“Are you sure you can walk?” Vi asked in a worried tone. She placed her arms around Enrique to support him.
“I’ll be fine,” he assured her, taking some wobbling steps.
“You should stay in bed,” Vi told him, her eyes filled with concern. “I have extra pillows—”
“I’ll rest later.” He waved his less injured arm at her. “I want to go with you.”
Vi’s eyes flickered to Alicia as the cat girl took a knife from the kitchen table. “One of you should stay—”
The fox woman suddenly wrapped three tails tightly around the cat girl’s arm. For a moment, Vi’s eyes flashed with anger. “What are you doing?”
Alicia, mid-way to lifting the knife, froze. “I…I was going to make toast.”
Vi looked at her in silence for one long minute. Her anger faded as she stared into Alicia’s green eyes. “Okay. Sorry.”
The assassin didn’t show it, but her heart thudded in her chest. That was close. She had in fact been about to stab Enrique. It would have pleased Master, making Azurelane ineffective, and therefore ensuring Alicia’s life continued a little longer. Now it seemed like a bad idea. Apparently Azurelane rarely dropped her guard.
Enrique raised his eyebrows. “I guess yesterday was bad for you too? I feel horrible,” he told Vi. “Worse if I lie around. The Dire Wolves were such a**holes. Murdering a defenseless family. And their leader got away. I was so useless.”
“That’s why you’re hurt? You met that gang?” Alicia asked.
Enrique nodded. “Uh-huh. It must have been horrible to work for them. They haven’t spoken to you or threatened you again, have they?”
The assassin had prepared for this type of question. She did want to give a plausible excuse for her actions if she had to get away again. She held out her black phone. “I got a text from an unknown number. There’s a time and place. Sometime next week. It only says ‘come or else’. Think it’s them.”
“S***!” Enrique slammed a fist on the table. Their utensils and plates of food rattled. Vi and Alicia looked at him in surprise.
“My bad. It’s just…I really want to make those guys pay. They’re like people I knew in the past.”
Alicia buttered her toast. The knife glistened in the lights of the house. She pretended to ignore the remembered sensation of steel through flesh that suddenly shuddered through her.
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“This is the Palace.” Vi stepped forwards, indicating it with a hand. She was dressed in a traditional black and white servant’s uniform, making her look like she was giving a tour to the two of them.
Enrique gawked and stared.
As always, the royal residence was spectacular from the outside. In front was a large central fountain of gold and white, spraying clear crystal blue water. Lining the way forward was a polished gray path, and adorning the sides were rows of neatly trimmed trees. The entrance itself was burnished red, white, and gold. The palace’s marble white walls and pillars were adorned with precious metals and small jewels. It was guarded by heavy brown oaken doors and a contingent of guards, armor glinting gold in the sunlight.
Alicia had taken note of all these details as well. Judging by appearance, the palace wouldn’t skimp on security, and the guards at the front were fresh and alert, actively scanning the newcomers as potential threats. They were likely rotated on a regular basis. She was thinking about how she might capitalize on this when two strangers strode towards the trio.
One was a muscular lion-eared man in armor and a short cape, with blond hair, blue eyes, and twin swords at his waist. The other was a black-haired woman in a silver armored suit, with what appeared to be a rocket launcher behind her back, a spear, and a hammer hanging from her side. They had a calm and assured bearing to them.
The lion-eared man gave Vi a boyish grin. His eyes then went from the cat girl to the boy next to her. “Good to see you. You wanted us to give you a hand?”
Vi nodded. “This is Alicia and Enrique. Can you make sure they’re comfortable while I meet the king and queen?”
“We got it,” the woman said shortly. She put out a hand and introduced herself. “I’m Commander Rea. That’s my partner Richard.”
Enrique shook her hand. Alicia shook it, skeptical.
“They’re Heroes,” Vi added. “Feel free to ask them if you need help with anything.”
Another figure walked over to them. This time it was a woman with her hair in a bun, in a black and white outfit. She had a serious expression on her face and curtsied to the three. “Vi, the king and queen wish to speak in private with you.”
A little brunette girl in a pink dress followed close behind the servant. “Yay! You’re here!” She ran towards the fox woman, her brown eyes shining with delight.
The servant seized the girl before she could come close. “Princess, please. We’re busy.” Her voice sounded strained and worried.
Alicia hid her shock. She’s right there. The heir of the royal family! The assassin quickly swerved all her attention to the servant and the princess. She put a hand to her waist and silently cursed as she recalled that Vi had confiscated her knives.
