8

  A Dance With Danger

  The hot afternoon sun beat down on Adam’s shoulders as he cleaved a thick log with his axe, and the sharp crack echoed through the air. It wasn’t a clean split by any means, but it would do, It was only going into the fire anyway. He glanced at the heap of logs close by and sighed. With this many, he’d probably be out here all afternoon, maybe even into the night. He’d promised to do some work around the inn in exchange for his stay and had already moved into the stable, wanting to get used to sleeping on hay before his room expired. What he hadn’t expected was how much work there actually was in the inn. It was like it never ended.

  Adam was a city boy through and through. He knew nothing about chopping wood, or handling an axe, or fetching water, or mucking out stables. But, Yara, the old woman, didn’t seem to care about any of that. The moment he’d offered to help, she hadn’t hesitated to put him to work, as if she wanted to make she got every bit of value out of their deal. Still, he couldn’t complain too much. He just had to figure it out, like he did with everything, and adapt accordingly.

  It also helped him because he needed some time to think.

  The conversation he’d had with Lorelei yesterday never left his mind, and he still wasn’t sure what to do, or where to even begin. If this were on Earth, he’d have gone to the police. But on this world, the knights were both the police and the military, and Lorelei had already gone to them, or rather, one of them, a man named Captain Arryn. The man was an actual knight captain, but looking into the issue had probably gotten him killed.

  How rotten were the Knights? Was Elsa a part of this? Were Lorelei’s kids the only ones taken? He knew the answer to that last question. No fucking chance. If this place was anything remotely close to his Earth, then there were certainly more missing children, a lot more. And the people involved were willing to kill to protect their secret. The whole thing reeked of a deep conspiracy with a lot of important people involved, just like on Earth.

  Humans were humans anywhere it seemed, with magic or without.

  Adam swung the heavy axe again and the blade bit deep into the wood, causing splinters to scatter actions the ground. He exhaled sharply and leaned on the axe handle, the. wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. He couldn’t have guessed he’d be dragged into something like this when he first arrived in this kingdom. He was in over his head with this.

  Adam let out another breath and swung at the next log, but the the axe stuck in halfway through, refusing to budge. He had to forcefully pry it loose and that took more effort than he wanted to waste. Maybe he should just forget about the whole thing, mind his business, keep his head down until he figured out a way to get home. He had no power here, he didn’t still understand the kind of magic he might have, and there was no one he could turn to for help. He should just drop it. That was the smart move, the safe move. Who cared what he’d promised?

  But even as he thought about it, he knew he wouldn’t…

  He’d seen the look in Lorelei’s eyes, the desperation, the hope, even a trust that he’d done nothing to deserve. She’d really believed him. She believed he would help, or at least try. He was a newly registered adventurer, with no accomplishments or fame to his name, but none of that had mattered to her. She had no one else. He was her last hope.

  Adam raised the heavy axe once more, but his mind had drifted far from the simple task of chopping firewood. He was thinking about where to begin, and talking to Elsa seemed like a good first step. Before anything else, he needed to know if he could trust her.

  “Well, aren’t you a sight,” a voice teased behind him.

  His grip on the axe handle eased and he lowered it quickly before turning to face the person he already knew it would be, Katryn. She was leaning against the wall, a large mug in her hands, watching him with that playful smile he’d come to recognize as part of her nature.

  “I suspected it might be interesting when you decided to stay,” she began, her voice laced with amusement. Her gaze shamelessly drifted down to his bare chest, then slid even lower. “But I didn’t expect this kind of performance. I’ve heard of kingdoms out west where women pay pretty boys for that sort of show. You’d fit right in among them.”

  Adam ignored the remark and the way her gaze lingered on his body. He’d stopped trying to determine whether she was flirting with him and decided to just put it down to her brand of personality. He could be wrong, of course, sometimes he even felt he was, but she remained far too much of an unknown for him to think anything otherwise.

  “How long have you been standing there?” he asked.

  “A while,” she said, and got off the wall, then started walking toward him. “I was waiting to see when you’d notice, but you seemed completely lost in thought. Something bothering you?”

  “Just thinking about how long it’d take to finish,” he said.

  Katryn’s lips curved into a knowing smile, clearly not believing him. Still, she came to stand beside the chopping block. “Hmm, at the pace you’re going, it might get dark before you’re done.” She crouched slightly, poking at one of the logs with the toe of her boot.

