He’d go missing. Blame it on conspiracy. Use his own guards to search Chancellery House while the whole city waited for answers. Or he’d find whatever “evidence” he’d already planted. Lock her up and call it justice while actually trying to start a revolution that would end with every Fury hunted and his power absolute. He’d ordered the Venatori blood oath as proof of his commitment to the Furies. And now, if they moved against him, he was the victim. He was justified in his actions.
Brilliant. Ruthless. Impetuous.
And no one had notified me out of fear of my wrath when I learned of my father’s disappearance. They were trying to solve the mystery before I stepped out of my room. They’d gone to the council for that exact reason.
I looked at the Oracle. She gave the slightest nod.
She saw this coming.
Fuck it. Time to give them all exactly what they expected from the Ripper.
I stepped forward, letting my perfect mask slide into place. I let all emotions slip away. My stance widened. Every ounce of my father’s training, every lesson in intimidation and control crystallized into the version of myself I needed to be.
“Stand down,” I said, my voice carrying the absolute authority of someone who’d never been denied.
Marcus’s attention slid back to me. “Commander Veyne, with all due respect, the Magistrate is missing. Protocol requires?—”
“Protocol requires you follow orders from a superior officer.” I moved closer, and to his credit, Marcus didn’t back up. “I am giving you a direct order. Stand. Down.”
“Sir, we have reason to believe?—”
“You have rumors.” I let contempt color my voice, knowing I was really facing off with my father here. Marcus probably knew exactly where he was. “You’re using my father’s disappearanceas an excuse to harass a fury-born while she’s under the Magistrate’s protection.”
“With respect, Commander,” Marcus said carefully, “the timing is suspicious. Three Venatori disappeared last night?—”
“The Venatori are hunting the Phoenix,” another hunter spoke over him. “Or they’re supposed to be. Instead, they vanish without orders, without explanation.” His eyes moved past me toward the Oracle’s chambers. “And if there’s nothing to find here, seems you’d be eager to let us search these rooms. Make sure the water witch isn’t hiding behind fury-born skirts.”
The implication was clear. Furies conspiring with witches. The perfect narrative to turn public opinion, justify harsher laws, tighter control.
Except it was fucking foolish. My father could never actually turn the world against the Furies. No one would back him. Not the other countries, not even Vestra. The Furies were too ancient, too respected, too woven into the fabric of how magic came to be.
Which meant Tiberius Veyne was losing his grip on reality. Enacting plans that would destroy rather than strengthen him.
I couldn’t let him weaken the hunters’ credibility with this fucking nonsense.
“You must let us search this room, Commander Veyne,” the reckless one said.
The hunter’s throat was in my hand before he could blink, my fingers pressed against his jugular. “There is no place for conspiracy in law. The water witch is bound by oath to hunt the Phoenix. Her loyalty is now compelled by her desire to live.” I applied just enough pressure to make him gasp. “She is investigating. Working. Fulfilling the single task my father gave her the second he labeled her a Venatori.”
I stared down at the hunter, seeing only red.
When he had the nerve to glare back at me without a thought, I snapped his neck, letting him crumble to the floor, and stepped over his body.
“You are bound to protect your leader,” I said, commanding every breath in the room, every heartbeat. Every damn blink. “You are also bound to keep the monster population down and to follow orders. Yet none of that is fucking happening. My father is missing, but no one even tried to rouse me? And now you’re harassing individuals bound to the same death as me? Why should I trust any of you to do your jobs?”
Silence. Heavy and absolute.
“Here’s what’s going to happen.” I didn’t raise my voice. Didn’t need to. “Marcus, you take twenty men and search the Crook. Every abandoned building, every known hideout. The Magistrate has enemies. Find them. Question them. Report back to me in four hours.”
Marcus nodded once.
“Garrett, you take the docks. My father was investigating smuggling operations. Someone down there might have information.” I turned to the youngest hunter. “Thomas, check our records. Pull every file involving threats to the Magistrate in the past six months, then bring me a list of where they’re coming from.”
They stood frozen, almost stuck.
“Move!” The command cracked through the room like thunder.
They moved.
