunter said, "And that's private stock," the merchant said, cutting him off. The shorter Hunter looked at her with a grin on his face, which could be interpreted as 'this would be fun', "Illegal stock you mean". Tension rose a little as Marla shifted her weight, with her right hand reaching for the knife under her coat, the taller Hunter noticed this and quickly moved his hand to his weapon, ready for any move she might pull.
A loud crack split the air and sparks rained down from the sky, getting everyone's attention as they looked up. A floating cargo skiff roared overhead, one of its engines on fire with smoke trailing it as it dropped toward the east side of Hollowshade. The Hunters glanced at each other as they spoke in unison, "fuck!", they stepped back, keeping the vial. "We'll deal with this later," the shorter one said as they vanished into the crowd. The merchant hissed at her, "you lost it", Marla's jaw tightened, "I'll get it back". She turned toward the east, the falling skiff had vanished behind the rooftops. Somewhere out there, the Blood Hunters walked with her payment. "Somewhere out there, something else had caused that skiff to fall", she said as she started moving.
She moved through the market crowd, as people pointed toward the east, speaking in fast bursts. "Fire!", someone shouted, "smoke near the docks", another mentioned. "The city's air traffic was strict, a skiff going down meant trouble", she said said to herself while keeping her hood up, her boots splashed through shallow puddles as she passed stalls selling dried fish, rusted charms, and jars of preserved animal eyes. "Hey which way is…", she was asking a resident as a child ran past her. "No worries the child's got that covered, I'll just follow him". The smell of burnt metal grew stronger, a narrow stairway led to the rooflines, she then took it two steps at a time. At the top, the wind hit her, she could see across Hollowshade from here. The skiff had actually crashed near the edge of the Blood Market, close to the old tram station, flames flickered against the dark "damn", she spoke softly.
She dropped back down into the streets and pushed on. Two children ran past her, laughing, one carried a broken skiff part like a trophy, "oh boy this is probably gonna sell for alot", " no mine is you dummy". She turned into a lane lined with boarded-up shops, there, a man with blackened teeth leaned in a doorway, watching her.
Near the station, the crowd was thick. People stood in a loose ring around the crash. The skiff's hull was split open, steam rising from the inside. They watched as the city's Enforcers in gray armor moved through the scene, pushing onlookers back. "Hey, move it, move it", "coming through", "what's all the commotion". One of their voices cut through the noise. "Hey you, Hood down." Marla froze, an Enforcer was staring at her. His face was hidden behind a half-mask, "Identification," he said. She pulled her hood back slowly, "Marla Dren. Veyrun quarter", she said as he scanned her face, then tapped a device on his wrist.
"You're clear," he said. "Stay out of the way". She nodded and stepped back, but her eyes stayed on the wreck, something was wrong, the damage didn't match a simple engine failure as the hull was pierced in three clean points, there were burn marks that flared outward from them.
A man near the wreck was crouched, sketching the damage on a paper pad. He wore a long brown coat, patched at the elbows. His hair was cut short on one side, long on the other. He glanced up and caught her looking, "You're in the way," he said. "I'm not near you," she replied. "You're near my line of sight," he said, his voice was flat. "That still counts." He then stood up and walked past her, his coat brushed her arm, "Stay away from the Hunters", he said quietly. Her pulse kicked up, "and what does that mean?" He passed her but didn't answer and by the time she turned he had already melted into the crowd.
The Enforcers started clearing the area, but as Marla turned to leave, movement caught her eye, under a broken panel of the skiff's side, something glowed faintly. She slipped around the crowd, crouched low, and reached in. Her fingers closed around a small metal cube, it was warm, with lines of gold light pulsing along its edges. She made sure no one was looking as she hid it in her coat and walked away fast.
The streets grew quieter as she left the crash behind, she cut through an alley, passing stacks of empty barrels. A shadow moved ahead, it was the shorter Blood Hunter, he stepped out, blocking her path. He twirled the vial of elven blood between his fingers as he gave off a grin, "You didn't run far enough". Marla's hand slid to her knife, "You'll give that back!" she said, his smile widened, "no", "you're going to follow me instead, someone wants to meet you." Footsteps sounded behind her, the taller Hunter was now there also. She felt the cube in her coat pocket, warm against her ribs, and within her, she knew this wasn't about the blood anymore. The shorter Hunter tilted his head toward the east, "Let's go," he said. They led her through back lanes, just a few people walked here, those who did stepped aside when they saw the Hunters. The sound of the rain faded as they moved under covered walkways, they stopped at a door with no sign, the taller Hunter reached out and knocked twice, then once more.
A slit opened and a pair of yellow eyes looked out, the door unlocked. Inside, the air was thick with incense, a round table sat in the center lit by a single hanging lamp. Three people waited there, the one in the middle spoke first.
"Marla Dren, I see you've been busy lately", the tone of his voice was straightforward. He was a man with pale skin, dressed in a simple black suit, his hair slicked back with his ears pointed.
Marla stayed silent as he nodded to the shorter Hunter who then placed the vial on the table. "I take it this is yours huh", the man said, "But I'm more interested in something else." He leaned forward with a curious look, his eyes were the same yellow as the ones in the door. "A cargo skiff went down tonight, some cargo is missing". Marla kept her face still, "I was near the wreck", "and you left with something?," the man said. "Give it to me", the Hunters stepped closer, the air felt heavier, she took out the cube and set it on the table. The man's eyes narrowed, "do you know what this is?" She shook her head in response. He stepped closer, tapping the cube, the gold lines flared brighter, then dimmed almost instantly. "This is not city tech", "It's older, dangerous in the wrong hands." He looked at her again, asking more seriously this time, "Where did you see it?", "in the wreck," she said. "Under a panel", the man sat back, "you'll take it to someone for me", "You'll do it tonight."
"Huh!" "Why me?" she asked, "because," he said, "you're not important enough to be noticed, and you're smart enough not to ask more questions." "Aren't you?", he said, sliding the cube back to her, "deliver it to a man named Cain, Glimmer Heights, east quarter", "You'll find him in a place called the Mirror Bar", "you gotta do it before dawn." She shook in her boots as he walked toward her, he stopped in front of her, leaning towards her ear as he whispers, "I trust you won't fail me". The taller Hunter pushed the vial toward her. "Payment," he said. She tried to object but met with his threatening stare, she took the vial, slipped it into her coat, and left without another word.