Page 65 of The Awakening of Essensia

Vaelira wanted to ask more, but a guard came running towards them. Vaelira concealed the disc beneath her cloak.

“We’ve sent for the coroner,” he said. “But a crowd is gathering. We need more swords.”

Erryn stepped forward. “I’ll escort the recruit back to the barracks and send reinforcements your way.”

The guard nodded, and they hurried out of the alley.

Once they were out of sight, Erryn stopped. “Don’t speak to anyone about what you saw,” she said quickly, turning and striding back towards the barracks.

Vaelira stood alone on the street corner, the cold disc heavy in her hand as she watched Erryn turn a corner and stride out of sight.

Who was this calm, unreadable woman? She knew Axel, which meant she knew Willem, which meant… Elijah.

With the taste of death still on her tongue, she gripped the disc tighter and started walking.

15

A Messenger

Vaelira held her breath as she passed through the gate and into the Noble Quarter, only exhaling once it thudded shut behind her. She pulled up her hood and kept to the edges of the streets, the sound of her boots striking stone too loud in her ears.

The buildings here were grander, the quiet streets darker, like even the shadows might judge her. The disc might have got her through the gate, but without the Royal Crest, her uniform was still a liability. One curious look could unravel everything.

When she’d come with Elijah, it hadn’t felt so daunting. Who could punish her with the Crown Prince at her side? Now it felt like a thousand eyes were watching her, waiting for the hood to slip so they could sink their teeth into her throat.

In her pouch, the moonstone sat beside the disc. It hadn’t reacted when she’d seen the corpse. She was getting tired of trying to understand it, why it flared one moment and lay dormant the next. Why her palms sometimes prickled with energy, and other times felt dull and useless, worthless but for holding a sword.

Once she reached a familiar corner, finding Axel’s townhouse was easier than she’d expected. The sun dipped behind the wall, stretching shadows across the stone as she reached the door and knocked three quick, sharp raps.

Axel’s grey hair was tied back, a crease forming between his brows. He stepped aside at the same moment Orphi bounded down the stairs, rasping out a strange hoarse sound that resembled a bark. He circled Vaelira’s legs in frantic loops, his tail wagging wildly. He was so large that Vaelira didn’t have to bend as she threaded her fingers through his thick fur. “Why can’t he bark properly?”

“He was a pup when we found him.” Axel said. “Dog fighting ring. They cut the vocal cords of all the dogs to keep them quiet.”

Vaelira stilled, her hand resting gently on the dog’s back. Orphi shifted beneath her touch, his entire body swaying like her arrival was the best part of his day. “That’s horrible.”

“It was. Why are you here Vaelira?”

They moved to the living room. The walls were lined with books, large bronze sofas and armchairs taking up the centre of the space. Vaelira stood while she spoke, recounting what they had found in the alley. She left out the part about the veins. She wasn’t ready to talk about that yet. When she mentioned Erryn and the disc, Axel nodded, unsurprised.

“So, Elijah assigned her as your patrol partner,” he said once she’d finished. “Smart.”

Vaelira crossed her arms. “Why didn’t he tell me?”

Axel raised his brows. “Does he usually?”

She didn’t answer but the question gnawed at her. Elijah never told her anything, not at first anyway. Why did she expect him to do differently now?

Axel sank into one of the deep armchairs and Orphi dropped beside him on the rug. Vaelira sat in the other, letting her sore muscles relax into the cushions.

“Erryn’s in this with the rest of us,” Axel said. “As partners, you can act if you find something tied to all this. You won’t need to lie or unnecessarily raise suspicion. It makes it easier.”

“She’s respected,” Vaelira acknowledged. “Is that because of her family?”

Axel chuckled. “Not even close. I’m surprised she told you.”

“She didn’t. Some noble women did it for her. Dore-something?”

“Dorevanne,” Axel muttered. “They’re a special breed. That whole family’s as self-obsessed as they come.” There was no mistaking the ire there.