Vi bowed to the little girl. “Princess Katerina Castle.” Enrique, surprised, quickly copied her.
The girl was looking at Vi with befuddlement. “Why aren’t you smiling? I like your smile. I want you to spend more time with me!” She spoke like it was a command.
“Maybe some other time, my little rose.” The fox woman gave Princess Katerina a small smile.
The little girl stomped her foot and pouted. “Vi!”
The servant was exasperated. “Leave us, Katerina.”
Vi had picked up on the servant’s mood. “Maria, I suppose Puri and Gamor the First won’t be in the room?”
The servant stiffened. She shook her head. “They have similar feelings as Malgus and Isandril.”
Vi acknowledged the situation with a short nod.
When Enrique gave her a pointed look of confusion, she explained. “We have four rulers. The King, the Queen, and their respective Anima. Usually they are in agreement.” When they weren’t, things could get more complicated.
Meanwhile, Princess Katerina was eyeing the other visitors with interest despite being restrained by Maria. “Why do you walk funny? Is the grumpy cat girl your partner?”
Alicia’s hand twitched. Even without a weapon, she could still use her elemental magic and abilities. Maybe a clone, or a simple beam through the head? I need to at least try. If I kill even one member of the royal family, Master will set me free. His preferred target—when will I get another chance? The issue was there were two unknown adventurers in her way, plus Vi.
The servant. Alicia found herself being interested in her. A servant wouldn’t come into the palace from the main entrance. There had to be another way in. If Alicia knew how to use that, it would be good for a future assassination attempt. And if Alicia could then get inside the residence, she could trace a layout of the place and learn times and places where the royal family could be. Do an ambush. She might even get other information she could use later.
But the assassin already had one opportunity right now, and even as she edged gradually towards the Princess, the girl was running back towards her home. Alicia needed an excuse. A way to separate from the others. So, here goes.
The cat girl raised her hand. “I need to pee,” she announced.
The others stared at her. Rea’s mouth twitched in a hint of a smile, the cannon on her back quivering as if holding in a laugh.
Maria, the servant, recovered herself. “No problem. You can follow me. Please come this way.”
Vi approached the entrance.
A pair of guards leveled their spears at Vi, as was custom, and one of them checked her profile. A small screen lit up near his gold helmet, decorated with a red feathered plume. After a short moment, they put their weapons back up.
“Enter,” the one on the left said.
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Nothing was going to plan. Maria was leading Alicia away from the palace. They passed a row of trees at the side and into a colorful garden with twisting paths. There were a number of Anima and humans wandering around the trails, stopping to look at blooming flowers and chatting to each other in a low, relaxed fashion.
“The Palace garden is a popular weekend spot,” Maria informed her. “Depends on the season, but we have a good number of guests this time of year. The king and queen like to decorate the fountain and other attractions around the holidays, as well.”
That would explain the extra bathrooms. They were approaching a small dark green building at the edge of the garden.
Alicia debated whether to try to kill Maria, run away, or capture her. Killing would no doubt attract attention, but the body could be used as a distraction. Very risky. Running away was doable, but not much help since she couldn’t get inside the palace anyways. Capturing would not give the assassin much benefit. It would draw eyes if done like a hostage situation, marking Alicia for death, and even if done quietly was still too full of unknowns. Was this servant even knowledgeable or important to the functions of the palace? She could be a minor worker for all she knew.
In the end, she decided to pry for some intelligence. “How long have you been working in the palace?”
The servant thought for a little. “I’m going over ten years now.”
So a servant with some knowledge. “Are there a lot of visitors who get to see the king and queen? In their room?”
Maria looked surprised. “A fair number. The royal family likes to make itself accessible to the common folk. It’s the people themselves who make important decisions every day, after all. Adventurers, shopkeepers, doctors, merchants, builders, the official ministries, most anyone is welcome if they apply for a pass and obtain clearance.”
Alicia thought about this. “Do servants go through the front too?”
“Oh, no,” Maria admitted, her eyes flickering towards the side of the palace. “That would be unseemly, wouldn’t it?”
She showed the cat girl to the building. “Here you go. Would you like a tour of the gardens while you wait?”
“I want to look around myself.”
Maria didn’t seem surprised by her blunt tone. “Very well. Please enjoy your stay.” She gave the cat girl a curtsy and left.
