Once Connor had his new rapier, the two of them left The Stars of Night guild hall and headed out into the night.

Torches sputtered fitfully along the streets, and the clouds above blocked out even the hope of moonlight while spitting drizzle down onto the city.

A perfect night for those who didn’t want to be seen.

“Um, Connor? Where are we going?” Adelia asked.

“I need to meet someone to help me get inside Bvorn’s office,” Connor said, “you can head back if you want and get started on tracking down the kidnapping victims tomorrow.”

“And let you walk right into an ambush by yourself? Not going to happen. Someone has to make sure you don’t get yourself killed,” she said.

“You say the sweetest things,” Connor said with a smile.

They wound their way to the northeast part of the city, near the city wall, and ducked into an alleyway opposite The Shadowcloaks guild hall.

Their guild hall was a massive building that loomed over the entire street. Paint peeled off the walls, and tough-looking thugs guarded the entrances. It was ominous, and even stray cats shied away from it.

“Who exactly are we looking for?” Adelia whispered.

“Vadik,” Connor whispered back, “he’s infiltrated The Shadowcloaks. He should be able to help me get into Bvorn’s office.”

“Oh…” Adelia said.

He turned to her. “Something wrong?” he asked.

“No…” Adelia said.

“For the city’s greatest assassin you’re a terrible liar,” Connor said with a smirk, happy to finally return the jab from earlier.

“It’s just… I don’t like him,” she said.

“Really? Why?” Connor asked.

“I just don’t,” she said, “isn’t there another way?”

“I’m afraid not… if I’m going to get into Bvorn’s office, then Vadik is my best shot. Besides, he’s my friend,” he said, “you don’t have to like him, but I need his help.”

Adelia said nothing and her face was unreadable behind her mask as always.

He turned his attention back to watching The Shadowcloak’s guild hall. Hopefully, Vadik would leave through one of the entrances they could see from their position, and not some other secret entrance… if he even left at all.

Who knew where he was, or what he was doing? If only he had another way of contacting him!

Hours passed, and Connor sighed.

“I’m sure we can find another way,” Adelia whispered.

“I need his help. Bvorn is our biggest lead so far,” Connor said, his tones just as hushed as hers, “if he doesn’t leave soon, I’ll have to risk sending someone to bring him a message… wait! Look!”

Vadik came through the front of the building, a torch in hand and two men wearing leather armor at his side.

“Finally,” Adelia whispered, “what was he doing in there?”

“To be fair, it isn’t as though he could’ve known we were waiting for him,” Connor said, “let’s go pick him up.”

Adelia grabbed Connor’s arm. “And what are we going to do about the two with him?” she asked.

“Don’t worry,” said Connor, “I have a plan.”

“Why do I have a feeling your plan involves tailing them until you think of an actual plan?” Adelia asked.

“You know me so well,” Connor said, “now come on, we don’t want to lose them.”

Tailing the three men wasn’t hard with their superior night vision and the fact Vadik was carrying a torch that might as well have been a beacon.

Human senses were terrible.

The three men turned a corner, and they waited to follow.

“Where do you suppose they’re going?” Adelia said.

“You can ask Vadik when we get him alone,” Connor said.

She huffed. “You ask him,” she said.

They shadowed the trio for a while longer, and they still showed no signs of separating.

“I still vote we just kill them,” Adelia said, her voice so quiet he could only hear it because of his potion.

“We might have to, but I’d rather not if we can avoid it. It’d be suspicious if the two with him died, and he survived. I don’t want to risk blowing his cover if I can avoid it,” Connor said, “besides, it might be best to let them do whatever they’re out here for first.”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

They followed the men for another half hour. Were they ever going to separate? If only he could catch Vadik’s attention, but he couldn’t do so without alerting the others.

Maybe he should just kill them…

The three men went inside a run down, old house with boarded-up windows. Faint traces of light shone through small gaps between the strips of wood.

“This should be interesting,” Adelia said, “let’s get closer. I want to hear what’s going on.”

“We can just ask Vadik later,” Connor said.

“Suit yourself, but I want to hear it with my own ears,” she said. She slipped across the dimly lit street and into the alleyway beside the derelict building.

Connor cursed under his breath and followed, making only slightly more noise than she had and joining her in the dark alleyway.

She winked at him and put a finger to where her lips would be under her mask.

Thanks to his enhanced hearing, he easily made out the three men they’d been following enter a room not far from their position.

“About time you got here,” said a familiarly arrogant voice.

Connor frowned. What was Davison doing meeting with Vadik and The Shadowcloaks?

“Our Guild Master urged me to remind you that we don’t normally meet with potential clients this way. If this is a trap, or if you are wasting our time… it won't end well for you. It would be wise to remember who you are dealing with,” Vadik said.

“I know very well who I am dealing with,” Chamberlain Davison said, “and I wouldn’t be in this dump if I didn’t have need of your services.”

“I’m listening,” Vadik said.

“I want to put a contract out on this man,” Chamberlain Davison said.

There was a rustling of parchment being passed and unfolded.

“Connor Varas?” Vadik asked though he kept any surprise or emotion out of his voice, “and what did he do to piss you off?”

“That is none of your concern,” The Chamberlain snapped, “all you need to know is that I will pay handsomely for him to be delivered to me. A hundred gold coins to be exact. But, he must be alive! If you bring him to me dead, you won’t see a single copper out of me!”

