Knife In The Dark

Part Two ~ A Wolf in Disguise

The following morning, a knock on her door echoed around the warehouse Kyra called home. She had already been up since dawn waiting for the knock but still, she approached cautiously.

She hid a dagger behind her back and pulled opened the door a crack. A child, no more than seven stood outside staring up at her. "A parcel for Ms Farley," he said tentatively, holding out a large parcel that had a letter pinned to the top. She handed him a golden Hota before taking the package and nodded her thanks.

The street rat knew the drill and tucked the coin into a pocket of his ripped pants before scurrying off to wherever the street rats took shelter. Only after he'd disappeared did she go back inside, striding up the stairs to her apartment and placing it on the coffee table in the sitting room.

Kyra studied her nails with distaste. Despite her attempts to get rid of the blood from last night, some stubborn stains still clung to her. She had left Count Brooke in his office for his staff to find, face mangled beyond recognition. But this parcel was a new job, not an old one. She pulled on the ribbon and unfolded the box. Inside lay a black dress. With a frown on her face, Kyra opened the letter.

To my love,
There's a job that needs to be done discreetly. I have a dog that needs to be put back in its Kennel and it can't wait anymore. Please don't miss the time slot or the offer will be Retracted. I hope you accept this. Please get back to me today and not a second later.
If you wish to know more, contact me immediately.
With my heart,
Lord Howard

P.S. you will be working in a team with others but if you decline, please come to the masked ball that is being held in honour of our beloved Crown Prince tomorrow night. I hope to see you there.

Kyra cursed the fool who sent her the letter. While it was at least cryptid, it was too easy and any trained eye would know what he wanted her to do. She paced her apartment, thinking. She had gotten multiple offers to assassinate the Royal family over the years and every single time she had declined. Her new client, Lord Howard, must know about that.

It wasn't that she cared for the Royals or this wretched kingdom, it's just that nine times out of ten it was a trap, a set up. Kyra hadn't survived this long without developing a useful sense that told her every time someone was lying to her. But this ball. . . her new client had her attention and he knew it.

Kyra checked the envelope again and two invites for the ball fell out. The Duke obviously had the impression that she worked with someone.
He was wrong. Kyra twirled the tickets between her fingers before glancing at the gown once more, pulling it out of the box. An off-the- shoulder black dress with long sleeves and a slit in the gown would allow her easy access to her daggers but would also make her easy to pick out in the crowd. People didn't wear black to masquerade balls.
They wore black to funerals.
Kyra was right, it was a set up. She grinned. She'd take the invite alright and keep the dress but not a chance in hell she'd wear it to the ball.

The next day Kyra was strolling over the bridge that separated the Royals from the peasants. Not even the rich can buy property beyond the bridge if they didn't have a drop of royal blood in their veins.

She wore a loose, bodice-less dress to try to fight the summer heat but while her dress was simple, it was clearly finely made. She had debated sending a reply to the Duke but had decided against it. He needed to be kept on his toes.

The streets were bustling with people preparing for the Prince's birthday, whether they were attending the ball or not. Kyra entered a dress shop on the main street that sold only the finest of gowns. The bell rang as Kyra pushed the door open. A pair of giggly girls were already in the shop, fawning over a dress that was well over their price range.

A small woman with faded blonde hair greeted her from behind the desk. Kyra nodded her hello and looked around the shop with a keen eye. One dress caught her attention in particular and she called the woman over.
"I'll have that one please. And there is a mask that goes with the dress I take it?"
The woman nodded and wrapped it in a box with a bow with minimal.
"Thank you."

Kyra turned as the bell rang again as the girls exited the shop. Kyra followed them out onto the street and hurried to catch up, bag swinging in hand. "Excuse me! Excuse me ladies, I just couldn't help but notice you left the shop empty handed and I was wondering if I could do something about it?"
The girls looked at each other before the one with bronze skin spoke up. "I don't think there is madam. Unless you have an extra ticket to the masquerade ball tonight and a dress?" Kyra grinned. "Then today is your lucky day."

Kyra collapsed onto her couch, going over the plan in her head. She had given the black dress and extra ticket to the girls. The poor fools hadn't know the difference between a friend smiling and a predator smiling. It wasn't their lucky day at all.

The guards would arrest them without knowing any better. The girl hadn't liked the black dress but it was her only option. So while the girls unwittingly dressed for their night, Kyra could drink the night away before sending a letter to the Lord saying she declined the job and wished him a happy life that would end soon after.

One didn't try and trick her without consequences. After all, she didn't earn her reputation as Lilith from sitting around and letting men rule the world. Kyra glanced at the box in front of her and sighed. She couldn't put it off anymore. She retired into her bedroom and sat in front of her beauty table. While sunset was still a good few hours away, Kyra needed this time to prepare, mentally and physically.

She curled her hair and left it half up half down. Her eyes were lined lightly with kohl to make her glacier eyes pop with her eyelids dusted lightly with gold. Her lips were a deep red, her cheeks pink. A short silver necklace hung around her neck, diamond embedded in the metal. Finally Kyra pulled the dress out of the box. Layers of chiffon and tulle spilled out of the box as she held it up.

Dark blue at the bodice faded to a light gray as the hem with branches reaching towards the middle of the skirt. Silver glittered as it hit the light. The dress was sleeveless with a heart shaped neckline that dipped. A mask that matched the colour of her dress would cover her eyes, nose and cheeks. Her shoes under the dress were silver as well.

Sundown, time to go. She had ordered a carriage to wait two blocks away from her apartment and her feet were already killing her after that short walk. Kyra gripped her purse loosely, her daggers a reassuring weight as her thigh brushed against them when she moved. She had a dagger hidden in her purse aswell, just in case.

The carriage dropped her off at the entrance of a Royal Estate. Every year the Prince's Birthday Ball was held at a different Estate of a different noble family. Each one was more extravagant than the last. And since it was the Prince's twenty-first birthday, it was sure to be the best one yet.

Guards lined the entrance, stopping every carriage to make sure they were supposed to be there. A guard knocked on her window and Kyra showed him her ticket. He studied the ticket for a long moment before handing it back grudgingly and waved her on.

The carriage started again and it was one more minute before she was out of the carriage and staring up at the Estate.