Chapter 1

POV Liora

I wiped down the counter for the third time that minute, though the glass never really looked clean. The streaks reflected the warm, amber glow of the hanging lanterns above, making the corners of The Iron Lantern look cozy instead of cramped. The smell of fried onions mingled with roasted meat and the faint tang of beer, clinging to the wood-paneled walls like the memories of every diner that had come before us.

Mae leaned against the counter across from me, arms folded, her bright red hair catching the light like fire. Freckles danced across her nose and cheeks, little constellations that made her face almost impossible to look away from. Her green eyes were sharp, sparkling with mischief as she nudged a plate of fries toward me.

“You’re staring again,” she said. Her grin widened, and I could see the dimple in her cheek.

“Am I?” I asked, twirling the rag in my hands. “I’m just… taking in the scenery. For my memoir, maybe. How Kraithan Eats Its Soul in Fry Grease and Ale.”

Mae laughed, loud and easy, and a few patrons glanced over, curious. “You’d better get paid for that, or you’re surviving on sarcasm and charm alone. And I’m not sure the city accepts charm as legal tender.”

“Charm is legal tender,” I said, wagging a finger at her. “Clearly, you don’t know the first thing about economics.”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I know all about charm. That’s why I don’t buy it.”

I grinned, leaning on my elbow. “And yet you keep me around, don’t you? Must be my wounded-dramatic-energy thing.”

Mae laughed again. “Ah, yes. The whole ‘I survived death incarnate and still show up to work’ vibe. Very marketable. Maybe terrifying to small children, but it pays.”

I shook my head. “No small children around tonight, I hope. Though honestly, the drunk nobles here are probably more dangerous.” I nodded toward a corner where a group of well-dressed men laughed too loud, mugs clanging on the table.

Mae smirked, leaning in like she had a secret. “And how’s the love life these days, oh mysterious waitress with hazel eyes?”

I rolled my eyes. “Non-existent. But at least I haven’t been bitten—metaphorically or literally.” I flicked a strand of dark hair from my face, the low light catching a warm brown highlight in the strands. “Baby steps.”

Mae groaned dramatically, her hands on her hips. “You’re impossible. You’d rather flirt with danger than actual humans, I swear.”

I shrugged. “Danger is predictable. Humans? Not so much.” I grabbed a tray of drinks from behind the counter, the polished wood cold beneath my fingers. The surface was sticky in spots, the result of spilled ale and syrupy desserts. I set the tray down with a clink, careful not to let it tip.

The bell above the door jingled. I looked up to see a group of city guards march in, armor glinting under the lantern light. The polished metal reflected in the window, sharp and cold against the warm wood of the diner. I rolled my eyes. “Great. Fun begins. Watch me dodge responsibility like a pro.”

Mae leaned back, a smirk tugging at her lips, her bright hair brushing her shoulders. “Don’t break a nail, Liora. Kraithan’s nightlife waits for no one—and neither do its idiots.”

I grinned, letting myself relax for the first time that night. The city hummed outside: lamps flickered along cobblestone streets, wagon wheels clattered over uneven stones, and distant voices shouted above the soft clink of river water against the docks. Smoke curled from chimneys, and somewhere, a bell tolled, announcing midnight.

I leaned against the counter and studied Mae for a moment. She was impossibly alive—green eyes bright, red hair like embers, freckles catching the light like little sparks. I envied her sometimes. Her confidence. Her laughter. Her ability to survive the world with only charm and wit.

I sighed, twirling the rag again. “Some day, Mae… we’ll rule this city. Or burn it down. Probably both.”

She laughed, leaning closer. “I like the sound of that. But for tonight, let’s just survive our customers.”

I laughed with her, the sound feeling good, warm, and normal for the first time in a long while. For now, Kraithan’s chaos was ours to navigate. And for once, I could pretend I wasn’t haunted by the village I’d left behind.

The Iron Lantern never really slept. By the time Kraithan’s streets glowed under lanterns and torchlight, we were already elbow-deep in the night shift.

I wiped down the counter again—my hands sticky with syrup and grease—and watched the door swing open for the first wave of patrons. Kraithan’s nightlife was a circus of the ordinary and the extraordinary.

There was the old gambler hunched over a dice cup, hair gray and tied back with a leather strip. He grinned like he knew something I didn’t, and probably did. A pair of city watchmen stumbled in, armor dented and mugs in hand, laughing too loud about a fight somewhere downtown. Their polished metal reflected the warm lantern light, glinting in the corners of the diner.

Merchants and nobles came too, quiet, eyes flicking to the corners of the room as if testing the air. They didn’t care about vampires or werewolves. Everyone knew they existed. The city papers were full of stories, the criers in the square shouted warnings, and the guards carried silver in hidden pockets. But the people of Kraithan had learned a simple rule: leave them alone, and they’ll leave you alone.

Unlike small towns. Rallen, for instance. Small towns didn’t protect you from monsters. Not even ones who claimed to follow the law. I knew because I’d been there.

I glanced at Mae, perched on the counter across from me, bright red hair spilling over her shoulders, freckles dancing across her nose. Green eyes sparkling in the lantern glow. She grabbed a fry from a plate she’d been balancing like a pro.

“You look thoughtful,” she said, smirking.

“Just observing,” I said, twirling the rag between my fingers. “Calculating survival odds for the next patron. You know, standard night shift stuff.”

Mae laughed, a sound so easy it made the room warmer. “You’ve been thinking about Rallen again, haven’t you?”

I shrugged, though a smile tugged at my lips. “Maybe. But it’s not like we haven’t talked about it. Two years ago, remember? Swapping horror stories over coffee and fries? Same type of village nightmares, just a few days apart. I always knew someone out there understood. And now I have you.”

Mae leaned back, eyes glittering. “Exactly. The city's safer, isn’t it? Crowds, lights, streets you can vanish into. No packs roaming your backyard, no commanders burning everything to the ground. Just… noise and smoke. And the occasional drunk noble.”

I grinned. “And you. Definitely you.”

She laughed, and it echoed against the wood-paneled walls. “Flattery will get you nowhere, Liora. But I’ll take it anyway.”

The bell above the door jingled, and a group of guards marched in, armor clinking. I rolled my eyes. “Oh, wonderful. And so the entertainment begins.”

Mae leaned over, whispering with that familiar conspiratorial grin. “Try not to stab anyone with your sarcasm tonight. Kraithan doesn’t need another incident.”

I twirled the rag one last time, feeling the familiar comfort of wood under my fingers, of warm light over my shoulders, of a friend who’d been through the same hell I had. Small towns never gave you safety, never gave you friends you could trust completely. But here, in the chaos of the city, I could breathe.

For now, at least, Kraithan was ours.