___________________________________

Bang.

Crunch.

Slam.

The sounds filling the air were both reassuring and terrible.

Crash.

Boom.

Crack. 

I panted as he lunged again, people cheering around us, jeering, calling, laughing. Disgust flit through me as I turned a sneer towards the crowd.

What am I doing here?

I have no idea.

Repressing a sigh, I looked at the crowd, and a thread of hatred ran through me. As I turned to leave-

“Where do you think you’re goin’ pretty boy?” The fat man in the brawl pit sneered at me, his overdone red face gruesome, as though he had been at the losing end of one too many fights.

“I’d tell you,” I said, a small part of me loathing my words, words made to pick a fight, “Yet I find that you require a certain amount of intelligence to understand that I, unfortunately, believe you lack.”

He glared at me, the look in his eyes a mixture of hatred and the idiocy of a man too stupid to understand the insult, but just bright enough to realize it is one. Tilting back his head, he spat at me and the glob of spit landed on my boots. I blinked, disgust almost overriding my senses. Did he, a common pit fighter, just spit on my shoes? I’ve killed men for less. 

And I’m not about to end that wonderful tradition now.

Lunging with sudden brutality, I landed a blow on his jaw, a crack resounding. A low kick to the knee, as I pinned his arms, broke the point, and I grinned at the howl of pain he released.

“You-“

“Ah, ah, ah, mind your language! There are ladies here!” It was a feral sort of joy that encompassed me now, the thrill of the hunt.

He snarled and a wild smile filled my face.

Bucking back up, he thrashed on the ground like an animal, blood, and saliva mixing on the ground before him. A sudden yank on the pinned arms dislocated them with a satisfying pop. Driving my knee down to his spine, I pulled back his broken arms, and he screamed.

Tears soaked the ground before him and I rose, aiming a harsh kick to his head that made a satisfying crack.

He didn’t move again.

There was silence before the noise became a roar as men called in bets and money changed hands. Walking over to the bar, I took an iced water and drank, eager to cool down.

“So, this is what you do.” the cold, judgmental voice behind me said. I didn’t bother to turn around. I already knew who it was.

“Weren’t you here to look for someone?”

“We’ll look in the morning,” I said, my voice rough. I felt someone grab my chair and whirl it around, and I was face to face with the disgusted Ishaan Kaur.

My fists clenched as he kept watching me and judging me. I will help them look in the morning. I’m not lying.

“Are you drunk?”

“It’s water.”

“At least that’s something.”

I scowled.

“What do you want?”

“Why are you here?”

“Cooling off steam.”

There was a glint of humor in his eyes as he surveyed the place and turned back to me before his eyes snapped to the person behind me and they turned cold.

“You scum!”

I didn’t turn, but my hands tightened on the glass and my back stiffened. A hand gripped my shoulder and whirled my stool around again to get me face-to-face with the spitting image of the man in the pit. His small, piggy eyes were spitting venom in their rage, his pink face bulging.

“You know, you all have to stop commandeering my chair, it can get quite tiring-“

“That was my brother! You killed him!”

“Really? Had no idea. Should have bought him a drink first.” I leaned back into the bar as I watched the swirling ice in the drink with a faintly amused expression.

“Sarcasm. Isn’t. helping.” Ishaan hissed. 

“Why? Brings the fun into life.”

He poked a fleshy finger into my face and shoved it between my eyes.

“I can make your life a hell if I want to, and I definitely do.” A ring on his finger glinted with the design of a wolf. It was the emblem of all Enamani fighters.

I stiffened further as Ishaan sucked in a breath. What’s an Enamani boxer doing in Hirhol?

“Now gentleman, there’s really no need-” Ishaan began before the red-faced foreigner cut him off.

“I know about her too. And you’re gonna regret this. I know what a tendre pretty boy has for her-”

I cut him off with a fist to the mouth. Blood spurted out, and he screamed as he pressed his palms against his lips. Grabbing his neck and yanking him closer, I snarled in his ear,

“You will never tell anyone about her.”

