THE FIVE THRONES

THE MASK FALLS

Evado moved first, and Sunny barely survived the opening exchange.

The assassin's blade came from nowhere—a thin line of steel that sliced across Sunny's chest. He felt the sting of it, the warmth of blood soaking through his shirt. He stumbled back, and Evado followed, his bone mask expressionless, his movements fluid as water.

"Too slow," Evado said.

Sunny didn't answer. He couldn't. He was too busy trying to stay alive.

Evado attacked again—a flurry of strikes that forced Sunny back. The blade whistled through the air, missing his throat by inches, his heart by less. Sunny blocked what he could with his forearms, but the blade found flesh again and again.

Blood dripped onto the sand.

The crowd roared.

"First blood to Evado!" the announcer shouted.

Evado circled him, his blade held loosely at his side. "You're bleeding out. Yield, and I'll make it quick."

Sunny wiped blood from his eyes. "I don't yield."

"Then you die."

Evado lunged. Sunny dropped low, grabbed a handful of sand, and threw it into the assassin's face.

Evado staggered back, clawing at his eyes. Sunny didn't hesitate. He drove his fist into Evado's ribs, then his throat, then his knee. The assassin grunted, stumbled, and Sunny followed up with a kick that sent him crashing to the ground.

The crowd gasped.

Sunny stood over him, breathing hard. "Looks like I'm not so slow after all."

Evado looked up at him. Through the eyeholes of the bone mask, Sunny could see something unexpected. Not anger. Not fear.

Respect.

"Good," Evado said. "Very good."

He rose to his feet, and the fight continued.

---

The second exchange was even more brutal.

Evado had stopped holding back. His blade moved faster than Sunny could track—a blur of steel that left cuts on his arms, his chest, his legs. Sunny gave as good as he got, landing punches that cracked ribs and kicks that buckled knees.

But Evado was better. Faster. Deadlier.

A s***h opened Sunny's thigh. He stumbled, and Evado kicked him in the chest. Sunny hit the ground hard, the air exploding from his lungs.

The assassin stood over him, blade raised for the killing blow.

"Yield," Evado said.

Sunny looked up at him. He thought about his father. About the throne. About everything he had fought for.

"No."

Evado's blade came down.

Sunny rolled. The blade hit the sand where his head had been. He came up swinging, his fist connecting with Evado's mask. The bone cracked, splitting down the middle.

The mask fell away.

Sunny stared at the face beneath it.

Evado was younger than he had expected—no older than Sunny himself. His features were sharp, angular, with the same gray eyes Sunny saw in the mirror every day. The same jaw. The same cheekbones.

They looked like brothers.

The crowd went silent.

Evado touched his face, feeling the absence of the mask. For a moment, he looked almost vulnerable.

"Now you see," he said. "Now you know."

"I know," Sunny said. "You're my cousin."

"And you're mine." Evado smiled. It was a sad expression. "I was sent to kill you. But I'm not going to."

Sunny stared at him. "What?"

"I've been watching you. The qualifiers. The matches. You fight like him. Like your father." Evado paused. "Like my uncle. The man my mother told me stories about. The man I was taught to hate."

"But you don't hate him."

"No. I don't." Evado lowered his blade. "I don't hate you either."

The crowd was murmuring now, confused. The announcer's voice was uncertain. "Is the match... over?"

Evado looked at Sunny. "Yield. Please. I don't want to kill you."

"I can't yield."

"Why not?"

"Because if I yield, Diego wins. If I yield, my father died for nothing."

Evado was silent for a long moment. Then he said, "Then we fight. But not like this. Not for their entertainment."

He turned to the crowd, his voice ringing out across the arena.

"The match is over. I forfeit."

The crowd erupted.

---

Diego's men came for them before they could leave the arena.

Sunny saw them first—six guards in Phoenix colors, their swords drawn. They pushed through the crowd, heading straight for him.

"Run," Evado said.

"What?"

"Run. Now."

They ran.

Sunny and Evado burst through the arena's back entrance, into a maze of narrow streets. The guards followed, shouting orders, their boots pounding on the cobblestones.

"Where are we going?" Sunny asked.

"The Deep Market. They won't follow us there."

They ran through the Lower Quarter, past the noodle stalls and gambling dens, past the places Sunny had known as a child. The guards were gaining, but Evado knew the streets better than they did. He led Sunny through alleys and tunnels, through passages that seemed to lead nowhere, until finally they reached an entrance to the underground.

They descended into darkness.

---

The Deep Market was a labyrinth of tunnels and chambers, lit by oil lamps that cast flickering shadows on the walls. Merchants sold secrets and poisons. Assassins traded contracts. Revolutionaries whispered plans in dark corners.

Evado led Sunny to a small chamber hidden behind a curtain of beads.

