A Viper's Venom

Lightfell at Midnight

One of the many good things about being an Umbral: shadows are where you thrive. My body turns to shadow, and I slip between a narrow crack in the wall just as two Sentries on patrol march past. The sentries of Solaria are not the same as the average, stupid guards or security. They are trained from birth to be the best soldiers and fighters in the land. They are handpicked by the royal family to guard the palace and they are the kingdom's first line of defense. It's no doubt that they're intimidating, with their stone cold and alert glare, permanent scowls, and overall menacing and powerful demeanor. Their stark white armor gleams like ghostly apparitions in the early moonlight, with crimson and gold accents to represent the colors of both Godbloods and Unbloods, though everyone knows they don't give a damn about Unbloods. Most common folk cower at the sight of them, and I've even seen some of the nobles flinch when the sentries look at them. But I'm not afraid of them. And besides, I'm still smarter than they are.

When the two sentries are out of sight, I allow my body to dissolve into a shadowy smoke to fly to the top of the sleek, and supposedly impenetrable, black diamond wall. I almost spit at the precious structure as I pass over it. The royal family is the definition of rich beyond belief, with everything they could ever want at their fingertips, but they have to rub it in the townspeople's faces by building the boundaries of the already magnificent palace out of one of the rarest gems on the planet. And the worst part, the wall isn't even the most stunning part of the palace grounds. The real eye catcher is Lightfell Palace itself. Regardless of if it's night or day, the white marble walls of the palace seem to glow with the reflection of light. Iridescent crystal stars sit atop each of the spires, and the white doors themselves are etched with eagles of gold surrounded by crystal stars. The Palace is massive. If the royals cared, Lightfell could potentially house half the people in Dawnhaven - the capital surrounding the palace. It's a miracle that the royals and high nobles that live in Lightfell are able to remember their way around.

Dropping into the bow of one of the many trees decorating the front garden, my keen eyes sweep the grounds to make sure the coast was clear before I slipped down onto the grass. I pull my hood tighter over my head, my breathing silenced by my mask. My movements are soundless, as they had been trained to be since I was a child. I hide behind the thick trunk of an old willow, peering out to the guards standing at the entrance to the palace.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" A voice demands.

I grab the person behind me and slam them into the tree I had been hiding behind, the dagger concealed in my boot now pressing against their throat. I finally get a look at his face, and I quickly realise that this isn't a guard like I had previously thought, but rather some sort of nobility; a handsome young man with a slightly arrogant demeanour and elegant features. He looks to be in his early twenties. He is tall and slender, my eyes in line with his Adam's apple. Waves of well-groomed chocolate hair graciously sway in the soft midnight breeze, and his perfect, milky complexion is a stark contrast to the brilliance of his golden amber eyes. He's wearing a dark red buttoned shirt with a gold trim, meticulously pressed black trousers and black shoes polished like a mirror. I have no doubt in my mind that he is a noble of a high house, though which one, I have no clue. Knowing that I won't be able to play this off as an accident, my mind starts to work on ways for me to kill him.

He clears his throat before calmly removing the knife pressing against his neck. My dagger hand falls limp at my side, but I keep him pinned against the tree with my other arm.

After a long moment of silence, he speaks. "Wait a minute, I know who you are. You're one of the hidden guards, aren't you?"

It takes all my willpower not to act surprised. His assumption just made this job a hell of a lot easier. I've heard of the hidden guard, agents of the crown that work in the shadows to keep suspicious entities from entering the palace ground. I should know, I slipped past at least a dozen of them to get as far as I have tonight.

I decide to play along. "Yes. Now, who might you be?" I ask accusingly.

His chin rises a little and his eyebrows lift in that annoyingly arrogant manner, like he fully expects me to know who he is. I'll admit though, the amber eyes did look strangely familiar.

"I'm the Duke of Solaria," he declares.

"Aren't you a little young to be the duke?" I question.

"The legal age you are permitted to inherit family titles is twenty. I'm twenty-two. But, since my father and uncle were both murdered by that shadow witch two years ago, the title has been passed to me," he snaps, his voice harsh and cold as ice.

Oh. So that's why he looked familiar. I should have guessed from the black and red and gold that is his family colors. The title of duke of Solaria for the past two and a half centuries have belonged to the Eruttare family. A family of Ruptures; capable of causing explosions by pure thought. I remember killing the former duke, Thayne, and the next in line, his brother, Dacian. Which means the man in front of me is Adrien Eruttare, Thayne's oldest child.

I realise that I'm still pinning him against the tree, so I let go, standing back. "Sorry for attacking you. Now, I should get back to my work, my lord and oh so mighty duke," I drop into a mock curtsy.

He scoffs, trying to hide his amusement. "Just call me Adrien," he says as he walks away, but he turns back after a moment. "You know, you never really answered my first question."

I give him a sideways glance as I slip my dagger back into my boot, "and what exactly was that?"

"Who are you?"

I chuckle lightly, "I thought you'd already figured it out. I'm a hidden guard."

His eyes narrow at my cheekiness. "I mean your name. You know my name, seems only fair I know yours, right?"

I make a clicking sound with my tongue as I shake my head, "no can do I'm afraid. One of the rules of being a hidden guard." He gives me a mock pout, and it's my turn to scoff. As I turn to run off into the dark of night, I glance back briefly, "Nix."

His perfectly white teeth glint in the moonlight when he grins. "Well, I hope to see you around then, Nix. Or more rather, since you're a hidden guard, I hope I don't."

I watch as he heads calmly back to the palace doors, and the six guards there let him pass without a second thought. My eyes scan the grounds, searching for anyone who could potentially sneak up on me again, but I find nothing. Satisfied, I climb up the trunk of the willow and shadow leap from tree to tree until I am only thirty or so meters from the walls of Lightfell Palace. On the tenth floor I spot a large balcony, and someone leaning against its white marble rails for a moment before retreating inside. I may not have been able to clearly see his features, but I know exactly who's bed chamber is connected to that terrace. Prince Vellan.

Knowing I need to wait a few hours for him to completely fall asleep, I recline into the bow of the tree I'm using for cover, and watch the stars above.