The night hung heavy over the ruined city of Nyseros, its once-gilded spires now jagged silhouettes against the starlit sky. The air was thick with whispered secrets and the faint scent of burning incense, masking the rot of betrayal festering beneath polished facades.
Kaerys moved silently through shadowed alleyways, her cloak blending with the darkness. Her mind replayed the bitter truths uncovered beneath the catacombs—the serpents that slithered within the highest chambers of power. Their poison threatened not just the rebellion, but the very soul of Valyria.
A Gathering of Enemies
In a hidden chamber deep beneath the city, robed figures convened, their faces obscured but their voices sharp as daggers.
"The Dragonborn grows too strong," one hissed. "If we do not act, all is lost."
"We must sever her bond to the dragons," another replied, fingers tracing ancient runes glowing faintly on the stone.
Kaerys's heart tightened. The conspirators sought to shackle her fire, to snuff out the spark before it became a blaze.
A Dangerous Pact
She needed allies—ones who walked the line between light and shadow. At dawn, she met with Lord Rhaemys, a cunning noble whose loyalty was as shifting as the wind.
"Power lies not just in fire and sword," Rhaemys murmured, eyes gleaming. "It lies in secrets, in debts owed and favors called in. We can bring down the Serpent's vipers from within."
Kaerys nodded, sensing the fragile web they would weave together.
A Duel in the Dark
But trust was a dangerous game. When Kaerys returned to her camp, she found a dagger plunged into the earth by her tent's entrance—an unspoken warning.
Later, beneath the flicker of torchlight, a figure lunged from the shadows—a skilled assassin cloaked in black, eyes cold and merciless.
Steel clashed in a deadly dance, Kaerys's flame-imbued blade against the assassin's poisoned steel. Sparks flew, and the acrid smell of smoke mingled with blood.
"Who sent you?" Kaerys demanded, forcing her opponent back.
The assassin smiled—a cruel, bitter thing—and vanished into the night, leaving behind a whispered threat: "The shadows are deeper than you know."
The War Within
The battle for Valyria was no longer only fought with swords and dragons. It was a war of whispers, of veiled threats and unseen daggers.
Kaerys understood now: to save Valyria, she would have to master the shadows as well as the flames.
To be continued in Chapter 86 — Flames and Shadows