Outskirts of Vraun's Hill – Dovrin
The narrow, winding path up to Vraun's Hill was quiet—too quiet.
Mist curled low, veiling the moss-streaked trail in silver. A chill clung to the air—unnatural even for this altitude.
Levi and Evie moved like shadows, still cloaked in disguise, their steps too practiced to be casual.
Just before the bend toward the hill's gate—
Seventeen men stepped out from the woods.
Forming a ring. Silent. Efficient. No hesitation.
Trained. Too trained.
Evie (dryly): "I count seventeen. Is this your idea of a welcome party?"
Levi (pulling up her hood): "No banners. Not friendly."
No more words.
The first attacker lunged.
Evie dropped low, swept his legs, slammed an elbow into another's jaw before he could even shout.
Levi was ice and smoke—cold and clean. Frost glinted at her fingertips as she moved, striking pressure points with ruthless grace. She froze weapons mid-air. Disarmed men before they blinked.
The fight was fast.
And brutal.
Ten men groaned on the ground. Six didn't move.
One had fled.
Levi barely broke a sweat.
The trail just before Vraun's Hill entrance
Evie kicked the last blade into a ditch. Breathing hard—but her eyes gleamed with the rush.
Evie: "You seriously left that ice mark on purpose?"
Levi (pulling her gloves on, calm): "Yes."
Evie: "Why? We just fought seventeen trained men. You made it easier for them to find us!"
Levi (softly, more steel than silk): "Exactly. That was the point."
Evie's smile dropped.
Evie: "You wanted to be followed?"
Levi's eyes didn't flinch. Didn't blink.
Levi (quiet): "If I hadn't left a trail, we'd still be guessing. Now we're sure."
Evie (low): "Sure of what, Levi?"
Levi turned toward the gate. Wind brushed her cloak back.
Levi: "That the Lord of Dovrin knows."
Silence. Then—
Evie stilled.
Evie: "Wait. You think he's involved?"
Levi (flat): "If he wasn't, how could his men move this fast? How are they this fit, trained—and completely off the records?"
She glanced back at the carnage.
Levi: "They weren't guarding this hill for the people.They were guarding it from us."
Evie opened her mouth—then shut it. A sharp breath left her.
Evie (halfa laugh): "You're terrifying when you talk like that."
Then quieter. More serious.
Evie: "Still... we don't have proof."
For the first time, Levi's mask cracked.
Just slightly.
A flicker of frustration crossed her face—fast, sharp, gone.
Levi: "We will."
Her gaze locked on the hilltop, jaw tight.
Levi: "Soon."
Private Chambers – Dovrin Lord's Manor (Baron Kael)
Amber candlelight flickered across silk and sin.
Velvet curtains shut the world out. Every surface gleamed with stolen gold—rings, goblets, ornaments, jewels.
At the center of it all: Baron Jonas Limbers.
Bare-chested. Reclining on a heavy chest overflowing with coins and chains.
A woman fed him grapes. Another massaged perfumed oil into his shoulders.
Jonas laughed—low, greasy. Coins ran through his fingers like water.
Jonas: "This plague... a blessing in disguise."
The door creaked open.
General Varce entered—tall, armored, cold.
Jonas didn't turn.
Jonas: "Speak, but don't ruin the mood."
Varce: "The two girls. Levi Adler and the other—they're in the hill. Gathering herb samples. If they connect it to the city's water—"
Jonas sighed. Tossed grapes into his mouth.
Juice ran down his lip. Blood-red.
Jonas (mouth full): "They'll never get close. The guards were supposed to stop them."
Varce: "They fought them off."
Jonas's chewing slowed.
He turned, face flat.
Jonas: "...Fought off seventeen of my men?"
Varce nodded. One beat.
Varce: "Yes."
Pause.
Varce: "And there's more. Winter Verlice and his aide—Crane—they've vanished. Last seen heading toward the river base. Might be tracking the same lead."
Jonas blinked—then chuckled.
Jonas: "Winter Verlice and Levi Adler? Working together?"
He laughed harder.
Jonas: "She'd rather drown in snow than owe him. And him? He'd never work with a manipulative little frost witch."
He waved it off like smoke.
Jonas: "Still... the girl's proving more trouble than expected."
Varce stepped forward.
Voice crisp. Serious.