  “Yeah, had a feeling it’d be about that long,” Adam replied with a sigh.

  She straightened up and glanced at him. “You’re not half bad, though. Mother used to pay a feller from the next district over to come do this,” she said casually. “He was a big man, large arms and beards, also smelled like goats. I swear he could split a tree in one swing.”

  Adam gave a dry huff. “Guess I can’t compete with that.”

  Katryn tilted her head and studied him for a moment, the teasing grin she had softening her expression. “Maybe not,” she responded. “But I prefer watching you do it.”

  That was a clear flirt. No subtlety there. Adam gave a weak smile and a small shake of his head. “Well, at least one of us is enjoying this,” he said. He pretended not to notice how much her gaze lingered, whatever she wanted, she’d have to tell him plainly.

  A moment passed, then she held out the mug she’d been carrying. “Here, you look like you’re ready to melt. You’re not used to this kind of work, are you?”

  He accepted it and drank greedily. “I’ll be fine. Thanks.” he returned the mug.

  “Don’t thank me yet,” she said with a small smile and turned away toward the back entrance of the inn. “Mother will have more work for you when you’re done out here.”

  Adam sighed and lifted the axe again. “Of course,” he muttered.

  Katryn glanced back at him over her shoulder and her brown eyes glinted with something he couldn’t name. “Don’t complain too much, it was part of the deal you agreed to, and some of us don’t want to see it end too soon,” she said and disappeared through the doorway.

  He watched the door for a while after she left, puzzled. Even if it was just her nature to be flirty, couldn’t she see how it came off? And there was no excuse that this was simply how things worked in this world, after all, Elsa never behaved anything like this.

  But if she was genuinely interested in him, and this was her way of hinting at it, he had no idea what he’d do. She was like incredibly attractive, with long dark hair, warm brown eyes, and soft features that gave her a kind of classical beauty, like the star of an old movie you always meant to watch but never got around to; and her slender figure was also hard not to notice. He hated to admit it, but he’d caught himself checking her out more than once.

  Adam didn’t have much experience with girls. He’d never really cared about dating, his nose always buried too deep in his books. If she actually expressed interest in him, he wasn’t sure how he’d respond, despite the attraction he felt. There didn’t seem to be any point in starting a relationship here, not when all he wanted was to get back home.

  Still… maybe he’d be open to it? He didn’t know.

  He shook his head and cleared the thoughts away. It wasn’t worth focusing on right now. He’d decided that if she was interested, she would have to be the one to make the move.

  With a sigh, he turned back to the woodpile, set another log in place, and swung. He kept at it, swing, split, stack. He continued for so long that he began to lose track of time.

  “Working hard, I see,” a voice said.

  Adam turned toward the sound and saw Elsa standing near, clad in her familiar gold armor that contrasted against her crimson hair. Her arms were folded across her chest, and just for a moment, her emerald gaze lingered on his chest before lifting to meet his eyes.

  “Just trying to work off my stay,” he said.

  She frowned. “I thought I’d paid for seven nights?” she asked quickly.

  “Yeah, but I figured I’d come to an arrangement with the old lady before it expired.”

  Her lips parted, as if to say something, but she stopped herself at the last moment as if deciding against. “I see,” she said simply, then her gaze flicked to the neat stack of chopped wood by his side. “You’ve done a lot. You must be tired.”

  He should, shouldn’t he? Yet, as she mentioned it now, he realized he wasn’t at all exhausted. His shoulders ached a little, but there was no burning fatigue. Sweat beaded and ran down his skin, yet his breathing remained steady. He wasn’t used to this kind of labor, by all rights, he should have been on the ground gasping for air, but he wasn’t.

  That was… interesting. Another thing to look into.

  “A little,” he replied, pushing the thought aside. “Have you been here long?”

  “No, I just arrived, and I was surprised when Katryn and Yara told me you were in the back chopping wood,” she said, then unfolded her arms. “Can you take a break? There’s something I want to talk to you about. It’s important.”

  Adam was suspicious, but he dropped the axe and sat on the block. “Sure.”

  “Do you remember the question I asked you the other day,” she said slowly, “about the soldiers you saw in the forest, and whether you had contact with any of them?”

