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Chapter 3 - Chapter 3. A Pact in the Shadows

The Red Fang Syndicate kept to the eastern quarter of Virelia — a part of the city the Black Daggers didn't enter unless they wanted trouble, and usually got it. But Kael had never been good at leaving trouble alone.

He moved through the narrow streets after sundown, hood drawn low. The air was thick with the smell of roasting meat from street vendors, mixing with the stench of the nearby tannery. Somewhere, music played — a stringed instrument accompanied by drunken laughter.

The Red Fang's main den was a converted cathedral, its spire long since toppled in a storm and its stained glass replaced with black-painted boards. Inside, Kael knew, there'd be a bar, a gambling pit, and enough armed men to take down a small army. He had no intention of going through the front.

He found the side alley that hugged the cathedral's wall, the bricks slick with moss. A single door waited there, guarded by a bored-looking man smoking a pipe. Kael approached, keeping his voice low.

"I'm here for Liora."

The guard didn't even look at him. "She's not seeing visitors."

Kael pulled a small coin from his pocket and flipped it in the air. It landed in the guard's hand with a soft clink.

"She'll want to see me."

The man studied the coin — silver, stamped with the crest of the Black Daggers. His eyes narrowed. "You've got some nerve."

"Always," Kael said.

Five minutes later, he was in a side chamber lit by candlelight and the warm glow of a hearth. Heavy curtains shut out the noise of the main hall.

Liora sat in an armchair near the fire, her black silk gown traded for a simpler crimson dress. But the simplicity didn't make her any less dangerous-looking. She swirled a glass of dark liquid lazily in her hand.

"You," she said, smiling faintly. "I thought you'd be smart enough to stay on your side of the city."

"Never been accused of that," Kael said, leaning against the doorframe. "We need to talk."

She arched a brow. "About?"

"Marev," he said, watching her reaction. "And the thing that killed him."

Her smile didn't falter, but her eyes sharpened. "You saw it?"

"I saw something. Fast. Strong. Wrong."

Liora set her glass down and stood, crossing the room with slow, deliberate steps. "You think it works for me?"

"I think you know what it is," Kael said. "And I think it's not done killing."

For a long moment, she studied him. Then she looked toward the fire. "What do you know about the Nightborn?"

Kael snorted. "Children's stories. Vampires in silk cloaks, feeding on maidens under the full moon. My grandmother used to scare me with those tales."

"They're not tales," Liora said softly. "The Nightborn are real. And Marev's killer is one of them."

Kael's pulse kicked. "You expect me to believe—"

"I don't care what you believe," she cut in. "But if you don't want to end up like him, you'll listen. The one you saw is called the Blood Prince. He's old, even by our standards. And he's not hunting for food."

"Your standards," Kael echoed. "You're telling me you're one of them."

Liora met his gaze without flinching. "Yes."

Silence stretched. The fire popped.

Kael crossed his arms. "So why are you telling me this instead of just having me killed?"

"Because the Blood Prince isn't just killing Black Dagger clients. He's killing ours, too. And if we don't stop him, he'll burn this city down until nothing's left for either of us to rule."

Kael frowned. "And you think I'm the one to help you?"

"I think you're reckless enough to try," she said. "And I think you want answers."

She stepped closer, close enough that he caught that faint metallic undertone to her perfume again. "So here's my proposal: you help me find him, and I make sure the Black Daggers don't put a knife in your back while we work."

Kael stared at her. He'd spent his life knowing one rule in Virelia: trust no one outside your own crew. But something about the way she said it — the steel in her voice, the hint of something unspoken in her eyes — made him think this wasn't just a deal.

It was a gamble.

"What's in it for you?" he asked.

Her lips curved. "Survival."

Kael considered it for a long moment, then held out his hand. "Fine. We'll do it your way. But if you cross me—"

"You'll what?" she asked, her smile turning sharp. "Kill me?"

He didn't answer. They both knew the truth — he wasn't sure he could.

---

They agreed to meet the next night in neutral territory: the abandoned bell tower on the border of both syndicates' turf. Liora promised to bring information; Kael promised to bring a map of the undercity.

As Kael stepped back into the rain-slick streets, he couldn't shake the feeling that he'd just signed a contract with the devil. And judging by the faint chill in the air, he wasn't sure if the devil was her… or the thing they were hunting.

---

That night, Kael dreamt of glowing eyes in the dark and a voice like velvet whispering his name. When he woke, his throat was dry and his pulse hammered as if he'd been running. The shadows in the corners of the room seemed deeper somehow, as if something could step out at any moment.

He didn't sleep again.

---

The next evening, the bell tower loomed against the bruised-purple sky. The bells were long gone, leaving only rusted chains swaying in the wind. Kael climbed the spiral stairs two at a time, the damp stone cold under his hands.

Liora was already there, standing by a broken archway that looked out over the city. She held a small parchment in one hand.

"This is where he's been striking," she said, handing it to him. Red circles marked parts of the city Kael knew well — wealthy merchant blocks, but also old noble manors now fallen into disrepair.

"He's moving closer to the river," Kael said, tracing the marks. "And if he's using the undercity, there's a tunnel here that could get him anywhere without being seen."

Liora nodded. "Then that's where we start."

Kael met her gaze. "You're not telling me everything."

"No," she admitted. "But you'll see soon enough."

The wind whipped her hair across her face, and for a moment Kael thought she looked almost human. Almost.

Then the clouds shifted, the moonlight hit her eyes, and the illusion was gone.

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