The word came from Terrik on the sixth day. The meeting is tomorrow night. Warehouse district, old grain storage near the south pier. Midnight. They're
finalizing payments for something big. Maros will be there.
This is my last message. After tonight, I'm gone. Good luck, Captain.
I read it twice, then burned it in the lamp flame.
Tomorrow night. Less than twenty-four hours.
I found Joss and Maer in the common room and showed them the ashes. "Terrik came through. The meeting is
tomorrow. Midnight, south pier."
Joss set down his cup. "That's before the presentation. Before we've finalized everything."
"I know. But if Maros is there, if we can catch him in person with the other players, it's better than any
document. We'll have proof, testimony, and the architect of the whole operation."
"Or it's a trap," Maer said quietly. "Terrik could've been compromised. They could be luring us in."
"That's a risk we have to take."
"Do we? Because from where I'm sitting, this feels like charging into the fire just because it's burning."
I looked at him. At the exhaustion in his face, the resignation that had settled over him since our last
conversation. He wasn't arguing to protect the mission. He was arguing to protect me.
"We're going," I said. "But we do it smart. We watch first, confirm who's there, then decide if we move or wait."
"And if they spot us watching?"
"Then we adapt."
Maer shook his head but didn't argue further.
We spent the day preparing.
Weapons sharpened, gear checked, escape routes mapped. Sael provided two of his best men, soldiers who'd
worked black operations for southern governors and knew how to move unseen. We reviewed the warehouse
district layout, identified vantage points, planned contingencies for every scenario we could imagine.
By evening, we were as ready as we'd ever be.
Edrin sent a message mid-afternoon, requesting a meeting, but I sent word back that I was occupied. I couldn't
afford the distraction, couldn't afford to let him test boundaries I was barely holding.
The refusal brought a second message an hour later.
You're making a mistake, Captain. I have information you need. Come to the palace tonight or you'll regret it.I burned that one too.
Whatever Edrin wanted could wait until after we'd secured Maros. After we had the final piece.
But something about the tone bothered me. Not the demand, that was typical. But the warning. You'll regret it.
What did he know that I didn't?
We left for the docks after dark.
The warehouse district at night was a maze of shadows and silence. Ships creaked at anchor, water lapped
against the pier, and somewhere in the distance, a dog barked. We moved through the narrow streets like ghosts,
keeping to the walls, avoiding the few night workers still about.
The old grain storage was exactly where Terrik had indicated. A large structure, three stories, with boarded
windows and a single entrance facing the water. Light showed through cracks in the boards on the second floor.
Someone was already inside.
We took position across the street in an abandoned warehouse, climbing to the third floor where we had a clear
view. Joss set up watch at the window while I pulled out the scope we'd borrowed from one of Sael's men.
Through the cracks in the boards, I could make out movement. Figures. At least six, maybe more.
"Can you identify anyone?" Joss asked.
"Not yet. Too dark, too much obstruction."
We settled in to wait.
The first hour was quiet. Whoever was inside stayed inside, no one entering or leaving. Then, just after eleven, a
carriage arrived.
Expensive. Four horses, imperial colors, a crest on the door I couldn't make out from this distance. A man
stepped out, well-dressed, moving with authority. He knocked once, and the door opened immediately.
"That's not a broker," Maer said. "That's someone important."
"Can you see the crest?"
"No. Too far."
I watched through the scope as more people arrived. Another carriage, this one simpler. Three men on foot,
cloaked and careful. A woman in a hooded coat who moved like she was used to dangerous places.
And then, just before midnight, a man who made everyone else inside stand straighter.
Older, grey-haired, carrying a leather case. He moved with the confidence of someone who controlled rooms
just by entering them.
"That's him," I said. "That's Maros Welle."Joss leaned forward. "You're sure?"
"I'm sure. Look at how the others react. He's not just another broker. He's running this."
We watched as Maros moved deeper into the building, out of sight. The meeting had begun.
"We need to get closer," I said. "See if we can hear what they're discussing."
"Ryn, if they have guards, if they're watching approaches..."
"Then we'll be careful. But we can't arrest shadows. We need confirmation of what they're planning."
Maer and Joss exchanged glances. Then Joss nodded. "All right. But at the first sign of trouble, we leave.
Agreed?"
"Agreed."
We descended to street level and approached the warehouse from the side, using the shadows cast by the pier
buildings. There was a narrow gap between the grain storage and the building next to it, barely wide enough for
one person. I edged through it, feeling my way in the darkness, until I reached a broken board near ground level.
Light filtered through, and voices.
I pressed my ear close and listened.
"...final transfers complete by week's end." Maros's voice, calm and businesslike. "The ministers have
confirmed their cooperation. Border patrols will be delayed as planned."
"And the Warden?" A woman's voice, sharp and cultured. "She's been causing problems."
"The Warden is being handled. We've eliminated key witnesses, restricted her access to certain information. By
the time she presents whatever evidence she's gathered, it will be too late."
"Too late for what?" A man this time, older, commanding.
"The treaty violation. Rumanth moves in three days. By the time Cerasis realizes what's happening, the eastern
provinces will be occupied, and we'll have already positioned our people to benefit from the chaos."