Alicia took a short moment to mentally prepare herself. She washed her hands and stared at herself in the mirror—she wasn’t sure why, maybe to make herself feel less bad. The place was f***ing clean, which disturbed her. No one in to bother her. She activated her invisibility and snuck out of the bathroom, passing by the servant.
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The cat girl raced towards the side of the palace.
There. A barely visible walkway, made of smooth gray stones. They led up to a small side entrance, recognizable by a black door tucked away in a corner. There were guards here too, two of them. That has to be the servants’ entrance.
At least there weren’t as many as the front. She drew on her magic, preparing to summon shadow element clones. She’d distract and break in—
A female voice spoke in a mild tone. “That’s a pretty cool power you have.” A hand was suddenly on her shoulder.
Alicia stopped. Her heart thumped as she glanced behind and saw the woman in silver from before, with the cannon.
Rea cocked her head at Alicia, intrigued. “Pure invisibility? That’s almost as rare as teleportation and mind-reading. Are you practicing to be an adventurer?”
The woman was looking straight at her face. Alicia deactivated her power. She nodded, slowly.
“How did you—?”
“Experience.” The woman waved a hand. “Hey, it’s no big deal. You’re curious about the palace, right? I can let you in. Most first-time guests need supervision, but I’ll show you around.”
Alicia hesitated. The more she thought about it, the more she didn’t like that idea. She could see Rea’s partner, the lion-eared man with swords, walking in their direction. Her gut feeling told her she was outmatched. Her power sensing confirmed it—a big, crushing pressure from the two when she temporarily focused. “No…it’s okay.”
“You’re rather young, but I can tell you’re strong. You go to school?”
Alicia shook her head.
“Really.” Rea seemed even more interested. She put a hand on her hip. “My guess is you could’ve graduated a few years early, with your skills. Maybe even have a partner by now.”
The cat girl wasn’t sure how to reply to this. She decided to keep with the adventurer angle. “What does it take to be a Hero?”
The lion-eared man, Richard, had reached them. “Ha ha! I like that question.”
He smiled at Alicia. “The top-ranked adventurers who’ve proven their dedication to the Kingdom get to be called Heroes. Of course, we sometimes have those sneaky rascals who try not to play by the rules and work for themselves, but we root those out as fast as possible.”
He inspected the cat girl with his blue eyes. “You might do well as Special Forces in the army, if you ever wanted to go that route. I can put in a good word.”
“Richard is the general of the Anima Army,” Rea added.
Alicia looked politely confused.
“The Army’s a separate group from the Leagues and their Guilds,” Rea explained further. “We wouldn’t want too many powerful adventurers running everything all the time, anyhow.”
“What’s Special Forces?” She had some suspicions, but curiosity was driving her forward.
“The very best of the army.” Richard puffed his chest up with pride. “Top-secret and sent to do the most dangerous of missions. Going places they shouldn’t go, taking care of sensitive threats, stopping adventurers who step out of line, that sort of thing. My predecessor used to work with them quite a bit. I don’t get along too well with them myself, but they have nothing but my respect.” Rea nodded in confirmation.
The woman took out her phone. “Here, I’ll give you Richard’s and my number. If you ever need some help or advice, feel free to give us a call.”
Alicia nodded. She wasn’t completely sure what to do but held out her own phone and let Rea tap it before handing it back.
“Wait.” Alicia regretted not being let in earlier. She only needed a second with the king or queen, alone. One second. I need to take a risk. Master had shared information with her over the years, small tidbits that only her fellow assassins knew. His plans, his knowledge, and who still knew about him outside the chaos lands. Secrets could be their own kind of currency. “I need to tell the king and queen something. There’s a spy. In the kingdom.”
Richard cocked his head and Rea appeared mystified. “A spy? For who? What do they want?”
Alicia shook her head. “I…I can’t tell you. They could find me. But whoever the spy is helping is planning something bad against the royal family.”
Rea studied Alicia as the cat girl deliberately dropped her gaze to the ground. “I see. You don’t want to tell us, either.”
She gave another head shake. Rea gave her a smile. “Sorry, I can’t give you an audience without more proof, but I’ll let the king or queen know. You can text us if you need anything or change your mind.”
Rea glanced back towards the front of the palace. “Well, if you’re sure you don’t want to check out the palace, shall we head back? I think Princess Katerina has taken a liking to your friend.”
Alicia saw Enrique and the princess as the two led her over to the entrance with the guards, walking on either side of her.
