The Grim (Ravens #3)

xxiii. playing as a god

A/n: Reposting bc it looks like notifs are working again and none of you saw this the first time. 

Sunday morning, when Mai left her uncle's townhouse to check the mail, she was met with bills he'd neglected to pay and a thin envelope addressed to her specifically, although the sender had omitted their own name from the package. She didn't get mail often, only the occasional letter faxed by Sebastian. She opened the envelope slowly, unfolded the yellow legal paper with caution. Although the sheet was large, its contents hardly even filled up a single line:

Meet at alley by market at two. Trouble. Come alone. Shred this paper. —Gail.

Her heart sank as she lowered the paper, its words resonating in her mind. She scanned it again, over and over again for any sign of true information, but realized there was no hidden code. For once in her life, Emma had left behind a message that needed no interpretation, a straight-forward instruction carrying no hidden meanings. That scared Mai more than one might have expected; she was only ever blunt when the situation was urgent.

She had opened the note at just the right time, for the clock on the wall read that they were supposed to meet in twenty minutes. She threw on a pair of gym shoes and the green bomber jacket that could never replace the dirty one she'd worn for years in the woods. When the warm air and sunlight hit her, her gaze was drawn instantly towards Jayden's house across the street. Her instincts begged her feet to walk up his front steps, but she managed to draw herself away. Emma had specifically said to come alone, and although Jayden thought he was apart of whatever drama Mai had gotten herself wrapped up in, she knew it was better to leave him out of it. If there was trouble, he did not need to be collateral damage in a political rivalry so much greater than any of the teens.

Walking fast, Mai made it to the market in record time, and although Emma's note did not specify which alleyway they would meet in, she figured it would be the same narrow street where they'd reunited. She hadn't seen her since that fateful morning, she'd purposely avoided the group at all costs. Mai understood her reasoning though; the king had a tracker in her arm, telling them of her every move. She couldn't blame the girl, but instead empathized for her. It hurt Mai every time she had to say goodbye to her friends, even if they would only be separated for a night. The paranoia that they might be in danger, that she might never see them again was endless. And Mai was only ever separated for a few hours. Emma had family in that motel room, her brother, her blood, and she could not risk communication.

In the shadowed alley, a figure stood leaning against the left-hand brick wall, her hood drawn up to cover her face. Mai almost didn't see her as she blended into the dark surroundings. The girl's head whipped to the right as she heard footsteps approaching, and while her eyes softened when she saw who it was, her muscles remained tense.

"You came," she whispered, lowering the hood but turning so that any onlookers would not be able to identify her. "Good. I wasn't sure you'd seen the message."

"Emma, what's going on?" Mai asked, her voice low and serious.

"We're out of time," she said quickly, eyes still darting around as though they were being watched. "We should walk. They might get suspicious if I stay in the alley much longer."

Mai nodded and followed Emma down the cobblestone road, the assassin taking the lead through a series of narrow corridors as she explained what the queen had threatened the previous evening. "You said they'll punish you?" she asked eventually, not sure if she was more concerned over the prospect or Emma's apparent nonchalance.

"They'll put me in the ring again," she shrugged. "But that's fine, I can handle that. The problem is that whoever else they hire will kill Sebastian. We need to get them out of here now, Emilia needs to stop the negotiations."