The first leak went out the next morning, delivered anonymously to three different news sheets. By midday, the whole city was talking about Lord Ashford's alleged bribery, and by evening, the Council had called an emergency session.
"It's working," Rake reported, looking pleased. "Ashford is furious, Julian's scrambling to deny everything, and the other Council members are starting to distance themselves."
"Good," Lyra said, checking off the first part of their plan. "Tomorrow we leak the merchant protection evidence. Keep the pressure on."
Kael barely heard them. Something felt wrong, an itch between his shoulder blades that had been growing all day. The feeling of being watched.
"Someone's out there," Soulrender whispered in his mind. "Skilled. Patient. Waiting."
"Kael?" Lyra noticed his distraction. "What is it?"
"We're being watched," he said quietly. "Have been all day."
Rake's men immediately tensed, hands going to weapons. Lyra moved to the window, carefully checking the street below.
"I don't see anyone," she said.
"That's because they're good," Kael replied, standing slowly. "Whoever they are, they're professional."
"More of Julian's assassins?" Rake suggested.
"Maybe. Or something worse." Kael drew Soulrender. "Everyone stay here. I'm going to draw them out."
"Kael, wait—" Lyra started, but he was already moving.
He left the safe house alone, walking purposefully through the Black Market's twisting streets. If someone was following him, he'd make it easy for them. Lead them away from the others.
The feeling intensified as he walked, that sensation of eyes tracking his every move. He turned down a narrow alley, dark and isolated. Perfect place for an ambush.
He waited.
Minutes passed in silence. Then, finally, a voice spoke from the shadows above.
"You're perceptive. Most people never notice me."
Kael looked up to see a figure crouched on the rooftop. Female, dressed in dark leather, twin daggers at her hips. She dropped down gracefully, landing without a sound.
"Who are you?" Kael asked, though he kept his blade ready.
"Someone who's been trying to decide whether to kill you or help you," she said calmly, her face partially hidden by a hood. "I've been watching you for days now, trying to figure out what you are."
"And what conclusion did you reach?"
"That you're either very brave or very stupid, and I haven't decided which yet." She pulled back her hood, revealing sharp features, cold eyes, and dark hair tied back. Beautiful in a dangerous way. "My name is Seraphina Roe."
The name meant nothing to Kael. "What do you want?"
"The same thing you do," she said. "Julian Voss dead."
"Everyone wants him dead these days. Why should I trust you?"
"You shouldn't," Seraphina said bluntly. "I'm an assassin. The Roe family sent me to kill you, actually. They're allied with Julian, and you've become a problem."
Kael tensed, ready to fight. "So why haven't you?"
"Because killing you would be a mistake." She moved closer, her steps smooth and controlled. "I know things about you, Kael Voss. Things you probably don't even know yourself."
"Such as?"
"Such as the fact that my father was your father's bodyguard twenty years ago. Marcus Stone was his captain, but my father, Thomas Roe, was the one who actually protected Aldric Voss during the war years."
Kael's grip tightened on Soulrender. "I don't remember any Thomas Roe."
"You wouldn't. You were a child. But my father remembered you. Remembered his oath to protect House Voss." Seraphina's expression hardened. "When your father died, my father wanted to help you. But the family ordered him to stand down. They'd already chosen to support Julian."
"And?"
"And my father refused. He tried to reach you, to warn you about Julian's plans." She paused, pain flickering across her face. "Julian had him killed. Made it look like a training accident."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because my family thinks I'm here to kill you, but I'm actually here to honor my father's oath." Seraphina knelt, one fist pressed to her heart in a formal gesture of fealty. "I offer you my blade, Kael Voss. Let me serve House Voss as my father did before me."
Kael stared at her, every instinct screaming caution. This could be a trick, an elaborate way to get close and strike when he least expected it.
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" he demanded.
Seraphina reached into her vest and pulled out a small medallion. She tossed it to him. Kael caught it, recognizing the Voss family crest—the old one, from before Julian changed it.
"My father gave me that before he died," Seraphina said. "Told me to keep it safe, to remember his oath. I've carried it every day for three months, waiting for a chance to fulfill his last wish."
Kael studied the medallion, feeling its weight. It was real, certainly old enough to be authentic.
"Even if I believe you," he said slowly, "why would I want an assassin working for me? Your family sent you to kill me. They'll expect reports, confirmation."
"Then I'll give them reports," Seraphina said with a cold smile. "False ones. I'll tell them I'm still tracking you, waiting for the perfect moment. Meanwhile, I'll be actually helping you, feeding them bad information, leading them into traps."
"You'd betray your own family?"
"They betrayed me first when they killed my father for honoring his oath." She stood, her hand resting on one of her daggers. "I'm offering you my skills, my knowledge of the Roe family's operations, and my loyalty. In return, I ask only one thing."
"What?"
"When we kill Julian, I want to be there. I want him to know that Thomas Roe's daughter was one of the people who brought him down."
Kael considered this. An assassin's skills would be useful, certainly. And if her story was true, she had as much reason to hate Julian as he did.
But trusting her was dangerous.
"If you betray me," he said quietly, letting the threat hang in the air, "Soulrender will drink deeply."
"Understood," Seraphina said without hesitation. "I wouldn't expect anything less."
"Then welcome to the war," Kael said, extending his hand.
Seraphina shook it, her grip strong and steady. "Thank you. You won't regret this."
"I better not," Kael replied. "Now come on. You can meet the others."
As they walked back toward the safe house, Kael felt Soulrender's presence in his mind.
"She's dangerous," the sword observed. "Keeping secrets. Don't trust her completely."
"I don't trust anyone completely," Kael replied silently. "But if she can help us kill Julian, that's what matters."
"Spoken like a true wielder of mine," Soulrender said with dark satisfaction. "You're learning."
When they reached the safe house, Lyra immediately drew a knife at the sight of Seraphina.
"Who's this?" she demanded.
"Someone who wants to help," Kael said. "Long story. Let me explain inside."
As they entered, Kael noticed Seraphina's eyes taking in everything—the maps, the ledgers, the weapons cache. Calculating. Assessing.
He'd have to watch her carefully. But for now, they had a new ally.
And Julian had one more enemy to worry about.
* * *
END OF CHAPTER 18