Page 41 of Crowned In Venom

Something knows.

I clutch the ledger tighter, slipping back into the palace before my luck turns against me.

Because tonight, I have found something dangerous.

But I have also made a mistake.

Tonight, I was not careful enough.

And I will soon learn?—

The Ghost never blinks.

14

VARKOS

Iam woken by the sound of steel.

A sharp tang, too close.

A breath.

Not my own.

I move before the blade finds my throat.

My body twists, instincts honed from years of survival driving me forward. The dagger slices through the space where my neck had been, grazing my shoulder instead.

Blood warms my skin, but the pain is secondary.

I do not hesitate.

I attack.

The assassin is fast.

Their body moves like a shadow, fluid, precise.

But I am faster.

I catch their wrist mid-swing, twisting it sharply. A sickening snap.

They do not scream.

Trained. Conditioned.

Their knee slams toward my ribs.

I shift my weight, absorbing the blow, using the momentum to drive them backward, off balance.

They recover too quickly. A roll, a shift of weight, and they are back on their feet, a second blade flashing in the dim firelight.

Who sent you?

The question coils in my mind, but I do not waste breath asking.

Words are for those who fear death.

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