Chapter 10 – Chains in the Mist
The night air struck Lucian like a blade as he emerged from the Archive's side passage. He had slipped through a servant's door Selvara had marked, the stolen ledger heavy beneath his cloak. The moon hung low over Durelin, shrouded in thin mist that curled between the crooked rooftops.
Every instinct screamed for him to move quickly, but haste drew eyes. He forced his pace to a calm stride, blending with a trickle of late-night workers heading toward the river docks.
He almost made it to the alley where Selvara waited when a voice cut through the fog.
"Courier," it said—not loud, but heavy with authority.
Lucian froze. A tall figure stepped from the shadows, clad in the steel-plate of a Church enforcer. The armor bore the mark of the Gallows Sun, etched so deep it seemed to drink in the light. At his belt hung a chain-bladed weapon, coiled like a serpent.
"I saw you go in," the man continued, his voice quiet but sharp. "And I know every courier in this district. You're not one of them."
Lucian's hand edged toward the dagger hidden in his sleeve. "You've mistaken me."
The enforcer's smile didn't reach his eyes. With a flick of his wrist, the chain uncoiled, its steel links clattering against the cobblestones. "Let's see what's under that cloak."
The first strike came fast, the bladed weight at the chain's end slicing through the air toward Lucian's ribs. He dodged, the weapon tearing a furrow in the wall behind him. The noise sent startled voices echoing from nearby windows.
Lucian darted forward, closing the gap before the chain could whip back. His dagger flashed, scraping along the enforcer's armor before finding the soft joint at the side. The man grunted but did not falter—his gauntleted hand clamped around Lucian's wrist with crushing strength.
"Thief," the enforcer growled, wrenching the ledger from his cloak.
Lucian reacted without thinking. He drove his knee up, breaking the man's grip, and seized the ledger back. The chain lashed again, this time cutting a shallow line across Lucian's shoulder. Pain flared hot, but adrenaline pushed him on.
Selvara appeared from the mist behind the enforcer, her short blade glinting. With a swift motion, she cut the chain in two, sending its bladed tip spinning into the dark.
"Move!" she hissed.
Lucian and Selvara vanished into the twisting alleys, the enforcer's curses fading behind them. The ledger was safe—for now—but Lucian knew this night had marked him. The Church would not forget.