He made a gurgling sound, his eyes widening and bulging with fear.

I tightened my grip into a choke. No one can know about her. She needs to be safe.

I blinked. No, I need to keep my brother safe. Get your priorities straight, Gray.

There’s no such thing as a victory without a sacrifice. His face turned blue and his hands, clawing at my arms, became weak. A foam dribbled from his lips as he whispered.

“I’m…not the only one….who knows.”

And then his pulse died. Dropping him, I turned to the men slowly approaching me, murder in their eyes. 

“Sorry to ruin your fun, girls. How’s a drink sound-”

With a high kick, one of the men closest to me attacked, his eyes practically red with rage. A bar stool went flying towards me, and as the first man tried to fight my front, two more men attacked my back. I laughed, exhilaration replacing the emptiness of a few moments before. I paid for that distraction. A punch to the cheek had me seeing stars, and a fist to the spine almost broke it. Drawing in a shallow breath, I readied my fists as I lunged weakly at the golden-haired man in front of me when a snap at the back of my head had me falling. Sprawled on the ground, I looked up with blurry eyes to see a knife flying past me into the heart of the man in front of me. His eyes widened as he looked down slowly at the knife before swaying. I watched as he crumpled to the ground, and blinked the grit from my eyes.

What the hell?

But the world was starting to fade.

“Let’s get you out of here,” A quiet voice said as they hooked their arms and carried me away as the world went black.

____________________

“What?”

“Where’s Damien?” Mikhail repeated, this time with more force. I blinked as I looked around blankly. 

Where was he?

“See Aleksandr? This is what happens when we split up!” Alyona’s sharp voice was shrill enough to give me a headache as I turned to glare at her. 

“None of you saw him leave? Not even you, Levka?” 

As Levka shifted uncomfortably, Alyona snorted and turned. 

“You know what? I’m gonna book a room at that inn, then I’m going to have dinner and find Maria.”

“I’m with Alyona,” Levka said, aiming a smile at her she deliberately ignored.

I winced as I ran a hand down my face. Why were women so ridiculously emotional? 

‘Promise me.’ Her voice still echoes in my head. 

‘Promise me.’ 

“Fine. The inn was that way.” Pointing west, I closed my eyes again as I clenched my teeth in frustration. 

As Alyona turned west and began to walk, I took a deep breath and then followed. I scanned the people scurrying past, their furtiveness feeling…wrong. All at once, for no reason, my mind flashed back to the compound, and…her.

“We-we haven’t been properly introduced, right? I’m Annamaria, but everyone calls me Maria, and wow, this room is pretty bright, isn’t it?” Her voice filled the silent room, her light seeming to be almost palpable. 

‘She did this. She ruined everything.’ I forced myself to remember, forced myself to focus. But that felt wrong. Despising her felt wrong.

“What are you doing-”

“Shut UP!” I roared, my outburst desperate and pleading, and because I was a fool, I turned to look at her. And it was like a bullet. Her black hair and red eyes were just like Gabriela’s. 

I couldn’t stand it. 

“Must you speak to fill every silence? Silence is not the enemy, and you are no more than a murderer. I only do this as I was ordered to.” I turned away, a burn flowing into my veins, filling my blood with fire.

I knew she thought I was talking of that useless enforcer.

She was wrong. But she wouldn’t know who I was talking about. I doubted Gabriela kept track of every life she ruined anyway.

“Turn on your stomach.”

‘You’ll regret this.’ A voice whispered.

‘No, I won’t.‘

I looked at her back and froze. 

It was covered in a thousand scars, each one deeper than the other. And worse than all, were the bright red scars of Gregori’s punishment.

‘You’ve already gone this far. You can’t back out now.’

Then, she insulted me, her voice vitriol and arsenic.

Her cold, Enamani accent was the same as her mother’s.

She truly is her mother’s daughter.

Enamani dogs.

My hands seemed to act of their own accord as I picked back up the needle and smiled internally.

