Kat Evernight's Arc

Chapter 1 of 10

Kat Evernight crouched on a fire escape in the City of the Black Flame, watching the street below through the smoke. Her purple-streaked hair shifted in the hot wind. She gripped her blade tighter. Somewhere in this burning city was Vex Marino, the gang leader who'd torched the orphanage where she grew up. Five years of hunting had led her here. Tonight, she'd finally found his trail. A flicker of movement caught her eye three blocks east. There—a dark shape against the red sky. The building rose like a stone fang, all sharp angles and gargoyles. A watchtower jutted from the rooftop. Guards paced along the edges. This was it. Vex's fortress. Kat slid her blade into its sheath and started moving across the rooftops. Her boots landed silent on each surface. The gothic structure grew larger with every jump. Five years of training, five years of waiting. Tonight she'd make him answer for what he'd done. She stopped two buildings away from the fortress. Charging in blind would get her killed. She needed information first—guard rotations, exits, weak points. Her contact had told her about a message system the resistance used. People left warnings about gang movements, coded notes scratched into metal panels hidden throughout the city. Kat scanned the alley below and spotted it—an iron box built into a brick wall, covered in strange symbols. She dropped down and opened the panel. Inside were dozens of paper scraps. She sorted through them until she found what she needed. Guard change at midnight. East entrance least watched. She memorized the details and closed the box. Kat climbed back to the rooftops and settled in to wait. The gothic fortress loomed ahead, dark windows watching like dead eyes. Vex was inside those walls. The man who'd burned her home. The man who'd killed the only family she'd ever known. In a few hours, when the guards changed positions, she'd slip inside. Five years of searching ended here. She touched her blade's handle and watched the watchtower. Soon.