The room held its breath.

  Cassian's voice had rung out like a verdict from the divine - not loud, but final. Enough weight behind it to make men remember they had bones.

  Talvarien regained his footing first. His face twitched into something resembling composure, though the sweat on his temple betrayed him.

  "This boy," Talvarien said smoothly, gesturing toward me, "was caught trespassing. Illegally. In the estate of a grieving family, no less."

  Cassian's silence was permission. He seemed calm, despite all the eyes being one him.

  Talvarien went on.

  "He claims to have evidence of some grand conspiracy… of heresy. Eastern collaboration. Tainted nobles. And yet, he has shown nothing. Brought nothing. Only words. Delusions. Mockery."

  He turned, arms wide, addressing the other nobles like a bard before a drunken crowd. "Is this not cause for concern? That a commoner - a known associate of the halfbreed Arthur - was skulking about under the cover of night? Should we not be careful who we let whisper in the ears of our future nobility? Of our children?!"

  He gave a sly look toward Mary, who was still crouched beside me, her glowing hands pressed softly to my chest.

  My vision was clearing now. My lips were bloodied, my cheekbone pulsing, but I could sit straighter.

  Cassian turned slightly. Looked at me.

  The faintest nod.

  And suddenly… I could rest.

  Mary must've told him everything.

  I gave Cassian a tired smile. "Right. My job's done, then."

  I leaned into Mary's hand just slightly. "Thank you, Mary. I'm okay."

  Her eyes shimmered with tears, her gold irises glowing brighter. "You're not okay. You're covered in bruises and your ribs might be cracked."

  "I've had worse," I muttered, a faint smile still adorning my face. "You should see the other guy."

  She gave a trembling laugh through the tears.

  Cassian stepped forward, voice sharp again.

  "You ask where the evidence is," he said to Talvarien. "But what you really mean is: how much longer do we have before the axe falls?"

  Some nobles began to rise.

  "What are you implying?" one barked. "You dare accuse-"

  "I don't imply," Cassian interrupted. "I state."

  He raised one gloved hand.

  "I know exactly what you did. Who you blackmailed. Who you silenced. Who you threatened with Eastern coin and cursed parchment."

  He let the words settle.

  "And it ends now."

  The chamber exploded into shouts.

  "This is an outrage-!"

  "You come here alone and expect us to kneel?!"

  "Call the guard! Arrest him! No, Kill him!"

  Talvarien's voice cut above the din. "You were foolish to walk into this alone, Regent. Even with your little trinket from the Inner Throne. We're twelve families strong, our paths have been assented in history. Do you think your words are worth more than our blood?"

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  Talvarien raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

  Nothing.

  Silence.

  He snapped again.

  A noble near the back turned and shouted, "Where are the guards?!"

  No answer. No steel boots. No response.

  Only silence.

  ---

  And there it was.

  The moment it clicked.

  I watched their faces pale. Their eyes dart.

  Too late.

  Everything had played out the way Cassian wanted, it was always going to. I had only now realised that.

  How could I have not seen this coming...

  This wasn't a rescue. It was a stage.

  I was the bait.

  Cassian, the hunter.

  And the Nobles, the prey.

  A piece on the board, moved forward and sacrificed.

  I only prayed I wasn't one of the expendable ones.

  Mary was still shaking beside me, panic growing in her chest. I turned toward her, raising my still-bound hands enough to touch her wrist.

  "Hey."

  She looked at me, wide-eyed.

  "Hey. Look at me."

  Her breath hitched. Her lip trembled.

  "I'm okay," I whispered. "We're okay."

  She didn't respond with words. Just fell into me, arms around my shoulders, quiet sobs wracking her body.

  I stroked her hair, waiting for her sobs to quiet down.

  "You did good," I said. "Better than me. I would've screamed already."

  She laughed softly, choking on the sound and her tears.

  "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I should've stopped it sooner. I should've-"

  I cut her off, shaking my head.

