The river Aethel was a freezing, churning black ribbon that cut through the center of the capital. It was filled with the runoff of a million souls: sewage, alchemy waste, and the occasional corpse.
For Kael and Valeria, it was an escape route.
They shot out of the drainage pipe like cannonballs, plummeting ten feet before hitting the water. The impact knocked the wind out of Valeria. The cold seized her muscles instantly. She tumbled in the dark current, the heavy Black Ledger clutched to her chest in a waterproof oilskin bag.
A hand grabbed the back of her tunic.
Kael hauled her to the surface. He was treading water effortlessly, his massive strength fighting the current that tried to drag them downstream.
"Breathe," Kael ordered, his voice wet and rough.
Valeria gasped, sucking in air that smelled of silt. "The book... I have the book."
"Good," Kael grunted. He looked toward the bank, which was lined with slippery moss and stone walls. "Now we just need to not die of hypothermia."
He towed her to the edge. With a heave, he threw her onto the muddy bank, then pulled himself up. They lay in the mud for a moment, shivering violently.
"We did it," Valeria chattered, her teeth clicking. "Sector 4. Vault 9. We robbed the Guild."
Kael sat up, wringing water from his golden hair. "We robbed a tomb. Now the dead are angry. We need to get back to the estate before Garius locks down the city."
"The others," Valeria whispered, looking toward the Noble District on the hill. "They should be at the Vespera Estate by now."
The Vespera Estate
The Vespera mansion was a testament to Duke Vespera's vanity. While other nobles built fortresses, he built a palace of glass and water. An elaborate canal system, diverted from the river, flowed under the outer walls to feed the exotic water gardens in the central courtyard.
It was beautiful. And it was a fatal tactical error.
Under the surface of the canal, Caspian moved like a phantom. The Shark beastman was in his element. The water revitalized his dry skin, turning it slick and grey. His gills flared rhythmically.
He reached the iron grate that blocked the underwater tunnel. It was thick, rusted, and locked.
Caspian smiled, revealing rows of serrated teeth. He didn't pick the lock. He grabbed the bars. His Shark physiology gave him immense crushing power in his grip. He squeezed. The rusted iron groaned and bent, creating a hole just large enough for a man.
He swam through, surfacing on the other side in the moonlit water garden.
He pulled himself onto the marble edge of the pond. He signaled with a low whistle that sounded like a night bird.
On the other side of the wall, a rope dropped down. Ignis and Silas climbed over, landing silently on the grass.
Ignis adjusted his wet cuffs with a look of utter disdain. "I hate dampness. It ruins the velvet."
"Quiet," Silas hissed. The Wolf was low to the ground, his nose working overtime. "Three guards on the patio. Two dogs by the stables."
"Dogs?" Ignis raised an eyebrow. "Amateurs."
He pulled a small pouch from his belt. It contained a powder Valeria had mixed - [Slumber Dust].
"Lucian," Ignis whispered into the air.
Above them, perched on the roof gutter, the Phoenix chirped once. He swooped down, grabbed the pouch from Ignis, and flew over the patio guards. He shook the pouch. Glittering dust rained down.
The guards didn't even cough. They just slumped against the wall, sliding down into a seated position, snoring softly. The dogs in the kennel yawned and lay down.
"Path clear," Silas growled.
They moved to the side entrance. This was the servants' door—the one Ma and Pa Garnett would have used a thousand times.
Ignis examined the lock. "Standard tumbler. Child's play."
He inserted a thin metal pick. Click.
They slipped inside.
The house smelled of lavender and expensive wax. To Silas, it smelled of something else: Old misery. He could smell the lingering scent of the original Elise in these halls - the fear, the tantrums, the loneliness.
"Upstairs," Ignis directed, consulting the mental map Valeria had drilled into them. "Isolde's room is the master suite in the East Wing. She took it after the Duchess died."
They crept up the carpeted stairs. Silas took point, stepping on the edges of the steps where the wood wouldn't creak.
They reached the double doors of the East Wing. They were painted white with gold trim.
"Locked?" Silas asked.
Ignis placed his hand on the wood. He frowned.
"Warded," Ignis whispered. "A standard Alarm Ward. If we open the door, it screams."
"Can you break it?"
