? Kaelira ?
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Kaelira trailed the guards from the shadows, her every step silent, measured, deliberate.
Vess walked between them, hands bound, shoulders stiff, but she wasn’t resisting. Smart girl. She knew struggling would only make things worse.
The city grew quieter as they moved closer to the guardhouse, the noise of the district fading behind them. Here, the streets were wider, cleaner, more controlled. The scent of damp stone and iron filled the air.
As they reached the guardhouse steps, Kaelira pulled back into an alcove, watching.
The older guard led the way inside, speaking briefly with another stationed at the entrance. The younger one followed, glancing around, his posture uncertain—like someone who hadn’t yet decided how much he was willing to overlook.
Then the doors swung shut.
She cursed softly under her breath. This was a human city, and she was distinctly not human. Her tiger-striped fur and sharp catlike features would work against her here—she was already an outsider in these streets.
That was one problem.
The bigger problem? Getting inside without drawing attention.
She studied the guardhouse, committing its layout to memory.
The building was modest but well-fortified—a stone structure with barred windows, an armory attached to one side, and a watchtower looming above.
The front door was a no-go. Too many eyes.
The windows were barred, but not all of them were lit.
She needed an angle. An opening. A weakness.
Kaelira scanned the side of the building and spotted a smaller entrance—a service door near the back.
A guard stood there, leaning lazily against the wall, picking at his nails. His helmet was off, sword still sheathed.
Sloppy.
She could use that.
Kaelira considered her options.
A stealth kill would be simple, but unnecessary. The last thing she needed was a corpse to raise alarms.
That meant a different approach.
Time to play weak.
She ruffled her fur, deliberately scuffing her clothing against the rough stone as she moved. She made sure her ears drooped slightly, her tail limp, her posture unsteady.
Then, taking a breath, she stumbled into the open.
The guard looked up just as she staggered forward.
“Please,” she gasped, forcing a tremor into her voice. “Help me.”
The man frowned, pushing off the wall. “Who the hell are—”
Kaelira collapsed to her knees.
The movement was calculated, but it looked effortless.
“My—my father,” she stammered. “He told me to come here. Said the guards could—could protect me. I—” She swallowed, forcing a shudder into her breath. “They’re looking for me. I don’t know where else to go.”
She lifted her head just enough to let the torchlight catch her face.
The man hesitated. He was young, maybe mid-twenties, not old enough to be completely callous. His eyes flickered with something like uncertainty.
“You’re… one of those Veshari, huh?”
Kaelira lowered her gaze. “I—I just need somewhere safe.”
The guard shifted uncomfortably, glancing toward the door.
“Look, I don’t know if—”
Then, from inside, a voice called out.
“What’s going on out there?”
Kaelira didn’t turn, but she let her ears flick back, a subtle sign of distress.
The guard hesitated for only a moment more before he sighed and stepped aside.
“Fine, get in. Just—don’t make trouble.”
Kaelira ducked her head, nodding quickly as she slipped past him, stepping into the dim-lit corridors of the guardhouse.
She kept her movements careful, her steps light, measured.
The hallway smelled of oiled leather, damp wood, and stale ale. Torches flickered along the walls, casting long, wavering shadows.
The clatter of voices echoed from a nearby room—guards playing dice, arguing over a bet.
Kaelira didn’t slow. She walked the fine line between looking lost and having a purpose.
She needed to find Vess.
And she needed to do it before the guard outside started second-guessing his decision.
The hallways stretched ahead, dimly lit by flickering torches. Kaelira moved quickly but cautiously, her ears straining to catch every sound.
The deeper she went, the more the noise from the front of the guardhouse faded—the idle chatter of patrolmen, the clatter of dice, the occasional burst of laughter.
She passed several closed doors, listening. Muffled voices, the scrape of chairs—nothing useful.
Then—
A stifled noise.
Not loud. Not obvious. But wrong.
Kaelira froze.
It came from the next room.
She stepped closer, heart hammering, and pressed herself to the doorframe, listening.
A voice inside. Male. Low, smug.
“…That little mouth of yours stops talking the moment someone with power steps in, huh?”
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Kaelira’s blood turned to ice.
Vess.
She could hear her breathing—shallow, quick, terrified.
The floorboard under Kaelira’s boot creaked slightly as she shifted forward.
The voice inside stilled.
A pause.
Then the guard spoke again, softer this time. Calculating.
“…You hear that?”
Kaelira had seconds to act.
She didn’t waste them.
She moved.
Fast. Hard. No hesitation.
The door slammed open as Kaelira barreled through.
