Chapter 4 - The Midnight Assassin
Elara tightened her grip on the heavy iron candlestick, her knuckles aching.
"I saw you bite the poison capsule," she stammered, backing away slowly from the grinning assassin.
"A parlor trick for the royal guards," the assassin chuckled, wiping a smear of fake blood from his chin.
He did not draw a weapon, but his relaxed posture made him look even more dangerous.
"Prince Kaelen wants you to believe he is your savior so you will trust him implicitly," the man explained calmly.
"But who do you think ordered my attack in the throne room in the first place?"
Elara shook her head, trying to process the overwhelming flood of information.
"Why would he hire you to kill me, only to heal me a moment later?" she demanded.
"Because celestial blood must be willingly offered, Elara," the assassin said, taking a slow step forward.
"If he kills you by force, the magic dies with you, but if you give your heart to him out of gratitude, he becomes a god."
The words hit Elara like a physical blow to the stomach.
She remembered the way Kaelen had stared at her wound, the strange hunger in his eyes as he watched her heal.
"Who are you?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly despite her best efforts to remain brave.
"I am a member of the Silent Order, sworn to protect the celestial bloodline from the corrupted royals," he replied.
He reached into his leather pouch and pulled out a small, intricately carved wooden box.
"Inside this box is the only weapon capable of killing the prince and the king," he offered, holding it out to her.
Elara hesitated, staring at the small box as if it were a venomous snake.
Before she could reach for it, the heavy wooden doors of the vault exploded into splinters.
Kaelen stood in the doorway, covered in sweat and regular red blood, breathing heavily.
He saw the assassin and instantly raised his sword, charging across the room with a furious battle cry.
The assassin did not even try to defend himself.
Instead, he shoved the wooden box into Elara's hands and intentionally threw himself directly onto Kaelen's charging blade.
The sword pierced the assassin's heart, and he fell to his knees, locking eyes with Elara.
With his dying breath, the assassin smiled at her and whispered, "Open the box, Elara."
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Elara popped the latch and looked inside, screaming as she realized the box did not contain a weapon at all.
Inside the velvet-lined box sat a severed human finger wearing a signet ring that belonged to her adoptive father.
