The Queen Who Fights Back (by Lily Hastings) novel Chapter 147

Chapter 147

The mercenaries sent out by the Mercenary Guild were all called “rookie mercenaries.”

But honestly, since literally anyone could sign up, these guys couldn’t even hold a candle to real battlefield mercenaries–they were on a whole different level.

Some of them had never set foot on a battlefield in their lives, just hanging around the Guild for a paycheck.

Nova was traveling with the merchant caravan so she could accurately track where Ghost–Hammer was headed.

After all, Kate Deathly Canyon was infamous for its vast expanse–if she tried to search for him alone, she’d be wasting her time chasing shadows.

Nova had time to spare, but Ghost–Hammer didn’t have that luxury.

“So, what do you say?” Jake asked.

Seeing Nova stay silent, he thought to himself smugly, ‘Looks like I’ve got this in the bag.’

These students came for adventure, knowing full well how intimidating the Mercenary Guild was, but they had no choice but to hire mercenaries to get them through Kate Deathly Canyon safely.

They had their reasons.

Sure, working with mercenaries was nerve–wracking, but the real nightmares were the monstrous creatures and hidden dangers lurking deep within Kate Deathly Canyon, all on a whole other level of terrifying.

Word was, criminals from all over the world and shadowy black market syndicates flocked to the canyon to settle scores in deadly shootouts–just for the thrill of the kill.

They were desperate to soak in the canyon’s deadly beauty, but every chilling rumor made them shiver with fear.

In the end, they could only settle for this lousy plan.

“I’m not joining, and I’m not working with you.”

With everyone staring her way, Nova just gave a brief, cold glance–then spat out those six words, frost in her tone and not a shred of hesitation.

She was only tagging along with the merchant caravan–for now.

Once she caught sight of any signs or traces left by Ghost–Hammer, she’d break away from the group in a heartbeat.

“Suit yourself! Not interested? Fine by me!”

“Come on, Jake! She’s seriously freezing you out; anyone can see she’s just not into you. Maybe try not to

throw yourself at every pretty girl you meet?”

Standing beside Jake was a girl with a backpack, short denim shorts, and long, wavy hair–the kind of campus goddess everyone instantly knew was way out of their league.

She rolled her eyes with a bored tone.

“Figures. That’s what you get for trying to help. Just let her go her own way!

“Just wait till something goes down–she’ll be sobbing and begging for help, but don’t expect us to come running!”

This so–called campus goddess was named Maria Lavender.

She was tall and slim, with endless legs and the kind of sharp features that made every guy on campus lose his mind–she really looked like she’d stepped right off a magazine cover.

Her looks gave her the confidence to act like she was way above everyone else, especially whenever she spoke to Nova, like she was some kind of queen.

She clearly saw Nova as nothing but a backdrop, just there to set off her own shine.

“Maria, let it go, seriously.”

Jake had only wanted to hit on Nova since she was cute, never thought he’d end up making things this tense.

He tugged Maria back and shot Nova a sheepish look. “Sorry for bothering you.”

From then on, Jake and his crew of eight made sure to give Nova a wide berth, keeping well out of her way for the rest of the trek.

With five Mercenary Guild mercenaries leading the way, the merchant caravan entered Kate Deathly Canyon.

They traversed a deadly stream and made their way across steep, twisting ravines one after another.

Despite all the rumors about terrifying creatures and underground forces, Kate Deathly Canyon was far from deserted.

Quite the opposite.

After entering the canyon, no matter which way the group went, they kept coming across merchants riding camels and gun–toting black market thugs lurking in the shadows.

There were camel–herding shepherds everywhere, plus plenty of locals just strolling through the ravine like it was any ordinary day.

All sorts of people filled the place.

After weaving through another ten canyons, Nova finally caught sight of a mark left by Ghost–Hammer–it was hidden at the edge of a gorge, waiting to be found.

A smear of blood, nearly blending into the stone–easy to miss, unless you knew exactly what to look for.

And there, drawn in the blood: a jagged blade, quick and rough, but unmistakable–the signature sign.

Its meaning was clear:

Bloodblade!

The smear of blood had dried long ago, clinging faintly to the weathered stone–clearly, this mark had been here for quite some time.

Without a doubt, some traitors from the Bloodblade Mercenary Corps were after Ghost–Hammer. ‘So I am heading the right way,‘ Nova thought, her resolve growing firmer.

Just as Nova turned the corner of the canyon, she was met by the chilling voices of travelers nearby–so freaked out, their shouts made everyone’s skin crawl.

All she caught were scattered words and panicked exclamations–things like “Damn!“, “What the heck!“, “A dead body!” echoing through the canyon, each one ratcheting up the tension.

Suddenly, Nova felt a cold feeling grip her chest. ‘Something’s definitely off…‘ she thought, a sense of dread instantly washing over her.

She didn’t hesitate–she peeled off from the group, heading straight toward the commotion up ahead, determined to see for herself what was going on.

“Hey, girl–wait up!”

Jake, spotted her breaking away from the group. Driven by that unspoken bond of looking out for one’s own people abroad, he called out to her.

Without a second thought, Jake broke off from the group and sprinted after Nova, not about to let her go off alone just like that.

Right up ahead, in the center of it all, bodies were lying haphazardly everywhere–crisscrossed on the ground, blood splattered all around. It was obvious a brutal shootout had just taken place here.

Afterward, a crowd had gathered around, everyone chattering nervously, trying to piece together what had happened.

“Word is, these guys got killed in the middle of the night,” someone whispered.

“Yeah, the locals said they heard gunfire coming from every direction–rat–tat–tat, rat–tat–tat—it was chaos,” another person added, eyes wide with fear.

“Seriously, that’s messed up. I heard nobody made it out alive,” someone else muttered.

Nova tuned out the crowd’s chatter.

Pushing past the jumble of bystanders, she suddenly caught sight of a foreign man sprawled face–down in a pool of blood–his build eerily reminiscent of Ghost–Hammer.

He lay motionless, stone–cold dead, and the sight hit Nova like a sledgehammer to the chest. For a split second, it was like she’d been dragged right back to that suffocating, desperate battlefield in Arion, where she lost Marlie and Falcony–those wounds tearing open all over again.