The room was small, sparse, barely more than an interrogation chamber. A desk, a few chairs, chains hanging from the wall.
And in the center—Vess, pressed against the wall, wide-eyed and shaking.
The guard had one hand braced against the wall beside her head. His other hand hovered near his belt.
He turned at the noise, eyes narrowing, but Kaelira was already on him.
She didn’t give him time to reach for his weapon.
She struck low and fast, slamming her clawed fingers into the weak point of his knee.
He grunted, staggered, but recovered quickly.
Good. That meant she didn’t have to hold back.
The guard pivoted, swinging his elbow toward her face. Kaelira dodged, barely, feeling the rush of air as it missed by inches.
He was strong. Bigger than her. He wasn’t just some drunk patrolman—he had training.
But Kaelira was faster.
As his momentum carried him forward, she twisted to the side, using her tail for balance. Her dagger flashed in the dim torchlight, slicing upward.
The guard barely managed to block with his forearm, but not before the blade cut deep.
He let out a snarl, stepping back, shaking the blood from his arm.
“That,” he spat, “was a mistake.”
Kaelira didn’t answer. She lunged again.
The fight turned ugly, fast.
The guard went for brute force, trying to slam her against the wall. Kaelira used speed and angles, dodging, slipping between his reach.
But he adapted quickly.
She feinted right—he didn’t fall for it. His fist connected with her ribs, knocking the air from her lungs.
Kaelira staggered.
The guard pressed his advantage, grabbing her wrist, twisting.
Pain flared as her dagger clattered to the ground.
He pushed her back against the desk, trying to pin her down.
Kaelira bared her teeth.
Her free hand shot up, claws raking across his face.
He shouted, reeling back, and she used that second of pain against him.
Kaelira wrenched her wrist free, pivoted, and swept his legs out from under him.
He hit the floor hard.
She was on him before he could rise.
Kaelira grabbed her fallen dagger, flipped it in her grip, and slammed the pommel into the side of his head.
Once. Twice.
The guard’s body slumped.
Breathing hard, Kaelira watched him carefully.
His chest rose and fell. Unconscious. Not dead.
She wiped the blood from her claws against her tunic and turned.
Vess was still against the wall, frozen, her eyes locked on the motionless guard.
Kaelira moved toward her, softening her stance.
“Vess.”
No response. The girl’s breathing was uneven, shallow. She looked like she was somewhere else, stuck in the moment.
Kaelira clicked her fingers in front of Vess’s face, sharp. “We don’t have time for this.”
A startled breath. Vess blinked hard, eyes refocusing. “I—I didn’t think you were coming.”
Kaelira snorted lightly, grabbing her wrist and pulling her forward.
“Idiot,” she murmured. “I told you I’d be right behind you.”
Vess let out something between a laugh and a sob.
Kaelira checked the doorway.
Still clear. For now.
“We need to move.”
Vess nodded, finally shaking off the shock, and followed.
Kaelira led her out into the corridor, steps quick and silent.
They weren’t out yet.
But they would be.
?
Kaelira moved quickly, keeping her steps light, deliberate.
Vess followed close behind, her breathing quieter now, controlled, but Kaelira could still feel the tension in her movements.
They weren’t safe yet.
The guardhouse wasn’t large, but it was well-structured—long corridors, few exits, too many places where someone could step into their path.
Kaelira’s ears flicked at the faint murmur of voices ahead.
She halted, pressing herself against the nearest wall, motioning for Vess to do the same.
The voices grew clearer.
Two guards. Walking this way.
Kaelira inhaled slowly.
No way around. No time to turn back.
She scanned the hallway. There.
A small side chamber—probably a storage closet.
She grabbed Vess’s wrist and yanked her inside just as the footsteps rounded the corner.
The space was cramped, musty with the scent of old parchment and dried ink.
Kaelira held the door just barely ajar, watching through the narrowest sliver.
The guards were casual, unconcerned. One was mid-story about some bet he lost, the other grumbling about being on night duty.
They weren’t looking for intruders.
Yet.
Kaelira didn’t move.
The moment stretched longer than it should have.
Then—one of them stopped.
Kaelira’s muscles coiled tight.
The older of the two sniffed the air. “You smell that?”
The younger one frowned. “What?”
“Blood.”
Kaelira’s pulse pounded.
For a second, she thought he meant hers. That he could smell the fight still clinging to her—Vess’s fear, the guard’s blood on her dagger.
But then the older man shrugged. “Must be from interrogation. Poor bastard was screaming earlier. Guess they finally shut him up.”
A bark of laughter from the younger one. “Sucks to be him.”