As I turned to look at my sketch, I placed the needle to her back and pressed to begin. I would normally have given her a pain reducer or talked her through the pain. For her, for the name she carried with pride, I did neither.

Even as I felt her tremble beneath the needle, shuddering to hold back the cries of pain and tang of blood.

As I turned away to bandage it, I saw her turn to see it in the mirror and freeze. Her eyes widened, then closed. When they reopened, they were full of unshed tears. They hit me like a blow to the chest.

She turned to look at me, her eyes full of sorrow far beyond her years. Like I was just one more person who had disappointed her, and she was too far gone to even care. With her soft hair falling into her eyes, and her lips trembling, she was beautiful. And I could have painted a thousand portraits of the pain in her eyes that somehow did not seem to even recognize the pain of the tattoo.

Only what they meant.

My breathing was ragged as I helped her bandage her back. I tried to hide it, tried to make my hands as quick as possible. But something about her felt different. The light that had seemed to be almost sun bright was now that of a candle.

Glowing, but flickering.

About to go out.

“Here!” Alyona announced proudly, jolting me from my thoughts. Her eyes shone and her smile was triumphant.

‘Promise me.’

Levka and Mikhail looked at each other again, and they burst out laughing as though this was a grand joke. I pushed past them in disgust as I entered the small inn, their laughter conspicuous, drawing attention. A woman was sitting behind her desk, writing something down in what looked like a ledger. Her hair was tied back, and she looked middle-aged, her eyes a tired green. As she looked up, she smiled and waved us over.

“Good evening, travelers! How may I help you?” 

“We need a few rooms,” Alyona said, her whole manner different. Her eyes were wide and honest, her smile looked bright and genuine.

“Of course! How many?” She turned back to us, her eyes questioning as she traveled over the bags and dirty clothes. 

“Only three,” I grumbled. We should be finding clues about the prince’s whereabouts, not sleeping. 

“Wonderful! Now, what type of room-” As she continued with Alyona, I wandered over to the small bookshelf near the door. A section was labeled ledgers, and bored, I pulled it from the shelf. My eyes widened as at a date,

The Eighteenth of the Third Month.

1; Guest pays in gold jewelry.

A ring lay in the middle, a thin gold one easily lost in the thick volume. But these engravings were only used in one family, only allowed to be used by one family.

The prince had been here.

But why?

Slipping the book into my jacket pocket, I walked back over to the counter as Alyona turned, three keys in her hands.

“Breakfast is at ten in the morning, and room service is on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays!” The woman said cheerfully, before turning back to her ledger and her smile faded.

“What did you find?” Levka murmured as we reached the stairs.

“I’ll tell you later,” I whispered back. 

If I was right, we were one step closer to finding the prince.

But if this is a decoy or a trap, then we’ll never find him.

_____________________

As I closed Little Women, a smile still lingered on my face. I love happy endings. I rose from the rickety little chair and slid the book back in place as I sighed.  Turning towards the exit, I saw another man standing near the shelves on the opposite side of the room, his hands sliding over the spines as though still deciding. His clothes were nothing short of aristocratic, and his way of standing obviously was that of someone who was used to having his orders followed and now came to expect it always. Those types weren’t the ones usually in a library.

Wary, I slid behind the shelves as I silently crossed to stand behind him.

“You know I can feel you standing there,” His voice was amused, and his shoulders shook as though repressing a laugh. I straightened, my pride stung, and as he turned, I grabbed his arms and shoved him into the bookshelf. 

“How strange. I’ve actually been compared to a ghost on numerous occasions. The only reason you would know I was here was if you were looking for me. So what do you want?”

“I could explain if you released me,” He said, his voice now a bit strained. I looked down and realized my silver bracelet was digging into his spine that was jutting out in the position I held him. Releasing him, I grasped his shoulders and spun him around to see the most handsome man I had ever seen.

