Zara's POV
"I didn't kill the Architect."
The words fall flat in Mira's shocked silence. We're hidden behind the garden wall, the wanted scroll crumpled between us like evidence of a crime I didn't commit.
"I know you didn't," Mira says quickly. "But the Veil doesn't care about truth. They care about control. And framing you for murder gives Sevrin the perfect excuse to hunt you publicly."
My mind races. "He did this. Sevrin killed the Architect and blamed me."
"Probably. He's wanted to lead the Veil for years." Mira grabs my arm. "But that doesn't matter right now. What matters is that wanted notice will reach every corner of the kingdom by tonight. Kaelen's guards will see it. They'll recognize you."
"Then I run. Now. Before—"
"Before what?" a deep voice asks behind us.
We both spin. Kaelen stands there, the wanted scroll in his hand. His face is unreadable.
My hand flies to my knife. "How long have you been listening?"
"Long enough to know you're in serious danger." He looks at Mira. "You must be the friend who's been helping her. Thank you for keeping her alive."
Mira blinks, surprised. "You're not going to turn her in?"
"Turn in my own goddaughter? Hardly." He turns to me, and his eyes are fierce. "But we need to move fast. That scroll arrived an hour ago. My head guard is already organizing search parties. He thinks you're a threat."
"I am a threat," I say flatly. "I was sent here to kill you."
"Were you?" He raises an eyebrow. "Because it seems to me you've had plenty of chances and haven't taken any."
He's right, but admitting it feels like weakness. "Maybe I'm waiting for the perfect moment."
"Or maybe you're not a killer anymore." His voice softens. "Maybe you're just a girl who wants to know the truth about her mother."
The words hit harder than any blade. Because he's right. I don't want to kill him. I want answers. I want family. I want things I'm not supposed to want.
"They'll search the entire fortress," Kaelen continues. "Every room. Every servant will be questioned. They'll find you by nightfall unless we act now."
"What do you suggest?" Mira asks. "She can't exactly hide in plain sight anymore."
Kaelen's mouth quirks in an almost-smile. "Actually, that's exactly what she's going to do." He looks at me. "How do you feel about a promotion?"
Ten minutes later, I'm standing in Kaelen's private study, wearing different clothes and a confused expression.
"You want me to be your personal assistant?" I stare at him like he's lost his mind. "The guards are looking for a servant girl. Making me more visible is the opposite of hiding."
"No," Kaelen says patiently. "They're looking for a Veil assassin named Zara who's hiding as a servant named Lira. They're not looking for Kira Thorne, my recently discovered distant cousin who's come to help me with magical research."
"Kira Thorne?" I repeat.
"My father had siblings. Cousins scattered across the kingdom. No one knows all of them." He pulls out forged documents that look official. "According to these papers, you're the daughter of my father's youngest brother. Orphaned in the war. I just learned you existed and invited you here."
It's brilliant. And insane. "Guards will question it."
"Let them. I'm the Archmage. Who's going to argue with me?" He hands me the documents. "Besides, it's not entirely a lie. You are family. Just not in the way these papers claim."
Mira grins. "It's perfect. Hidden in the last place the Veil would look—right beside their target."
My head spins. This morning I was a servant. Now I'm supposed to be Kaelen's cousin? "What about the real Lira Ashwood identity? Won't people ask where she went?"
"Lira got scared by the wanted posters and quit this morning," Kaelen says smoothly. "Happens all the time when the fortress goes on alert. No one will think twice."
He's thought of everything. Which should make me suspicious. Instead, it makes that tight feeling in my chest worse. No one's ever protected me before. No one's ever cared if I lived or died.
"Why are you doing this?" I ask quietly. "You barely know me."
"I made a promise to your mother." His eyes hold mine. "And I've already failed her once. I won't fail again."
Before I can respond, someone pounds on the study door.
"Archmage! Emergency!" a guard shouts.
