“You were trained to be a weapon,” Cyran said. “Taught to obey, not question. Even now, you wear their colors.”
“Iearnedthose colors!” I hissed. “We bleed for this kingdom! My squad would die to protect people they’ll never meet. And you think the answer is tokillus because we didn’t rise up sooner?”
Cyran’s voice darkened. “No. I think the answer is to stop pretending that dragons owe loyalty to nobles who haveneverproven worthy of it.”
“And who decides who’s worthy?” I shot back. “You? The Crimson Sigil? Assassins in the night? That’s not justice. That’s replacing one tyrant with another.”
We stood across from each other, the distance between us small but unbreachable.
His face remained unreadable. “You still think you can change the system from inside?”
“Ihaveto,” I said, breath ragged. “Because if we burn it all down without a plan, the only thing left will be ash. And power always finds a new master. You taught me that.”
Something flickered in his eyes—pride, maybe, or pain.
But I didn’t wait for his answer.
I turned on my heel and stormed out of the chamber, Solei falling into step behind me like a silent shadow. My boots echoed through the tunnel, each step heavier than the last.
Because I’d drawn my line in the sand.
And now I wasn’t sure which side would survive it.
Chapter
Twenty-Three
The path back to the castle was quiet, save for the steady rhythm of our boots crunching over gravel and the soft rustle of Solei’s cloak. The moon hung low, casting silver light across the road like a trail meant only for ghosts.
Solei walked just behind me, but her presence was as familiar as my own shadow.
“I miss you,” she said softly.
I slowed, the words hitting harder than they should have. “I miss you too,” I murmured. “But things… they’ll never be the same.”
She was quiet for a beat, then, “I regret what I did.”
I looked over my shoulder, her face half-lit in silver. She didn’t hide from it this time. Didn’t wear the assassin’s mask. Just Solei, the girl who used to braid my hair in my room, who taught me where to hide daggers and how to lie with a smile.
“Do you regret any of theothers?” I asked. “The ones you assassinated before me? Some of them had to be good people, too.”
She didn’t answer right away.
“That was just business,” she finally said, her voice devoid of remorse. “I’ve never missed a mark until you.”
I stopped walking.
“That’s the problem,” I said, turning to face her. “You were never just business to me.”
She blinked, and for a moment, the mask almost cracked.
But I didn’t wait for her reply. I walked the rest of the way in silence, the looming gates of the castle glowing like a warning ahead.
At the threshold, I turned back once, just once, and nodded. She didn’t follow.
As I crossed through the archway, I was alone again.
Or so I thought.
