City of Dust

Chapter Three

As evidenced by photographs taken before the Turning, the inside of Keres House was very different than it is today. After the monsters and demons rose from the shadows and it became necessary to hunt them, Guilds like ours were formed. In the chaos that followed, most of Eureka's elite up and fled the state, racing across the country to the East Coast or holing up in elaborate bunkers. This left a lot of open real estate. When Guildmaster Kessis came across Keres House, he kicked out the squatters and went about gutting the entire estate, turning it into something more Unitarian. Anything of value was sold, save for a few choice pieces in his office.

One room that remained vaguely intact was the dining room. The only changes were the removal of eight overstuffed couches, which were broken down for their upholstery, stuffing, and kindling potential. Two long tables stretch from one end of the room to the other; six smaller, round tables are scattered here and there. I tend to favor the smaller tables because it lessens the chance of random chit-chat.

As luck would have it, one of the tables beneath a massive wide-screen TV is open. I dump the saddlebags under the table, slide into a chair and tug my headscarf off, rolling up the cloth and placing it on the table nearest the wall. Strands of cerulean hair, still bound up in its knot at my neck, fly free to curl against my cheeks. I am a little early for dinner, but meals are always being served in Keres House. We Hunters will come and go at all hours of the day, so the Guildmaster employs a rotating staff of cooks and servers to accommodate our odd schedules.

"Breakfast, lunch, or dinner?" a young woman dressed in a simple blue shirt and brown trousers asks me. An apron dotted with cartoon characters is wrapped around her waist.

"Dinner," I reply. She hands me the appropriate menu for today, pours a glass of water, and waits while I make my choice. Since meat is in short supply, I've become somewhat of a vegetarian. Fish are more plentiful, but it's still a challenge to go out into the bay. The barrier that protects against sea monsters doesn't always work and if you're not careful, you might end up wrapped up in a kraken's tentacles. Trust me—I have the scars to prove it. Those suckers hurt like a bitch.

Noticing that honey garlic salmon, a rare treat, is on today's menu, I make that my meal for tonight.

"Beer or wine?" the woman inquires, scribbling my order down.

"Just water."

"Folks are going to think that you're anti-social, Raine."

I look up as my mentor, Jae-SeongPark, slides into the seat across from me. Like me, he's dressed in long, flowing layers. Three short slashes from a cockatrice's claws mar the right side of his face; I have similar scars across my lower back.

"But I am anti-social," I reply dryly.

Jae-Seong motions to the waitress. "Salmon and a beer, please." As she walks away, Jae-Seong folds his arms on the table and leans forward. "I saw Keaton moping around the stables earlier. Winston snapped at him."

"Winston agrees with me." I cock my head slightly, a thought occurring. "You're not trying to convince me to give him a chance, are you?" After all that we've been through, I would have thought he'd know me better.

Jae-Seong rears back and laughs. "We all do what we need to in order to survive this cluster called life. If you want to keep everyone at arms-length, who am I to judge? As long as it's not me."

I allow myself a small smile. Without this man finding me scared and alone on a dark desert highway, I would be dead. He's the closest thing to a parent I've got—until I can find my real parents, that is. But it's taking way too long to scrounge up the money to make the journey.

"I heard that you took a job for Barney Moynihan," Jae-Seong continues. "I thought you were trying to move away from small-time gigs."

I toy with the napkin and frown. "I am—I have been. But Nelson's got his buddies riled up and convinced that he needs to take me down a peg, so they're snapping up the prime jobs as soon as they come in." I take a sip of water, ire rising. "I have to sleep sometime, you know? I can't spend all my time waiting outside Kessis's office. I take what I can."