The next day passes in a blur of preparation.
Torres has a safe house—of course he does—in a part of the city I've never even delivered to. It's small, cramped, and full of documents and maps that suggest he's been planning an assault on the Guild for years.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I ask him at one point. "About the Guild. About what you used to be."
He's examining a map of the Undercity tunnels. "Would you have believed me?"
"Probably not."
"Exactly. And even if you had, what could you do about it? You were just a kid trying to make a living. I saw no reason to drag you into my vendetta."
"But now you are dragging me in."
"Now you're already in. Might as well make use of it." He glances up. "Besides, you've proven yourself. Not many people would run from seven assassins and live to tell about it. You're tougher than you look."
"I just ran away really well."
"Sometimes that's the toughest thing you can do." He marks something on the map. "Kira's good for you. And you're good for her. She's more human now than she ever was in the Guild. That's worth fighting for."
I help him plan routes while Kira and Garrett work on equipment. She's sharpening blades with methodical precision. He's preparing what he calls "insurance"—enchanted items that might give us an edge.
Mochi is resting, conserving energy. He's still exhausted from yesterday's escape. I keep checking on him, making sure he's eating enough spirit seeds.
"How are you feeling?" I ask during one check-in.
Nervous, he admits. But ready.
"You don't have to come, you know. This is going to be dangerous."
He gives me a look that clearly says: Are you kidding? I'm not letting you do this alone.
"Thanks, buddy."
As evening approaches, the reality of what we're about to do starts to sink in. We're going to walk into the most dangerous place in the city. We might not walk out.
I find Kira on the roof of the safe house, watching the sunset. She's wearing her assassin gear now—dark, practical, with a dozen hidden weapons. She looks like what she is: dangerous.
"Hey," I say, sitting beside her.
"Hey."
"Having second thoughts?"
"Many. You?"
"So many I've lost count." I take her hand. "But I'm still doing this."
"Me too."
We sit in silence for a moment. Then I say, "If this goes wrong—"
"It won't."
"But if it does, I want you to know that these three years with you have been the best of my life. I don't regret any of it."
She leans against me. "Even the part where you found out I'm a professional killer?"
"Especially that part. It explained so much. Like why you're so good at cutting vegetables."
She laughs, and it's a real laugh, not a polite one. "You're ridiculous."
"You married me anyway."
"Best decision I ever made. Even if it did lead to us having to break into an underground fortress."
"Worst honeymoon ever."
"We never had a honeymoon."
"Well, after this, we should take one. Somewhere far away. Somewhere with no assassins."
"That sounds perfect."
Torres calls up that it's time to move. We climb down from the roof, and I suit up in what Garrett calls "appropriate infiltration attire," which mostly means dark clothes and a lot of pockets for Mochi to hide in.
"Remember the plan," Torres says, going over it one more time. "Kira surrenders at the Noble District entrance to the Undercity. They'll take her to headquarters. Once she's in, she activates this." He hands her a small crystal. "It'll send a pulse that Garrett can track. That's your signal."
"We have three hours," Garrett adds. "That's how long I estimate before they start getting suspicious of why she surrendered so easily."
"Three hours to break in, find the records room, steal everything, and get out," I summarize. "No problem. Totally doable."
"The sarcasm isn't helping," Kira says.
"It's helping me."
Torres pulls out a set of papers. "These are copies of the building layout. The records room is on the third sublevel, east wing. You'll need to get past two security checkpoints. I've marked alternate routes in case the main ones are blocked."
"And if we get caught?" I ask.
"Don't get caught."
"Very helpful, thanks."
Garrett hands me a bag. "Smoke bombs. Flash crystals. One explosive—use that only in dire emergency. And this." He pulls out a small, intricate device. "It's a lock bypass. Should work on any non-magical lock. The magical ones you'll have to deal with the old-fashioned way."
"Which is?"
"Breaking them. Or going around them. Your choice."
Kira takes the device and examines it. "This is brilliant work. Where did you learn to make these?"
"You don't spend thirty years as an illegal enchanter without picking up a few tricks."
We gather our equipment. Check our supplies. Go over the plan three more times until I've memorized every detail.
Then there's nothing left to do but go.
We travel separately to avoid drawing attention. Torres and Garrett take one route. Kira takes another. I take a third with Mochi hidden in my satchel.
The Noble District is quiet at night. Rich people don't wander the streets after dark—they hire guards to do that for them. I slip through the shadows, following the path Torres marked, until I reach the entrance to the Undercity.
It's disguised as a maintenance tunnel. There's a guard, but he's dozing at his post. I wait until his head drops forward in sleep, then I slip past.
The tunnels are old. Ancient, maybe. They predate the current city, built by whoever lived here before. Now they're used for smuggling, secret meetings, and apparently housing assassin guilds.
I make my way deeper, following Garrett's map. Mochi pokes his head out of my satchel, glowing softly to provide light.
"You okay?" I whisper.
Scared. But okay.
"Me too."
We reach the first checkpoint. It's unmanned—Torres was right that they'd be short-staffed during the full moon meeting. But there's a magical lock on the door.
I pull out the bypass device Garrett gave me. It doesn't work on magical locks, but maybe...
I examine the lock more closely. It's triggered by a specific magical signature. But the mechanism itself is physical. If I can just...
I pull out a thin piece of wire from my satchel. Mochi squeaks a question.
"Lock picking," I explain. "I've been practicing. Kira doesn't know, but I've been studying the books in her shop."
Why?
"Because I wanted to understand her world better. And also because it seemed like a useful skill for a delivery runner."
I work the wire into the lock, feeling for the tumblers. It's harder than Kira made it look, but I've got time and determination.
Click.
The door opens.
"Ha! I did it!"
Mochi squeaks proud congratulations.
