He slit her throat as she screamed my name. The first of many moments I would come to realize were my fault. If I had only done as he asked, if I hadn’t let my pride make me think I could escape, if I’d just beenbetter.
So I became better.
I learned how to deceive. How to hide my intentions with a silver tongue, how to get what I wanted without raising suspicion.I became his subservient little lapdog while swiping his prisoners from beneath his nose. I played the part, did what he asked, and shed as little blood as possible while doing so. My loyalty gave me the freedom to move among the empire as I pleased, and eventually, I started the Ashen Order and led our group of rebels in rescuing more and more helpless people.
But that mistake had taught me well. Sage would still be alive if it wasn’t forme. Anyone who meant that much to me, who got that close, who captured my heart the way she had…they were as good as dead. Scarven would make sure of it.
I would never let someone in so deeply again—not until Vera was safe and Scarven’s head was hanging on my wall.
I scrubbed a hand down my face before remembering it had shifted into talons, and blood instantly welled to the surface of my nose and cheeks. I savored the sting, letting it bring me back to reality. Within seconds, the wounds had already clotted, courtesy of my quick Shifter healing. I forced my claws back into normal hands and threw the covers off my legs.
It was still dark out—half past three in the morning, according to the clock on my wall. I groaned. Tonight was the secret shipment from Mysthelm Tessa had found out about. It was going to be a long day, and I needed to be alert. But there was no chance of going back to sleep.
I padded to my closet and stared at the rows of shelves built into the back. They were full of hundreds of little wooden figurines in various stages of completion. Some fully rendered models of animals, ships, and people; many half-crafted designs still encased in wooden blocks that I’d given up on over the years; stashes of fresh planks of wood, blank canvases simply waiting for me to sink a blade into and carve something precious.
I grabbed one at random, a rich, hard chunk of maple wood, and swiped a carving knife from a chest on the shelves.
After making my way back to the window by my bed, I sat on the wide sill, turning the block of wood over in my hands. My fingers were already searching for theshape hidden inside. It was a habit I’d formed many years ago, when I desperately needed something to do with my hands and my mind. It was often the only thing that kept me from splintering.
With a quiet breath, I set the knife to the grain, letting muscle memory guide the first careful cuts. A curve here, a sweep of wings there. It took my mind off the memories that threatened to crush me, off the hopelessness that always reared back to life. All I had to do was keep my fingers moving, keep the image clear and ready in my head, and let the worries drain into curls of wood at my feet.
“You look like trash.You sure you’re up for this, Noxy boy?” my third-in-command said by way of greeting as we made our way to the stables of the Keep. Everett and Kieran were already waiting for us with the horses.
I forced a smirk onto my tired features. “Trust me, Tessa, I have no problems keeping up. Tell me again what you found when you scoped out the port this morning?”
“The Mysthelm ship is scheduled to dock ten minutes after midnight,” Tessa said. “The guards have a shift change right on the hour, and there’s about a two-minute window of opportunity to sneak in and intercept the ship before Scarven’s men get there. We’ll have to be quick.”
“Quick’s my specialty,” a new voice said as Arowyn popped into the empty space before me. Tessa jerked back with a cat-like hiss, still unaccustomed to the Strider being able to appear without any warning.
“Sorry, did I scare the kitty-cat?” Arowyn mocked.
I snorted. “One of these days, you’re going to get a pair of claws to the face.”
“Worth it.”
When the others had settled, I went through their tasks. “Arowyn, you stay back with Kieran to keep our escape route cleared. We need you free to stride in and break us out if it comesto that. Tessa, you and Everett will come with me.” I pointed to the two of them. “Everett will cast an illusion to keep us concealed while we take the south alleyway up to the port, and once we get close enough, Tessa will shift and slip onto the ship. We’ll find out what they’re carrying and destroy it.”
Arowyn and Kieran went over the details of their escape plan while we all mounted our horses and took off north on the thirty-minute trek toward the port. The sun had set long ago, leaving us with the blustery, frigid night wind and the stars to guide our way to the water.
Silas, our head Alchemist and final member of the Ashen Order, had stayed back at the Keep with his apprentice, Milo, to reinforce the wards and protect the refugees. The Keep was made up of a wide variety of Veridians. The vast majority of them were Shifters, but Scarven didn’t limit his experimentation to Drakorum citizens. Over the years, he’d captured many from all provinces, wanting a range of magic at his disposal to run trials on as he pleased.
One thing Scarven’s victims had learned in their time under his hold was how to fight—for their lives, for their freedom, for those they cared about. And we taught them how to hone that survival instinct. We showed them they would never have to be weak or helpless again. If the Keep came under attack, they knew how to protect themselves.
We were all a bit uneasy about leaving them, but this mission was critical. Wehadto find out what Scarven kept importing from Mysthelm. If it was something he was this secretive about, it must be big. Deadly. Capable of putting even more destructive power into his hands.
We stuck to the cliffs that ran along the eastern shoreline. As we neared the small village off the port, the dark silhouette of a ship loomed in the distance.
A hint of worry flared to life in the back of my mind. Something was wrong. It was too close. It was half an hour to midnight—forty minutes early, if Tessa’s scouting was correct. But this ship was already making port.
Tessa and I exchanged a glance before she, Everett, and I spurred our horses toward the village, cutting through the alley between two taverns that led straight to the cargo dock.
I looked to my left to see the hood of Everett’s cloak fall to his shoulders, revealing short-cropped black hair and a hint of the numerous chains he wore around his neck. His dual-toned eyes, one dark green and one bright gray, found mine as he gave a sharp nod and said, “You’re covered.”
Having an Illusionist at our disposal certainly came in handy. He had the magical ability to cast illusions into the minds of others. To anyone looking, we would be nearly invisible—as if our bodies were blending into our surroundings. It was similar to what Scarven’s ring did, but I was too suspicious of thatgift. I didn’t feel comfortable using his ring when we needed to be covert.
The three of us dismounted right as we reached the alleyway and tied our horses to a post. There was nothing in sight. The village was asleep, as expected. We made sure the horses were secure before we shot down the narrow street.
As we neared the entrance to the port, the hushed tones of dockworkers grew louder, the sound of feet pounding on wood and water splashing against the decks far too loud for this time of night. Warning bells rang in my head.
