LOGINAstra's POVI was disguised as a wandering merchant, I entered the outskirts of the pack, my eyes scanning the people as they passed. Every house looked the same-- unbothered, untouched by politics—but I’d learned long ago never to trust the surface of things.I met up with one of my Supreme Guards, Eran, who had gone ahead. Jerome was hell-bent so I let him and maybe I might just have to thank him after all.I snorted.“There’s a man,” he said, keeping his voice low as we walked along the riverbank. “Keeps to himself. Lives near the old grain storehouse.”“Anything suspicious?”“He doesn’t buy food. Doesn’t speak much. And…” Eran looked around before whispering, “I saw him wearing gloves. Not uncommon-- except he took one off once. There’s a scar. Shaped like a fang.”My heart quickened.“Take me to him.”Eran wanted to say a word bit one look and he swallowed his words. I was going to get to the bottom of this and that too without losing my head.We waited until nightfall.Eran brou
Astra's POVI sat at my desk, hunched over an old map of the known territories, ink smudged on my fingers, my eyes heavy with exhaustion but my mind spinning like a wheel at full speed.A knock.I didn’t even look up. "Enter."Jerome’s familiar boots hit the floor, slow and steady. He never came into a room without purpose. I felt his eyes on me before he even spoke."You haven’t slept," he said quietly, closing the door behind him."I’ve rested." I didn’t look up from the map, but I could feel his doubt thick in the air."You call pacing the halls with a sword at your waist ‘resting’?" He crossed the room, pulled out the chair opposite me and sat down, arms crossed.Okay, he was simply exaggerating now. I wasn't pacing the halls with a sword at my waist, at least I did that only once. When the inner fire alarms had gone off abruptly, well, thankfully it was just smoke and not necessarily an attack.We've had a few mock attacks over the pretext of the fire alarms. The fire alarms woul
Unknowns POV"Don't get too cocky, You never know where your cocky ass will land you."A sad chuckle, "Very funny." I jested, "I don't care but it can't lead me farther than my grave.""Are you that eager for your grave?""Everyone of us will get there, including you." I shrugged.She folded her arms. “You’re playing a dangerous game, pushing her like this. Astra’s instincts are sharpening. What happens if she connects me to you?”I tilted my head, considering her carefully. "You give her more credit than she is worth."She looked at me for a second as if searching for something in my face, "You don't know what you are talking about."I hummed, "I've watched Astra from the moment Jerome took interest in her. I knew the day she'd take over the throne was coming and so I watched closely. Maybe if I'd cut off Jerome, we wouldn't be here.""I don't care when you knew Astra or started watching her but i will tell you for free. She's definitely not what you think or at least she has evolved
Unknown's POVI stood by the tall window, gloved hands behind my back, as I watched the rain.The rain had just begun-- light and sharp, the kind that stung the skin and cleansed nothing. My face was cloaked in darkness and shrouded with something darker.“She’s getting close.”The voice came from the center of the room, where a man knelt-- one of my own, soaked, panting, blood trailing from his left shoulder.He had run too hard and too fast. For his life.To live was already losing your life, it came with the job. Investigations were ongoing and this was one of the reports.I didn’t turn to the man, I kept my gaze steadily fixed on the window. “Astra always had bite. I expected as much.” I flexed my wrist, "She's never been known to bark and no bite."“But they… they’ve uncovered part of the message center in the armory. The bait she set worked. Some of our transmissions--” the spy swallowed, “--might’ve been traced.”“I think she has silent operatives. I can't find how she did this
Jace's POVShe inhaled sharply. "That would explain the bait incident. It was too obvious for me to look away. I have been thinking about what could have been wrong.""Are you suspecting that someone deliberately lured the decoy guards to take the bait?""I am suspecting that someone either knows that they are decoys or they set their own traps with the bait."I hummed, that made sense. A lot has been happening and it was beginning to click and sometimes it wasn't."There is still a body in the lair and he said I was too late. I don't know what that means." I reported."A body? Is he dead?""I don't think so, I only knocked him unconscious.""What do you think?""His people will find him.”"You said the place had a lot of dust.""Yes, but it didn't look abandoned." I paused, a lightbulb going off my head, "What if all of this is a decoy?"Queen Astra furrowed her brows, "How do you mean?""What if the whole dust, looking old, well kept yet looking like it hadn't been attended to in y
Jace's POVThis passageway had always seemed like a dead end-- unused and quiet for years. For some reason even palace guards avoided it and sources say they wrote it off as a remnant of old renovations. But I had been trained to notice the unnoticed even if it was always so lonely and dead quiet just like this passageway.I heard it used to be called the attic passageway because an attic used to be here just before the renovations, many many years ago.As I approached the dead end, I slowed down, walking slowly the soles of my boots brushing against ancient stone and granite.Something had drawn me back here... since Queen Astra had sent hell bent on discovering her nemesis and I swore to uncover everything possible, I wasn't messing around and this was one of those days where your promises came to life.Something felt off about the bait and armory incident. Maybe it was how they just knew where the armory was or the way they fell for it very smoothly. I wasn't sure what it was but i







