Per the emperor’s wish, the revelry lasted long into the night. Nobles danced and clapped and cheered and sang in a light minded haze, brought upon by smoke from the torches and incense burners that lined the stone walls. Crimson wine spilled on white tablecloth and bits of food fell to the floor, keeping the servants in constant motion. The emperor shared stories of his youth with Blake and Toshimir who sat beside him, speech slurred by plentiful drink.

Liera did not dance to the exotic rhythms or take part in the foreign pleasures. Such disorderly indulgence was unfitting of any civilized person, let alone nobles. She feigned interest in the Emperor’s narration, scouring the throne room at every opportunity. Two of the Blades had retreated to their chambers and another one lay sprawled in slumber over the curved table. Only the fourth Blade remained vigilant, avoiding the drink entirely. His golden armor did little to hide how thin he was. The only way she could tell him apart from other guards were the four gemstones embedded in his sword’s hilt, a symbol of his rank. He and Liera exchanged glances a couple of times, and while she turned her head away, he always smiled.

In truth, she was growing anxious. The night was progressing and there had been no attempt made to contact them. Perhaps it had been too subtle and they had missed it, or maybe the noble in question was waiting for the same thing she was. The fourth Blade to leave. She glanced at him again, then around the throne room, scanning over those who were still sober. There were few left. A small group standing in front of the table next to her, listening to the Emperor’s story almost reverently with their backs turned to her. A pair she assumed were husband and wife, trying to keep their voices low to not disrupt the revelry as they argued. And of course…

“Excuse me.” The fourth Blade stood from his seat and rounded the table, squeezing his armor past one of the men listening to the Emperor’s tale to join their circle. He extended a hand behind his back, knocking over a glass next to her. The move had obviously been on purpose.

“Esteemed guest, if you’d allow me.” One of the servants reached out from behind her, drying the tablecloth and kneeling beside her to clean the spilled wine. As he stood, Liera felt his hand on her thigh for a brief moment. She was about to slap him until she spotted the piece of paper on her lap.

‘Fifth floor. Armory,’ it read.

Her heart jumped from her chest and she crumpled the paper quickly. This was it. This was her lead, and it had most likely come from the fourth Blade himself. The implications slowly took form in her mind. Silyra’s traitor was likely an archmage, but the ones that wanted to end whatever relationship he had were also high ranking. Liera turned to Asah and nudged her, then winked.

The archmage nodded in understanding. “Good luck,” she whispered, then focused on the Emperor again.

Liera stood quietly, using drunken nobles and ashfen servants as cover. She slid between them, heading for the exit the most intoxicated ashfen women had taken. A drunken woman bumped into her, mumbling an apology and throwing herself back to the dance. She neared the door and was about to push it open.

“Hey!” The guard next to it scrambled to his feet, hiding a half empty bottle behind his back. His breath reeked of a drink much more foul than wine. “Where are you going?”

“I am not– well.” Liera feigned a slur and covered her mouth. “I think I’m gonna vomit.”

“Young miss ain’t used to Andren drink?” The man laughed and blinked a couple of times, trying to fight off his own drunkenness enough to walk. “Alrighty. Come, miss.”

Liera followed the man away from the celebration and the chaos. She could feel her mind clearing as the noise grew distant. It felt nice to breathe something other than that damned flavored smoke. Still, she continued to play the part and walked with uneven steps.

“Here we are.” The guard almost heaved a sigh of relief as he leaned against the wall.

Liera thanked the man as drunkenly as she could before walking inside. The room was empty. She looked for other exits –perhaps a window outside or a gap she could squeeze through– but there were none. “Damn it,” she mumbled to herself. Even if she could slip out, the guard would only wait for so long. “Where is the– the thing?” She stuttered to the outside, hoping to draw him in.

The guard peered inside. “What thing?”

“I feel so dizzy and the water won’t come out.” Liera cringed inwardly as she grasped her stomach. How long would she have to continue with this farce?

The guard puffed out his cheeks and exhaled. “Right, let me see.” He walked inside the room to examine the sink.

Liera thumped him hard on the head the moment he turned around. The man’s helmet slammed against the stone and he fell backwards, armor clanking loudly as he hit the floor. She waited a few moments. He didn’t budge.