"I can dismantle it," Ignis said, pulling out a vial of counter-mana ink. "But it will take five minutes. Do we have five minutes?"
Silas pressed his ear to the door. He listened to the breathing inside. It was slow, rhythmic.
"She is sleeping," Silas said. "Do it."
Ignis began to paint runes on the doorframe, sweating as he worked to unravel the magic without tripping it. Silas stood guard, his claws extended.
Five minutes passed. Ignis finished the final stroke. The faint hum of the ward died.
"Open," Ignis breathed.
Silas pushed the door. It swung open silently.
The room was an explosion of pink silk and lace. It looked like the inside of a confectionery box. In the center, on a massive four-poster bed, lay Isolde Vespera.
She slept on her back, her golden curls spread over the pillow. She looked innocent in sleep, like a doll.
And there, resting against her throat, rising and falling with her breath, was the Red Tear.
The garnet was the size of a pigeon's egg, set in heavy gold. In the moonlight filtering through the window, it looked like a drop of blood.
Silas crept toward the bed. He moved on the balls of his feet.
He reached the bedside. He looked down at the girl who had mocked Valeria in the dress shop. The girl who was wearing the key to their survival.
He reached out. His claws were sharp enough to slice skin, but he needed a surgeon's touch.
The clasp was at the back of her neck. He couldn't reach it without lifting her head.
Silas looked at Ignis. Ignis signaled: Cut the chain.
Silas brought a single claw to the gold chain resting on the pillow. He applied pressure.
Snip.
The chain parted.
Silas gently pinched the broken end and began to pull the necklace slowly across the pillowcase. Gold slid against silk with a faint hiss.
Isolde stirred. She mumbled something in her sleep and turned her head.
Her hand flopped onto the necklace, pinning it down.
Silas froze. His hand was inches from hers.
Isolde's eyes fluttered.
"Daddy?" she mumbled sleepily.
Silas didn't breathe. He didn't move. He held perfectly still, becoming a statue in the dark.
Isolde sighed, nuzzled the pillow, and went back to sleep. Her hand slid off the necklace.
Silas exhaled silently. He pulled the necklace free.
He held the Red Tear up. The garnet caught the moonlight.
"Got it," he mouthed to Ignis.
They backed out of the room. Ignis closed the door. He didn't re-seal the ward.
They retreated down the hall, down the stairs, and out the servants' entrance.
Caspian was waiting by the pond.
"Success?" the Shark asked.
Silas held up the necklace.
"Let's go," Ignis said. "Before the dogs wake up."
They climbed the rope, Lucian covering their retreat from the sky. As they vanished into the night, the Vespera Estate remained silent, unaware that it had just been robbed of its future.
The Reunion
It was nearly dawn when the two teams converged back at the Ironclad Estate.
Valeria and Kael were wrapped in blankets by the fire, their hair still damp. The Black Ledger sat on the table, drying out.
The door opened. Ignis, Silas, Caspian, and Lucian walked in. They were dry (mostly), uninjured, and smiling.
"Delivery for the Duchess," Silas said, tossing something glittering through the air.
Valeria caught it.
The Red Tear.
She looked at the stone. It was heavy, warm from Isolde's skin. She pressed her thumb against the back of the setting.
Click.
A hidden compartment in the setting popped open. Inside was not a key, but a tiny, magically encoded crystal chip.
[Item: Garnett Trust Access Crystal.]
[Authorization: Confirmed.]
"We have it," Valeria whispered. "We have the money."
"And the evidence," Kael added, tapping the Ledger.
Valeria stood up. She looked at her family. They were exhausted, battered, and operating on caffeine and adrenaline. But they had done the impossible. They had infiltrated the two most secure locations in the city in a single night.
"Garius will be waking up soon," Valeria said. "He will realize Varg is gone. He will realize the Ledger is gone."
"And your father will realize his bank account is frozen," Ignis added with a smirk.
"Change of clothes," Valeria ordered. "All of you. ceremonial armor. The best we have."
"Why?" Lucian asked, yawning. "Are we fighting?"
"No," Valeria said, her eyes flashing violet. "We are dining."
She picked up the invitation that had arrived via courier just as Kael and she had returned from the river. It bore the Imperial Seal.
