The next day, I made my way through the winding cobblestone streets of Petria. The capital city was a sight to behold, and a stark contrast from the slums Gideon and I had grown accustomed to. The buildings towered above me, their stone facades adorned with purple banners fluttering in the wind, the royal crest shimmering against the sun like a diamond for all to see. Merchants called out their wares from bustling market stalls, the aroma of exotic spices and freshly baked bread wafting through the air.

I paused as I neared the grand cathedral, its spires reaching towards the heavens, stained glass windows casting a kaleidoscope of colors on the cobbled ground. My first day in town, I went to this place in hopes of finding refuge.

The doors were locked, and nobody was home. I still smiled about it—I mean, can you imagine? What sort of state would I be in if I crawled up to a priestess instead of fighting an orc to earn his trust.

The sound of church bells filled the air as I turned to continue down the street, mingling with the chatter of townsfolk going about their daily business.

Petria was a city of contrasts. Opulent noble estates stood alongside humble thatched-roof cottages, while grand avenues led to hidden alleyways where secrets lurked in the shadows. The city was alive with energy, each corner holding a new mystery waiting to be unraveled.

On the western side were the glimmering shores. If I listened close enough, I could hear the hollering sailors as they prepared their journey. I’d never step foot on one of those boats again if I could help it. They were smelly, and I did not have my sea legs.

After passing a few more alleyways, I turned right past the Apothecary sign. The client had a side entrance—and he was clear, it was the only entrance I was expressly permitted to enter. I wasn’t often the one to be yelled around, but this man had too much coin at his disposal for me to be picky.

My fist collided into the heavy wooden door, the eye hole scraping open to reveal this nasty, veiny red eye. I jumped back. “My, hello!” I said with a small chuckle. “You’re quite a…” …ugly thing, aren’t you?

I couldn’t say that. I could only see his eye!

I settled with a, “Nice to meet you.” Followed with a proper salute, mind you. “Your, uh, your boss should be expecting me.”

The eye squinted at me, the red veins pulsating like a worm beneath the dirt. The door creaked open just wide enough for me to slip through. I stepped into the dimly lit room, the air heavy with the scent of dried herbs and alchemical potions. Shelves lined the walls, jars containing all manner of mysterious ingredients, their labels written in a language I couldn't decipher.

The floorboards creaked behind me, and I sighed without turning. “Thank you for not keeping me waiting. You have no idea the ego some of these guys have—”

When I twisted toward the sound, I came face to face with three giant men. They each had their arms crossed like their big stupid biceps were too big to rest comfortably against their big-stupid-sides. They weren’t monstrous by any means, but they were ugly enough to be.

By the hells, Gideon had a prettier face after some beauty rest.

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“Saira, the boss is a bit busy,” he said with a thick accent. “You will give us the necklace.”

I laughed once. They didn’t seem to get the joke, so I laughed again and whistled. “You know, just because you look dumb does not mean you have to be dumb. I am not giving you the necklace. Who the hell are you guys, anyway?”

The shortest one—who still towered over me, mind you—took a step forward and outreached his hand. “We aren’t playing around, lassy. Give us the necklace and you’ll be paid handsomely.”

I tilted my head, studying their faces for any hint of deception. These were not men to be trifled with, that much was clear. But neither was I. “No, that’s not how this is going to work.” I infiltrated their space, puffing my chest out so I wasn’t so gods-damned short, and smiled up at the tallest one. “I get paid before delivery. Not after. You can send dumber one and dumbest two to go deliver that message. I’m happy to wait.”

When he breathed out, it smelled so rank. Like a dog died inside his fucking stomach. Without warning, the one in front of me swung a fist that I promptly ducked out of. The other two lunged towards me, their movements surprisingly swift for their size. I dodged the first one's grasp, spinning around to face the second as he reached out with a meaty hand. dipping under his arm, I unsheathed the dagger beneath my robe in a quick arc, grazing his side and drawing a thin line of blood.

He howled in pain, stumbling back and clutching at the wound as his eyes watered. The first one, seething with anger, lunged at me again, his fist firing like a cannon. But I was ready this time. As his fist flew toward my face, I caught it with my left hand, twisting his wrist and slamming my knee into his groin. He grunted in pain, doubling over and dropping to his knees.

The shortest one, realizing the battle was lost, turned and fled from the room, leaving the other two to the mercy of my fist.

I held out my hand, the blood-stained dagger still in my grasp. “I've decided to change my mind about delivery. Deliver this message to your boss for me, won't you?”

With a menacing smile, I lunged forward, the dagger flashing through the air as I plunged it deep into the muscle. He let out a guttural roar. “My fucking eye, you mangy little bitch!” He clutched at the wound as he tried to lunge at me, but only having one eye was terrible for depth perception.

I merely shifted out of the way.

I hadn’t calculated the third one’s movements. He jumped over his bleeding friend like a fucking swan and tackled me to the floor.

The impact knocked the wind out of me, but I was not a woman to be taken down so easily. I wriggled free of his grasp, elbow striking him hard in the gut. He grunted, winded and momentarily dazed, before his eyes widened with fury, and he lunged back at me with a primal force.

Just as he was about to deliver a devastating blow, the dragonbone in my pocket hummed with energy. It crackled with power, and a sudden and intense surge of magic burst forth, exploding outward in a wave. The dragonbone, imbued with the power of the ancient beasts, flared with a brilliance that hadn't been seen since my time with the occult as a child. But those were wizards that summoned this type of magic.

Not me.

The beasts swirled into the air before slicing down at the brute. It stabbed through his skin with the speed of a raven’s beak, the sharpness of a blade, and with the mercy of a killer. I screamed, and as the magic vanished within seconds, the brute laid still over me. I groaned as I pushed him off, his blood soiling my dark clothes.

Gasping for air, I stumbled onto my feet and jumped over the two bodies. One was still breathing, but the other? Gods. The other was fucking dead.

Really, really fucking dead.

I sprinted out the door and into the street, pausing halfway to the end of the alley to look at the dragonbone. It was cold, but the rune glistened. It taunted me, even—a silent threat.

I shook it. I thought about smashing it on the ground and damning the whole thing, but just as I charged my arm back, the sound of broken metal and a screaming man racketed into the air. I looked up, seeing the shortest of the three hurling his body off the iron fence, breaking it free of its foundation as his arms and legs flailed wildly.

“Oh, fucking hells.”

And then he smashed on top of me, my head colliding into the cobblestone street. I was knocked out cold before I even had time to complain about his stench.

He smelled so fucking bad—