Chapter 182 (1/2)

Book 2, Chapter 39 – Currying Favor

The governor's ardens

Lord Arcturus stood across fro man He was born to a desolate place, lowly and uneducated, and looked at everything like a dullard However, facing the man who could kill hi before – Cloudhawk stood without pride or pretense Calm, unmoved He was certainly quite a special child

“Truth be told, I' to behold” Lord Arcturus spread his hands, voice even, elegant as ever There was no fluctuation in the way he spoke “I know the kind of woman Selene is Her pride runs to the bone, deeper than even Frost de Winter's She also has a good eye for talent Those she trusts must be special in some way”

“So you decide to kill me, to keep me quiet,” Cloudhawk tepidly replied

“That's right Killing people like you is, without question, the correct decision” He said it without an ounce of anger, justimplications I made this choice in order to maintain peace and stability in Skycloud City A norht of responsibility that lies on a governor's shoulders We must have a view of the whole landscape Decisions arepicture – even if they are sometimes contrary to our own desires Is this not so?”

Cloudhawk frowned “Big picture? What big picture?”

“You still don't understand? Selene raced off to the wastelands to hunt her demon She went alone, without aid or backup Does this not seem odd?”

In truth, it was a question that Cloudhawk had puzzled over before

Selene Cloude's fareat many demonhunters Surely they could have spared a few? Why did they siainst someone like the Caliph of the Sands, ten or twenty more demonhunters wouldn't have been overkill

Admittedly he was curious “Why?”

“It's a long story, one that involves the reputation of our fa as they are, I an his tale, for the first time this inscrutable er brother, Baldur, was always an exceptionally talented ht-Commander for the Order of Demonhunters and led the entire force Here in Skycloud, he was a giant a men, with brilliant prospects that stretched far into the future Then he had a daughter whose talent was just as vast, only later… he was led astray”

Cloudhawk didn't understand Baldur Cloude was a renowned master demonhunter, what could he have done?

“You heard correctly Baldur was privately in contact with demonkin More than once he was implicated in plots to have the citizens of our city killed The Temple had concrete evidence of this, but when they tried to bring hiht wind He fled, another indication that he'd thrown his lot in with demons”

Cloudhaas surprised by the revelation A de when he was discovered? If this were true the neould have spread all over Skycloud

“What happened afterwards to my brother remains a mystery Perhaps he knew too much and the demons saw him as a threat Or maybe there was some other dispute with his new ht thean”

Laughable, Cloudhawk thought Lord Arcturus story was too clu to paint Selene's father as a traitor, now?

The governor continued “Baldur was my brother and the pride of our family More than that, he was a celebrated ot out the consequences could be ruinous So, in order to preserve order, we doctored a story that he was lured into a trap and murdered”

Cloudhawk found it all rather hard to believe

Lord Arcturus saw it in his face “Think back to the time you spent with Selene Recall the details”

The wastelander knit his brows He remembered that every tieance, but also sha his prey, there was no cause for huhest honor Why, then, was she so torn up with grief? Why would she violate the laws of Skycloud and her order, give up her bright future and seek vengeance?

At the time Cloudhawk didn't care, it was none of his business But thinking back on it now, this had to be the reason

This sort of thing created chaos The normal folk could be shi+elded from it, but Selene had to have known Yet she didn't believe it, nor could she bear the disgrace That hy she decided to leave for the wasteland, so that she could learn the truth and put down her father's killer Once she knew the truth she'd reveal it to the whole domain

The proble Baldur to the demons It left no room for doubt, and there was no way for her to clear her father's na that contradicted it, or it would only make matters worse!

The government of Skycloud kept the news of Selene's violation from the public As far as they knew she'd been locked away in training or had been sent away somewhere on a mission

Cloudhawk's return was exactly the sort of news they didn't want What he kneas precisely what they feared Killing hi out was the only option! It ht

“I can see that you're suidance” Lord Arcturus spoke earnestly “Would you be a for me, as one of my assistants? I can offer you whatever Skye Polaris has proposed and more I swear to help you cultivate your potential and become one of Skycloud's most celebrated demonhunters”