  Adam’s expression didn’t change, but inside, every muscle in his body tensed. Was she trying to find out what he knew because she wanted to help, or to learn just how much he knew before getting rid of him? Thinking about it from the surface level, the first option seemed the more likely. If she really was this bad person buried deep in the conspiracy, she wouldn’t have taken the risk; he would’ve died right where she’d found him. He knew that much, but even so, he didn’t know or trust her enough to just lower his guard.

  “Yeah, I remember,” he said carefully. “What about it?”

  She took a soft breath. “I told you that there was renewed interest in what happened to the men, but I didn’t tell you everything,” she said. “The captain of the company, a man named Arryn Lockehart, was among the casualties. He died there.”

  Adam’s gaze sharpened slightly. He remembered the name. It was the man Lorelei had told him about. But he didn’t say anything in response, just gave a nod.

  “He was a veteran knight, and before his death, he was investigating something.”

  He looked up, eyes narrowed. “Investigating what?”

  Her piercing emerald eyes never left his own as she searched deeply for signs of anything he might be hiding. “Something foul. I recently found out that he had been asking questions about an underground network involved in… abductions, demi-human slavery, and children going missing.” She frowned as she saw the sudden shift in his expression. “Does any of that sound familiar to you?”

  For a moment, he didn’t answer. He already knew about the children disappearing, but the rest were new, and she probably wouldn’t have told him if she were involved, unless it was part of a plan to lull him into a false sense of safety so she could draw out whatever she thought he might know. But that seemed like too much work. It’d be easier to just kill him regardless of what he knew and be done with it, and it wasn’t like she hadn’t gotten the chance to.

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  The quiet between them stretched for a while, then he exhaled and rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. “I think we might be looking at the same thing.”

  Elsa blinked and a confused look entered her face. “What do you mean?”

  “Yesterday,” Adam said slowly. “I met someone. A woman named Lorelei who runs an orphanage. Two of her kids vanished twelve days ago. The person she went to for help was the Arryn guy. He promised to find them, but… well, you know what happened.”

  Elsa’s eyes widened as realization dawned across her face. “You’re certain of this?”

  “Yeah, pretty sure,” he replied.

  She fell silent and her hand rose to her chin as she processed everything. “Then Arryn’s death really wasn’t a coincidence,” she murmured. “He must have found something before the assignment… and someone made sure he didn’t come back.”

  “Or they used the assignment as a convenient way to get rid of him.” Adam shrugged with the words. “Either way, find that ‘someone’ and that’s half the work done.”

  “It won’t be that easy,” she said quietly.

  Adam raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “The King’s Hand ordered the assignment.”

  Adam didn’t understand the kingdom’s hierarchy, but if it was like anything in the stories he knew, the Hand of the King ranked just below the monarch. He’d expected some rotten nobles to be involved, not the second most powerful figure in the entire kingdom.

  “Fucking shit,” he said in a whisper.

  “Yeah, that.” Her voice was just as quiet. “He’s not someone you can just arrest, or even question. If he’s truly involved, I need irrefutable proof to bring before the King himself.”

  “And how’re you going to get that?” he asked.

  “I have someone looking into it,” she answered, then glanced toward the sky. “I’m supposed to meet him after I leave here. He has connections throughout the city.”

  That should be that, Adam thought. He’d given her all the information he knew, she should be able to handle it from here, to bring justice and find the missing kids. There was no reason for him to be involved anymore. He could just focus on getting back home.

  He released a deep breath. “Let me come with you,” he said.

  Elsa blinked, completely taken aback for some reason. “You want to join me?”

  “I haven’t got anything better to do… besides chopping wood.”

  She considered his offer for a moment, then shook her head and crossed her arms over her metal-plated chest. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Adam,” she said slowly. “It’ll be dangerous, and you’re… well, you’re just an ordinary civilian.”

  Adam hesitated, then slipped his fingers into his pocket and pulled out his recently acquired adventurer’s license. “Aren’t adventurers allowed to help with things like this?”

  “You registered?” she asked, both surprised and a little disappointed.

  He nodded. “Yeah, I told you I was planning to.”

  “You did.” She drew a deep breath, then met his gaze after a moment. “Why do you want to join me? I thought all you cared about was getting back home?”

  He’d thought that as well, he still thought that, but he just couldn’t bring himself to abandon Lorelei. Maybe it was the way her utter desperation mirrored what he imagined his sister must be feeling in his absence, or maybe it was something else, some long buried instinct for kindness he hadn’t known he possessed. It might even be plain vanity, he admitted in shame, because he’d found her mature look incredibly attractive.

