The imperial guards changed formation immediately.

Two blocked the window. One guarded the stairs. The remaining soldiers moved through the medicine room in pairs, their swords drawn.

The captain crouched beside the damaged cabinet and examined the lock.

“This was not

The pursuit carried Scarlett and Luke across half the eastern district.

Ahead of them, the wounded Blood Sect assassin moved rapidly despite the blood soaking through his dark robes. He leaped from one rooftop to another, knocking tiles loose behind him in an att

Scarlett returned to the Quiet Pavilion shortly before sunrise.

She entered through the rear window, changed her clothes, and restored the false blemishes on her face before Mia awakened. By the time the first servants entered the courtyard, Scarlett was sitting cal