“Night raid,” Adrian answered.
“Mio says this happens as part of a training exercise for the clans. Murder and mayhem in the Chasm.” Eno’s expression turned grim as he stared at Caelan. “But that doesn’t mean this isn’t cover for targeting your life.”
“My friend!” Mio reminded him.
“I need clothes and a better weapon than this,” Eno snapped, shoving the bloody knife into her hands. “Adrian and Caelan will remain at the house with Mio. Rayne’s with me to check out the neighbor to make sure they weren’t hit.” He charged up the stairs to the bedroom, flipping on lights as he went. There was no point in moving around in darkness any longer.
In the room, he pulled on clothes and shoes as quickly as possible while Rayne did the same. They worked without a word, gathering weapons and returning to the first floor. Caelan had taken the time to dress as well and was strapping on his sword and sheath.
“You’re not going,” Eno barked.
“I know. I’m here, but if someone makes another go at this place, I want to be able to help Adrian,” Caelan replied, surprising him. Eno had fully expected Caelan to argue that he needed to come along.
“Yellow house directly across from this one,” Mio pointed out as Eno jerked open the front door.
But none of them took more than a step away. The night sky was painted orange and yellow by the flickering of fires as they ate through several buildings on what had been a quiet residential street. There were a few people on the sidewalks, huddled together in tiny groups.
An ear-splitting roar shook the world, and Eno’s head snapped up to see a dragon fly over the town, his massive wings cutting through the black smoke. The light from the fire flickered across what appeared to be blue scales rather than the black he’d seen with Drayce.
“That’s likely a dragon from Clan Ito.”
Eno wanted to stay and ask where that clan fell on the scale of hating the Takahashi and Omari clans, but that wasn’t the most important thing at the moment. “Caelan, will your shield protect against dragon fire?”
A harsh laugh escaped the king. “I have no freaking clue, but it holds out attackers, gunfire, and regular fire. We can pray it holds off dragons too.”
Eno nodded. “Put up the shield. Stay safe. Let Adrian do his job. We’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Her name is Izumi, and she has one other dragon living in her house right now. Don’t kill anyone not wearing black,” Mio shouted after them as he and Rayne darted across the street.
Sirens rang out in the night, but none of them seemed to be drawing closer. If there was anyone who could help them, Eno suspected that it might be a long time before they worked their way to this part of the Chasm. The acrid smell of smoke burned his nose and stung his eyes. He blinked away tears and turned his focus to searching the shadows for more of the black-cloaked figures.
“Anything I should know?” Rayne asked as they skirted the front of the house to cut through the side yard. As Eno had expected, the rear door was standing open. Mio was right. Her friend’s house was being hit as well, but why their houses specifically? What made them so special?
“The attackers appear young but are incredibly fast. Dressed entirely in black and move silently.”
“Shadows,” Rayne grumbled under his breath. “We’re fighting shadows.”
Eno couldn’t argue with that. His stomach twisted at the thought of bringing Rayne into this fight. He shoved down the surge of fear that was speeding up his heart. His lover was skilled with a staff and blades. No one threw a knife with more speed and accuracy than Rayne. He would be safe.
Those words became a mantra as he carefully pushed the door open farther and took a step into the house. It was a setup similar to Mio’s as they stepped right into the kitchen. But where Mio’s kitchen was white and blue, Izumi’s was a warm yellow and peach. There was also a dead man lying in a spreading pool of blood on the floor.
“Check him,” Eno whispered as he stepped around the guy and took up a protective stance while Rayne kneeled.
“Gone,” Rayne replied through clenched teeth. “By the spread of the blood, I’d say he’s been here for a while.”
Eno murmured, “Let’s check the rest of the house.” But he had a good idea of what they’d find.
Most of the house was untouched. Only the bedrooms were a mess, where Izumi and the other dragon staying in the house had clearly fought for their lives. Sheets were slashed, furniture was overturned, and walls were splattered with blood. One of the attackers lay dead, but so was Izumi and the occupant of the house. They were too late.