The thick fog rolled over the docks, swallowing the streets in a dense, damp veil. The night air carried the scent of salt, rotting wood, and something more sinister—the lingering presence of unseen dangers lurking in the dark alleys of Velmire.
Aedric and Seris moved swiftly, their footsteps silent against the damp cobblestone. They had accomplished what they set out to do, planting the silver coin inside the Red Vipers' meeting place. Now, they had to disappear before their enemies realized they had been played.
Seris glanced over her shoulder, her sharp eyes scanning the empty streets. "We should take the canal route back. Less chance of running into Gorran's men."
Aedric nodded. "Agreed. But we need to be careful. If the Vipers are as paranoid as I think they are, they'll be watching every corner."
They pressed on, slipping through narrow alleys and shadowed passageways, avoiding the main roads where patrols might be lurking. Aedric's mind was still reeling from the conversation he had overheard inside the warehouse.
"The boy and his group—they're more dangerous than we thought."
That meant their enemies were watching them closely. But the part that unsettled him the most was the assassin's reply.
"The Red Vipers do not fail. And if they do… they are eliminated."
It was clear that whoever had hired the assassins would not tolerate failure. That could mean only one thing—their employer was someone with power. Someone who could afford to discard assassins as easily as broken tools.
As they neared the canal, the distant sound of boots echoed through the mist-covered streets. Aedric signaled for Seris to stop, pressing himself against the cold stone wall of a nearby building.
Seris followed suit, her hand instinctively reaching for her dagger. "We've got company," she whispered.
Aedric peeked around the corner. Three figures moved cautiously through the fog, their movements precise and disciplined. They weren't Gorran's men. These were professionals.
"The Vipers," he murmured.
Seris tensed. "They're already looking."
Aedric exhaled slowly. "Then we make sure they don't find us."
Carefully, they retreated further into the alley, moving in the opposite direction of the assassins. But as they did, Aedric caught a glimpse of something unusual—one of the Vipers had paused near a wooden post, where a small, folded piece of parchment had been nailed.
A message.
The assassin snatched the note and unfolded it, scanning its contents before tucking it into his cloak. He motioned to the others, and the three of them changed course, heading toward the market district.
Seris narrowed her eyes. "Someone's feeding them information."
Aedric's jaw tightened. "Then we need to find out who."
---
By the time they returned to the Silver Drake, the tension in the air had only grown thicker. Garron and Tessa were waiting inside, their expressions grim. Lirian, still recovering from his wounds, sat propped against a pile of blankets in the corner.
"You're back," Tessa said. "Did you—"
"We planted the token," Aedric interrupted. "The Vipers are already moving."
Garron's eyes darkened. "Then we don't have much time."
Aedric sat down at the wooden table, his mind already working through the possibilities. "There's something else. We saw one of the Vipers receive a message—someone in the city is giving them directions."
Seris leaned against the wall. "Which means we're dealing with more than just Gorran. He has allies in Velmire, and they're pulling strings behind the scenes."
Tessa crossed her arms. "So what's our next move?"
Aedric exhaled, rubbing his temples. They had stirred the hornet's nest, and now the real battle was about to begin. If they wanted to survive, they needed to know exactly who was behind all of this.
"We find the informant," he said. "And we make them talk."