“His Majesty will meet with you tomorrow, master Tactician” Kent had said as he handed me the key to our room. “Until then, rest. You’ve traveled far. Let my servants know if we should arrange for a bath, or the like.”

“Thank you, Paladin,” I replied with a curt nod. “We’ll see you in the morning.”

And though I should’ve been on edge—especially with the weight of the coming meeting and what to expect—I felt strangely at ease. That, of course, had a lot to do with Lariel.

I let out a sigh and looked back at the room.

The room Kent had given us was spacious enough, with heavy velvet curtains that shut out the light, and far enough from the bustling city streets that not a pinprick could be heard. A large bed stood at its center, the linens thick and soft, and I found myself almost looking forward to a night without sleeping under the stars or on the hard ground. It kind of felt like I was back in a hotel room, although basic luxuries such as running water and the like were not available.

Lariel moved gracefully around the room, moving to pull the windows open. The rustle of night, insect mating calls and the like made way.

“This place is so tight. It’s like a box.”

“That’s what’s nice about it.”

I leaned my head back, watching in horror as a shield bug came rushing in and posed itself on her finger.

She let out a sigh. “Humans.”

The critter flew out toward the night. I hated bugs. I actually couldn't stand any of them, even bees and butterflies. At least, not in my room. In the open, it was kind of a given.

She smiled as she approached me, her elven features glowing in the warm light. Her silver hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her bright eyes held a softness that made my pulse quicken.

“You seem distracted,” she said, wrapping her arms around my chest. “Still thinking about tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?” I admitted, pulling her closer. “I’m thinking about everything.”

She laughed softly, her breath warm against my neck. “You just celebrated a victory against fifty bandits without a single casualty.”

“True,” I said, grinning down at her. “But just the fact that I had a victory alone makes me stop and think”

Lariel’s lips brushed mine, silencing my worries for the moment. Her kiss was slow, deliberate, and the warmth of her body against mine was enough to make the world outside disappear. My hands slid through her hair, and for a while, nothing mattered but the feel of her—her soft skin, the way she sighed into the kiss, the way her body fit perfectly against mine.

“Just think of this incredible miracle. You and I are together.”

I sighed.

“It’s crazy.”

I got rid of my chainmail, leaving only my innerwear. And I had a delightful view of Lariel changing and smiling at me as I admired her curves.

We tumbled onto the bed, our limbs tangled as she pressed her lips to my neck, my chest. I held her close, feeling the rise and fall of her breath, savoring the calm between the chaos, my hands caressing her bare legs. I could lose myself in her—forget the battles, the politics, the unknown battles for us tomorrow.

It just felt so good.

Was I dreaming? This was way too crazy. I had barely met her, what, a day and a half ago, and we already felt ridiculously close.

“I know what you’re thinking,” she said. “I’m thinking, well, almost the same thing. That, you shouldn’t worry about. We have a long time ahead of us to catch up.”

“That’s for sure,” I said, letting out a sigh. “Now a great question would be. How are you feeling, Lariel?”

“Excited!” she let out, her chin leaning on my chest.

I leaned my head back on my pillow, as she leaned forward and planted another kiss on my lips. My fingers caressed her hair.

And to be honest, one of the things I was thinking about was her.

Considering my experiences, and the logical side of my brain, this couldn't end well. I'd have encounters with chicks who are all over you right after they meet you, pretending to be givers. Most of the time, it ends in disaster.

“Lariel. I’d like to know more about you. About your people too, but mostly you.”

“What would you like to know? Why, yes. I was born and bred in the forest, grew up collecting fruit and painting murals.”

“Paintings?” I asked, wondering what that would be like.

“Of course, elves are proud mural painters. They even used to summon our masters to faraway courts.”

“That’s so cool. The murals outside. Were they made by elves?”

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“The better ones,” she said with a shrug.

“And what do you paint?”

“Forests. Beautiful people. All kinds of forest creatures too.”

“I’d love to see that,” I said. “But what about yourself, how things were when you were growing up.”

She let out a soft sigh, her head against my chest.

“Aria gave me visions since I was very young. I knew what my duty was, and… well, prepared.“

“And what about your family? Who’s your…”

“You’ve met my father,” she said. “My father is, well, Father.”

“Huh?” I said, leaning back. “But… he’s barely acknowledged you. And you didn’t mention it.”

“He has sixty children, don’t worry. He doesn’t need to run around running the lives of each of them.”

I blinked in surprise, taking in the information.

“No wonder they call him father.”

Her eyes posed on mine and she stretched a finger. “Now let me ask you. How was your childhood?”

I wished I could show her photos. But my phone was gone. Instinct pressed me to look for a charger. Of course, that was impossible. Should I invent electricity in this world? Plug in electrodes into lemons? At least, some running water would be good.