[To Valeria of Ironclad.]
[His Imperial Majesty requests your presence for a private breakfast.]
[Bring the Cat.]
"The Emperor wants a meeting," Valeria said. "And we aren't going to make him wait."
The Palace Gates
The sun was blinding as the black carriage rolled up to the service entrance of the Imperial Palace. They didn't go to the main Throne Room. The invitation had specified the Sun Garden - the Emperor's private sanctuary.
Guards in gold armor stopped them. But when Valeria showed the invitation, they bowed low and opened the gates.
They were escorted through winding corridors of white marble and hanging vines. The air smelled of jasmine.
They arrived at a glass-walled conservatory. Inside, sitting at a simple round table, was Emperor Aurelius.
He was not wearing his crown. He wore a loose white shirt and trousers, barefoot on the grass. He was feeding a piece of steak to a small, white lion cub that was playing under the table.
Lord Commander Titus stood by the door, helmet under his arm.
"Your Majesty," Valeria said, bowing.
Kael, Ignis, Silas, Caspian, and Lucian bowed behind her. They were dressed in the mismatched but polished armor they had scavenged from Oakhaven, cleaned and buffed to a shine.
"Sit," Aurelius said, not looking up. He scratched the cub behind the ears. "Do you like lions, Lady Valeria?"
"I respect them, Your Majesty," Valeria said, taking a seat.
"Respect," Aurelius mused. "That is good. Fear is boring. Adoration is annoying. Respect is... useful."
He looked up. His eyes were lazy, but sharp.
"Titus tells me you gave him a present last night. A Houndmaster."
"A witness," Valeria corrected.
"And my spies tell me that the Temple of the Silent Saint had a break-in a few hours ago," Aurelius continued, sipping tea. "And that the Vespera Estate had a security breach. Busy night."
Valeria didn't flinch. "I like to be productive."
Aurelius laughed. He looked at Kael.
"And you," the Emperor said. "The 'Prince' of the Golden Steppes. Come here."
Kael hesitated. He looked at Valeria. She nodded.
Kael walked to the table. He stood before the Emperor.
Aurelius stood up. He was tall, but Kael was taller.
"Do you know why I didn't have you arrested in the garden?" Aurelius asked softly.
"Because Valeria spoke well," Kael said.
"No," Aurelius said. "Because I smelled you."
The Emperor raised his hand.
It changed.
The skin rippled. Fur sprouted - golden, tawny fur. His fingernails elongated into black, retractable claws. His hand became a massive Lion's paw.
The husbands gasped. Ignis dropped his monocle.
"A Hybrid?" Ignis whispered. "The Emperor is a Hybrid?"
"Beastman," Aurelius corrected, his paw reverting to a human hand. "Though my family prefers the term 'Therianthrope'. We have ruled this Empire for three hundred years. And for three hundred years, we have hidden what we are."
He looked at Kael.
"The Lion and the Tiger," Aurelius said. "In the Age of Myths, our bloodlines were cousins. The Sun-Kings and the Star-Lions. We fought together. We ruled together."
He touched Kael's chest, right over his heart.
"I felt your aura in the garden. It was dormant, weak... but it was there. You are not a slave, boy. You are a throwback. A genetic echo of the old kings."
Kael stared at him, stunned. "The Golden Steppes... the myth..."
"Is history," Aurelius said. "History the Guild tried to erase. Why do you think they hunt Hybrids so aggressively? Why do you think they try to enslave anyone with potent beast blood?"
"Because they are afraid," Valeria realized. "They aren't just taming beasts. They are suppressing a rival species."
"Exactly," Aurelius said, his eyes cold. "The Guild knows the truth about the Imperial bloodline. They have been blackmailing my family for generations. 'Let us operate, or we reveal you are monsters to your human subjects'."
He crushed the teacup in his hand. Dust fell to the table.
"I am tired of being blackmailed, Valeria. I am tired of hiding."
He looked at her.
"You have the Witness. You have the Ledger. You have the Money."
"I do," Valeria said.
"Then tomorrow," Aurelius said, "at the Tribunal... you light the match. And I will pour the gasoline."
He looked at Kael.
"And you, cousin. Tomorrow, don't kneel. Roar."