Varce: "Should I assemble the unit? We can eliminate her tonight."
Jonas tilted his head. Smirked.
Jonas: "Yes. Kill the Adler girl before she stirs the city further."
Varce: "And the other one?"
A pause.
Jonas's smile turned sharp.
Jonas: "We weren't ordered to finish her, were we?"
Varce: "No, my Lord."
Jonas flicked a gold coin to the floor. It hit stone with a cold clink.
Jonas: "Then she's yours. Do whatever you want. Just make sure she doesn't come back."
Varce bowed. A twisted grin curling.
The doors shut with a deep, final thud.
Baron Jonas leaned back into his mountain of gold, his laughter thick in the air.
The women resumed their work.
The plague carried on.
Hidden Apartment — Dovrin
The room was modest. High up in a forgotten district, near the city wall. Curtains drawn. Lamps dim.
The faint glow from a scrying orb lit the space in cold, sterile light.
Crane sat cross-legged on the floor, herb samples scattered before him like puzzle pieces. Alexander leaned forward, restless. Winter stood near the window, half-shadowed, golden eyes scanning the fog-soaked skyline.
Crane (snapping his fingers): "Got it. Talvra root mixed with Lenora moss. Slow poison when burned and boiled. But tweak it right, and it turns into a cheap high."
He held up a brittle stalk—greenish, pungent, dangerous.
Crane: "It only grows in the lower wetlands. Fifteen minutes downhill."
Alexander (perking up): "Then let's go. If we move now, we beat the Lord's men and—"
Winter (cutting in): "No."
He turned. Arms crossed. Face unreadable.
Winter: "That part of the wetland is guarded. We go now, we walk into Lord Kael's hands."
Alexander: "But if we wait—"
Winter: "We won't be waiting."
"We let her draw them. If Levi Adler's already down there... she'll make the noise."
Crane raised a brow.
Crane: "And while they're looking at her—"
Winter: "We move. Quiet. Clean. We collect the root, fresh. I make an antidote that works."
Alexander (grinning): "Heh. You really do trust her."
Winter didn't reply. Just sealed the sample bag and placed it in the case.
Winter (cool, dismissive): "If she gets caught, her bad.If she doesn't—well... good for her."
Crane let out a crooked smile. Alexander gave a low whistle.
Crane: "Brutal."
Winter (soft, almost to himself): "She doesn't leave loose threads."
The orb dimmed. Crane packed the kit.
Crane: "Then we wait for her spark...and light the rest of the fire."
Vraun's Hill — Nightfall
Pale moonlight glazed the ruins. Cold wind. Broken stones. Ghosts of things long buried.
Evie crouched low, hands in the soil. Fingers deft. Fast. The poisoned roots went into the pouch one by one.
A few feet away, Levi sat on a jagged rock. Arms wrapped tight. The strands of her midnight blue hair catching the starlight.
She stared up at the sky—quiet, distant.
Levi (thinking): "Married to Winter Verlice. Out of every disaster... this one might be the joke that never ends."
She exhaled. Frost in the breath.
Evie (softly): "Got enough to keep a lab busy for weeks. Let's move before—"
Rustling.
Voices.
Boots. Dozens.
From the dark, the Lord's elite emerged—blades drawn. Silent. Surrounding them like a noose.
Levi (rising): "They came faster than expected."
Evie (drawing her daggers): "Told you that trail was too open—"
Levi: "We needed confirmation."
No more talk. Just steel and frost.
Levi moved first—ice slashing through air, cracking earth, freezing swords mid-swing. But each spell cost her. Lips pale. Breath short. Her body trembled.
Evie fought beside her. Fast. Violent. But even she was tiring.
Then—
From the ridge above, three shadows on horseback.
Fog curling around them like smoke.
Alexander, squinting through the scope.
Alexander (tight): "You're really not gonna help your future wife?"
Winter stood motionless. Watching.Expression flat.
Winter: "Tough luck. Let's wait it out."
Crane (snapping): "She's burning through herself. Her face—she's ice. And Miss Ford's about to fall."
Alexander swore. Looked between the ridge and the battlefield.
Alexander: "If we don't go now, my father's gonna kill me—and yours'll bury us."
Winter didn't answer.
His jaw locked.
His gaze dropped.
And for just a second—
The frost in his eyes cracked.