Kat Evernight's Arc

Chapter 3 of 10

Kat sat in her safe house with the stolen files spread across a metal table. The folders held witness statements and crime scene photos from the orphanage fire. One name appeared in three different reports—a bar called The Sinking Stone. Witnesses said gang members met there before the attack. She traced her finger over the faded ink. The bar still existed, tucked into the factory district where the resistance passed information. If she could find it, she could find people who knew Vex's operation. She closed the folders and stood. The City of the Black Flame had given her a thread to follow. The factory district sprawled for blocks, all crumbling brick and broken windows. Kat moved through the shadows, checking each building. Most bars in this part of the city didn't advertise. Then she saw it—a black Gothic sign hanging above a reinforced door. The Black Cask. Ornate letters curved across dark metal, the scrollwork catching what little light filtered through the smoke. This wasn't The Sinking Stone, but the style matched. Places like this drew the same crowd—people who needed to disappear, who traded secrets over drinks. She watched the entrance. Three people slipped inside in five minutes, all keeping their heads down. Gang territory operated on whispers and deals made in dark corners. If she went in carefully, asked the right questions, someone might remember The Sinking Stone. Might even know where Vex's people still met. Kat adjusted her blade and walked toward the door. The city's underworld would talk if she knew how to listen. Inside, smoke hung thick in the air. Low voices mixed with the clink of glasses. She moved to the bar and ordered water. The bartender didn't ask questions. At a corner table, two men argued over a card game. Another sat alone, watching the room. Kat caught his eye and nodded toward an empty chair. He gestured for her to sit. She asked about The Sinking Stone. His face closed up. She slid a few coins across the table. He pocketed them and leaned in. The bar burned down two years ago, he said, but the owner ran a new place near the monument with the black flame. Gang members still used it. She thanked him and left. Outside, Kat headed toward the town square. The monument stood in the center—a black metal structure with fire burning in a steel bowl. Iron railings circled it. She'd passed it before without paying attention. Now she walked around it slowly. Plaques honored people who'd fought gangs and protected the city. Names of the dead were carved into the base. She stopped at one that read "Protectors of the Innocent." The orphanage fire had made her one of the innocent who needed protecting. Now she was the one doing the hunting. She scanned the buildings facing the square. Three had barred windows. One had smoke coming from a basement entrance. That would be the place. Kat turned away from the monument and started walking. The City of the Black Flame honored its protectors with metal and fire. She would earn her place among them by finding Vex. The building with the basement entrance sat between a boarded-up shop and a print house. Kat moved closer and noticed a black gothic kiosk outside the print house doors. Photos of criminals covered its surface, their faces staring out under harsh lighting. A small bell hung from the top corner, clanging in the wind. She stopped to study the display. Gang leaders, thieves, enforcers—all posted as warnings to anyone passing by. Her eyes moved across each photo until she found what made her breath catch. A grainy image in the bottom row. The man's face was younger, but she knew those eyes. She'd seen them in her nightmares for five years. The caption read: "Suspected arson. Affiliations unknown." They'd known about Vex even back then. The city had documented him, posted his crimes, and done nothing. Kat pulled the photo free and tucked it into her jacket. The basement bar could wait. Now she had proof that the City of the Black Flame remembered. She just had to make sure Vex paid for what they'd documented. The kiosk bell rang again as she walked away, a warning that still echoed across empty streets.