Hazel eyes along with high cheekbones, an aquiline nose, and a strong jaw came together to make a face that was beautiful alone, but his black hair falling into his eyes combined with a happy-go-lucky smile he was now aiming at me made his face boyishly charming, yet stunning. 

“Pleased to make your acquaintance at last Ms. Lopez.” 

“How do you know my name?” A feeling of dread crawled up my throat as a chill ran down my spine.

“It would be the fool who did not know who you are, Maria,” He laughed, a deep sensuous sound. “After all, I’ve been looking for you for a long time.”

“You know my name, not who I am.”

“Darimati,” He said, his eyes serious. “An Enamani magic-wielder. You know, your home country would pay quite a lot for a wielder of your…caliber.” His eyes ran over me in a way that was cold and downright clinical. I blinked and opened my mouth before closing it again.

“Don’t look so shocked, it took me years to find you. Your mother was quite the skilled hider.”

The world around me was shaking.

“You can’t tell anyone,” I said, desperate and numb at the same time, pleading with him, begging him. 

He regarded me as though I was a curiosity, his face expressionless.

“I don’t need to. The King is who ordered me to find you, and he already swore me to secrecy. I’m not some mercenary.”

My knees almost collapsed in relief as I slid back onto the comforting wood of the shelf. I took a deep breath as I remembered what Mother had said. 

Wrap them tight. Hide them. Never let anyone see. 

My terror had invoked it, that inner darkness that yearned for death. The monster inside me, the monster that I have spent my whole life controlling. I bound it tight again, knowing that I could never set it free. I opened my eyes to focus on him.

“What do you want with me, and how did you find me?” My voice was rough, and he smiled again, pleased for some reason.

“The King? He merely wants you to do him a small favor. And as for finding you, now that, that was the hard part. It was only after your mother died – my condolences, by the way- that I was able to pick up the trail again and find you.”

“What favor?”

His eyes were unusually bright.

“I am not the king’s confidant, Ms. Lopez. My job was to find you.”

“No.”

“No?” He raised his eyebrow, and his face was almost disappointed.

“Ms. Lopez, I thought you were smarter than this. I don’t want to hurt you, but I do need to bring you back.”

“I’m no one’s pet, and I know just enough to say that if I go with you, I’ll never get out. ” I turned and ran for the doorway, but paused to look back at him. He watched me leave with a sad look, shaking his head in dismay.

“Really Ms. Lopez? I hate to sound cliche, but you can run but you cannot hide.” 

I raced out the door and was on the street, but his words still found me and haunted me.

“I will always find you.”

I ran through the streets until I couldn’t anymore, my eyes burning. How had this day gone so very, very wrong? As I stopped to breathe, I put my hands to my knees and gasped until I caught my breath.

“Now what woul’ a chit li’ you be doin’ here, sunshine?” A man said behind me. I whirled around, on my guard. I hadn’t looked where I was going. I was in an alley, dark and dank smelling. The man who’d spoken was old and tired-looking, but his eyes a twinkling sharp blue.

“Raphael!” I gasped, never happier to see my old boss and the man who’d gotten me into this whole mess.

“I couldn’t let you do this alone, now could I?” He said, a smile on his face as I rushed over, throwing my arms around him for a hug. 

“Listen, I don’t have much time here,” He whispered, his voice serious, and I leaned back to stare at him. His eyes were furtive, his expression urgent. He wrapped his hand around mine, and I felt the soft sharpness of the paper. 

“He isn’t who he says he is.” He whispered it quickly, his grip suddenly strong.

“Who?” 

“I can’t tell you. I wish I could. Just promise me, you will always have your guard. Promise me.” His desperation leaked into his voice like a vile poison, the poison he consumed for me. As I wrapped my arms around him once more, I whispered,

“I promise.”

”Then all will be well.” He said, his muscles relaxing. I stepped back as he rose.

“Come with me.” Turning, he hunched over and looked around as though to see if anyone was watching him, and he gave me a fleeting smile.

As he walked through the alleys and backstreets, people watched and stared. Even in the dregs of the city, the people watched and listened and spied. 

