Igri sighed in relief as the Adventurer’s Guild building finally came into view. It had taken her longer than usual to walk there, always keeping to the main streets where she would be surrounded by people.

  She vividly remembered being caught alone in an alley two years ago—how that smiling man had approached her, only for her to find herself locked in a room, chained to a bed. Her first customer had been—

  No.

  Igri pushed those thoughts away and straightened her back. Her fingers grazed the long-hilted dagger hidden in her dress, an assurance she always carried with her. She would die before something like that happened to her again, even if she had to use it on herself.

  She remembered Kaelith—her confident smile and calm demeanor. That was what Igri wanted to be. That beautiful half-demon flower had sent chills down her spine the first time she saw her, and it wasn’t until they finally exchanged words that Igri had truly calmed down. If Nikolai hadn’t been with her, she very much doubted she would have, even then.

  Nikolai…

  He had occupied her thoughts even more than usual lately. It had been over a week, and she simply couldn’t get him out of her head.

  The night they escaped the brothel, he had been covered in blood with a cold, hard expression on his face. He had seemed so terrifying to her at the time—there had been no hesitation in his actions, his words flat and hard. Exactly that had been what was so alluring about him. He had not coddled them. He had expected action, while still healing them and protecting them.

  The Nikolai she had seen a few days ago was such a contrast that it had rocked her to the core. Gone were the cold eyes and flat tone, replaced by charming smiles and kind words.

  More than ever, she wanted to—

  What was she even thinking? Even an idiot like herself could see the attraction between him and Kaelith, see the trust they shared. There was no place for her in the middle of that.

  She knew this. She understood it. But it didn’t change a thing.

  At this point, she just wanted to be close—to be in his circle. But to do that, she needed to stop being her pathetic self. She didn’t want to be someone who needed rescuing. No—she wanted to be the reaper who punished the wicked, someone powerful like Kaelith.

  What she was doing today was the first step in that. A heavy coin purse weighed her pack down, another lighter one resting at her hip. She had been given an opportunity, a chance encounter, and she was going to make the most of it. She would take the coin, and make something of herself!

  She hesitated only briefly before swinging open the doors to the guild and found a surprisingly calm room on the other side. There were people, sure, but not the loud, boisterous kind she had expected. She even saw a small family in the corner—a large man with a brilliant smile, sitting with his wife and child.

  They looked up as she entered but soon returned their attention to the game they were playing on the table.

  Igri strode through the entrance hall and up to reception. A few people were there to greet visitors, and a pretty woman, probably in her late twenties, approached her.

  “Welcome to the Adventurer’s Guild. My name is Millie. How can I help you?”

  Igri swallowed, took a steadying breath, then spoke. “Hello. I am Igri. I was asked to act as a courier for a job.”

  Millie raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Interesting. And what does the job entail?”

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  Igri shook her head. “Can’t say. Not here. I have a letter and a direct request. I was tasked with posting the quest in a private setting.”

  Millie narrowed her eyes slightly. “Tasked by who?”

  Igri couldn’t say. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to—she literally couldn’t. She only had a name, one that wouldn’t mean much.

  The night before, a man had walked out of the shadows as she was emptying a bucket of dirty water in the back courtyard of the alehouse. She had been shocked to find him there—terrified.

  At first, she had been sure she would be dragged back to the brothel, or perhaps killed for running away. But the man had never approached her. He simply leaned against a wall, looking for all intents and purposes like a well-dressed gentleman. A black, well-cut suit. A tall round top hat. And that black, featureless mask.

  “I am not here to hurt you, girl. In fact, I will not even approach you. I shall not stop you if you run, scream, or whatever else you might find to be the proper response here. However, it would be a missed opportunity,” the man had said, his voice lilting and almost pretty.

  Igri had drawn her knife then and, in a supreme act of defiance, stood her ground. “What do you want with me!?”

  The man chuckled. “I bring an offer for you. An opportunity to… take back some of what you have lost—or at the very least, have a hand in righting previous wrongs. You spoke to a woman named Kaelith, yes? We are quite interested in her, you see…”

  Despite the fear permeating her being, those words had lit a fire in Igri. “What do you want with her!? I will not help you target her. I will not!”

  “Dear girl, you seem to misunderstand. No, we are not seeking harm for her. We wish to employ her—give her a job,” the man said, amusement in his tone.

  “Then why don’t you go talk to her? Too afraid to face her directly? Easier to go after the barmaid?” Igri had spat. She had known saying such things was likely suicide, but she was done being weak.

  The man laughed again—such a pretty sound.

  “No, no, nothing like that. We simply wish to approach her through the proper channels—through the guild.” Igri had opened her mouth to speak, but the man held up a hand.

  “No, I know what you are going to say, but we cannot go to the guild ourselves. We have a vested interest in staying out of sight, so we need someone to bring a letter for us.”

  “What is the job?” Igri had asked suspiciously.

  “To excise the rot from this city. To cut away the corruption!” the man had said, and this time his voice had grown colder.

  Igri had shivered. “Why? Why bother yourself with it? It’s everywhere. This whole fucking city…”

  The man nodded. “Indeed. And we are not specifically against corruption, per se. No, we take offense to the imbalance of it. We approach you because you were forced into a pact of sorts—forced labor. We seek balance, dear girl, and to us a one-sided pact, without both parties consenting willingly, is a crime against everything we are and stand for. So… we will tip the scales.”

  Igri hadn’t spoken then. She had been dumbfounded by the man. When she finally found her tongue, though—

  “I want to help… I want…” Her voice had become quieter. “I want them dead. All of them. Everyone involved…”

  The man had straightened from the wall. “And now you see why I am here. As I said, we are offering you a part in it. A small one, granted, but your job is what will start it.”

  He produced a letter from a pocket. “Take this letter to the guild. Explain that you must post the job in private, with only guild staff present. In your room, you will find two pouches of coin. The large one is the reward for the job—for Kaelith. The second is for you, as payment for this job, and perhaps… an investment in future talent?”

  That last part had been phrased like a question, and Igri had felt a small surge of excitement. “Who do I say it is from?”

  The man had placed the letter on a windowsill next to him, still not approaching her even an inch. She had appreciated that show of respect.

  “We are Nocturne. It is all in the letter.”

  He had turned to go, then looked back. “Oh, and please tell them the letter is for Kaelith to open, and none other. She may decide to take the job—or not—after reading it.”

  Then he snapped his fingers, there was a pop of displaced air, and as she blinked in surprise, he was gone.

  Millie was staring at her in confusion now, and Igri realized she had just been standing there, looking into space, remembering…

  “Oh—right. I’m sorry… He simply introduced himself as being part of something called, Nocturne, I think that’s what his group calls themselves, not him specifically,” Igri said.

  Millie sighed. “Secret shadowy clients are the worst… Fine. Come along. Let’s go have a chat.”