Jax Kraffon's Arc

Chapter 2 of 2

Word of the missing dagger spread faster than Jax expected. He crouched behind a stack of crates near the river road and watched three of the commander's men work a line of travelers. They wore green cloaks with the wolf stitched on the back. They grabbed arms. They pulled down scarves. They stared into every face. If they found Jax first, they would know a stranger had reason to hide, and his one edge would vanish. He kept his scarf up and his crimson eyes low. A hand caught his shoulder from behind. Jax spun, knife half drawn, and stopped. A tall man with white and blonde hair stood over him. He wore a blue and white cloak. He was not one of the wolf crew. He held a folded bundle of white cloth in one fist. "Put the knife away," the man said. "Kayce sent me. Kesean." Jax did not lower the blade. "Why would she send you." "She owns a house upriver. Brick. Empty rooms." Kesean pushed the cloth into Jax's chest. "Wear this. Your eyes and scar give you away." Jax unfolded it. A soft white blouse with a veil layered over the sleeves. He frowned. "This is a woman's shirt." "That's the point." Kesean glanced at the searchers down the road. "They hunt a scarred man. Not this." Jax hated it. But two of the wolf men had turned and started up the road toward the crates. He had seconds. He pulled the veil over his head and let the cloth fall across his lower face. It hid the scar. It softened the shape of him. He tucked his crimson eyes behind the lace and bowed his head. Kesean gripped his arm and walked him into the open, slow, like two friends heading home. A wolf-cloaked man stepped into their path. "Hold. We're searching everyone." Kesean did not stop moving. "She's sick. Fever." He said it flat. "You want it, stand closer." The man looked at the veiled figure. Jax coughed low into the cloth. The searcher stepped back and waved them past. "Go. Go on." They walked until the road bent and the fort fell out of sight. Only then did Jax pull the veil off his face. Kesean led him to the brick house. Tall windows. Ornate trim. A porch with carved posts. He unlocked the double doors. "You stay here. Search dies down in a few days." Jax stepped inside and set the dagger on a dusty table. He had slipped the net. He kept his surprise. But he owed Kayce now, and this quiet man he did not know stood in the doorway watching him. "Why help me," Jax said. Kesean shrugged. "Kayce asked." He paused. "And you'll need a second man at that fort. One won't be enough." Jax looked at him. The hunt had gained a partner. He was not sure yet if that was a gift or a debt.