“Shit.” Liera lifted the back of his head, checking for injuries. There was no blood. She pulled on his upper body with difficulty, dragging him to the far left stall and arranging his body with his chin slumped against his chest. She closed the door behind him. That ought to do the trick. Even if someone found him, they’d suspect the drink. She reached into her belt and drew the dagger. It hummed softly as she ran a finger down the blade and activated it once, just to make sure.

Liera slid outside, closing the door behind her. She stuck to the wall and hid in the shadows cast by torches, dagger in hand. The clank of armor alerted her to incoming guards. She poured her nora into the dagger’s gem. After several days of use, she could handle it more efficiently, infusing it with precisely the nora it needed to function. The guards turned the corner and she crouched past them, looking up at their lustrous armor and long spears.

“Did you really see their hair? What was it like?”

“One of them was yellowy, while the other was black. It was the weirdest thing I’ve…”

Their voices faded. Liera pressed on, looking for a way to reach the floor above. She made a mental note of cracks in the stone and missing torches on the wall and began to form a map of the palace in her head. She turned a corner and almost bumped into an ashfen. They stared at each other for a few moments and the man burped.

“I am wine,” he said, blinking.

Liera watched him stumble away and heaved a sigh of relief. She hastened on her way. Her contact would be waiting, but the corridors and rooms of the palace felt like a maze. A gentle breeze touched her back and she turned, gazing at the open window. The stone outside was smooth and difficult to grasp, but she managed to grab hold of a flagpole. She pulled onto the pole a few times, testing, then stepped onto the windowsill. A few sways and her hands found the window above.

The highest floor of the palace was empty. No torches shone on the walls and no music reached here. Liera used the thin moonlight to find her way. She peered out of the corner. A lone guard sat with her chin slumped against her chest and her white hair covering her face, seemingly asleep next to the open doors of the armory. The dagger activated with a low hum, nora gathering within. Shrouded by its magic Liera walked forward, passing the woman and quietly walking into the armory. She gazed down each row full of armor and shields, but only the glittering of the golden metal greeted her. A sense of dread settled in her heart. Had she made a mistake?

The clank of armor alerted her and she turned sharply, facing the entrance. The ashfen she had seen gazed into the room with glowing yellow eyes. The full moon behind her back shadowed her features. “I can feel you.”

Liera cursed to herself. How had she been spotted? The woman drew her weapon slowly, like dawn breaking, and its radiance filled the armory. A singular gem adorned its hilt. Liera’s blood froze. She didn’t move. She didn’t even dare breathe. Raizel, the first Blade, was standing right in front of her.

“Come out.” She moved cautiously, yet her eyes glanced all around impossibly quick.

Liera allowed herself a quiet breath. This was a trap, and she’d walked right into it, but there was still hope. She took a hesitant step and glanced at Raizel. The first Blade didn’t seem to realise, heading ever deeper into the armory. She crouched and crept to the right, hoping to circle around back to the exit. The nora inside her was limited, so she couldn’t take too long. She counted the seconds of invisibility with each step, balancing speed and cautiousness to reach the exit. Liera glanced over her shoulder and felt a cold shiver.

Raizel had her head turned and was staring right at her, eyes wide. Her sword cut horizontally with unnatural speed. Liera ducked instinctively. A thin ray of light cut through the golden plates above her, leaving an etching deep into the stone. Liera fell with a thump, but the sound was buried as parts of metal clanked to the ground, their cut edges glowing with heat.

Raizel paused, shining her blade’s length on the carnage. “There is nothing for you here. The man you’re looking for, your brother killed him today.”

Liera tried to calm her heart. Blake’s fight... The Emperor’s joke finally made sense. He was laughing, not because of the gore and slaughter, but because they had killed their only ally in Andre. The emperor knew their intent from the start. She had to warn the others. They were all in danger.

“Show yourself,” Raizel called out, raising the sword with both hands and readying another swing. Her golden eyes scanned over every corner of the armory for movement.

Liera stood, careful not to step on any of the armor pieces strewn around her feet. Her soul strained to give her the nora she needed. There wasn’t much time. She knew she had to move. She knew she had to get back to the throne room. And yet her legs wouldn’t budge. It was fear that froze her, that took her breath away and tightened her chest, the kind a wounded animal felt against its predator.