  "No. You trusted me. I'd rather die than betray that."

  Her sobbing slowed.

  She was starting to breathe again.

  Cassian turned, walking toward us. Slowly. Calmly.

  He crouched beside Mary, and whispered something into her ear. So faint I couldn't hear it.

  Her body slumped, her eyes fluttering shut.

  He caught her gently in his arms and closed her eyes with two fingers.

  Then he stood.

  "She shouldn't see what happens next."

  I stood as much as the chains allowed, my voice low.

  "You put her to sleep?"

  "She's fragile," he replied. "More than she knows. Though I'm guessing you know that now."

  I looked up at him, eyes slightly vacant.

  "More than you know."

  Cassian smiled faintly. "I see."

  He handed Mary off to a man who stepped out from the shadows - tall, shrouded, face hidden under a mechanical mask hidden in his cloak.

  "Take her to her quarters. Guard her. No one enters until I return."

  The man bowed and disappeared into the dark.

  The nobles were in uproar again, several heading toward the door.

  One, a portly man with gold-threaded cuffs, reached for the handle-

  THHHHRNK.

  His head slid clean off his shoulders.

  The body stood there, confused, for a moment longer than it should've - then collapsed with a wet thud.

  Gasps. Screams.

  Then…

  They arrived.

  Five Inquisitors stepped into the light.

  Not marching.

  Drifting.

  Each one cloaked in black, faces masked. Every movement precise. Unreal. All with the same blades as the ones I saw at the mansion.

  One had a purple mist surrounding them, spreading into the surroundings.

  Another walked heavily, his footsteps turning the floor to ash.

  The third moved with fluidity unnatural - blades forming in the air, surrounding them in an arc.

  The fourth simply stood. His shadow stretched long and began pulling itself free from the floor, coiling like a serpent.

  The fifth - a woman - removed her mask. Her eyes were a deep silver. And when she spoke, it was with many voices.

  "We bear the seal of the unseen."

  And the massacre began.

  Talvarien shouted something - a desperate call for unity, a warning, maybe a spell - but it was lost in the cacophony of violence.

  Magic tore through flesh like parchment. Shadows flared. Fire ignited from nowhere. Screams echoed off stone and glass.

  Nobles tried to run. They didn't make it.

  I turned away from Mary, shielding her unconscious body from the worst of it.

  Cassian stood in the center of it all, untouched. Watching the results of his chess game pay off before him.

  His cloak didn't even flutter.

  Talvarien's head hit the marble with a dull thud, severed cleanly after failing to stop an Inquisitor's approach. It rolled across the floor in a slow arc, coming to rest at the Regent's boot.

  Lifeless eyes stared upward, still etched with disbelief.

  Cassian didn't spare it a glance. He remained motionless, gaze fixed forward, watching the purge unfold in cold silence.

  Checkmate. Complete and undeniable.

  A noble tried to beg. Another tried to surrender. Neither got more than a second of air before they fell.

  It was over in less than a minute.

  Ash coated the walls. Blood pooled in elegant grooves in the marble.

  I heard the clink of metal.

  Cassian knelt beside me.

  Unlocked my chains.

  They clattered to the floor like a verdict passed.

  I looked up at him.

  He was already looking at me.

  "You held your tongue," he said. "Even when offered mercy. Even when struck."

  I nodded, throat dry. "I figured you'd be watching."

  "I was."

  He stood, folding his arms behind his back.

  "You're loyal. And clever. Two traits I admire. But that humanity of yours…"

  He looked toward Mary, resting peacefully in the arms of the sixth Inquisitor, already being carried away.

  "…It'll stab you in the back one day."

  I smiled, bitter.

  "Will it be your blade?"

  Cassian didn't answer.

  Instead, he turned to leave. His cloak dragged behind him like a shadow.

  The inquisitors all gathered behind him, forming echelons around him.

  Over his shoulder, he spoke one final line:

  "Let the purge begin."