The night pressed close around us, the air heavy with the scent of rain that hadn't yet fallen. We were tucked into the ruins at the edge of the old quarter, a forgotten part of the city where the cobblestones were cracked and swallowed by weeds, and the remnants of archways leaned like tired bones against the moonlight.
It was the kind of place people avoided, too full of ghosts and too little light. Which made it perfect for me. Perfect for hiding, for thinking, for slipping between shadows where no one dared follow. Or so I thought.
Rhalek leaned against a half-toppled column, the angles of his face catching what little light the stars offered. He was far too at ease here, as though he belonged among ruins. His presence was steady, unwavering, the kind of stillness that comes from a man who knows the ground under his feet because he's already bled on it.
My eyes flicked across the ruins, tracing the sharp edges of broken stone, the places where moss climbed like dark velvet. I kept moving, circling him, letting him feel my watchful pace. "You say you've seen them," I said, my voice quiet but cutting. "But there's more to it, it isn't just a coincidence, right?"
For the first time tonight, he hesitated. Only a heartbeat, but I caught it. His jaw tightened, his eyes flicked away before snapping back to mine.
"No," he admitted. His voice had a roughness now, as though it had been dragged across gravel. "This isnt a coincidence."
I gave him an incredulous look. "I don't get you...you've been on my ass for years about the life I live, always acted better than me. What is your end game here?" I clenched my fists and slowly released once I counted until the murderous thoughts dissipated. "You're were a part of this mercenary assassin team?"
Rhalek made a disgruntled sound. "Yes and no...it's complicated." Before I could give him my smart ass comment he rose his hands up the same way you would when you were cornering a wild animal. "I promise you, I'm here to help. Believe it or not , I do trust you."
Trust me? Me?
I stopped pacing, folding my arms. "Um, well..." I start fidgeting. "Tell me about this so called elite team."
A flicker crossed his features which seemed like maybe memory, regret, or something unguarded that I hadn't expected from him. "You wouldn't remember," he said softly. "But I do. Years ago. You slipped into a gathering you had no business being at. Cloaked, quiet. I was posted at the edge, and you passed right by me. A fox in plain sight."
I remembered pieces of that night like the heavy velvet curtains, the scent of wine and sweat, the glint of steel under polished boots. A forbidden hall where I shouldn't have been, looking for scraps of answers about my bloodline. I hadn't known then that someone was watching.
"I remember the hall," I admitted, my tone careful, measured. "But I don't remember you."
His lips curved, but it wasn't quite a smile. "That's because I let you pass. I should have stopped you. Should have raised an alarm. But something... something told me not to."
The words lingered between us, heavier than the night air. I didn't know if it was truth or manipulation, but the idea of him watching me all those years ago twisted inside me in ways I didn't like.
"Were you there as Rhalek the Assassin or Rhalek the Captain?" I asked tightly.
Before he could respond, the ruins answered for us.
A soft shuffle. Too heavy to be the wind, too careful to be an animal. My head snapped toward the sound, eyes narrowing at the shadows sliding between broken arches.
Rhalek's hand went immediately to the hilt at his side, his stance shifting, not aggressive, but protective. He didn't even glance at me when he spoke, his voice low. "They've caught our trail."
I reached for the dagger hidden in my boot, the familiar weight grounding me as the first figure emerged from the darkness. Broad-shouldered, armored leather creaking faintly, eyes glinting with the kind of hunger that only comes from blood-money promises.
I smirked faintly, twirling the dagger once between my fingers. "Then let's see, Rhalek, if you're as useful as you claim."
He glanced at me then, just briefly, and for the first time tonight I saw not calm composure but something sharper. Anticipation.
"Stay close," he said.
"As if I've ever needed to," I shot back, stepping forward to meet the first blade that caught the moonlight.