❝ Pain was my fuel, until the fire began bleeding from my veins. ❞
The girl without a name.
The black-haired fiend devoid of fear.
The sharp-tongued scoundrel always ready with a trick up her sleeve.
Thief and street rat Azura knows how to hustle a...
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◢✥◣ PREVIOUSLY... ◥✥◤
Ari tried to convince Azura not to go to the Empire and risk her life, reminding Azura that the sygil on her wrist was still active. Azura was convinced the sygils didn't work and made Ari promise to leave the Order and forget his quest to seek damning information about Palmira. Ari gave Azura a necklace that was his mother's and they embraced, Azura aware that it may have been the last time she'll ever see him.
༛༛ ༛ ༛༺༻༛ ༛ ༛༛
I breathe in the air beyond the school, willing the cold that chills my lungs to freeze my nerves. It doesn't, but I can at least hope.
I stow my bag amongst the shrubs, hidden from view. I leave it there though a part of me doubts I'll make it out of the Empire to recover it.
Vera's cold gaze looks me up and down when I approach her beyond the gates of the school, the rain having washed away the stench of blood and death that permeated the air.
"You're ready?" she questions, clear disdain in her eyes as she glances at the single sword strapped to my hip.
"Are you? Palmira told me you have a plan to get me inside."
Her lips quirk. "I hope you're not squeamish."
I scoff but follow her to where she's prepared two horses for our short journey to the Empire. Night has already graced us with shadows, the time is now or never, before the Empire recovers from their losses.
We mount the horses and ride towards the talons of the Empire's palace. It's a nerve-wracking journey, one I question with every moment that passes. What am I willing to do for my vengeance? Will this ease the yawning abyss that fills my chest and continues to grow? I hope the blood spilt this night will be able to fill it. I don't know what else to do if it doesn't.
"No one knows where the emperor is," Vera tells me, shattering my thoughts and my gaze drifts to her rigid back. "Not even Palmira's spies within the palace. He's kept himself shut away."
"So, wherever resistance is strongest," I mutter.
"You won't be able to cut down the entirety of the Empire's forces within those walls." Her slanted eyes narrow at me. "No matter how special Palmira thinks you are, it'll kill you."
I snort. "Palmira thinks I'm special, does she?"
"She claims you're the only one who can assassinate the emperor," Vera replies with a shrug. "I offered."
I scowl at her words, the same words that Erasmus spoke, leaving me to wonder. Why am I the only one who can kill him? I voice my question but Vera shakes her head.
"I assumed you knew that answer," she says. "But I think finding him is the bigger problem right now."
I blow a strand of my hair from my eye, already exasperated by this mission. With a barely formulated plan, some half-arsed information, and no reinforcements, the chances of my survival are getting slimmer by the second. But still I continue riding forward, because going back isn't an option. Not with Suri gone.
