The scent of stale ale and wet iron hung heavy in the back room of the Swift Raven, a notorious tavern tucked inside the capital's lawless shadow-district.
Ruby sat at the head of a scarred oak table, draped in a dark traveler's cloak that concealed the fine silk of her former status. Across from her sat three men whose names were whispered with dread across the guild halls—Norman, a former S-rank mercenary commander who had once served alongside Ruby during her guild days; Knox, a quiet shadow-blade specializing in stealth infiltrations; and Moros, an apothecary blacklisted by the Imperial Academy for his lethal chemical concoctions.
Norman twirled a heavy iron dagger on the table, his scarred face illuminated by the flickering torchlight.
"It's been a decade, Lady Ruby. Word in the streets was you threw away your guild badges to play noble wife to the Duke of Arden."
"The Duke means nothing to me anymore," Ruby said, her voice dropping into a cold, lethal tone that made even the hardened mercenaries sit up straight.
"And I am no longer playing a role."
She reached beneath her cloak and slammed a heavy leather pouch onto the table. The sharp, heavy clink of solid imperial gold coins echoed through the room.
Knox's dark eyes gleamed.
"That's enough coin to buy a private army. Who's the target?"
"Cassian Valemont," Ruby spat, the name dripping with absolute venom. "The returned prince."
Norman raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair.
"He is protected by Lucien Arden and the divine Elf named Sora, is it not?... Striking at the estate directly is suicide, Ruby. The wards alone would vaporize my men before we hit the courtyard."
"Which is why we strike where he is vulnerable," Ruby replied smoothly, a dark, calculating smile spreading across her face.
"It seems like the wedding preparations have begun. In three days, Cassian is scheduled to travel to the Great Shrine of Solis—outside the palace's defensive perimeter—to retrieve the traditional ceremonial robes handcrafted by the High Priests. He will take only a small honor guard to avoid drawing public crowds. Lucien will head to the West to manage the estate in preparation for the wedding and Sora will return to Elfeheimer to share the news with his people therefore Cassian will travel just as expected."
Ruby unfolded a detailed schematic map of the mountain pass leading to the Shrine, pointing to a narrow, shadow-draped gorge flanked by high stone cliffs.
"Here," Ruby commanded, her finger pressing firmly onto the parchment.
"The Whispering Pass. The steep walls weaken imperial communication charms, and the narrow path forces a carriage into single-file movement. Knox, your men will collapse the ridge behind them to cut off retreat. Norman, your mercenaries will neutralize the guards with paralytic gas."
"And the prince?" Moros asked, rubbing his calloused hands together.
Ruby reached into her cloak and placed the silver vial of Aether-Bane in the center of the table. The colorless liquid gleamed ominously under the torchlight.
"You will not kill him," Ruby whispered, her eyes burning with an unhinged, malicious satisfaction.
"Death is too merciful for what he took from me. You will immobilize him, force this liquid down his throat, and leave him broken in the mud. By the time Lucien and Sora find him, his mana core will be completely rotted away, and his body will be decaying from the inside out."
She leaned over the table, looking each man dead in the eye.
"He took my standing, my husband, and my son," Ruby snarled softly. "I want him alive long enough to realize that the grand triune wedding he planned will be the day he watches his own slow, agonizing destruction."
Norman stared at the silver vial, then picked up the heavy pouch of gold, testing its weight with a dark, wicked grin.
"Consider the ambush set, Lady Ruby," Norman growled.
"The prince won't make it to the Shrine."
*****