The fog hung thick in the pine glade as Kael, Vireya, and a handful of scouts crept toward the ridge. The flickering black torches of the Bone Kings' warband loomed above, but the eerie silence unsettled even the most seasoned of Kael's fighters.
"Too quiet," Vireya whispered. "They're not charging. They're waiting."
"For what?" Kael muttered.
Then, movement. Not from the front—but from behind.
"Scatter!" Kael yelled, just as a throwing blade hissed through the mist, grazing his shoulder.
Figures emerged, cloaked in gray and crimson. Silent, lethal, coordinated. But one moved differently—not with rage, but precision. This one wasn't here to kill.
Kael met their blade with his own. Steel clanged. Sparks danced. Then a pause.
"You fight like someone who's bored," Kael growled.
The masked attacker chuckled softly. "And you talk like someone who shouldn't still be breathing."
Kael lunged. The figure parried and backflipped into the mist, only to land beside Vireya with unnatural grace.
"New recruit of yours?" Vireya asked, annoyed.
"No," Kael replied. "But I'm starting to think they're auditioning."
With a swirl of their cloak, the masked figure disappeared again into the trees. The rest of the ambushers retreated. The attack had been a test.
That night, the camp remained on edge. Kael stood guard, bloodied but alert.
"You think they'll return?" Vireya asked.
"They didn't come to kill," Kael said. "They came to observe."
From the shadows, a soft voice answered, "You're not wrong."
Kael spun to find the masked figure seated on a boulder at the edge of the firelight, mask lowered just enough to reveal a sharp jawline and dark, glinting eyes.
"I'm Arinya," the figure said calmly. "I used to work for the Bone Kings. Until they killed someone I loved."
Kael's hand relaxed from his sword. "You're not here to finish a job?"
"I'm here to offer a trade," Arinya said. "You want to build a kingdom. I want to see one burn."
Vireya arched a brow. "What makes you think we need you?"
Arinya's gaze locked with Kael's. "Because your enemies are more organized than you think. And I'm the only one who knows where they sleep."
Kael studied her face. There was something raw and intelligent behind her calm demeanor. And something broken.
"You're either a trap," he said, "or a very strange gift."
Arinya smiled faintly. "Sometimes, I'm both."
He nodded. "Then welcome to the madness."
Vireya didn't hide her frown. But she said nothing. For now.
And as Arinya disappeared into the camp's shadows, Kael couldn't shake the strange flutter of intrigue stirring beneath his ribs.
To be continued...