“You got in a fight?” Katerina was clambering on Enrique, poking him and gazing at his injuries.
“Yeah. Broke my arm—hey, cut it out.” She prodded him experimentally. Little brat. He didn’t have the heart to tell her the details, though. Didn’t know if she’d react badly.
“You should find a healer,” she told him, in a very knowledgeable manner. She was still trying to get her hands on him.
“I’m a gangster,” he told her. “My name’s Enrique.”
“A gangster?” Her eyes got big.
“Yup.” A little embellishment couldn’t hurt, right? “I’m a good gangster, though. I fought a bad gang in a turf war.”
“What’s your gang name?” Katerina asked, sounding interested.
“Red Dragons.”
“Who’d you fight?”
“Dire Wolves. You should’ve seen them. There was this one guy—really big and muscular, with tattoos all over him and gold bling, you know? He was the leader. We were fighting on top of a house. On the roof. He came at me swinging, and you know what I did? Tackled him right out the window.”
“No way,” Katerina gasped, sounding fascinated.
“Yeah. We were flying down, taking shots at each other, and I punched him in the face a couple times. Then when I landed I hit my arm. I made sure he got it worse, though. I yanked the guy to the side and he got body-slammed.”
“Whoa.” Katerina stared at him, evidently trying to recreate the scene in her mind.
“Uh-huh. That’s the story.”
“Did you beat him?”
Enrique thought for a moment. “He got away. A bunch of guys came after me and I had to fight them off. But I scared him and his whole gang, all by myself.”
“Cool,” the princess breathed.
Alicia stared as the princess tugged at Enrique, saying, “Tell me another story, Mr. Gangster!”
What the f***? Is that what happened?
She glanced to the side to see Rea and Richard heading towards the princess, evidently amused by the interaction. Had they been sent merely to accompany Alicia, or to guard against her?
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Vi stepped into the throne room. Two golden chairs sat in the center, draped in red silk and elevated slightly. Two figures sat on the thrones. They were not smiling. The atmosphere was tense and heavy.
She gave a deep bow to the two. “King Malgus. Queen Isandril.”
King Malgus, a crown of four jewels atop his head, had his eyes narrowed, his dark hair and eyes reflecting the maelstrom brewing underneath. “I’ve called you here because of the incident with the Rangers and the Elarrians they were supposed to be escorting.”
She met the King’s eyes and began to speak. “Yes, Your Majesty, I was there—”
“Azurelane, what were you thinking?” he thundered. “Did you even think about consulting me?”
“Your Majesties, the situation was urgent—”
The king cut her off. “Twenty-seven of the High Race dead. Another twenty wounded. I assigned the Rangers in order to place the delegation under our protection. You know as well as I do how promoting inter-racial unity is crucial to the well-being of the kingdom. How could you screw up this badly?”
Vi fidgeted. She began, slowly, “I am aware this will make relations difficult between the Anima Kingdom and the Nation of Elar—”
“Don’t skirt around the subject. That is not even the worst of our problems,” the king snapped. “Your foolishness will tear our citizens apart!”
Vi stopped speaking, lowering her eyes at the king’s rage. “I beg your pardon, my King.”
King Malgus rubbed his forehead. He forced himself to calm down. “Think of this from another perspective. You’re an Elarrian citizen of the Anima Kingdom. You hear news of attacks on the borders by criminals and monsters, which already sets you on edge. Now you hear about this event, where highborn Elarrians—your relatives, maybe even someone you know personally—are slaughtered by monsters. The Kingdom’s Rangers, which were purposefully created to protect your kind, somehow failed to protect them. In fact, rumors circulate through word of mouth or in the media that a former Anima commander arrived on the scene, yet did nothing to help.
“What’s more, a well-regarded leader of the Elar Nation is killed by an unknown assailant, despite being surrounded by a personal guard. I don’t have to tell you how they’d be feeling, do I? Distrustful is an understatement. They’ll be doubting the royal family’s regard for them. Scared. Worried. Resentful. Wondering if they’ll be next. That goes for all the other non-Anima races who hear this news.”
“Well—”
Queen Isandril, dressed in splendid red robes and her own gold crown, spoke up. Her voice was level but her lips drawn in a thin line. “The status of the Kingdom and our policy is lowered in the eyes of the other races because of this incident. Our citizens are already filing complaints and losing trust in us. They could rebel.”
