Thief of Twilight

Part Three: Chapter 94

"Xulian, what are you doing here?"

Xulian, Yohan, and I were seated at the table in the imperial study. Yohan was visibly upset by her arrival but tried his best to hide it. He was respectful and offered her fried pancakes with ginger tea.

"What do you mean, 'what am I doing here'?" she reached for a fried pancake and took a bite. "I'm here to make sure that you're still alive."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Wait...you don't know?" Xulian raised a brow.

"I mean...I know that Oliver sent someone to kill me..."

"Did you know that he's sent another assassin after you?"

My eyes widened. It felt like the air was stuck in my throat.

"Have you heard the name Stonemaker before? I'm sure you have." she took another bite of her fried pancake.

"I remember hearing that name in the past. But...I don't know much about him."

"He's a mercenary but will also take out solo contrasts from time to time. But apparently, Lord Baldwin hired him with Dahi's assistance of course."

I lowered my eyes to the table. I wouldn't put it past Dahi to eagerly assist Oliver any chance he got.

"When Viper told me that Dahi was sending people after you on Lord Baldwin's behalf, I decided to come here as fast as I could. I wanted to make sure that you were aware. I'm glad I made it in time before anything happened."

"I didn't expect him to send someone else. But...I can't say that I'm not surprised."

Xulian's eyes drifted to Yohan. "You must be Emperor Kang Yohan."

Yohan narrowed his eyes.

"Don't worry. I'm not here to put Zurine in danger." Xulian reassured him.

"Xulian is one of the only people I trust in Dahi's organization. We may have been in separate parties but I trust her with my life." I explained.

"And besides, I just wanted to stop by and tell you before I went on my way." she sighed.

"Where are you going?" I asked. Does she have a contract that she needs to fulfill?

"I was going to do some work but...I don't think I want to do that anymore. I mean, I can leave the organization and no one will look for me. But...seeing as how you are in this situation...I want to help you as much as possible. If I am even able to."

I slowly nodded my head.

"I don't know much about Stonemaker. But I'm sure with Lord Baldwin sending people after you, you're trying your best to remain in the safest place possible. So if you want, I can try and gather some intel for you. I don't know what I'll find out. But still, even if it's a little bit of information it will still be better than nothing."

"I would really appreciate that." I gave a sigh of relief. "How is Viper anyway? I hope he is doing well."

"Well you know, he's still tied to Dahi. He can't leave him you know. Not even in death. The poor guy sold his soul to him. But enough of that. I'm going to find a nice area outside of the city. I'll camp out for a few days and come back once I've gathered enough information." she finished her food before getting to her feet.

If she camps out in the forest, she would be exposed especially if she's planning on leaving the organization. I don't know how Dahi runs Shadowbane when people decide to leave. But I know how Oliver handles it. And it's often a battle for them to live after they've left the guild.