Page 6 of A Kiss From Death (Oath of Vengeance #1)

N othing happens. No one moves. That’s when I hear faint sobs coming from the back of the crowd.

“Sh—sh—she isn’t…she won’t be able...” The woman breaks out into hysterical sobs, unable to finish her sentence.

The crowd is eerily silent; I can hear my own heartbeat thundering in my chest. It feels like I just ran for an hour straight as I struggle to keep up with my rapid breaths.

The woman goes to speak again but is cut off by Councilman Scar. “It seems like Miss Bronx has gotten herself into a little trouble with the Empress and is no longer with us. Pity.” He says it so casually, like her life has no meaning. That’s Vagrant Sector for you.

“In that case, I guess we will redraw for our second slot in the Crucible.” He shrugs, looking bored out of his mind and wanting to get this over with.

A dull pain draws my attention to my hand, which has a death grip around the dagger necklace hanging from my neck, a habit I partake in absentmindedly when I’m nervous.

My nerves are shot, but deep down, I know this is meant to be. There has to be some kind of meaning behind Theo’s death. I need some small meaning behind it to keep the heart in my chest beating while I’m stuck down here without him.

Theo would want a better life for me. He would want me to thrive and find purpose, have the chance to gain something invaluable for once in my life, something to give me the upper hand and a fighting chance at survival.

“Ah, let’s try this again.” Councilman Scar’s monotone voice carries over the crowd. “The official final nominee from Vagrant Sector is…”

It’s now or never, Theo.

“Ummm…Nyxi? Just Nyxi, I guess.” He shrugs and mumbles to himself. “Works for me.”

I’m frozen. My heart is at a standstill. Did I hear him correctly, or am I officially at the stage of delusion from stress? Surely, I’m not imagining this, right?

I frantically look around to see if anyone is making their way towards the front. No one is moving as they all mirror my own actions, looking around for ‘Just Nyxi’.

Truth be told, I don’t know my last name, growing up an orphan and all. The orphanage said they found me one morning, crying in a small woven basket with a piece of parchment tucked inside containing a single word.

Nyxi.

My “DNA donors”, as I like to call them, didn’t even have the decency to leave me with my lineage. They wanted zero chance of me being able to track them down one day. Parents of the year, lucky me .

I started going by Theo’s last name, Adler, when I became old enough to understand I was different. My wound was too deep to keep explaining. It’s one thing to grow up in an orphanage, but it skyrockets in severity when family-less kids can make you feel lesser.

It didn’t feel right to put Theo’s last name down for this, though.

I have to do this one on my own, for him.

It is my time to emerge into the woman I dreamed about as a child, the woman whose life had played out differently.

It’s time to show the world the woman who’s been hiding in the shadows, waiting for her moment. For this moment.

My awakening .

I take in a shaky breath, attempting to calm myself before I slip past the few people standing in front of me.

I already feel more at ease in the open air instead of being pancaked between sweaty, stinky Vagrants.

Many Vagrants live on the streets without running water, and my nose is paying the price for it right now.

Clearing my throat, I stand eye level with our hunchbacked Councilman. Reaching out, I shake his boney hand. “Just Nyxi,” I state in a firm but borderline bored voice. I cannot let anyone find weakness within my exterior for their own leverage, especially with all eyes on me.

Let the games begin.