Connor and Adelia shared a look.

He could understand The Chamberlain wanting to have him killed or thrown in the dungeon, but to set the Shadowcloaks after him and insist that he be brought in alive?

“Very well,” Vadik said.

“That isn’t all,” The Chamberlain said, “I also want this one brought to me. Alive.”

There was the rustling of more parchment before Vadik spoke again, “This isn’t much to go on. No face? Just a name and a sparse little description?”

“How many women in the city have violet eyes?” spat The Chamberlain, “Just get it done. The reward for her is the same as for the boy. If you bring me both of them alive, I’ll double it.”

“Very well,” Vadik said, “your bounty will be posted… I should remind you that failure to pay—”

“I’m aware. I’ll pay. You just worry about getting them to me, and remember I want them alive,” Chamberlain Davison said. He strode out the rickety building, flanked by members of the palace guard.

Connor’s grip tightened on the hilt of his rapier. His blood screamed for Davison’s death right here and now.

How far was that slimy bastard willing to sink just to get them out of his way?

He took a deep breath and pried his fingers from the hilt of his blade. The Chamberlain’s time would come when Victor returned…

For now, he needed to contact Vadik. Thankfully, he’d followed them to the meeting and not stopped them beforehand. Now he knew Davison’s treachery went even deeper than he’d thought. However, he still needed Vadik on his side.

They had a lot of work to do if they were going to have a chance of getting Victor back.

“What an arsehole,” said one of The Shadowcloak men.

The trio of men left the rundown house and stepped out onto the dark, cobblestone streets once more. Connor and Adelia waited in the shadows of the alleyway until the three were far enough away for them to resume following like ghosts in the night.

Unfortunately, the three men seemed to be heading back to their guild hall.

“I don’t think they’re going to split up,” Adelia said, “if you want to talk to Vadik we have to be more direct.”

Connor sighed. He’d tried so hard to let them live, and not risk Vadik’s cover.

“Alright,” he said, “let's get this over with.”

The two of them picked up their pace and took a longer path around to where they anticipated the group to come by if they continued following the exact same route back. Sloppy work by Vadik, but it should make ambushing them much easier.

Adelia and Connor took position on opposite sides of a narrow and poorly lit street.

Only minutes later, Vadik and the two Shadowcloaks appeared just down the road, heading straight for their little ambush.

Connor’s grip tightened on the hilt of his rapier. It was too bad he had to do this, but they weren’t separating, and they couldn’t afford to waste time lingering around an enemy guild hall just waiting for Vadik to step out again. Especially not with a bounty on their heads.

The three men approached, strolling casually toward them.

Connor drew his blade slowly and silently. He hid any glimmer of light reflected off the polished steel with his cloak.

He tensed, ready to spring.

As soon as the men were close enough, Adelia and Connor leapt out of the shadows on either side of the road with their weapons already drawn.

Adelia rushed forward in a deadly blur with her two daggers and decapitated one of them as Connor slit the throat of the other.

The fight, if you could call it that, was over in seconds. The two men with Vadik were dead before they could even draw their weapons.

Vadik drew his sword and swung at Connor.

Connor parried and back stepped. “Calm down,” he said, “it’s just me!”

Vadik kept attacking, and Connor deftly parried and sidestepped his attacks. “Stop! What are you doing?” Connor said.

Adelia grabbed Vadik’s sword arm and held it fast as she pressed her dagger against his neck. “Enough!” she snapped, “lower your sword.”

Vadik froze, and a trickle of blood ran down his throat. He lowered his sword very slowly.

“Whoa, Adelia,” Connor said, “let him go, please.”

Vadik squinted at Connor. “Connor? Adelia?” he asked, “what in the hells was this all about? Why are you leaping out of nowhere and attacking me?”

“If we’d attacked you, you’d be dead,” Adelia said. She lowered her dagger and stepped away.

Vadik tenderly probed the shallow cut on his neck and winced.

“We’ve been tailing you all night,” Connor said, “we need to talk, but not here. Come with us.”

Vadik looked at the bodies at their feet.

“Did you have to kill them? Do you have any idea how hard it’s going to be to explain this? Couldn’t you have waited until my next report?” Vadik said.

“No,” Connor said, “Victor is missing, and I need your help to get him back. I didn’t want to do this, but I had to.”

“Victor is gone? What’s happening? Did you know The Chamberlain just put out a contract on you two?” Vadik asked.

“I’ll explain when we get somewhere we can talk,” Connor said.

Connor led Vadik back through the city to his secret home that served as their base of operations.

He could’ve used The Stars of Night guild hall, but he didn’t entirely trust them.

Even if Korvac was on their side and loyal to Victor, which seemed to be the case, there could still be enemy agents among the thieves.

He didn’t fancy the idea of him or his friends being killed in their sleep.

Besides, Victor’s manor was heavily guarded, and The Syndicate had still got in. The thieves guild would be no safer.

Their best bet was anonymity. No-one knew that Connor owned this house. It would show up on the papers, but he hadn’t even bought it.

Even if someone thought to look through the records, it was buried under decades of documents for an entire city.

It would be a massive task. It should take them months to find anything, and hopefully, he’d get Victor back before then.

So, his little house remained the best option for them, at least for now.