“Yeah, my mom and dad were nice to me. Had a pretty happy child-hood, with lots of martial arts. Video games, manga. But I stopped playing.”

“What are video games?”

I sighed.

“It’s hard to explain. But it’s like a system. You control an avatar, point it to where you want it to go.”

“That’s crazy. Do you like, take control of a real person? Here that's what Hath Aman does, they say.”

“Of course not, it’s like, you know, an illusion.” I sighed, finding how uncanny it sounded to my elven lover. “Listen, Lariel, I had some games on my phone. If I ever figure out how to charge it again, I’ll show you. Or if Aria lets us visit my world.”

“Now that would be amazing!” she exclaimed. “You can take me on your flying monster-machine.”

“That would be fun,” I said.

She climbed on top of me. My God, what a view, her breasts heaved like ripe fruit, the curve of her waist, and massive hips coiling around me.

Her eyes narrowed, her fingers trailing down my chest, down my abdomen. “Now, I can’t wait to ride your other monster-machine.”

I sat back, my hands running up her legs.

But something was wrong.

I had that feeling before. In the forest. Like a dagger plunging into my mind, cold and sharp.

Her expression shifted, noticing my worry.

I had to find out what was wrong. And I had a feeling I knew.

I summoned Aria’s aerial view, and my mind drifted upward, offering me a grid of this section of the palace.

I could select a different level, and in both of them, I had a view of figures moving in the shadows. It was hard to count them all while accounting for the other levels of the building.

My heart pounded in my chest as the vision twisted and swirled, the world spinning out of control. I could feel them—these assassins, these shadows—closing in, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Where had they come from?

And to my surprise, one was moving into our window. My eyes drifted behind Lariel, toward where they ought to be.

I snapped back to reality, gasping for breath, my body tense and rigid. Lariel’s concerned face hovered above me, her hands cupping my cheeks.

“Connor?” she whispered, her voice soft but filled with worry. “What happened?”

I blinked, trying to shake off the remnants of the vision. “Assassins,”

The window slid upward and, just in time, I bridged my hips, throwing Lariel off, as a wheezing sound burst from the window.

It missed her by an inch, a rapid shadow passing through, a wooden bolt now stuck through the bedframe.

I got out of the way before I got hit, avoiding a second one, grabbing a pillow and jumping beside the bed.

Lariel’s eyes narrowed, and in an instant, the playful warmth between us was gone, replaced by the sharp focus of a warrior. She reached for the dagger she left next to the door, slipping it into her hand with practiced ease.

Without another word, she moved to the wall, barrel rolling to the window.

A bolt went off, expertly deflected by her blade.

I reached for my items, my hand instinctively went to the hilt of my sword, the cool metal reassuring against my palm. With Aria's help. I could see the guy jumping off the window toward the balcony.

“Catch him, “ I hissed.

Lariel winked at me, opened the window and jumped down.

I immediately reached for the group chat, making sure everyone was there.

CONNOR: Everybody. We are under attack. I repeat. We are under attack.

ZYRA: Any positions?

I took another quick look at the grid, this time, focusing on my comrades and getting a clearer view of our enemies.

Our enemies were there, eight in total, slinking through the halls. Two were right outside Zyra’s room, their movements slow and deliberate, clearly preparing for something. Another pair was hovering near our door, just outside the stairwell. The fifth? Moving through the lower levels, toward a communal room where the elves were staying.

One, however, was standing still on the floor beneath.

CONNOR: Zyra. Two coming toward your room.

ZYRA: I already noticed, thank you. I’ll take them out. What’s the plan?

CONNOR: I’ll tell you in a second. All units, if you can hear me, confirm it.

NIDAR: We elves hear you.

ALYNNA: Hello. Any cheese? We’re out of snacks. Sorry, I finished them.

CONNOR: No dinner. You’re staying with Ina aren’t you? You have an assassin outside your room.

ALYNNA: BRB, gotta kill them.

I moved toward the door, pressing my back against the wall, waiting for our opponents.

CONNOR: Zyra will deal with those two. There are four moving on the staircase toward the third floor. I’d say you guys finish and then let’s meet in this corridor right outside of my room.

ZYRA: Agreed. On my way.

Our door swung open. Luckily, I was already on the corner, unsheathing my sword and getting ready. More accurately, praying and hoping that my past life’s training could save me.

I found two bandits holding tiny crossbows, aiming them right at me.

The first assassin, a tall man in dark leathers, barely had time to register what was happening before my sword was at his throat. His eyes widened as the blade cut through cleanly. His body collapsed silently to the floor.

[ASSASSIN: HP -9]

[HP: 0/6]

[EXP + 3]

Another came from behind, his hand on his trigger. I tried to shift away from it, but it struck me in the chest. I gasped, feeling a sharp jolt of pain across my torso.