Raizel’s eyes locked onto her again. The blade’s radiance grew. Raizel flashed forward and the light followed after her, a mere afterimage. Liera shot away as the wall behind her crumbled to dust. She rolled to a stop and righted herself, muffling a pant.

Raizel pulled her sword free of the rumble. “That’s impressive magic,” she said, turning to Liera again. “This should be fun.”

Liera tried to control her breathing. How was she being tracked? She had to figure it out soon and use the remainder of her nora to get away, but Raizel left her no time to think. The first Blade rushed her and Liera swallowed back her fear, reaching for her sword out of instinct. Her grip found nothing.

The golden sword came slashing and Liera’s training kicked in. She leaned in close and slipped under the blow, pushing the blade’s heat away. Her first punch found Raizel in the gut, and the woman doubled over from the unexpected force. The next strike found Raizel’s chin and she stumbled backwards from the unseen blow. The swiftness and efficiency Liera had been taught turned deadly with the aid of magic.

“Bitch,” Raizel coughed. She tried to stand but Liera planted a kick in her sides, sending her tumbling with a grunt.

Liera fought for balance as well. The dizziness was starting to take hold, overpowering the adrenaline of combat. She turned around and made for the exit, only to freeze. The sound of footsteps rung from outside, like metal thumping against stone. Ashfen guards in plate, about half a dozen, circled the armory’s exit with their longspears drawn. Liera cursed inwardly. The tangy taste of bronze filled her mouth and her form wavered. There was no time to think. She rushed for Raizel and tried to grapple her, but the woman proved too strong. Liera dodged a swing of the sword, but a kick found her in the abdomen. She dropped to the ground. The magic that shrouded her faded.

“You humans truly are stupid.” Raizel neared her, kicking the dagger away and planting a boot on her chest.

“You knew all along.” Liera winced, pushing up against the cold stone. “How?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Raizel knelt, grabbed her neck and slammed her into the ground. “I don’t make it a habit of talking to the dead.”

The words barely registered. Air left Liera’s mouth in a soft spasm, breath cut short by the numbness and shock. Something warm spread on the back of her head. In her haze, she knew this was bad. She fought through the ringing in her ears and squinted, trying to rid her eyes of the blurriness. There had to be something she could use. Anything.

“Look at me.” Raizel cupped her cheeks with both hands, drawing her attention. There was something soothing to her warm touch. Liera looked up at the woman’s face and deep into the gold of her eyes. Raizel leaned in closer, white hair tickling Liera’s face. “You are going to die,” she explained calmly.

“No!” Liera shook her head and tears welled in her eyes. She thought she’d be stronger than this. She thought she wouldn’t be afraid. “You can’t do this, please.”

“Yes, focus on that feeling.” Raizel kept staring at her with wide eyes. She drew her blade, burning through Liera’s tunic and exposing charred flesh underneath. “Death is always brilliant in one way or another. It has so many hues and colors.”

Liera couldn’t understand what that meant. Images of her brother flashed through her mind, smiling. “Blake,” she called out between woes. “Please help me brother. Help me. Don’t leave me behind.”

“Your fear, your anguish and your rich despair…” Raizel leaned closer, whispering into Liera’s ear. “I can feel it.” She placed a finger on Liera’s chest, over her left breast. “Give it all to me.”

The skin peeled from Liera’s chest like a flower as the golden spell light pierced into her soul. Raizel pulled her finger up carefully and Liera could feel the warmth of life leaving her body. She fought to speak, to call out Blake’s name, but her lip only trembled. It was like trying to control a body that wasn’t her own anymore, that was bound by stillness and death.

“So little.” Raizel inspected the misty strand of blue that hung from her finger as Liera’s vision faded. She pushed it to her chest and stood.

Liera looked up at the blurry dark ceiling, waiting. She had heard that in the moments before death the mind went through every moment, every memory, scouring for a way to stay alive. Just one more time. She wanted to see her family one more time, the way they were back then. Her entire body felt numb and her head felt light, but there were no memories.

There was only the cold.