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Light shone from the small gap at the bottom of a door only steps from us and I stared back at it, hesitating for one fleeting moment.

These men did not deserve my fear.

Three steps later I was at the door, my fingers wrapping around the handle as I glanced over my shoulder at Andrues.

“I will not let anything happen to you,” he whispered.

It was the only thing I needed to hear to let my rage overpower the fear.

Every image, every moment that they seared into my memory that night came crashing back into my mind in a violent onslaught as my boot connected with the door.

The door split from the contact, splintering further as it slammed against the stone wall, and both men’s eyes flashed toward me as the sound reverberated around the vaulted room.

Every ounce of blood drained from their faces as their eyes locked on mine, their complexions greying as Andrues slipped into the room behind me and leaned against the broken doorframe.

“Hello, boys,” I sang, a smile bordering on unhinged stretching across my lips as I stepped further into the room.

Clayson’s eyes flickered from Andrues to me as he cleared his throat and stood from behind his large wooden desk, forcing a smile. “The Woman of Many Faces, what a pleasure it is to see you again.”

Alexi slowly stood from where he sat in the chair across from Clayson as I gave a mock bow.

“The pleasure is mine, I assure you. Please, sit,” I said, taking another step closer to them.

Clayson’s eyes flashed to the corner of his desk where a dagger sat.

“I think we’ll stand,” he said, his body inching toward it.

My tongue clicked against my teeth.

“That would be a bad idea.” I sauntered closer, relishing in the fear emanating from them as their backs went rigid.

It was intoxicating really, seeing them cower before me when just days ago they had been so brazen, so arrogant in their assault.

“Sit down,” I spat, my voice sharp as a whip cracking against flesh. They hesitated for a moment before slowly sinking back into their chairs, eyes never leaving mine.

“Funny, isn’t it?” I asked, my fingers sliding against the polished surface of Clayson’s desk before plucking up the dagger. “How big and strong you were when you drugged me, when you had me bound. Where is that confidence now?”

Alexi swallowed hard as my eyes flashed to his, and I watched him flinch under my gaze.

Clayson held up his hands in a placating gesture. “Now, let’s not be hasty. Surely we can come to some sort of agreement. Name your price and it’s yours.”

A harsh laugh escaped my lips. “Blood is theonlypayment I’ll accept.”

My fingers curled around the empty chair beside Alexi, pulling it away from Clayson’s desk as the legs screeched against the ground. Both men instinctively pulled away from me as I casually fell into it, twirling Clayson’s dagger between my fingers. I leaned back into the chair, lifting my feet and resting them on the desk.

“You know, you forgot to ask one important question that night. Seems you were a little too focused on yourself to bother.”

“And what would that be?” Clayson growled, the vein in his neck giving away the frantic pace of his beating heart.

I tilted my head to the side as my lips curled upward. “WhoIam.”

“W-who are you?” Alexi asked, his voice almost a whimper.

“I am many people,” I started, running my fingers through the silver dripping from my head. “I’m The Woman of Many Faces, the harbinger of death, sister to the King of Locdragoon”—their eyes widened—“sister to your ‘bastard God.’”

My feet fell from the desk with a quiet thud as I leaned toward them, resting my forearms across my knees.

“But, above all, I am a woman. A woman born with violence in her blood. A woman capable of making even the devil weep. A woman who will make you suffer as I did, who will make you beg for the mercy of a quick death long before I grant it.” The words fell from my mouth like drops of poison as I pushed to my feet.