“What’s this? You two already done your dirty work? That was fast, ‘fraid I won’t be able to call the crew back though; unlike you two, they like to enjoy their vices.” Tiga called out to the duo as they started up the gangplank of the Melodom. “That’s not to mention the captain, the goddess of Ice only knows where he’s at.”

  Jaeger and Kaeleth met her on the deck.

  “Jobs not done,” Jaeger said.

  Tiga met his gaze with a questioning look before giving up and turning to Kaeleth.

  “We came to offer a warning to you and the crew. There is cosmic magic being done in the city.”

  Tiga’s eyes dilated, her tail’s playful swishing froze, and she started to flex her hands.

  “Aye? Reliable source or just ships gossip?”

  “A Brotherhood fixer told us while we were gathering information. Confirmed through a local necromancer.”

  “I appreciate you passing the warning on.” Tiga turned from them and marched over to the ship’s bell. “I’ll let the crew know to be on the alert and return fast.”

  From a pouch at her waist, she pulls out a verdant baton and strikes the bell three times. The first gong resounds across the ship, the second barely reaches Jaeger’s ears, and the third is all but silent. Returning her baton, she turns back to the pair.

  “Even the drunkest of the louts should hear that. With this, our timetable might change. If word of cosmic magic gets out, powerful people are going to investigate this place. We need to be gone before that. Is that a problem?” She asked the question with a tone that let them know that any problem would be wholly theirs and not the crew’s.

  “No. We came to warn you, and then we’re off to finish our business.” Jaeger said.

  “To hunt.” Kaeleth practically growled.

  Tiga’s expression changed at that, becoming excited and then forlorn.

  “I could use a good hunt, but someone must watch the ship.” With a sigh, she tightened her expression. “When you return, I expect to hear how it went. Good hunting.”

  Kaeleth flashed her a bloodthirsty smile, while Jaeger simply nodded in return. With that done, the pair moved back down the gangplank and out of the docks, passing by a few returning Melodom crew members as they did.

  Navigating the streets, the pair passed by all manner of people, but Jaeger noticed a large number of sea-faring races, Sea Elves with their finned ears and webbed hands, all manner of aquatic kin, like Sharkkin, lizardfolk, and schools of fishfolk, even a crash of Hippopos, the large and deadly beastfolk were rarely seen away from bodies of water. It was midday, and the city was at its most active, every manner of person out and about, from ambling guardsmen to merchants hawking their wares to urchins running messages from one spot to another.

  As they draw closer to their destination, the buildings around them start to change. At first, it’s subtle, a storefront with an overhang, or an oddly extended roof, but soon enough it’s everywhere. Every building around them has roofs, awnings, and other extended parts. Taking this all in, Jaeger catches a glimpse of figures on the roofs, running, jumping, and moving across them.

  “Eyes up.” He says to Kaeleth.

  With a raised eyebrow, she raises her sight and watches the roofs too.

  Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

  “A thieves’ highway? I didn’t expect to see one of these around here.”

  “This a normal structure?”

  “Not this well-made they aren’t. A thieves’ highway is just shorthand for an area of the city with easy to cross roofs. Guards aren’t trying to risk their lives on them, so they’re used by thieves and second-story artists. They also typically aren’t so close to noble districts either.”

  “How do we get up there?”

  “Same way we found that inn, there will be signs marking the way.”

  “Could be useful for tracking the flesh trader then.”

  She nodded.

  “Yeah, keeping eyes on him would be hard, but he, in turn, won’t see us.” She paused as she had to dodge around a meandering Sharkkin. “How close are we?”

  “We’re looking for the Crooked Mirror; it’s the nearest storefront. Once we’re there, I’ll be able to track him.” Jaeger replied.

  He’d been wary of using his abilities in the busy street, unsure if or how people would react to his abilities and wanting to keep his identity as a bounty hunter quiet. Now with the thieves’ highway, he could get it done easily. He was confident in finding the Flesh Trader using Bluthund.

  “That it?” Kaeleth said as she gestured towards a small store.

  It was tucked between a bakery and a blacksmith’s storehouse. The sign hung loose and free, depicting a large mirror curved around itself. There was no window showing what was inside, and the door was shut.

  “Unless there are multiple stores with a crooked mirror, this should be it.” Jaeger led her past the storefront to a nearby food stall and haggled over a pair of kebabs.

  “What are we doing here?”

  Jaeger paid the kobold manning the stall and gave Kaeleth one of the kebabs before walking further from the shop.

  “Eating. We’re about to engage in a great hunt.” He took a bite of the crispy meat, enjoying the spices. “Can you find an entrance to the highway?”

  She grumbled in response but took a bite of her food and then led the way. Jaeger had expected to be led down a few twists and turns, and maybe even into a back alley, before they found the entrance. Instead, Kaeleth led him to a corner where she scanned around once, then led him straight to an innocuous-looking ladder that was bolted to a wall. She downed the rest of her kebab, tossed the skewer into a nearby wall, and leaned beside the ladder.

  “This is it?”

  “What did you expect?”

  He shrugged in response.

  “Something less… official looking.”

  She snorted.

  “What, like a bunch of crates or maybe a series of buildings that slowly get taller before reaching a uniform height?” Rolling her eyes, she tapped the ladder. “Thieves’ highways may not be acknowledged by the city, but someone’s got to maintain the roofs.”

  Tossing his own skewer next to hers, he started up the ladder. Reaching the end of it, he climbed up onto the roof and got his first look at the thieves’ highway. It was exactly what he’d thought it would be and just as impressive. Laid out before him was a floor, or at least one could be mistaken for thinking so. Every roof before him seemed to connect to another and in mostly even fashion, divided only by the occasional gap no larger than a small stream.

  “This is an impressive one for sure, someone important had this made,” Kaeleth said as she stood beside him.

  “What makes you say that?”

  “They aren’t usually this well-maintained or uniform. If each roof weren’t different from one another, this could be mistaken for one singular piece.” She walked to one of the gaps. “Not to mention this, you remember it being dark down there?”

  Jaeger cocked his head in thought. It had been darker than standing directly, but he wouldn’t have said it was dark. He replied as such.

  “With the roofs like this, that place should have been in nighttime conditions. That means someone spelled these roofs to allow light through.”

  He reeled in his curiosity and focused on the hunt before him.

  “Interesting, but unless it gives our positions away as we move, it’s not useful at the moment.”

  She shook her head.

  “We’ll be fine; it would be a poor thieves’ highway if it gave us away.”

  With that, the pair moved away from the ladder, Jaeger leading them back to where he remembered the Crooked Mirror being. Once he was satisfied with his position, he took a breath and activated his ability. He knew the public moniker of the target, a permanent feature, some of its magic, and some of his possible destinations; Bluthund had enough to form a fairly strong connection.

  As he watched before him, a golden mist rose from the roof and slowly tightened into a singular path leading him east across the roofs. His ability told him his target was below him and unsuspecting. Closing his eyes and concentrating, he reached out to his Will and was able to push the ability further and have it lead him to a good ambush location. Pushing his ability like that drained him, though; he felt a light headache start to form and stopped. Opening his eyes, he saw the golden trail laid out before him and turned to Kaeleth with a predatory smile.

  “Let the hunt begin.”