  “The woman I met… I made her a promise. It don’t want to just break it,” he said quietly. “Besides, helping out isn’t going to stop me from getting home.”

  “Alright, we’ll go together,” Elsa said, then a thought occurred and she twisted her head to the side. “Wait, you met this woman yesterday? Did you know anything about this before then? Or were you being honest when you said you knew nothing?”

  He shook his head. “I really didn’t know anything. I only pieced it together after she told me. I thought about coming to you with it, but I didn’t know if I could trust you.”

  “But you’re telling me now,” she said. “Has that changed?”

  Adam thought for awhile, then he decided to be completely honest. “Well… I still notice a few knights lingering around the inn, so I don’t know…” he said in a low voice and stepped close to her.

  She shifted uncomfortably and glanced away, her eyes flicking to the far fence. She clearly hadn’t expected him to call her out for still watching him, despite having said earlier that there was no reason to. “Right... I suppose I should apologize for that.”

  “Why?” he asked, frowning and tilting his head just slightly. “I understand why you don’t trust me. I was a stranger you found in the forest, you have every reason to keep an eye on me. But I hope you understand why I can’t trust you either. I’m grateful you found me, but you’re still a stranger who brought me to a kingdom I know nothing about.”

  “You mean the world,” Elsa said quietly and met his gaze.

  Adam stepped back as the wind was knocked out of his sails. “What?”

  “Not just the kingdom,” she said softly, her emerald eyes steady on his. “You seem to know nothing about this world.” Her gaze lingered as she probed him deeply. “I don’t know what secrets you’re hiding, and I won’t try to force you to tell me. But I’ve already shown you a level of trust by believing you pose no threat to the kingdom. And I hope that, someday, you’re able to return it, and then we can have an open, honest talk.”

  Adam couldn’t deny the truth in what she said. Despite his suspicious ignorance of the world, enough to make her question whether he even belonged in this world, she still allowed him to move around freely instead of perpetually interrogating him.

  That was a level of trust, he could acknowledge that. But had he offered her any in return? No, he mistrusted everyone and everything. Still, it was the only way he figured he could survive in this mysterious world long enough to learn how to get home.

  He took a slow breath, then nodded. “Can we leave now?”

  Elsa’s expression shifted slightly, and she gave a single nod. “Yes.”

  Adam bent down to grab his shirt from where he’d tossed it earlier, and as he pulled it over his head, he noticed Elsa’s gaze dart away politely, though she hadn’t seemed to care just a moment ago when they’d been talking. The gesture almost made him smile. She was weird.

  “Give me a moment,” he said and brushed the dust from his hands before heading toward the inn’s back door. Elsa followed behind him.

  While wiping a mug, Yara looked up from behind the counter as they entered, and Katryn smiled beside her, her gaze lingering on Elsa before shifting toward him.

  “Done already?” Katryn asked lightly.

  “Not yet,” Adam said. “I need to head out. I’ll finish up when I get back.”

  Yara gave him a suspicious glance, then turned it on Elsa, her sharp eyes not missing a single thing. “You’re not dragging the boy into trouble, are you, Elsa?”

  Adam was taken by surprise. She actually seemed concerned for him. They couldn’t have spoken more than thirty words since he’d been here, and each word that left her mouth was either a curt response or gruff instruction, yet she was looking out for him. Despite her mean looks, maybe she really was a softie, as Katryn had put it, all bark and no bite.

  “If there’s trouble, I’ll make sure it doesn’t reach him… or the inn.”

  “Are you going to come back?” Katryn asked.

  Elsa nodded. “Yes, we’ll try to be back for supper,” she said. “Keep the stew warm.”

  Katryn smiled and nodded.

  They left the inn and stepped into the busy street. The sun was already hanging low in the sky, but there was still a few good hours of daylight left. They walked for a while, and Elsa was silent beside him the whole time, her hand resting near the hilt of her sword.

  Adam exhaled softly. “You were right,” he said.

  She turned her head and a crease formed between her brows. “About what?”

  “About what you said earlier,” he replied but kept his gaze forward. “You’ve shown me more trust than I’ve shown you. I’d like to change that… someday.”

  Elsa’s gaze lingered on him, then she smiled faintly. “Someday.”