“Do not fault them,” Raphael said, his voice stern as he faced me. I blinked, and he nudged his head towards them.

“They watch to be paid, they listen to survive.” 

“I know.”

His eyes turned questioning, but I didn’t say anything else. I couldn’t afford to be distracted here. And all memories are useless distractions. I blinked again, then rushed after Rapheal, my mind still whirling. As he stopped in an empty alley, he knelt next to the wall and murmured something I couldn’t hear. He looked at me.

“Don’t watch.”

I closed my eyes, my heartbeat pounding in my ears. 

“Open your eyes.” As they reopened, I saw him standing in front of me with a book. 

“You were always a clever girl. Now use it. “

“But-”

“You’ll find your friends at the Queen’s Inn.”

The Queen’s Inn.

I fled. I fled like the coward I am. I ran, ran through the streets, just like before. I didn’t want to hear his lies. He didn’t know my mother. He’s wrong.

I am a monster.

I am a monster.

I am a monster.

And I can never forget it. 

As I collapsed next to a building, I looked at the book he had given me. It was a diary.

I opened it and began to read the first page.

Dear Diary,

Yesterday, I gave birth to the daughter I have been waiting for for so long! I will name her Annamaria. Things are finally looking up. Marcus cannot wait until she’s older, and he’s already set about spoiling her!

With excitement and hope,

Gabriella Triona Lopez

Dear Diary,

My worst nightmares come true. Today, Marcus’s cat got too close to Maria and scratched her. She screamed, and the cat brushed its tail against her in annoyance. It died.

With fear,

Gabriela Triona Lopez

Mother.

A tear slipped down my cheek. It felt like she was here again, her voice soothing as she stroked my hair and told me to be better. To work harder.

I know I’ll find something in here, something important. Otherwise, Raphael never would have given it to me.

But for now, I just want to sit and remember.

Just sit and remember people how they used to be.

_____________________

I sat in the lounge of the inn, my lips pressed together in disgust as I pretended to read a book on… what was it again? I glanced down.

Oh, right. Geological formations.

“Now what are you doing down here alone?” The woman who had been behind the counter came to sit across from me.

“Reading,” I answered. She snorted.

“If I were you, I’d be anywhere but here. What are you doing with those handsome men? They seem to know you, but it seems like a business partnership, not one of choice.” I stiffened, and she laughed.

“Dear, I’m 46 years old. I’ve seen enough rebels, liars, and honest people to tell the difference and know when someone is more than one. So what are you?”

“That depends on who you are.”

“My name’s Irene Grilqua. Who are you?”

“Alyona Morozov, from Jeterna.”

“I’ve never met a Jeternian in Hirhol.”

“Don’t worry, it’s not by choice.”

She chuckled as she reached past my shoulder. 

“I think the radio would be better entertainment than Jilfins Account of the Rocks and Formations of the New World, don’t you?”

“My friend would find this fascinating, actually,” I said with a grin. 

“Would he? I-”

The front door opened and a beautiful dark-haired woman stepped in. Her eyes were sad, and she had a tremble in her lips, playing on her pale face.

“Meet my friend-”

Irene interrupted me, staring at her as if seeing a ghost.

“Gabriela?”

Maria turned to look at her, the corners of her lips curving down at the corners.

“No. That’s my mother.”

Irene recovered quickly and laughed it off. 

“Of course! How silly of me, you’re far too young to be your mother. I’ll leave you girls to your business.” Rising quickly, Irene walked into the back room and closed the door.

Maria sat in front of me and wordlessly pulled out a book. 

“What is it?”

“My mother’s old diary. Raphael met me in an alley today, and he showed it to me. He said it would help us.”

I looked back to the cover and closed my eyes. 

She was hiding something. 

I opened my eyes. So was I. 

Gabriela.

My fault.

I opened the diary and began to examine it. 

The first thing I noticed was the first letters of the later entries. There were three main calligraphies in Enami at the time, and Gabriela used two of them. Except for the first letters at the beginning of each entry, each one written in Hansit, large and overdone. I would barely have noticed….except she only did it for a single year.

