Morning came gray and cold, the rain reduced to a persistent drizzle that turned everything damp and miserable.
Kael woke to find Lyra already up, standing by the window, peering through the shutters at the street below. She'd redressed in her leather gear, her knives back in place, looking every bit the assassin again.
"He's moving," she said without turning around. "Our merchant friend. Just came out of the brothel."
Kael was up and armed in seconds, the awkwardness from last night pushed aside by the hunt. They left the inn through the back, following their target through the winding streets of the Black Market.
The merchant was a thin man with nervous eyes, constantly looking over his shoulder. He moved quickly through the morning crowds, clutching a small leather case to his chest.
"He's scared," Lyra murmured as they tailed him. "More than yesterday."
She was right. The man's fear was palpable, radiating off him in waves. Whatever was in that case, it was important enough to terrify him.
They followed him to a warehouse near the edge of the Black Market, a decrepit building that looked abandoned. The merchant glanced around once more, then slipped inside.
"Now or never," Kael said.
They approached from different angles, Kael taking the front while Lyra circled to the back. The warehouse door was unlocked, which immediately set off alarms in Kael's head. Too easy.
Inside, the space was dark and smelled of mold and rat droppings. Crates and barrels were stacked haphazardly, creating shadows and hiding spots. Kael moved silently through them, Soulrender humming with anticipation.
A sound—footsteps, quick and light.
Kael spun, blade ready, but it was only Lyra, emerging from the shadows. She shook her head. No one in the back.
They moved deeper into the warehouse, following the path the merchant must have taken. At the far end, they found stairs leading down into darkness.
"Basement," Lyra whispered. "Of course."
They descended, each step creaking ominously. The smell down here was worse—damp stone and something else, something metallic and wrong.
Blood, Kael realized. Old blood.
The basement opened into a large room lit by a single oil lamp. The merchant stood in the center, the leather case open on a table before him. He wasn't alone.
Three men surrounded him, all armed, all wearing the silver pins that marked Julian's inner circle. And at the head of the table sat someone Kael recognized—Marcus Fell, one of Julian's senior captains, a man known for his cruelty and efficiency.
"Is this everything?" Marcus asked, examining the contents of the case.
The merchant nodded frantically. "All the records, sir. Every transaction, every name. Just like you asked."
Marcus smiled, a cold expression that didn't reach his eyes. "Good. Very good." He closed the case with a snap. "Julian will be pleased."
"About my payment—" the merchant began.
Marcus drew a knife with casual grace, drove it into the merchant's throat.
The man gurgled, hands clutching uselessly at the blade, then collapsed. Blood pooled on the stone floor, spreading in dark tendrils.
"Loose ends," Marcus said, wiping his knife on the dead man's shirt. "Julian doesn't like them."
"Neither do I," Kael said, stepping into the lamplight.
All four men spun toward him, weapons drawn. Marcus's eyes widened in recognition.
"Kael Voss," he said slowly. "I heard rumors you were alive. Julian's going to be very interested to hear this."
"He'll hear it from a corpse," Kael replied, raising Soulrender.
The three guards rushed him at once, which was their first mistake. Kael met the first one head-on, Soulrender cutting through the man's sword like paper, then through flesh and bone. The man's soul shrieked as the blade consumed it, adding its energy to Kael's growing power.
The second guard tried to flank him, but Lyra appeared from the shadows, her knife finding the gap in his armor at the neck. He went down without a sound.
The third guard hesitated, looking between his dead companions and Kael's black blade, fear dawning in his eyes.
"Smart man," Kael said. "But not smart enough."
He moved, faster than human speed now, enhanced by the souls Soulrender had taken. The guard barely had time to raise his weapon before Kael's blade took his head.
Marcus was backing toward another exit, the leather case clutched to his chest. "You can't kill me, Kael! I'm under Julian's protection! The whole guild will hunt you!"
"They're already hunting me," Kael said, advancing. "What's a few more names on the list?"
Marcus threw the case at Kael and ran, disappearing through a side passage. Kael could have caught him, but the case was more important. He snatched it from the air, opened it.
Papers. Dozens of them, covered in neat handwriting. Records of transactions, names of people who'd bought or sold through Julian's network. Evidence.
"This is it," Lyra said, looking over his shoulder. "This is everything we need to tear down his operation."
"Not everything," Kael said, scanning the papers. "But it's a start." He spotted a name that made him pause. "Interesting."
"What?"
"Senator Harrow. He's been buying information from Julian. Specifically, information about the Senate's plans regarding the Merchants' Guild reforms."
Lyra let out a low whistle. "That's treason. If this gets out—"
"It won't," Kael said, tucking the papers back into the case. "Not yet. Information is only valuable if you use it at the right moment."
They left the warehouse the way they'd come, leaving the bodies behind. The rain had stopped, replaced by a weak sun trying to break through the clouds.
"Marcus is going to tell Julian you're alive," Lyra said as they walked. "The surprise advantage is gone."
"Good," Kael replied. "Let him know I'm coming. Let him sweat."
"You're enjoying this," Lyra observed. "The hunt."
"Shouldn't I? These are the people who destroyed my life, who killed Ethan, who turned me into this." He gestured at Soulrender. "If I can't enjoy taking them apart piece by piece, what's the point?"
Lyra was quiet for a moment. "Just don't lose yourself in it. Revenge is important, I get that. But if you let it consume you completely, you'll end up just like them."
"Is that concern I hear?" Kael asked, glancing at her with a slight smile.
"Don't let it go to your head," Lyra said, but she smiled back. "I just have a vested interest in you not becoming a complete monster. Would make the whole kissing thing awkward."
The tension between them was back, but lighter now, easier. Last night had changed something, shifted the dynamic. They weren't just allies anymore.
They were something more, even if neither of them was ready to define what that meant yet.
"We need to find a safe place to go through these documents properly," Kael said, focusing back on the task. "Somewhere Julian's people won't find us."
"I know a place," Lyra said. "An old friend owes me a favor. We can lie low there for a few days, plan our next move."
"Lead the way."
As they walked through the waking city, the leather case heavy with secrets under Kael's arm, he felt the weight of what they'd started. This wasn't just about killing Julian anymore. It was about exposing the rot that ran through the entire guild, the corruption that had allowed men like his cousin to rise to power.
It was bigger than revenge now.
It was justice.
Or at least, he hoped it was. The line between the two was getting harder and harder to see.
"Kael," Soulrender whispered. "The power grows. Soon, we'll be strong enough to face Julian directly."
"Soon," Kael agreed silently. "But not yet. First, we tear down everything he's built. Make him feel what I felt."
"Revenge," the sword purred. "How delicious."
Kael said nothing, but he couldn't help the cold smile that touched his lips.
Julian's empire was crumbling, one body at a time.
And Kael was just getting started.
* * *
END OF CHAPTER 21