A storm hovered like a curse over the city of Arvain — dark, heavy, and full of omens. Beneath its shadow, in a dim-lit tavern drenched in smoke and secrets, Kael Veyne sat quietly with a broken compass in hand.
People mistook his silence for humility. A mistake they only made once.
But tonight, he wasn't the most dangerous person in the room.
Sylis, draped in obsidian leathers, watched him from across the hall. Her instructions were clear: kill the target, no traces, no questions.
She had studied his movements for weeks. Kael was precise. Predictable. An exiled noble with a mysterious past — perfect prey. Or so she thought.
---
She moved when the bard struck his final chord, using the noise as cover. Swift. Silent. Lethal.
A dagger slipped into her palm.
Three steps behind him. Two. One—
She struck.
But Kael caught her wrist mid-air... without looking.
"I thought you'd come tonight," he said calmly, standing.
"You're late."
Sylis blinked. He was faster than her intel suggested. Much faster.
"You're not supposed to see me," she hissed, twisting free and slashing again.
Steel met steel. Kael had drawn his hidden blade from his coat in a single fluid motion. They clashed, sparks flaring between them in the candlelight.
"You're not the first to try," Kael murmured, pushing her back. "But... you are the prettiest."
For the first time in years, Sylis hesitated.
Just a second.
That was all he needed.
With a twist of his wrist, he had her pinned to the wall, blade at her throat.
Her breath caught. Not out of fear — but something far more dangerous. Interest.
She grinned. "So the rumors were true… You're not just some banished heir."
"And you're not just some thief-for-hire," he replied.
"You're something else."
---
Outside, thunder rolled like a warning from the gods.
Inside, Kael loosened his grip, just slightly. He didn't know why. Maybe he was curious. Maybe he was foolish.
But one thing was clear: she had come to end him… and he just spared her.
That was mistake number one.
And in Arvain, mistakes cost blood.
---
To be continued...
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