Chapter 53
Bianca walks alone through the narrow street. She moves quickly, weaving through alleys and side roads most nobles wouldn’t think to use. Her hood shields her face from view.
This part of town doesn’t get much sunlight, even in the middle of the day. Now, with evening creeping in, it’s nearly deserted. It feels like a different world from the marble corridors of the palace. There are no guards here, no court whispers, just transactions.
She stops at a small door with an iron handle. There’s no name above the frame, no indication that it’s a shop at all. She knocks once, then twice more in quick succession.
The door opens immediately.
Inside, the shop is dim and warm. The air smells like dried herbs and scorched metal. A man stands behind the counter. His expression doesn’t change when she sees Bianca.
He already knows why she’s come.
Bianca reaches into her cloak and withdraws a sealed envelope. She places it on the counter. The man accepts it without counting.
He turns and retrieves a small bundle wrapped in dark cloth from a recessed shelf. The object is small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, but Bianca knows of it’s power.
Bianca accepts it in silence.
“No trace,” the man says. His voice is low, rough. “The spell will affect the mind, not the body. On the night of the full moon, the wolf’s mind will weaken and confusion will set it. No one will trace it back to the amulet.”
Bianca nods. “You’re sure?
“Positive.”
That’s all she needs to hear.
She leaves the shop through the back alley and winds her way to the edge of the square. The palace isn’t far, but she doesn’t rush.
Her grip tightens around the cloth-wrapped amulet as she walks. It doesn’t need to do much. It only needs to work for one night.
Back at the palace, Bianca slips through the servant halls to avoid the main corridors. She changes back into her usual clothing hiding the charm in the inner lining of her sleeve.
Later that afternoon, she finds Ember walking alone near the eastern hall. Her shoulders look stiff. There’s a trace of redness around her eyes, like she’s either been rubbing them or holding back tears.
Bianca slows her step. She makes her face soft, open.
“I heard you’re leaving soon,” she says.
Ember doesn’t stop walking, but she doesn’t speed up either.
“I know we haven’t always gotten along,” Bianca adds, keeping her voice low and even, “but I wanted to say, I’m worried about you.”
There’s a pause, but Ember doesn’t say anything.
Bianca steps closer and pulls the charm from her sleeve. She unwraps it just enough to show the metal.
“It’s protective,” she says. “I paid a lot for it. Just wear it, please. It might help you stay safe.”
Ember finally turns to look at her.
Her face is guarded, unsure. She studies the amulet like she’s trying to decide whether to trust her.
After a moment, she reaches out and takes it. Her fingers brush the charm briefly before folding around it.
“Thank you,” she says quietly.
Bianca nods. “I’ll be hoping for your safe return.”
She turns and walks away, her pace slow, measured. She doesn’t look back. She doesn’t need to.
Ember
The hours pass quickly now. I keep myself moving, checking and double-checking the mission lists. The supply logs are complete. Our team assignments are set. Jake sent a final update this morning confirming the equipment has been packed and pre-cleared through the outposts we’ll pass.
There’s nothing left to fix, but I can’t seem to stop moving.
I cross my office twice in a single minute, rereading the same itinerary. I sharpen a blade that doesn’t need sharpening. The quiet makes it worse.
I haven’t seen Prince Kaine all day. It’s not unusual, he’s likely deep in strategy briefings, but it still feels odd. No passing nod, no hallway check-in.
I tell myself it’s better this way. He has work to do. So do I.
Back in my room, I recheck my bag and begin laying things out one by one. Blades. Field maps. Uniforms. I run through the standard checklist twice before I’m satisfied. Then I do it again.
The charm Bianca gave me sits on the edge of the desk, still wrapped. I haven’t touched it since she gave it to me. I don’t know why I haven’t put it away.
“You’re not seriously thinking of wearing it,” Nara says. “You don’t even know what it does.”
She says it’s protective.
“She says a lot of things.”
It might help.
“Or it might hurt. You don’t know her motives.”
I unwrap it slowly, more out of curiosity than anything else. The metal is cool, the stone dulled, not polished like jewelry. I turn it over in my hands.
I hold it for a long moment. The chain is thin. Easily hidden under my collar.
I don’t put it on, but I don’t throw it away either. Instead, I slip it into the inner pocket of my bag.
If I need it, I’ll have it. If I don’t, it stays there.
I return to my bed and begin analyzing the route for the third time. The path seems standard, but I mark potential vulnerable spots just in case.
This mission isn’t a palace exercise. It’s real. The roads outside the capital don’t operate by palace rules.
As the sun begins to fall, a knock sounds at the door. It’s a junior guard, confirming departure instructions.
“Dawn,” I say. “We move out before the sun is fully up.”
He nods and leaves without asking anything else.
I stand at the window after he’s gone, arms crossed. The courtyard below is quiet, the sky above streaked with fading light.
I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. The roads beyond the capital are unpredictable, even without the recent rogue activity. I take a deep breath. I know what I’m capable of.
I think about Kaine’s face during our last meeting and tension in his jaw when I stood my ground. I think about way he finally nodded, as if he realized he didn’t have a choice. There was guilt in his eyes, but there was also something else, something almost like trust.
“He trusts you,” Nara says softly.
He doesn’t want to.
“But he does.”
I take another deep breath. Tomorrow, I’ll prove he was right to.