They kept walking.
Kaelira waited five more heartbeats before exhaling.
She turned to Vess, whispering, “Move. Now.”
They slipped back into the corridor, this time heading for the back entrance.
Kaelira had used it to get in—and it was their best way out.
But as they reached the final stretch, she felt it.
The shift.
The air in the guardhouse was changing.
The casual murmurs were dwindling.
The hallways were quieter now—but not in a comforting way.
Then—a voice, sharp and cutting, from deeper inside.
“Check the holding rooms again. Something doesn’t feel right.”
Kaelira cursed under her breath.
Their time had run out.
She gripped Vess’s arm. “Run.”
Vess didn’t hesitate.
They took off down the hall, Kaelira leading, steps perfectly placed, breath controlled.
They reached the service door—only steps away.
Then—
The door opened.
The same young guard who had let Kaelira in stepped out.
His eyes widened in instant realization.
Kaelira moved on instinct.
She lunged, slamming her shoulder into him before he could shout.
He stumbled, crashing backward.
“Wait—” he barely got the word out before Kaelira grabbed him by the collar and spun him into the wall.
He hit it hard, dazed but not out cold.
His hand fumbled for the sword at his hip.
Kaelira’s dagger pressed against his throat.
The young guard froze.
His breathing was ragged, terrified.
Kaelira’s grip tightened on the hilt.
One quick slash. That’s all it would take. No loose ends.
His eyes locked onto hers.
Young. Too young.
A sudden, unwelcome image flashed in her mind.
Soft brown eyes, wide with wonder. Small hands gripping her fingers. A child’s voice, laughing, calling for her.
Her son.
Kaelira’s chest constricted painfully.
She hadn’t seen him in years. Hadn’t heard his voice. Hadn’t held him since the day she was taken.
And now, here she was—blade in hand, poised to snuff out another mother’s son.
Despite the armor, the uniform, the orders he followed, he was still just a boy.
Someone had once held him, too. Once told him he was safe.
A bitter taste filled her mouth.
She had taken so many lives. Most had deserved it. This one?
Her grip loosened.
A fraction of a second. A hesitation.
Then—
A touch.
Vess’s fingers on her wrist.
“Kaelira,” she whispered.
Not a plea. Just a reminder.
Kaelira exhaled, sharp and uneven.
Instead of slitting his throat, her knee snapped up—brutal, fast, driving into his gut.
The guard gasped, crumpling as the breath was knocked from his lungs.
He wouldn’t get up anytime soon.
Kaelira wiped her blade against her tunic.
Her expression was neutral, but inside?
Inside, she hated that she had hesitated.
That she had let old wounds resurface.
That, even after all these years, she could still see her son’s face.
She swallowed hard, pushed it down. No time for this.
Kaelira grabbed Vess’s hand.
“Move.”
And they ran.
The cold hit them instantly. The open air, the night pressing close, the sound of distant waves.
They kept running.
Kaelira didn’t stop until they were three turns deep into the maze of backstreets.
Far enough that the night swallowed them whole.
She finally braced herself against the wall, her pulse still hammering.
Vess was gasping for breath beside her, hands on her knees.
Silence hung thick between them.
Then—
Vess laughed. A soft, breathless, disbelieving sound.
Kaelira arched an eyebrow.
Vess wiped at her face, exhaling. “I just—I didn’t think we were going to make it.”
Kaelira snorted. “Then you need to start trusting me more.”
Vess let out another small, shaky laugh.
Kaelira’s expression eased, just slightly.
But the moment of relief was short-lived.
Because Vess’s face darkened.
“…Lyara,” she whispered.
Kaelira’s stomach sank.
She already knew.
Vess turned, eyes locking onto her.
“They took her. They took her to the docks.”
Kaelira weighed their options as she stared into the shadows of the alley. Going into the docks was a dangerous proposition, one that could easily end in disaster. She knew that Kellen had the area firmly under his control. The docks were crawling with his men, and they’d be ready for any kind of direct confrontation.
Even worse, they had a hostage—Lyara. In a straight fight, Vess’s friend would be the first casualty, and Kaelira wasn’t sure they would even make it out with their freedom intact if Kellen’s men captured them.
Kaelira bit her lip, suppressing the surge of frustration. Charging into the docks would be suicide, but they couldn’t leave Lyara to Kellen’s mercy. They needed a plan—something smarter than brute force.
“We can’t go straight in,” Kaelira murmured, half to herself and half to Vess. “Not like this. They’ll be expecting us.”
Vess, still shaken, nodded. “But... what can we do? We can’t just leave her.”