“Look.” 

“What?”

“What happened to your mother in the year 1825?”

“She got a new job.”

“Well, something about that job made your mother cautious.”

Her eyes sharpened as she re-examined the entries, and I pointed at the Hansit. Her eyes widened.

“She’s writing a passage!”

I lurched up.

I ripped out a blank page from the back, grabbing a quill from the stand next to us. 

“THE KING IS LYING. HIS SON IS NOT WHO HE SAYS HE I. HE WANT BRING HER BACK. SHE IS DEAD. HE CAN STOP KING. FIND THE SWORD ENAMI. FIND THE PORTRAIT IN RTERNA. PROVE HE ISNT WHO HE SAYS HE IS.”

We sat back as I set down my quill, my hands now ink-splattered from the pace at which I had written as she had recited the letters.

“Your mother had terrible grammar,” I finally said, and Maria’s head snapped.

“Shut up.” I blinked. It was the sharpest Maria had ever sounded as she stared at my messy scrawl. “We have to find the sword.”

I hesitated. “Maria…your mother was famous for her love of games. What if this is just another one?”

As our eyes met, there was nothing of the kind young woman in them I’d come to know.

“Then we play.”

We only have 5 days left.

It’s time to use them.

“We need Damien,” She said, standing up abruptly and turning to walk to the stairs. 

“But we don’t know where he is!” I called after her.

She stilled before whirling to face me.

“What happened to him?”

“We don’t know. He was here, but then, he vanished.”

She closed her eyes, inhaling sharply.

“Nothing is going right.”

Suddenly, the clock began to peal loudly, chiming in midnight.

Midnight.

A new day has begun.

“We need to find Damien.” She said hoarsely, opening her eyes slowly.

“I know. But how?” I said softly.

“I can help if you’re looking for someone,” Irene called from behind the counter, where she had resumed her perch.

Maria turned to look at Irene, an empty smile playing on her lips.

“ And who are you?”

“Irene Grilqua”

“Well then, Irene, where would you find a teenage boy with good fighting skills around here?” 

She was quiet for a moment. Then she furtively glanced around and bent over to whisper, 

“Virmirs Alley. It’s an underground fight club. But the only people who go there either have nothing to lose, or everything to gain. Be careful. But don’t tell anyone I told you.”

Maria gave her a wan smile.

“Thank you.”

“Glad I could help. It breaks my heart to see these good young men throw their lives away like this.”

Maria smiled again, this time sharp and jagged.

“I feel the same way.”

Picking up the diary and the paper, she stuffed it into the book and hurried out.

I turned to look at Irene.

“Can I ask for directions?”

She laughed before saying,

“Go right down till you see a bakery that says “Closed,” then, turn left, right, straight. They’ll want a password if you’re not a fighter. Tell them, ‘Everything is made to be broken.’‘“ 

“Thank you,” I said.

“Glad I could help.”

I turned to run out the door, to follow Maria. Irene stood still before returning to her chair, then her backroom. I watched her from the outside door.

She wasn’t alone. 

I ran to catch Maria.

__________________

“Who is ‘e anyway?”

“No one.”

I groaned and tried to open my eyes, but my eyes felt like wet sand, and opening my eyes seemed a monumental effort for such a small thing.

“I think he’s waking up.”

“Put ‘im under, then!”

I felt something sharp slide into my arm. My eyes snapped open. 

The horror on one of the men’s faces was enough to spring me from my bed, a drunken-sounding snarl erupting from my ravaged throat as the world became blurry. 

“Who are you?”

“The only people keeping you alive right now.” The sharp voice was so familiar. “Sit down before you hurt yourself.” The world came into focus, and standing next to me was Ishaan Kaur. His eyes were cold.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Damien.” A man was leaning against a wall, his eyes sparkling with humor, his smile so casual, it was as though he were ordering ice at the park instead of standing in front of a drugged and dazed prisoner. There was something boyish about him like he’d either never had to grow up, or he’d been forced to too soon.