  They walked for a stretch of time before turning down a side street, where the noise of the main road faded behind them. The air here was thick with the stench of rot and wet concrete, and shuttered shops lined cracked pavements, making the place feel even worse than the one where he’d nearly been kidnapped. A few figures loitering in doorways slipped out of sight when they saw them, or rather, when they saw Elsa, a Gold-Rank knight.

  “This is the Worm. Parts of the lower districts are often ignored, but not so extreme as this,” she said quietly. “Stay close to me, the people here aren’t very friendly.”

  Adam nodded. “Got it,” he muttered.

  She led them to a small shack where a Silver-Rank knight and a hooded figure stood waiting outside. The knight, a demi-human with wolf ears peeking through his brown hair, straightened as they approached. His gaze quickly darted from Elsa to Adam, and in that brief instant, Adam glimpsed sharp suspicion in his eyes, and then something else… fear.

  “Commander,” he greeted with a faint nod and briefly pressed his fist to his chest.

  “Elliot,” Elsa replied with a nod of her own. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

  “It’s fine.” He brushed off her apology, then his eyes flicked toward Adam, drawing close together in clear distrust. “You brought the boy?”

  “I volunteered to come,” Adam cut in sharply before Elsa had a chance to respond, his voice low and firm. “And I’m not a boy.”

  “He’s involved,” Elsa added simply.

  Elliot met Adam’s gaze for a moment, something unreadable flickering just beneath the suspicion in his eyes, and it wasn’t the fear he’d seen earlier. That was already gone. But whatever thoughts he had, he kept to himself and turned back to Elsa. “If you think it best, Commander.”

  Elsa glanced at the hooded figure. “Who’s that?”

  “My informant,” he said and faced the man. “Tell her what you told me.”

  The informant lifted his gaze slowly, hesitantly, as though the mere act might earn him death, his fingers twitching ceaselessly inside his cloak. “We see things here… things we dare not speak of. The other day, a wagon passed through, too large for a merchant, and inside… there were cries. Children’s voices, I think. The gang was paid not to raise a fuss.”

  Elsa shot Adam a sharp glance. It might be the missing kids.

  “Do you know where this wagon went? Where it is now?” she asked.

  The man nodded. “A warehouse… not too far from here.”

  Adam was suspicious, not because he’d noticed or heard anything strange from the informant, it was just his own instincts sounding an alarm. It gave him a sense of déjà-vu, like when those kids offered to help him but had led him into a trap instead.

  But he quieted the thought. They had no choice.

  If there was even a slight chance that the children were held in the warehouse, they had to check it out. Besides, he wasn’t alone. Elsa was here as well. Things should still turn out okay even if it was some kind of trap… probably.

  “Show us,” Elsa said. It came out more like a command more than a request.

  The informant’s eyes shifted to Elliot, whose gaze was hard as steel, then he looked back to Elsa. He swallowed, and nodded again. Adam didn’t know what the knight had on him—what secret or crime kept him on a leash—but he hoped it was enough.

  The informant turned and led them through a narrow passage that reeked of rust and sewage, he walked quickly, and his gaze constantly darted over his shoulder to see if they were following. Rats scattered as their boots splashed through puddles, the alleys twisting tighter, until even sunlight could barely slip through the gaps between the buildings. After a while, the informant stopped at the end of a broken street where an old warehouse loomed ahead, its windows shattered, and its walls cracked, with mold and soot stains all over.

  “This is it,” the informant said in a trembling voice.

  Adam glanced at Elsa still studying the building, one hand resting on the hilt of her twin swords, the other pulling at something from her belt, a dagger, its sharp edge gleaming faintly in the dark. Then, she turned and pressed the weapon into his palm.

  “Keep this close,” she said quietly. “And if anything happens, don’t hesitate.”

  Adam nodded and accepted the weapon. He wasn’t the only one feeling tense about the situation, it seemed. Still, he hoped their instincts were wrong, and that there was really nothing to worry about. He didn’t want to get into another fight, he didn’t even know how he’d fight with the weapon. But despite that, he was glad to have it.

  “Stay behind me,” Elsa said to him and glanced toward Elliot, gesturing to the door ahead. “Do you smell anything? People?”

  The knight shook his head. “Nothing,” he replied. “Just piss and shit.”

  Elsa moved toward the door, and the heavy wood gave way with a groan when she pushed it open. Inside, the warehouse was lit by several lamps, and the air hung heavy with dust and rust. Empty crates lay scattered across the floor, their lids pried off, some broken, and others stacked haphazardly against the walls. There were also some empty cages.

