Manhunt

Unexpected company

Ryiah was on high alert, gazing out the window which confused poor Cassair even more with her odd behaviour. He sat on the bed watching Ryiah, who stood in front of her bedroom window while biting her nails.

”Are you alright?” 

Cassair questioned, his brows knitted together. He was puzzled and curious about this Ciroc fellow because of the way Ryiah was acting. It was the exact opposite of his sister's behaviour when she told him about the encounter. His sister was excited, while Ryiah seemed to be anxious. 

But then again, Cassair´s sister didn´t know Ciroc, but Ryiah seemed to know him.

Makes him wonder what kind of guy Ciroc is.

Ryiah glanced at him absentmindedly with her thumbnail between her teeth. She didn´t want Cassair to know that Charon being in the city made her so nervous. 

If Cassair were to know anything about this, he would be a grave danger, Ryiah did not want to put him through that. So, she kept quiet, shifting her gaze back toward the window.

“Is this Ciroc someone you know?” He kept pushing on, much to Ryiah´s irritation.

Curse kids and their never-ending curiosity.

“It's not your concern.” Ryiah deadpanned, clenching her raised hand.

“I think it is my concern since you look on edge. And if there’s a danger that threatens this district, then as it’s guardian I need to know about it.” Cassair chimed, his entire face lit up with a wide grin. 

Cassair´s enthusiastic behaviour was slowly ticking her off.

Ryiah snapped her gaze toward Cassair, her glare holding a warning. This boy was seriously testing her nerves. 

But before she could say anything, Cassair beat her to it.

“Ooh! Jackpot! You do know him! How I wonder?” Cassair grinned, a smug look on his face.

Ryiah tilted her head slightly.

“I´m not talking about this with you. You are 8 years old.”

“8 and a half!” Cassair stated, clearly offended while crossing his arms. Ryiah merely raised her brow at that.

“My apologies.” she mused, turning her gaze back to the window. Hearing Cassair huffing in annoyance made Ryiah smirk.

 But she was adamant to tell him nothing. It would be safer for him and Nana if Charon came to this part of the city looking for her.

Ryiah frowned.

Now that she thought about it calmly, she wasn´t entirely sure she was the reason Charon was in Carran. It might have been just a coincidence that he was here, but on the other hand, Ryiah didn´t believe in coincidences.

She knew her past would come after her, eventually. Running her hand over her face, Ryiah let out a sigh when she heard the front door being opened. Since she locked the door, it couldn´t be anyone else but Nana who came in. Ryiah doubted Nana had given a spare key to anyone. Well, except maybe Cassair because by the looks of it he practically lived here. 

And after what Nana had told her about the boy last night, Ryiah concluded this place was Cassair´s getaway haven when things went bad at home.

Cassair wasn´t very talkative about his family, which made Ryiah guess it wasn´t that good but it wasn´t that bad either. Why else would he go back home when Nana was more than happy to keep him around?

With a shrug, Ryiah discarded the thought. It wasn´t her problem how things were in Cassair´s family. 

She had enough problems of her own. Groaning quietly, Ryiah decided that she needed to find out exactly why Charon was in town so she could determine how she could carry on her mission without disturbances.

“So, are you still going to give me an answer?” Cassair pointed out, moping like a five-year-old. Ryiah gave him a dismissive side glance. 

For most people, the look would have told them Ryiah didn´t have any intention to answer the question, but Cassair wasn´t most people.

“I´m going to keep guessing until you answer it. Was he your lover? Boyfriend?...Husband?” Cassair stretched the last word intentionally with a smirk. 

Rolling her eyes, Ryiah turned to face the boy crossing her arms.

“I will not have this conversation with an eight-year-old.”

“And a half.” Cassair corrected with a huff.

“Let me rephrase that. I am not having an adult conversation with a kid.”

“My, my, you are in a touchy mood today, aren’t you” Cassair mumbled but flashed a smile in Ryiah´s direction before turning his attention toward the door hearing footsteps on the staircase.

“And you are the reason for it,” Ryiah growled back, following Cassair´s line of sight with a frown.

They both watched as Nana walked in, staring at them with a look which shot shivers through Cassair´s spine, but Ryiah merely raised her brows.

“Which one of you locked the door?” Nana asked.

Before Ryiah could answer, Cassair was pointing at her, his eyes wide open and mouth agape.

“She did.”

Nana shifted her gaze to Ryiah who was rolling her eyes but met Nana's stare unwaveringly.

“Why?” Nana questioned, standing at the doorway with an angry mother pose, fists on her hips.

For such a tiny person Nana could be quite an intimidating person when she wanted to, but Ryiah refused to cower under the elderly woman's glare. Thinking of an answer, Ryiah settled for the most obvious one. Any sane person would react the same way when hearing news such as she had heard.

“I heard someone from my past is in the city. I and this person aren´t exactly friends, so locking the door was a logical thing to do.” Ryiah shrugged, but Nana didn´t look convinced. The old lady tapped her foot on the floor and Ryiah glanced at it, amused for a moment.