Kaelen moves fast, shoving the wanted scroll into a drawer. He looks at me and mouths: Cousin. Remember.
He opens the door. The guard's face is flushed. "Sir, we found something. In the servants' quarters. The room assigned to Lira Ashwood."
My blood turns cold. What did they find?
"Show me," Kaelen orders.
We follow the guard—me, Kaelen, and Mira trailing behind as a "concerned friend." The servants' quarters are in chaos, guards searching every room. They've torn mine apart.
And on the bed, laid out like evidence, are my weapons.
Poison vials. Throwing knives. Garrote wire. Everything I hid under the floorboards.
"The Veil assassin was here," the head guard says grimly. "She was living right under our noses as Lira Ashwood. We need to lock down the fortress. Search everyone."
My heart hammers. Someone planted those weapons. Someone who knew where I hid them. Someone who wants me exposed.
Kaelen examines the weapons calmly. Too calmly. "These are Crimson Veil tools. No question."
"Should we search the other servants?" the guard asks. "She might have accomplices."
"No need." Kaelen picks up one of the knives, studying it. "This assassin is long gone by now. She knew we'd find this room eventually. She's probably halfway to the border."
"But sir—"
"I said no." Power creeps into Kaelen's voice. "We're at war. I need my people focused on defending this fortress, not chasing ghosts. Double the perimeter guards. Seal the gates. But leave the servants alone."
The guard hesitates, then bows. "Yes, sir."
As everyone files out, Kaelen catches my eye. The message is clear: You're safe. For now.
But someone in this fortress knows who I really am. Someone who had access to my room. Someone who's trying to expose me.
The question is: who?
That night, I'm lying in my new quarters—fancy rooms befitting an Archmage's cousin—when I hear scratching at my window.
I grab a knife and approach cautiously. A bird sits on the ledge. Not a normal bird—its eyes glow with magic. A messenger.
It drops a note through the bars and flies away.
I unfold the paper with shaking hands:
"Zara,
Congratulations on your new identity. Very clever. But we both know who you really are.
Here's what's going to happen: You're going to complete your original mission. Kill Kaelen Thorne within three days. When he's dead, send proof to the old meeting spot.
If you refuse, I'll expose you to his guards. Then I'll kill everyone you've started to care about. Mira. Senna. Even Kaelen's advisor Theron.
You're still the Veil's weapon, Zara. You don't get to choose freedom. You never did.
Three days. Don't disappoint me.
—Commander Sevrin
PS: I have eyes everywhere in this fortress. I'm watching you right now."
I drop the note like it's poisonous.
Sevrin is here. Or his spies are. Someone in Kaelen's fortress is working for the Veil.
I rush to my window and look out. The courtyard is empty. But somewhere out there, someone is watching. Waiting. Ready to destroy everything if I don't become a killer again.
Three days to murder my godfather.
Or everyone I'm starting to care about dies instead.
I'm still staring into the darkness when a knock sounds at my door. Soft. Gentle.
"Kira? It's Kaelen. May I come in?"
My godfather's voice. The man I have three days to kill.
I hide the note and open the door.
Kaelen stands there with two cups of tea and a sad smile. "Thought you might have trouble sleeping. First days in new places are always hard." He offers me a cup. "Want to talk about it?"
Yes. I want to tell him everything. I want to warn him. I want to ask for help.
But if I do, Sevrin will know. And people will die.
So I take the tea and lie. "Just tired. It's been a long day."
"It has." He studies my face. "You look scared. What happened?"
Everything. Nothing. I'm trapped again and this time the cage is tighter because now I have something to lose.
"Nothing," I whisper. "I'm fine."
He doesn't believe me. I can see it in his eyes. But he doesn't push. "Well, I'm right down the hall if you need anything. Anything at all." He pauses. "You're safe here, Zara. I promise."
But I'm not safe. He's not safe. No one is safe.
And in three days, one of us is going to die.