My blood went cold.
Three days. They weren't just profiting from border raids. They were coordinating an invasion.
"And the Emperor?" the woman asked.
"Remains unaware. His focus is on internal court matters. By the time he understands the scope, it will be too
late to prevent it."
"And your payment?"
"Secured. The houses have delivered as promised. Once Rumanth establishes control, we'll have exclusive trade
rights for the occupied territories. Everyone here profits."
"Except the people dying in the east," someone muttered."Acceptable losses." Maros's voice was utterly cold. "War always has costs. We simply ensure we're not the
ones paying them."
I'd heard enough.
I backed away from the gap and returned to where Joss and Maer waited in the shadows.
"Three days," I said quietly. "Rumanth invades the eastern provinces in three days. The houses are coordinating
it with Maros. The ministers are delaying patrols. And they think the Emperor doesn't know."
"Gods," Joss breathed. "This isn't just corruption. It's treason on a scale that could fracture the realm."
"We need to leave. Now. Get this to Edrin, to the Emperor, to anyone who can stop it."
"What about Maros?" Maer asked. "If we leave now, he'll disappear after the meeting. We'll never get another
chance."
He was right. But if we stayed to arrest Maros, we'd lose time we didn't have. Three days wasn't enough to
mobilize the realm's defenses if we wasted hours on a single arrest.
"We leave," I said. "Maros matters, but stopping an invasion matters more."
We started back toward our entry point, moving quickly but carefully. We were almost clear when light flooded
the alley.
"Going somewhere, Captain?"
I spun. Guards emerged from both ends of the alley, a dozen at least, armed and armored. And standing behind
them, illuminated by lantern light, was a face I recognized from the palace.
Minister Corvas. Border security.
"I had a feeling you might try something," he said, his voice pleasant despite the threat. "Maros warned us you
were getting close. So we decided to invite you personally."
"Let us pass," I said, hand on my sword.
"I'm afraid I can't do that. See, you've become a problem, Captain. And problems need to be eliminated. Can't
have you running to the Emperor with wild accusations about invasions and treason, can we?"
"The Emperor already knows," I lied.
"Does he? Then where's his response? Where are his guards, his investigators, his royal decree?" Corvas smiled.
"No, Captain. You're alone. And now you're trapped."
The guards closed in from both sides.
I drew my sword. Beside me, Joss and Maer did the same.
"Last chance," I said. "Stand aside."
"I don't think so."The first guard lunged. I turned his blade and struck, dropping him. Two more came from the left. Joss met
them, his movements efficient and brutal. Maer took the right, faster than the guards expected.
But there were too many.
I fought through three more, my shoulder burning from old wounds reopening, my breath coming hard. We
pushed forward, trying to reach the street, trying to break through to open ground where we could run.
Then I saw Maer go down.
A guard clubbed him from behind, and he dropped, blood streaming from his temple. Another guard moved in
to finish him.
"No!" I broke from my fight and threw myself at the guard, driving my blade through his side. He fell, but two
more took his place.
Joss pulled me back. "We have to go! Now!"
"Not without Maer!"
"He's down, Ryn! We can't carry him and fight!"
Maer groaned, trying to rise. Blood covered half his face. He looked at me, and I saw understanding in his eyes.
"Go," he said. "Get to the Emperor. Stop this."
"I'm not leaving you!"
"You have to." He tried to smile. "Someone has to live long enough to finish this. Let it be you."
Guards closed in. Joss grabbed my arm and pulled, physically dragging me away. I fought him, tried to break
free, but he was stronger and more desperate.
"Move!" he shouted.
We ran.
Behind us, I heard fighting. Heard Maer's voice, shouting something defiant. Then silence.
We burst onto the main street and kept running, guards pursuing, lanterns swinging behind us. Joss pulled me
through turns I didn't recognize, alleys I couldn't track. My vision blurred with rage and grief and exhaustion.
Finally, we stopped in a covered alcove three streets away. No pursuit. No lights.
Just silence.
I collapsed against the wall, gasping for breath. My hands were shaking. Blood on my sword. Maer's blood, the
guards' blood, I couldn't tell.
"He's alive," Joss said, though he didn't sound convinced. "They wouldn't kill him immediately. He's valuable as
a hostage."
"We left him.""We had no choice."
"There's always a choice!"
"Not that one. Not tonight." Joss grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. "Ryn, listen to me. Maer told
you to go because he knew what mattered. We have to get to the Emperor. We have to stop the invasion. That's
what he would want."
I wanted to scream. Wanted to go back, fight until they killed me or let Maer go. Wanted to burn down the entire
city for taking someone else I cared about.
But Joss was right.
Three days. An invasion. Thousands of lives.
I couldn't save Maer if the realm fell.
"We go to the Emperor," I said, my voice hollow. "Right now. Tonight. No more delays."
"Agreed."
We walked through the dark streets toward the palace, and I thought about the price of justice. About how many
people I'd watched fall. About how much more I'd lose before this was over.
But I kept walking.
Because that's all I knew how to do.