So, the explanation wasn´t enough for Nana after all.

Sighing, Ryiah dropped her crossed arms to her side, glancing out the window. It had been so long since she minded her manners in front of someone who wasn´t trying to kill her. She reminded herself she was in Nana's home because the old lady allowed her to be there. It served no one if Ryiah was being snappy at her host. 

Ryiah met Nana's gaze one more time, carefully picking out the right words so she wouldn't reveal too much.

“This person isn´t a particularly nice one. I reacted from pure instinct and rushed to lock the door. I figured you had a key so you could get in.”

Nana's brows shot up, her mouth slightly open as she stared at Ryiah.

“Riona, what kind of people have you got involved with?” Nana asked, concern clear in her voice. 

“Unfriendly kind,” Ryiah stated calmly, watching as Nana inhaled sharply.

“The less you know, the better. I'll leave soon enough hopefully before they can figure out I´m here. You'll be safe.” 

Ryiah looked sternly at Cassair and Nana, who shared a worried gaze before looking at Ryiah. 

But her tone of voice left no room for arguing.

“Isn't it dangerous for you to be alone in a big city like Carran right now?” Nana whispered Ryiah’s expression softened a little. She was taken aback at the show of pure concern from Nana. 

It was an experience Ryiah hadn´t got used to and for a slight moment; she struggled to stay composed.

“Don´t worry about me. Because of the history we share, it allows me to keep one step ahead.”

Hopefully... Ryiah added in her mind, seeing Nana's brows knitted together and her lips forming a thin line.

Ryiah turned her back on Nana, showing this conversation was over for now. With a heavy sigh, Nana accepted it and motioned Cassair to follow her as she walked out the room.

Cassair chewed his lower lip, glancing at Ryiah who stared out of the window deep in thought.

Hopping off the bed, Cassair scurried after Nana, millions of questions running through his mind, but Ryiah was giving off such negative energy he thought better not to ask any of them. For now.

Hearing Cassair descending the stairs, Ryiah looked over her shoulder to make sure she was alone in the room. 

Walking up to the bed, she lifted the black jeans, studying them for a second. 

The jeans looked a little slack from the waist, but it could be fixed with a belt. 

Humming Ryiah stripped and dressed quickly, thinking she should go shopping now before heading back to the centre where the House of Valor was located.

She needed her weapons back and a plan to find out why Charon was in this city without him learning she was spying on him.

Putting on a worn-out jacket, Ryiah glanced at herself in the mirror, grimacing slightly. The clothes didn´t fit as nicely as she wanted and, to be honest, wasn´t her style at all, but it was better than nothing.

Turning around, Ryiah exited the room heading downstairs when she remembered she needed to visit the bank too. During the ordeal with Bernand, Ryiah had lost all her credit cards and she didn´t have any cash. It was a minor hiccup, but it still irritated her. She thanked her lucky stars she had kept her alter ego ID card inside of her boot when Bernand had caught her.

A trick she had learned from Griffin.

For an assassin, it was a good idea to create not only a fake identity but also a bank account for that fake identity. An assassin never knew when it would come in handy and possibly could save one's life.

This was one of those times.

“I´m heading out!” Ryiah announced, reaching for the doorknob.

Opening the door, she vaguely heard Nana's and Cassair´s replies from the kitchen but she wasn´t that interested to stop to listen to what they said.

The door slammed close behind her as Ryiah stepped onto the patio. She closed her eyes and inhaled the fresh air. 

With a quiet hum, Ryiah opened her eyes, looking at the street ahead of her, a small smile tugging to her lips. It was peaceful, although neighbourhood children ran around, cheerful laughter echoing through the air.

Descending the few steps, Ryiah headed toward the other end of the Midtown Kiodri so she could get to district North Rimoc where House of Valo was located. 

First, she needed to find the bank before she could do some shopping.

Walking down the street, Ryiah planned in her mind how to get her weapons back. It was going to be tricky, but she wasn´t too worried. Most likely Bernand kept them in the weaponry which was in the basement floor near the archives. All those years ago when Ryiah spent time in House of Valor with Griffin, she learned quickly how to navigate in the enormous building and she still remembered the mental map she had developed back then.

The sand rustled underneath her sneakers as Ryiah briskly approached the crossroad where the main street divided. One led out of the district, the other guided deeper in the heart of Midtown Kiodri. The wind blew past her, sending the hair twirling around her head, blocking Ryiah´s vision for a moment.

With a groan, Ryiah raked a hand through her hair fully knowing it did little to help, but she didn´t have anything on her to tie the unruly hair. 

“Kingdom for a hat…” she muttered, turning left, ignoring the curious glances from the citizens as she passed them by. No doubt they knew every family who lived here, and she was someone they had never seen before, and with that in mind Ryiah sped up to avoid anyone from stopping her to ask questions.  

~ ~ ~

The main street of district North Rimoc in central Carran was busy as people hurried to their workplaces while speaking on the phones or chatting whoever was walking with them. For Ryiah, it was perfect. She blended nicely in the sea of people and no one paid attention to her.