  “The place looks abandoned,” Adam muttered.

  Elsa didn’t answer, she just watched the other knight as he turned and sniffed the air.

  “No,” he whispered. “Someone’s here.”

  As sharp sound echoed loud, then another, from behind the crates, figures began to emerge; one, then two, then more. Twelve in total, each clad in mismatched armor, some with faces covered with strange tattoos. They moved in unison and slowly encircled them.

  “I’m sorry, Sir knight,” the informant said and scurried away.

  “Rallan!” Elliot barked. “Rallan, you—”

  But the man was already gone. Adam was unsurprised, he’d half expected it. Elsa, on the other hand, didn’t seem to even notice the man had slipped away. She stood so still, her focus entirely on the threat in front of them, and her gaze burning with intensity.

  “Which one of you is the leader?” she asked in a frighteningly calm voice.

  “Elsa Dein, Gold-Rank knight, youngest in history. I’ve heard all about you,” one of the men said, an ugly, sinister grin plastered onto his tattooed face. “We expected to deal with one nosy Silver-Rank, but looks like we get to play with you, too.”

  Elsa didn’t respond right away and instead glanced at the cages, seeming to consider something for a moment, then returned her gaze to the tattooed man who had spoken. “The missing children, they were here, but you moved them,” she stated, as though reciting lines she’d practiced, her voice holding that icy calm Adam hadn’t heard before. “Tell me where you’ve taken them, who you’re working with, and I swear to show you mercy.”

  “Mercy? Show us mercy?” The man echoed, incredulous, before bursting into wild laughter. His gaze swept over the others, who quickly joined in. When the laughter finally died down, he turned back to Elsa and unlatched a heavy battle-axe from his back. “I don’t think you understand your situation, little knight.” His voice turned into a low, menacing growl despite the grin on his face. “You might be a Gold-Rank, but we’re all former third and fourth-tier adventurers. We had hoped to deal with the Silver-Rank quietly, our boss doesn’t want a scene. But with you here... it doesn’t look like that’ll be possible. Still, if we manage to get rid of you, I don’t think he’ll have any complaints.”

  “You’re not the leader?” she asked slowly.

  “No,” the man said with a grin. “Sorry to disappoint, sweetheart.”

  Elsa didn’t seem to even register the patronizing part of his reply. “I see,” she said simply. “That’s one more piece of information you must give before I show mercy.”

  At her words, the man laughed again, a sharp, mocking laughter. “Oh, you’re quite the intimidating one, Commander,” he said and shuffled forward. “Perhaps we’ll keep you after getting rid of the extras. I’m sure there’s a woman under all that armor, I’d like to see what she looks like begging to suck my cock in exchange for a quick, painless death.”

  Elsa didn’t react at all. “What is your name, former adventurer?”

  “My name? What good would it do a dead woman to know? But I suppose I can do you the honor.” His grin stretched. “My name is Asher Galleel, your executioner.”

  Around them, the circle began to tighten, metals scraping and boots shifting as the men closed in. Adam’s chin tensed and he swallowed past the lump inside his throat. They were all former third and fourth-tiers adventurers, not the kind of street thugs he’d tangled with the other day. These were real, actual adventurers who’d turned to crime. Could they get out of this alive? Elsa had told him she’d be on the second-tier if she were an adventurer, and the Silver-Rank knight, Elliot, was probably on the third-tier. Individually, they might be stronger. But it was twelve against three… or two, because what could he even do?

  Adam glanced quickly at Elliot, and he could see the beads of sweat forming on the knight’s forehead, his jaw clenched tight. He looked ready to fight, holding his composure, but the fear in his eyes betrayed the danger they were in.

  Elsa was the opposite. When he turned to her, there was still no panic, no fear. Her entire demeanor had shifted, she stood perfectly still, so still he wondered if she was even breathing, and her face showed no emotion at all, only a blank mask. In all the time they’d spoken, even when she’d taken him for a threat and made him swear that oath, he had never seen her like this. This was Elsa Dein, Gold-Rank knight, calm, cold, utterly untouchable. Only her eyes held any life, bright emerald pools that promised nothing but death.

  She was like the silence before the storm.

  “Asher Galleel, I will pray that your name is remembered by the Divine,” she said, her voice low and icy, sending a shiver down Adam’s spine. “Shield your eyes, Adam.”