Page 87 of City of Secrets and Shadows
Before he could respond, the doors of the Crimson Veil swung open, releasing a burst of light and laughter into the street. I grabbed Tarshi’s arm, pulling him deeper into the shadows as a group of men emerged from the establishment.
In the centre walked Varin Mallistus, exactly as Livia had described him — tall, handsome in a cold way, with an air of entitled arrogance that only generations of unchecked power could create. Four men flanked him, their posture and watchful eyes marking them clearly as hired protection.
“That’s him,” I whispered unnecessarily.
Tarshi’s arm beneath my grip had gone rigid, the muscles like iron. The group was moving away from us, heading toward the less populous areas that led to the nobility’s private estates.
We followed at a careful distance, waiting for our opportunity. The streets grew quieter as they moved away from the celebration’s epicentre, the crowds thinning until we reached a narrow avenue lined with silent shops closed for the night.
“Now,” I murmured to Tarshi, drawing my blade.
We emerged from the shadows, moving swiftly to block their path. I positioned myself in front of Varin while Tarshi circled to cut off their retreat.
The bodyguards reacted instantly, hands moving to weapons as they formed a protective circle around their employer.
“What is the meaning of this?” Varin demanded, his voice slurred with expensive wine but still carrying the unmistakable tone of a man accustomed to obedience.
“You attacked a woman today,” I said, advancing slowly. “At the academy. In the changing rooms.”
Recognition flickered across his features, followed by disdainful amusement. “Is that what this is about? Some academy whore sent her pet thugs to frighten me?” He laughed, the sound grating against my ears. “Do you know who I am, peasant?”
“We know exactly who you are,” Tarshi replied from behind him. “Lord Varin Mallistus. Son of Governor Mallistus. Heir to the eastern provinces.”
“And rapist,” I added. “Though not for much longer.”
The lead bodyguard drew his sword — a proper military-grade weapon, not the ornamental blades favoured by noblemen. “You’re making a grave mistake,” he warned. “Walk away now, and we’ll forget this happened.”
“I’m afraid we can’t do that,” I said, dropping into a fighting stance I’d perfected over years in the arena. “Your employer put his hands on someone who belongs to us.”
“Belongs to you?” Varin’s laughter turned cruel. “Oh, I see now. You’re the slave-guard who follows that Cantius bitch around the academy. I should have recognized you.” His eyes shifted to Tarshi. “And the half-breed pet. How charming.”
The casual way he used those words — “slave” and “half-breed” — ignited something primal in my chest. I’d spent my entire life being defined by others, labelled and categorized and dismissed. I might have called Tarshi “half-breed” myself behind closed doors, thrown the word at him during our heated arguments, but hearing it from Varin’s privileged mouth made it something else entirely. The realization struck me with unexpected force — Tarshi was one of us now, whether I liked it or not. He stood with us, bled with us, fought for Livia just as fiercely as I did. And no silver-spoon noble had the right to look down on him.
“That ‘half-breed’ is about to be the last thing you ever see,” I growled, my knuckles whitening around the hilt of my blade.The protectiveness I felt surprised even me, but there was no time to examine it as the night erupted into violence.
I didn’t bother responding. I simply attacked.
Years in the arena had taught me one crucial lesson: strike first, strike hard, and never hesitate. I lunged forward, my blade finding the gap between the lead guard’s armour plates before he could properly react. He grunted in surprise, stumbling backward as blood darkened his tunic.
The night erupted into chaos. The remaining three guards rushed me while Varin retreated, shouting for help. I parried a blow from my left, ducked under a swing from the right, and kicked the third man hard in the knee, feeling it buckle beneath my boot.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Tarshi moving with inhuman speed, intercepting Varin before he could escape. The nobleman drew a jewelled dagger from his belt, slashing wildly at Tarshi, who easily evaded the clumsy attacks.
I had no time to watch further as the guards surrounded me, their training evident in how they coordinated their attacks. But they had been trained to fight common thugs and drunken brawlers — not a gladiator who had survived the most brutal arenas in the empire.
I feinted left, drawing one guard’s attack, then spun and drove my blade deep into the exposed side of another. He dropped with a gurgled cry, clutching at the wound as his lifeblood pumped between his fingers.
The remaining two circled me more cautiously now, one sporting a deep gash across his forearm where my blade had found its mark. I shifted my stance, balancing on the balls of my feet, waiting for the opening I knew would come.
“Septimus!” Tarshi’s voice rang out in warning.
I dropped instinctively, feeling the rush of air as a thrown dagger passed through the space where my head had been amoment before. It struck one of the guards in the throat, his eyes widening in shock as he collapsed to his knees, hands clutching futilely at the protruding hilt.
The last guard, seeing his fallen companions , made a desperate lunge. I caught his blade on mine, the clash of steel ringing through the empty street, then twisted sharply, sending his weapon clattering to the cobblestones. Before he could recover, I drove my knee into his stomach, doubling him over, then brought the pommel of my sword down hard against the base of his skull. He crumpled at my feet, unconscious but alive.
I turned to find Tarshi holding Varin against the wall of a shuttered shop, one hand wrapped around the nobleman’s throat. The jewelled dagger lay on the ground, apparently knocked from Varin’s grasp during the struggle.
“You think you can threaten us?” Varin was saying, his voice strained but still defiant despite the hand at his throat. “Do you know what will happen to you? My father will have you hunted down like animals. He’ll raze whatever filthy village spawned you.”