We slip through into the next section. According to the map, we're close now. Just one more level down, and we'll be at the records room.
I'm starting to think this might actually work.
That's when I hear voices.
"—should have killed the husband when we had the chance."
"Vex wanted him alive. Leverage against Kira."
"And look how that worked out. She's more dangerous now that she has something to lose."
Two assassins. Walking patrol route that isn't on our map.
I press myself against the wall, dousing Mochi's glow. In the darkness, I hear them getting closer.
There's nowhere to hide. The tunnel is straight and narrow. If they come this way, they'll see me.
I could run. But that would alert everyone. Could fight. But I'd lose.
So I do the only thing I can think of.
I climb.
The ceiling is high and crisscrossed with old pipes. I scramble up silently, wedging myself between two pipes just as the assassins round the corner.
They walk directly beneath me, still talking.
"—heard the girl actually surrendered."
"About time. Vex has been obsessed with getting her back."
"Can't blame him. She was the best. Twenty-four kills, zero failures."
"Until she retired."
"Love makes people stupid."
They pass. I wait until their footsteps fade before dropping back down.
"Okay," I breathe. "That was close."
Too close. This is more dangerous than I thought.
But we're committed now. Kira is already inside, probably face-to-face with Vex. I need to get those records and get out before something goes wrong.
I continue down, more carefully now. Every sound makes me jump. Every shadow could be another patrol.
Finally, I reach the records room. It's behind a heavy wooden door with—thank the gods—a non-magical lock. I use the bypass device, and it clicks open easily.
Inside is exactly what we hoped for: rows of filing cabinets. Shelves of ledgers. Documents everywhere.
"Okay, Mochi. Help me look for anything marked 'contracts' or 'operations' or—"
"Hello, Renn."
I spin around.
Vex is standing in the doorway.
Behind him are four assassins.
And behind them, being held by two more assassins, is Kira.
She looks furious. And terrified. "Renn, run!"
But there's nowhere to run. They're blocking the only exit.
Vex smiles. "Did you really think we didn't know you were coming? That we didn't see through the entire plan?"
No. No, this can't be happening.
"It was a good attempt," Vex continues. "Very clever, using Kira's surrender as a distraction. But I've been playing this game for thirty years. I know every move, every trick. Including the ones Torres taught you."
Torres. He mentioned Torres.
Oh no.
"Torres didn't betray you," Vex says, reading my expression. "But he's been monitored. We've known about his surveillance for years. We let him think he was gathering intelligence on us. All while we were really gathering intelligence on him."
Mochi is trembling in my satchel. I can feel his panic matching my own.
"So now what?" I ask, trying to keep my voice steady. "You kill us both?"
"Not quite." Vex steps closer. "You see, I need Kira back in the Guild. She's too valuable to lose. But she needs proper motivation. She needs to understand that her choices have consequences."
He nods to one of the assassins holding Kira.
They pull out a knife.
"No!" Kira struggles against their grip. "Vex, please, he's innocent—"
"He stopped being innocent the moment he helped you run." Vex looks at me almost apologetically. "It's nothing personal, boy. You're simply leverage. When Kira sees what happens to people she cares about who defy the Guild, she'll fall in line. She always was a quick learner."
The assassin raises the knife.
And I realize, with perfect clarity, that I'm about to die in an underground record room, having failed completely at my stupid, impossible plan.
I close my eyes.
I hear Kira screaming.
I hear Mochi squeaking in terror.
I hear—
An explosion.
My eyes snap open.
The wall behind Vex is gone. Just... gone. Blown inward by something powerful.
Through the smoke and dust, a figure walks in.
"Sorry I'm late," Torres says calmly. "Had to set up the charges in just the right places."
Behind him, Garrett appears, looking singed but triumphant. "Told you the explosives would work."
And behind them—
"The City Watch?" I stare in disbelief. "You brought the City Watch?"
"Not just the Watch," Torres says. He pulls out a badge I've never seen him wear. "Imperial Investigation Bureau. I've been undercover for fifteen years, building a case against the Guild. You two just gave me the final piece I needed."
Vex's expression has gone from smug to furious. "You're bluffing."
"Am I? Guards, arrest these assassins. All of them. Vex included. Charges: conspiracy, murder for hire, extortion, and about fifty other crimes I've been documenting."
The Watch floods in. The assassins try to fight, but they're outnumbered and surrounded. Even Vex, for all his skill, can't fight twenty armed guards.
In the chaos, I run to Kira. The assassins holding her have released her to fight. She's already moving toward me.
We meet in the middle of the room and just hold each other while the Guild falls apart around us.
"You're okay," she breathes. "You're okay."
"You too. We're both okay."
Mochi squeaks in relief from my satchel, then climbs up to perch on both our shoulders, bridging us like he always does.
Torres approaches, smiling. "Told you I had a plan."
"You could have mentioned the part where you're a secret agent!" I protest.
"Where's the fun in that?" He surveys the captured assassins. "It's over. The Guild is finished. And you two are free."
"Just like that?"
"Just like that." He clasps my shoulder. "You did good, kid. Both of you. Now get out of here before you have to give statements. I'll handle the paperwork."
We don't need to be told twice.
We leave through the hole Torres blew in the wall, climbing up through destroyed tunnels and eventually emerging into the night air of the Noble District.
We're filthy, exhausted, and probably traumatized.
But we're alive.
And we're free.
"What now?" I ask Kira.
She looks at me, then at the city spread out before us, then back at me.
"Now," she says, "we go home. We rebuild. We figure out what a normal life looks like."
"With no assassins?"
"With no assassins."
"That sounds perfect."
We start walking, hand in hand, Mochi glowing softly between us.
The sun is starting to rise. A new day. A new beginning.
And for the first time in three years, neither of us is running from anything.
We're just running toward each other.
Together.