Vi shifted her feet, her tails swaying slightly from side to side. It was a very small sign that the king and queen nevertheless picked up immediately. “I was trying to be realistic, my queen. We should protect our own subjects before prioritizing other people. That means Anima and their partners—”
King Malgus interrupted as the queen stared hard at Vi. “Really, Vi? Is that what you think? I’m disappointed. You once told me a true hero would try to bring people together despite their differences. And now you’re being a hypocrite just because the moment suits you? I’m sure the non-Anima citizens would love to hear how little you truly care for their lives. I wonder what Aurelius would think.”
Vi looked away, hurt in her eyes, and opened her mouth as if she was going to speak. Then she closed it again.
Malgus spoke firmly. “I thought you were all about that ideal. A place where all the races can live as one. This isn’t what you taught me.”
Vi managed to protest in a small voice. “But, my king, if I did nothing many Rangers would have been killed—”
“Then you should have let them do their job, even if it cost them their lives!” the king shouted, his voice echoing through the room. “If they died, then they would have done so honorably. We would have used the event to strengthen support for our policies, and the unified kingdom would remember their sacrifice. Don’t be sentimental.”
Vi’s body trembled. “I—I was trying to do what’s right.”
The king sighed, sounding tired and exasperated. “Weren’t your parents advisors? I thought you were better than this.”
Vi didn’t speak for a moment and looked at the palace’s elegant, marbled floor.
The King’s last words appeared to be particularly devastating. Her parents had been far more capable and were killed defending the kingdom, after all.
Malgus continued. “I forbid you from any more unauthorized activity. You are not to communicate with the Rangers, the various forces of the Army, or the Leagues. If you disobey one more time, I have no qualms in giving you serious punishment.”
“Let’s discuss something else,” Queen Isandril interjected. “Like the anniversary ball.”
Vi looked a little relieved at the change of topic, but the Queen’s next words were hardly comforting. “Regarding my two personal guards who will need to be replaced at the ball, it has become difficult to find volunteers. People are scared. With the recent attacks, the position has become far more dangerous than expected. Given the circumstances, I would prefer someone by my side with real experience. I have decided the best choice is…you.”
Vi blinked. “Me?”
“Yes.” The queen nodded. “This way you can personally meet with the leaders of the other nations in our presence. Perhaps you can take that time to give an official apology for your actions, or lack thereof, and affirm the kingdom’s commitment to protecting non-Anima citizens.”
“But—but—” Vi’s eyes were wide as she looked from the king to the queen. “They don’t like me at all, and my presence may scare their subjects—”
“That is an order.” The Queen’s voice was firm.
Vi bowed, her fox ears drooping and eyes downcast. “As you wish.”
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There was a knock on the door. “Ah, excuse me,” Vi said to the royal pair. She turned and walked to it, and a dark hooded figure handed her a tablet. “Thank you,” she said softly.
Briefly, she inspected the pictures. One headless corpse from a remote spell, the others stabbed and slashed in a brutal death match. It’s as I suspected. This confirms it. She took it and returned to the king and queen.
“Um…my King, my Queen, I did want to say something very important to you.” Vi’s voice wavered and she shook as she spoke. She quickly showed them the tablet, with blurry photos of what appeared to be small, bloodied bodies. “This is from the chaos lands. Over seven years ago, an orphanage was expecting twelve children but they never—”
“Get to the point,” the king interrupted testily.
“Yes. Of course.” Vi appeared hurt by Malgus’s dismissive tone. “Allblades has returned.”
There was a moment of silence. The King cursed. The Queen’s face turned pale.
Vi spoke quickly. “He has new Shadows, but not hardened mercenaries this time. They’re kidnapped children. Likely being threatened and brainwashed in some way. He hasn’t come out of the chaos lands because he needs to regain his strength and he would be easier to find. We know one of Allblades’ greatest strengths is psychological warfare, and I’m sure he will use division and our heightened emotions to—”
Malgus held up a hand. “Enough. Don’t make excuses. We’ll deal with him later.”
“What?” Vi’s expression turned panicked. “We need to put all our efforts on tracking him—”
The queen spoke quietly, regaining her composure. “Vi. Stop. I understand. We all know what that madman is capable of. But why don’t you try solving the problems you already have, rather than the ones still out there in the future?”
The king put a hand to his face and groaned. “Ugh, I can’t believe we have to prepare for a ball on top of all this.”
Vi didn’t answer and hung her head.