"We're safe here," Evado said. "For now."

Sunny sat down on a crate, his body aching. He was covered in cuts and bruises, his blood still dripping onto the floor. But he was alive.

"Why did you do it?" Sunny asked. "Why did you forfeit?"

Evado was silent for a long moment. Then he said, "Because I've been killing for the Tiger family since I was twelve. I've killed men, women, children. I've done terrible things. But I've never killed family."

"I'm family."

"You are." Evado looked at him. "You're the only family I have left."

Sunny didn't know what to say. He had spent years hating the families, hating the people who had killed his father. But Evado wasn't the enemy. He was a victim, just like Sunny.

"What now?" Sunny asked.

"Now we figure out how to survive. Diego won't stop. He'll send more men. He'll hunt you until you're dead."

"Then I need to kill him first."

Evado nodded slowly. "I can help with that."

---

Kaycee found them an hour later.

He burst into the chamber, his face pale, his fists clenched. "What the hell happened? The whole city is talking about it. Evado forfeited. You both ran. Diego's men are tearing the city apart looking for you."

"We're safe here," Evado said.

Kaycee looked at him. "You. The assassin. You're supposed to kill us."

"I changed my mind."

"People don't change their minds. People have agendas."

Evado smiled. "You're smarter than you look."

"Don't." Kaycee stepped toward him. "Don't play games with me. I've been protecting Sunny since the day I found him in that gutter. I'm not going to let you hurt him."

"I'm not going to hurt him."

"Then why should I trust you?"

"Because I'm his cousin. Because I forfeited the match to save his life. Because Diego wants us both dead." Evado paused. "And because I know things that can help you win."

Kaycee looked at Sunny. "You believe him?"

Sunny nodded. "I do."

Kaycee was silent for a long moment. Then he said, "Fine. But if you betray us, I'll kill you myself."

"Fair enough."

---

They spent the night in the Deep Market, planning their next move.

Diego was the key. He was the one who had ordered Sunny's father's murder. He was the one who controlled the Phoenix family. If they could take him down, they could cripple the families' power.

But Diego was protected. He had guards, spies, informants everywhere. Getting close to him was nearly impossible.

"I can get you in," Evado said. "Diego trusts me. He thinks I'm still loyal."

"You're sure?" Sunny asked.

"I'm sure. He'll expect me to report back after the match. I'll tell him I killed you. I'll tell him I dumped your body in the Wastes. He'll believe me."

"And then?"

"And then I'll bring you to him. As a prisoner. He'll want to gloat before he kills you. That's his weakness—he's arrogant."

Sunny thought about it. It was a risk. A huge risk. But it was also the best chance they had.

"Alright," he said. "We do it."

---

The next morning, Sunny woke to find Francisco standing over him.

The old man looked tired. His eyes were dark, his face drawn. He had been searching for them all night.

"You're alive," Francisco said.

"I'm alive."

Francisco looked at Evado. "You. The assassin."

"I'm on your side now."

"People don't switch sides. They only change who they're betraying."

"I'm not betraying anyone. I'm choosing my family."

Francisco studied him for a long moment. Then he nodded slowly. "Your mother was a good woman. She didn't deserve what happened to her."

Evado's expression flickered. "You knew my mother?"

"I knew her. I knew your uncle. I knew everyone before the families tore themselves apart." Francisco paused. "I'm sorry I couldn't save them."

"You can save us now." Evado looked at Sunny. "You can help us kill Diego."

Francisco smiled. It wasn't a pleasant expression. "I've been waiting thirty years to hear those words."

---

The plan was simple.

Evado would go to Diego and tell him that Sunny was dead. He would claim he had killed him in the Wastes and disposed of the body. Diego would believe him—he had no reason not to.

Then Evado would return to the Deep Market with instructions. Diego would want proof. He would want to see the body. Evado would tell him he could bring the body to the Spire, to Diego's private chambers.

And Sunny would be waiting.

It was dangerous. If Diego suspected anything, if he had spies in the Deep Market, if the plan went wrong in any of a hundred ways, Sunny would be dead.

But it was the only chance they had.

"Are you ready?" Kaycee asked.

Sunny looked at him. "No. But I'm doing it anyway."

---

That night, Evado left for the Spire.

Sunny watched him go. He felt something he hadn't felt in a long time—hope. Fragile, desperate hope. Maybe this would work. Maybe he would finally get his revenge.

Kaycee stood beside him. "You trust him."

"I do."

"Why?"

"Because he's family. Because he chose me over the family that raised him." Sunny paused. "Because I would have done the same."

Kaycee was silent for a moment. Then he said, "You're a better man than me."

"No. I'm just a man who's tired of losing people."

They stood in silence, watching the stars.

And somewhere in the Spire District, Evado was walking into the lion's den.