“Do you recognize this, Damien?” Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a paper and threw it at me, as though I was a dog rather than a human. ‘The amount of disrespect I was receiving within this week alone is more than I’ve received in a whole year,’ I thought dryly. My good humor vanished the moment I began to read. 

“I saw him, you know.” His voice was casual, his smile still light. Monster. One who hid rage behind soft laughs and hate in warm looks. We both knew who he was talking about.

“Mateo looks a lot like you, but very different personality, I must say. “ Charm like the devil and looks like an angel,” the guards say. Wonder how much longer that will last.”

“Don’t you dare touch him!” I roared, lunging at him as the other men melted from the shadows to hold me back.

“Come now, Damien, let’s not get too emotional. I’m here to offer you a deal is all. I happen to have an old score to settle with the husband of your landlady, and he happens to care fondly for her. Get rid of her, and your brother will receive a raise from his present….accommodations.”

Ishaan’s eyes widened, and I remembered that he had called her a friend just yesterday. 

“There is no need to bring her into this, Charun.”

“I think there is.” His tone was final.

He glanced at the shadow passing over Ishaan’s features and laughed.

“Come now, don’t tell me you have feelings for the old bird?”

“I owe her a favor and call her a friend.”

Charun’s smile faded.

“You once called me a brother.”

“Not anymore.”

The tension within the room was thick as the fog that covered Hells Alley, Charun’s face as inscrutable as Ishaan’s. Finally, he turned back to me.

“Bring Death’s Messenger to the king,”

“What if I can’t?” My question was ragged. I wasn’t sure if I could betray her. Hurt her. Take her to someone who will so willingly break her. The corners of his lips tilted. 

“I’m sure you can.”

“Ishaan will watch you. If you tell anyone anything..” 

The threat was a poison lacing his words. The goon beside me brayed a thick laugh like that of a donkey.

The world slowed as rage began to seep in through the cracks in my mind, turning everything a thousand shades of red. Lunging to the side suddenly, I drove my fist into his jaw with all the strength of a drained man. He doubled over, and I grabbed him into a headlock. I panted, the steps I knew better than my own hand becoming harder and harder.

Kicking out the backs of his knees, he fell to the ground. Flipping him over to face me, I pressed a knee to his chest and clutched his windpipe. His eyes widened as he mouthed words he couldn’t say. Suddenly, I felt a crushing pressure from behind me, and I gave a groan of pain. Feeling myself being hauled off by my shirt, I gave a weak twist. 

He laughed.

“Behave, Damien,” His chiding voice murmured above me.

Patronizing pig.

His long fingers grasped my neck lightly, his skin rough with hidden calluses and scars. He suddenly snapped it to the side, and before I could make a sound, he slid a syringe into my neck and I froze, almost wincing at the sudden pain, the alarms in my head slowing to mere beeps.

“This syringe is now in your carotid artery, Damien. One movement, just one, and I inject it.”

“What’s in it?”

Ishaan’s voice was warning.

“Air.”

I would have laughed. He saw the amusement on my face, and something flickered in his eyes.

“Don’t think so highly of yourself, Sariati. The oxygen will invade your veins and travel to your heart, clogging the necessary valves around the heart, and it will mimic a heart attack. A fatal one.” All amusement died on my tongue.

“Now listen to me. You will bring her. You will kill the rest. And you will not tell anyone about Ishaan.”

Slowly, he drew out the syringe. 

“Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

__________________

I blew out a breath as I looked around Aleksandr’s room. He had a smile on his face that would be faintly frightening if he were actually aiming it at someone. Instead, it was a triumphant smile. 

“What in Jarni’s name is that?” I finally groaned, bored and annoyed with his self-righteousness and secretiveness. 

“An old ledger.”

“A ledger?” I flopped over onto the bed again, annoyance bubbling to the surface. “Good gods, I’m already bored.”

