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‘Because I have access to more power, it affects me differently. It’s more potent… and painful.’

‘But the others didn’t seem affected,’ Rymedur noted. ‘I didn’t feel anything.’

‘I—’ Areanel’s words felt stuck in her throat as confusion bubbled in her mind. He was right. Why hadn’t the others felt it? But her father had said…

As though sensing her distress, Rymedur placed a steady hand on her midsection. She wasn’t sure if he was doing it to remind her to breathe or because he was measuring her breath. She didn’t care. The sensation was grounding. It calmed her racing thoughts.

‘Alright!’ Vasilio interrupted the calm. ‘I’m done. Let’s get this over and done with. Cal Cathlar is not that far from here, and I would like to make it back before my balls freeze off.’ He clapped his hands together and skipped towards his horse, where Brutus waited patiently.

‘I’m surrounded by idiots.’ Areanel heard the soft words, the voice overlapping another in a series of whispers as Ryyen let out a defeated sigh, taking the lead in front of their group.

‘You know it’s only been a week since we arrived in Alabasus, and you have already managed to consume most of our provisions! And you know what? If you hadn’t drunk all of our water, the leftover rum, and finished off our food reserves, maybe you wouldn’t be so hungry and in desperate need of a piss… Again!’ Percival reached around Areanel to swat a hand at Vasilio’s head in exasperated reprimand.

They had been arguing nonstop for the better part of an hour—in fact, since they got to Alabasus… and that had been a week ago. It was giving Areanel a headache. Areanel rubbed her forefinger and thumb over the bridge of her nose to ease the tension building behind her eyes.

The sconces lining the street flickered with a low, dim orange glow, reflecting Vasilio’s amber gaze as he glared at Percival.

They stood cramped in an alcove—but outside, Alabasus was a bustling city filled to the brim with enthusiastic species of all manner, bartering and selling wares to excited tourists. It was the heart of Cal Cathlar, but in the dead of night, when the stars blinked awake and a blanket of darkness shrouded the city, the citizens slept soundly. Their stone houses towered together in tight rows—some tenements smaller than others, but all decorated with verdant ivy that climbed their exteriors to their chimneys.

Areanel stood now shoulder to shoulder with her companions, tightly squashed between two such houses as they waited for one of Ryyen’s spies. They also monitored the goings-on in the manor that lay sandwiched amidst the terraced maze of alleyways.

‘All I’m saying is that it wouldn’t hurt if I just went for a quick piss whilst we’re waiting for Ryyen’s acquaintance to show up.’ Vasilio said with a sly grin. ‘You guys—’ he gestured to the rest of the group beside them ‘—stay here and keep watch, and I’ll go over there.’ Vasilio pointed over his shoulder, down the alley they were currently hiding in.

There was the quiet sound of a smack followed by a yelp as Percival whacked the back of Vasilio’s head. Areanel sent him a withering gaze. They were meant to be silent, hidden within Rymedur’s shadows.

Percival, choosing to ignore her—which really pissed Areanel off—leaned over and, in a not-so-quiet voice, whispered, ‘Oh yes! Why didn’t I think of that? You wander off alone in a city crawling with guards and most likely rebels. That’s a terrific idea!’ His arms flailed, hitting Areanel in the shoulder and nudging her closer into Vasilio.

Why on earth did she choose to stand near these two idiots? Now, she was sandwiched between them.

‘Or better yet, Percival continued, ‘why not go knock on the door and ask the baroness if we could join her for a nightcap!’ The vein in Percival’s neck throbbed.

Huh. For a moment, Areanel saw their father in him. He would often do that when he was at his wits’ end.

‘Stop it!’ Areanel shoved her shoulder into Percival’s chest, pushing him back when he started to encroach on her personal space. ‘Both of you,’ she warned with a glare, jabbing the point of her elbow into Percival’s side when he opened his mouth to argue.

‘We’ve been tailing the baroness for almost a week,’ she reminded them. ‘Since we’ve been in Alabasus, she hasn’t changed her schedule, and now she’s meeting with the Chieftain of Vennedove. This could mean he intends to join the treaty agreements. With Father refusing to tell anyone outside of Andrea about the chieftain’s treacherous actions, we must assume he's going to use that as a way to access the meeting. If that happens, and he really is working with the rebels, it’ll be too late; they’ll have infiltrated. And gods know what they plan to do.’

It was a bloody miracle—divine intervention, perhaps—because the king had explicitly informed Areanel not to engage with the chieftain, yet here he was, talking to the baroness over a drink. Areanel’s cadre had been watching the baroness because of her well-known ties in Selcirith and her considerable sway with other government officials of Cal Cathlar.

Areanel had not told the others of her father’s explicit instructions to delegate the chieftain’s assassination. She couldn’t. That revenge would be hers, even if she had to endure the punishment afterwards.

This male had assisted the rebels who were responsible for her son’s death. His life was hers to claim, no one else’s.

‘So…’ Vasilio stretched the word, lifting a brow. ‘Can’t we just take him now and interrogate him?’

‘No.’ Areanel kept her voice low. ‘As I’ve been saying for the past week, we are not meant to be here. If we’re found snooping around Alabasus, poking our nose into another kingdom’s business and making a mess, it might jeopardise the negotiations for Elmrynn and Nymlaris. And I, for one, do not want to be on the other side of my father’s wrath when he turns that blame on us.’

‘Great. So, we’re Aerileas’s lackeys… again,’ Brutus huffed from somewhere behind her. She could only make out a vague silhouette as he was completely concealed by shadows.

Vasilio held up a hand. ‘I, too, don’t want to face that male’s anger.’ His shoulder moved up and down in a lazy shrug, and Areanel furrowed her brows at him. ‘What? No offence, Rea, Percy—’ he glanced at each of them, holding up both hands in a placating manner ‘—but your father has some serious anger issues. Actually… he’s kind of a dick. I mean no offence, of course,’ Vasilio said hurriedly, but the shit-eating grin on his face said otherwise.

Areanel fought a smile. Vasilio had always been the fiery personality of their small, intimate group. Even with the darkness that flooded his past, he managed to find humour in all things. He was their guiding light, and Areanel just wished that light—his light—would never die.

‘Look.’ With a deep inhale, Areanel felt her buzzing nerves start to settle. ‘Ryyen is inside the manor gathering information. If the baroness keeps to schedule, then the chieftain won’t be leaving her home for another hour or so. Vas—’ she turned her gaze to speak to the redhead and had to look down at him because of his small stature. ‘Why don’t you head to the inn Ryyen said the chieftain frequents and see what you can learn from the locals?’

Vasilio opened his mouth, but before he could ask, Areanel quickly held up her hand to stop him and answered, ‘And yes, you can relieve yourself while you’re at it.’

Vasilio lifted his hand, gave her a thumbs up, then turned and practically sprinted from the tight alcove towards the well-travelled street, kicking up crushed gravel on his way. The male had no idea how to be subtle! Areanel didn’t know how he’d managed to survive all these years.