DAEDILLION
The shadows spoke to me as I moved through the Blood Palace corridors, whispering secrets only Death could hear. In twenty-five lifetimes, I’d learned to listen. Tonight, they whispered of danger.
Careful, careful… guards approaching… the King is restless… Lord Kiyoshi watches…
I slipped between them like water between stones, my body dissolving into darkness when necessary, reforming when the way was clear. The night air tasted of metal and magic—blood wards activated, spells reinforced. King Takeshi knew something was coming. He just didn’t know what.
The clock In the north tower struck eleven. One hour until we began.
My chambers were exactly as I’d left them, except for the single black rose on my pillow. Bogdar’s signal that all his preparations were complete. My serv
