cheek, drawing a trickle of red.
“Seems the little lady here was looking for something, D,” the third man said to the Hunter.
Though this was the same person who’d brutally cut down men and women back at the bank, oddly enough there wasn’t an iota of killing lust about him. Even his tone was that of an ordinary man.
“My name is Zenon. I may not be as famous as you, but some folks have heard of me.”
“You were a Hunter of Nobility,” D said in a voice like moonlight. Undoubtedly his sighs would be like the dust the Sandman scattered. “But now you’re known as a bank robber.”
A terrible sadness colored Zenon’s face. “We can discuss that later. There’s something I’d like to ask you.”
“We’ve nothing to discuss,” D said firmly. “Let the girl go.”
“How about joining forces with me?” asked Zenon. His tone was sincere. “As things stand, we’re pinned down. But if we had you along, it’d be a great help.”
“Because you think a dhampir is bound to know about the mercenaries the Nobles made?”
“That’s right,” Zenon said, nodding bashfully.
“More than me, it’s the girl you need. She knows shortcuts and things like that.”
“In that case, you’ll need her too. Let’s work together.”
“What are you asking him like that for, Zenon? I’ll blow one of his arms off, and then he’ll listen to whatever you have to say!” Zack shouted from the loft.
He was clearly mentally unstable. Quick tempered, wild, and impatient, he’d lived the kind of life those things embodied, and ultimately it was that which had brought him into contact with D.
“Simmer down, Zack.”
It wasn’t Zenon that cautioned the rifleman, but rather the man beside him—Yuri Tataika. While not as composed as Zenon, he still remained level headed.
“How in blazes are we supposed to keep cool at a time like this? We’ve got freaking monsters in front of us and behind us! There’s no way in hell of telling when they’ll attack. Now our ace in the hole, Zenon, isn’t worth shit. And to top it all off, we’ve got a party after us.”
“They’re in the same boat we are. Can’t you see that’s why Zenon’s saying we should join forces for the time being?”
“Shut your pie hole! What are you gonna do if they stab us in the back while we’re shaking their hands? Hell, I’ve see the kind of shit bounty hunters pull!”
The finger he had wrapped around the trigger was pulled back as far as it could go.
“Zack!”
The man being addressed simply went ahead and took things to the next level. Screaming like a lunatic, he pulled the trigger—but never finished. As he was shouting, Yuri had fired his crossbow at Zack. Bursting through the floor without losing any of its force, the arrow pierced Zack through the heart and came out his back. Even after the arrow had gone through him, the man’s impetus carried him forward. Like a marathon runner breasting the tape across the finish line, he sailed down to the ground. By the time he landed, he’d already breathed his last.
Letting out a sigh, Zenon said, “Now, I’m not asking you to trust us just because of that, but you’ve got to know we’re talking straight with you.”
“Let the girl go.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Zenon pulled the knife away. Irene ran from him, circling around behind D.
“I went looking for some medicine for Stanza. And then . . .”
“Go back to the others.”
Glaring at D as if he were a cold-hearted beast, the girl began to back away.
After hearing her walk out the door, D asked, “So, what’s this talk of joining forces?”
Relief skimmed across Zenon’s face.
“You’re probably here to bring us in, but we know full well the death penalty’s waiting for us. Sorry, but we’re not going back. All we can do is run. Up ahead, though, the whole area is crawling with monsters. To be honest, we couldn’t cut our way through them on our own. And then along comes you. As soon as I saw your
“Seems the little lady here was looking for something, D,” the third man said to the Hunter.
Though this was the same person who’d brutally cut down men and women back at the bank, oddly enough there wasn’t an iota of killing lust about him. Even his tone was that of an ordinary man.
“My name is Zenon. I may not be as famous as you, but some folks have heard of me.”
“You were a Hunter of Nobility,” D said in a voice like moonlight. Undoubtedly his sighs would be like the dust the Sandman scattered. “But now you’re known as a bank robber.”
A terrible sadness colored Zenon’s face. “We can discuss that later. There’s something I’d like to ask you.”
“We’ve nothing to discuss,” D said firmly. “Let the girl go.”
“How about joining forces with me?” asked Zenon. His tone was sincere. “As things stand, we’re pinned down. But if we had you along, it’d be a great help.”
“Because you think a dhampir is bound to know about the mercenaries the Nobles made?”
“That’s right,” Zenon said, nodding bashfully.
“More than me, it’s the girl you need. She knows shortcuts and things like that.”
“In that case, you’ll need her too. Let’s work together.”
“What are you asking him like that for, Zenon? I’ll blow one of his arms off, and then he’ll listen to whatever you have to say!” Zack shouted from the loft.
He was clearly mentally unstable. Quick tempered, wild, and impatient, he’d lived the kind of life those things embodied, and ultimately it was that which had brought him into contact with D.
“Simmer down, Zack.”
It wasn’t Zenon that cautioned the rifleman, but rather the man beside him—Yuri Tataika. While not as composed as Zenon, he still remained level headed.
“How in blazes are we supposed to keep cool at a time like this? We’ve got freaking monsters in front of us and behind us! There’s no way in hell of telling when they’ll attack. Now our ace in the hole, Zenon, isn’t worth shit. And to top it all off, we’ve got a party after us.”
“They’re in the same boat we are. Can’t you see that’s why Zenon’s saying we should join forces for the time being?”
“Shut your pie hole! What are you gonna do if they stab us in the back while we’re shaking their hands? Hell, I’ve see the kind of shit bounty hunters pull!”
The finger he had wrapped around the trigger was pulled back as far as it could go.
“Zack!”
The man being addressed simply went ahead and took things to the next level. Screaming like a lunatic, he pulled the trigger—but never finished. As he was shouting, Yuri had fired his crossbow at Zack. Bursting through the floor without losing any of its force, the arrow pierced Zack through the heart and came out his back. Even after the arrow had gone through him, the man’s impetus carried him forward. Like a marathon runner breasting the tape across the finish line, he sailed down to the ground. By the time he landed, he’d already breathed his last.
Letting out a sigh, Zenon said, “Now, I’m not asking you to trust us just because of that, but you’ve got to know we’re talking straight with you.”
“Let the girl go.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Zenon pulled the knife away. Irene ran from him, circling around behind D.
“I went looking for some medicine for Stanza. And then . . .”
“Go back to the others.”
Glaring at D as if he were a cold-hearted beast, the girl began to back away.
After hearing her walk out the door, D asked, “So, what’s this talk of joining forces?”
Relief skimmed across Zenon’s face.
“You’re probably here to bring us in, but we know full well the death penalty’s waiting for us. Sorry, but we’re not going back. All we can do is run. Up ahead, though, the whole area is crawling with monsters. To be honest, we couldn’t cut our way through them on our own. And then along comes you. As soon as I saw your
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