“I’m still trying to figure out how you passed primary school,” Mikhail groaned from the couch.

“It’s not my fault,” I muttered, “that the instructor let me pass on looks alone. This beauty can be a curse.”

Aleksandr gave me a look that said yeah right, before turning back to face Mikhail, still slumped sideways on the couch.

“A ledger that includes notes,” he said triumphantly. I stared at him, five seconds from lunging over the table and throttling him. He rolled his eyes when I growled in anger, his sigh of frustration suddenly seeming incredibly condensing. “When a ledger includes notes about the guests, it usually includes where they were, where they’re going after this, how long they’ve stayed, how much money they paid, and the currency they used.”

“So?”

“So, that means that we know the prince obviously didn’t come here with his real name, so we need to find a guest that would match what we believe he would have. And he paid using his own ring. On that day, only three men checked into this inn.”

“And how exactly would we know where they were going?” I scoffed, almost laughing at the comical flash of anger on his face.

“They’re all heading to the same place. It’s a very good thing the innkeeper is nosy. She asked them where they were heading, and they all said the same thing.”

His face was grim. I was confused for a moment before realization dawned.

“No. Nope, not doing it, you can’t-”

“We’re going to Enami.”

“Dammit, you said it.” 

“What’s so bad about Enami?” Mikhail asked tentatively. Aleksandr snorted.

“It’s where his sister and her family live.”

“Why is that so bad?”

“Did I mention she put a price on his head?”

Mikhail gaped. 

“Why?”

“Because she’s still the same petty little girl she was when we were five,” I grumbled.

“They had a falling-out.”

“Falling out,” I repeated as I remembered the furious look on her face when I showed her the reality of her friend, the shock the next day knowing my own blood had made me little more than a criminal. And since there was nothing for me in Enami, I found somewhere else that could take the work of a newly minted fiend.

“Really?”

Aleksandr started laughing.

“Her friend, Lady Dowager Arashita Von Mokari, turned out to be a famous thief wanted in two kingdoms and one empire for treason, grand theft, and bigamy.  She stole almost half of his sister’s wealth, then ran off to find some other kingdom to torture with her presence.”

“How the hell do you know so much about my family?”

With a smirk, he picked up a newspaper left on the table and snapped it out in front of his face. 

“Research.”

Mikhail was still gaping at me, his eyes wide.

“But why do you have a bounty on your head, then?”

“Because going after an old friend she loved parading about would have been humiliating, especially since countless others were doing the same. Better to make it all my fault.” My voice was throw-away, even as the familiar betrayal flashed across my eyes again.

“Wow.” He blinked again, the book in his lap clearly forgotten as a slow smile spread across his face. 

“Does Maria know you’re wanted in her home country?” His voice was teasing as his eyes laughed.

“No.”

“Are you gonna tell her?”

“No.”

“You’re so grumpy,” he grumbled.

“Bit late for that,” Aleksandr snickered as he returned to the paper.

“How can you read that?” Mikhail asked. Aleksandr raised his eyebrows as he slowly lowered the paper.

“Because I can read.”

Mikhail flushed as he hurried to say, 

“Yes, but it’s not in Jeternian”

Aleksandr shrugged.

“I’m not a barbarian.”

Mikhail watched him in amazement.

“Back to the original point, Aleks, do you have a plan?”

“Don’t call me Aleks.”

“Do you have a plan?” My voice was forceful, but his silence spoke for itself.

“I swear, I don’t care if you’re lying. Just tell me you did not just drag us to a hellhole without a plan.”

“We’ll figure something out.”

“We better.”

“Yeah, we better. Or we won’t live through next week.”

_________________

I blinked at the alley the woman had directed us to. It was dark and dank and disgusting, but completely empty. 

“Where-”

“There.” Alyona nudged her head towards a homeless-looking man sitting with a coin box next to him. Her white streak shone bright in the chocolate of her hair and with the moon glowing, her chocolate looked black. 

Black and White.

Yin and Yang.

“Then let’s go ask.”