A grand building came to her view with a sign that said Elite Financial Services when Ryiah turned around the corner. Walking closer, she gazed at the bank with a blank expression, letting her gaze roam over the facade.

From the outside, the building looked posh and extravagant. The bank was built with wheat-coloured bricks and had red pine wooden decorations. Tall, large windows were added very asymmetrically to the overall style of the building.

Its red front double doors were high and heavy when Ryiah pulled the right door open with a small grunt.

“Why do they always make these damn doors so heavy?” Ryiah mumbled to herself, thinking of the elderly people who would have difficulties to open those doors.

Stepping in, Ryiah was greeted with quite the sight. The lobby alone was glamorous and huge. Spiral, white marble staircase with redwood railings led to the second and third floors.

On the first floor were customer services for normal customers, second and third floors they reserved for business partners and customers.

Seeing she wouldn´t have to wait in the line for a very long time, Ryiah settled on the left line not bothering to look at the right line and what kind of people were standing there. She just wanted to get in, take care of her business and get out.

Hands tucked inside her jacket's pockets, Ryiah stared absentmindedly ahead when she suddenly felt as if someone was watching her. Frowning, Ryiah shifted her gaze to her right and froze almost immediately.

Bright blue eyes stared at her intently, almost piercing her skull. She knew to whom those blue eyes belonged to.

“f**k me.” Ryiah breathed out quietly, swallowing hard. Charon's lips curled into a devious smile when he saw recognition in her eyes.

An elderly lady in front of Ryiah turned to look at her with a very disapproving manner when she heard Ryiah´s quiet cursing. Ryiah glanced at her, raising her brow in question. The lady huffed, irritated and turned back to stare in front while Ryiah shifted her gaze with a frown to Charon who was still watching her.

Ryiah thanked God Cian for bumping into Charon in a crowd because she felt relatively safe right now. Charon wasn´t stupid to try anything out in an open in front of witnesses. But the way Charon stared at her baffled her because it wasn´t threatening or malevolent.

The look he gave her was, for lack of a better word, curious. He looked relaxed, and that boyish smile on his face couldn’t be anything but cute.

Why would an assassin who was after her, look at her like that?

Ryiah nipped at her lower lip furiously, trying to figure out why Charon was in the city while holding his gaze.

Charon tilted his head, his smile turning into a one-sided smirk. He knew Ryiah´s mind worked in overdrive but he wasn´t going to reveal in here why he was in Carran.

Charon was quite surprised to see another assassin in the city, and he certainly was pleasantly surprised to learn it was Ryiah.

She had a reputation of a skilled warrior and merciless killer. None of her targets lived to tell the tale of her. But Ryiah had a moral code for not agreeing to kill children, they were innocent for their parents' crimes, and Charon honoured that. He knew not all were so merciful, for some, it didn´t matter if their target was a child or an adult. A job was a job, nothing else mattered.

Charon finally broke eye contact when he noticed he was next in line and also that he was going to be done before Ryiah. With a grin, Charon decided to wait outside for her. He had to talk to Ryiah. He was fairly sure she thought he was in Carran because of her.

Well, he couldn't blame Ryiah for that. It wasn´t often two assassins bumped into each other in the same city unless one was after another. But Charon could take advantage of Ryiah´s presence, he could use the help. And he was a little curious as to why Ryiah was in the city.

Last he heard, she was fleeing for her life after Griffin had been killed.

Their past was complicated and Charon knew they weren't exactly friends, but he still wanted to talk to her.

He missed her.

Plain and simple.

And he greatly regretted the way he had ended their friendship, the way he had all those years ago. Words Charon had used wounded Ryiah deeply. Those words had turned friends into enemies, and now Charon wished he could turn back the clock and take it all back.

But because of him, Ryiah had grown into a fearless, independent woman who stood for herself with ease.

Because of him, she had the motivation to perfect her skills as a fighter, as a warrior, as a trained killer. 

She became deadly. Best of the best while he became hollow and ruthless, not caring who he had to kill. He killed anything with a heartbeat, slowly earning the nickname “Ferryman” for his victims disappeared mysteriously, leaving behind nothing but a pool of blood and a couple of coins on the ground. The victim's name was always written into a wall or on the sidewalk to let everyone know the person was dead.

Charon made sure everyone feared him, even his fellow assassins.

The police always found victims' bodies months later near the water and that kick-started the rumours that a ferryman was coming after whoever was in his list and taking them into the realm of the dead.

Charon shook his head lightly at the memories and stepped forward as it was his turn.

Ryiah kept her eyes on Charon's back, weary of his presence, and flinched when she saw him finally turning while nodding to the clerk behind the counter. Ryiah didn´t want him to catch her for watching his every move.

Charon pocketed whatever he had received from the officer and walked up to Ryiah, bending lightly to whisper into her ear.

“I'll wait outside. We need to talk.”

With that Charon left her frozen in her spot, shivers running through her spine and cold sweat formed to her forehead while her heart drummed in her chest.

This day just got worse.