Lyra didn't trust Seraphina. She made that clear the moment they were alone.
"An assassin from the Roe family just happens to show up, claiming she wants to help?" Lyra kept her voice low but intense. "That's convenient."
"I know," Kael said. They were in a back room while Seraphina waited outside with Rake's men. "But her story checks out. The medallion is real, and everything she said about her father can be verified."
"Stories can be fabricated. Medallions can be stolen." Lyra crossed her arms. "She's dangerous, Kael. I can see it in her eyes. She's killed a lot of people."
"So have I."
"That's different. You kill because you have to. She kills because she's trained to. There's no emotion there, no hesitation."
"Isn't that useful?" Kael asked. "We need people who can handle the darker work. People who won't flinch."
"We need people we can trust," Lyra countered. "And I don't trust her. Not yet. Maybe not ever."
Kael understood her concern. They'd built something here, a team that worked together, trusted each other. Seraphina was an unknown variable, potentially dangerous.
"Give her a chance," he said finally. "Let her prove herself. If she betrays us, I'll handle it."
"And if she betrays us at a critical moment? When we can't afford to handle it?"
"Then we'll adapt," Kael said firmly. "We always do."
Lyra sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Fine. But I'm watching her. Every moment."
They rejoined the others. Seraphina sat calmly at the table, Ethan staring at her with wide eyes while Rake questioned her about Roe family operations.
"They have safe houses in every district," Seraphina was saying. "Twenty assassins on call at any time. The family specializes in quiet work—no witnesses, no evidence. Julian uses them for his most sensitive problems."
"Like you were supposed to use on me," Kael noted, sitting across from her.
"Exactly." Seraphina met his gaze without flinching. "You're considered a high-priority target. The contract on you is fifty thousand gold."
Rake whistled. "That's more than some nobles are worth."
"Julian's scared," Seraphina said with satisfaction. "Which means you're winning."
"We've barely started," Lyra said coldly. "Scared men are dangerous men."
"True," Seraphina agreed. "Which is why we need to move faster. Strike harder. Give him no time to recover."
"That's not the plan," Lyra said. "We leak information slowly, let him implode from within."
"That's a good plan," Seraphina said, "but it takes time. Time for him to find you. Time for him to hire more assassins. Time for him to get desperate enough to do something truly terrible." She leaned forward. "I'm saying we combine approaches. Keep leaking information, but also hit him directly. Hard. Fast. Make him react instead of plan."
"Like what?" Rake asked, looking interested.
"His personal guard," Seraphina said. "Twenty men, all elite fighters. They're loyal because he pays them extremely well. Take them out, and he's vulnerable. Exposed."
"Twenty elite guards," Kael said. "That's a lot."
"Not if we're smart about it," Seraphina replied. "They don't all stay together. They rotate in shifts. We hit them when they're isolated, one or two at a time. Within a week, we could eliminate half of them."
Lyra's eyes narrowed. "You've been planning this."
"I've been watching Julian for months," Seraphina admitted. "Studying his routines, his security, his vulnerabilities. I know when his guards are most exposed."
"Why didn't you kill him yourself?" Ethan asked suddenly. Everyone looked at the boy, but he didn't shrink back. "If you wanted revenge for your father, why wait?"
"Good question," Seraphina said, actually smiling at him. "Because killing Julian would make him a martyr. His allies would unite to avenge him, and nothing would change. But destroying him first, taking away his power, his money, his reputation—that's real revenge. That ensures he can never hurt anyone again."
"Smart," Ethan said.
"Thank you. You must be Lyra's brother. I can see the resemblance."
Ethan beamed at being taken seriously. Lyra, however, looked even more suspicious.
"So your plan," she said slowly, "is to start assassinating guards. That will draw massive attention. The city guard will crack down. Innocent people will get hurt."
"Innocent people are already getting hurt," Seraphina countered. "Julian's operations hurt someone every day. Every week we delay is another week he profits from misery."
Kael considered this. Both women made valid points. Lyra's approach was safer, more controlled. Seraphina's was faster, more aggressive.
"We do both," he decided. "Continue with the information leaks. But also start targeting Julian's guards, carefully and quietly. If we can reduce his personal security while also destroying his reputation, he'll be defenseless when we finally move against him."
"That's risky," Lyra warned.
"Everything we do is risky," Kael replied. "But it's also efficient. We're strong enough now to operate on multiple fronts."
Lyra didn't look happy, but she nodded. "Fine. But I want detailed plans for every guard hit. No improvisation."
"Agreed," Seraphina said. "I'll provide all the information you need."
Over the next hour, Seraphina laid out guard schedules, routes, vulnerabilities. She had detailed knowledge of Julian's security, more than Kael had expected.
"How did you learn all this?" Rake asked, impressed despite himself.
"I'm good at my job," Seraphina said simply. "Surveillance is half of assassination. The kill is just the final step."
Later, after everyone had dispersed to rest or plan, Kael found Seraphina standing alone on the roof, looking out at the city.
"Can't sleep?" he asked, climbing up to join her.
"Assassins don't sleep much," she said. "We're trained to function on minimal rest. Useful skill, but it makes quiet nights lonely."
"You could've stayed with your family. Had a normal life."
"There's no such thing as a normal life in the Roe family," Seraphina said quietly. "We're raised from birth to be weapons. My first kill was when I was twelve. A merchant who'd cheated the wrong people."
"That's young."
"That's the family way." She turned to look at him. "Your friend doesn't trust me."
"Lyra doesn't trust easily. She's been hurt before."
"Smart woman. She should be cautious. I am dangerous." Seraphina smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "But I'm dangerous to Julian, not to you. My father's oath matters to me, even if it doesn't matter to anyone else."
"It matters," Kael said. "Your father died trying to honor it. That means something."
Seraphina was quiet for a moment. "My father used to tell me stories about yours. About how Aldric Voss treated everyone with respect, paid fair wages, kept his word. He said serving House Voss was an honor, not just a job."
"He sounds like a good man."
"He was. The best I knew." She looked back at the city. "I'll help you reclaim your house, Kael Voss. Not because I expect reward, but because it's right. Julian destroyed something good, and that can't stand."
"Thank you," Kael said simply.
They stood together in silence, two weapons forged by different means for the same purpose.
Somewhere below, Lyra was probably still awake, still worrying, still watching.
But up here, under the stars, Kael felt the pieces coming together.
The war against Julian was entering a new phase.
And this time, they weren't just fighting back.
They were winning.
* * *
END OF CHAPTER 19