Page 50 of Realms of Swords and Storms (Empire of Vengeance #3)

As I exited the records hall, the square had begun to fill in earnest. Families spread blankets across the cobblestones. Children darted between vendor stalls, their laughter rising above the general din. Musicians tuned their instruments on a small stage.

And still, the imperial guards seemed unconcerned. Relaxed. Almost... expectant.

I looked up at the reviewing stand where local officials would gather—my final target, where I would plant the device with the longest timer.

It was positioned at the far end of the square, a wooden platform draped in imperial crimson and gold.

And it was surrounded by... nothing. No guards.

No security cordon. Just carpenters making final adjustments to the steps.

A coldness spread through me, ice water in my veins. It was too easy. All of it. The unlocked doors. The minimal security. The encouraged civilian attendance.

As if they knew. As if they were waiting.

I changed direction, moving toward the alley where Kalen had established our meeting point. I found him there, conferring with two of the others, each device had its own volunteer, a man or woman who would trigger the device and then escape. Six people, six devices.

"Something's wrong," I said without preamble, my voice low but urgent. "The security is all wrong. And they're encouraging families to attend, filling the square with civilians."

Kalen's expression didn't change, but something in his eyes did—a hardening, a narrowing. "You're nervous. It's understandable. The first operation is always the hardest."

"This isn't about nerves," I insisted. "Look at the square. Look at the guards. They're not concerned. It's like they're expecting something."

"Or perhaps they're simply enjoying the festival like everyone else," Kalen countered smoothly. "Not everything is a conspiracy, Tarshi."

"The reviewing stand has no security," I pressed. "None. Does that seem normal to you? For a platform where Imperial officials will gather?"

A faint line appeared between Kalen's brows—concern or annoyance, I couldn't tell. "We're not targeting the officials," he reminded me. "Just the empty stand, after the ceremony, as a symbol. Have you placed the other devices?"

"Yes," I admitted. "But I'm telling you, something feels wrong. There are children out there, Kalen. Families. More arriving every minute."

"And they'll be warned," he said, his voice hardening slightly. "As we discussed. Enough time to clear the area before the devices activate."

I studied his face, searching for any sign of doubt or concern. I found none. Just a calm certainty that suddenly seemed more frightening than reassuring.

"How many?" I asked, the question forming before I had fully processed my suspicion. "How many devices are being placed today? Just the six in my bag?"

Kalen's expression didn't flicker. "Of course. As we discussed."

But I caught it—the briefest glance between him and one of the others. A silent communication that confirmed my growing fear.

"You're lying," I said, taking a step back. "There are more. Aren't there? Devices I don't know about. Locations I wasn't told about."

"Tarshi," Kalen's voice was a warning now. "You're becoming hysterical. Perhaps you should—"

"No," I cut him off, my mind racing as pieces fell into place. "No, this isn't right. None of it is right." I looked at the square, now filling with families, with children, with innocent people who had no idea what was coming. "We have to stop this. We have to warn them."

I turned to go, to run into the square shouting a warning, but hands grabbed me from behind—the two men who had been with Kalen, now restraining me with surprising strength.

"I'm sorry it's come to this," Kalen said, his voice genuinely regretful. "I had hoped you would see it through to the end."

I struggled against the hands holding me, panic rising in my throat. "See what through? The murder of children? Is that what the resistance stands for now?"

"The resistance stands for whatever is necessary," Kalen replied calmly. "And today, what's necessary is a demonstration that cannot be ignored or dismissed."

They dragged me backward, into a building I hadn't noticed before—a wine merchant's shop, closed for the festival, its cellar entrance gaping open like a mouth ready to swallow me.

"You can't do this," I gasped as they hauled me down the steps into the darkness below. "There are innocents out there. Children. This isn't justice, it's murder."

"It's war," Kalen corrected, following us down. "And in war, there are casualties. The Empire didn't hesitate to burn Talfen villages, to slaughter Talfen children. Why should their children be more precious than ours?"

Horror rose in me like a tide. "Because we're supposed to be better than them! Because if we become what we hate, what's the point of fighting at all?"

They bound me to a support beam, the ropes cutting into my wrists. The cellar was dim, lit only by what little daylight filtered through a small, street-level window.

"I trusted you," I said, staring at Kalen as the terrible truth began to dawn. "We all did. The entire resistance."

"And that trust was not misplaced," Kalen replied, his voice still infuriatingly calm. "I am doing what needs to be done. What no one else has the courage to do."

"Murdering children isn't courage," I spat. "It's cowardice."

Something flickered in Kalen's eyes then—a cold, hard glint that I had never seen before.

"It's necessary," he said again. "With the hundreds of deaths today, the people of the Empire will finally understand the consequences of their indifference.

They will know fear. They will know loss.

And they will know that the resistance is to be taken seriously. "

A new, more terrible suspicion took root in my mind. "Or is that even what you want?" I asked, my voice dropping to a whisper. "Hundreds of deaths—imperial citizens, innocents, children—at the hands of the 'resistance.' What does that accomplish, Kalen? Who does that serve?"

He didn't answer, but something in his expression—a subtle shift, a tightening around the eyes—told me I had struck closer to the truth than he liked.

"You're not resistance at all, are you?" The words felt like acid on my tongue. "You're Imperial. This whole thing—the bombs, the civilians—it's a setup. A way to turn public opinion against the Talfen, against anyone who opposes the Empire."

"Very good, Tarshi," Kalen said softly, a new note in his voice—respect, perhaps, or simply resignation. "I wondered if you'd figure it out."

The world seemed to tilt beneath me, reality itself rearranging into a nightmare configuration. "All this time... you've been working for the Emperor?"

"For the Empire," he corrected. "For order. For the greater good." He paused, studying me with what seemed like genuine regret. "The resistance was becoming too popular, gaining too much sympathy. That had to change."

"So you'll murder children," I said, bile rising in my throat. "Use their deaths to justify what? A purge? Martial law?"

"Whatever is necessary to restore order.

" He straightened, suddenly looking every inch the Imperial agent he truly was.

"With today's tragedy—the brutal targeting of innocent families by Talfen terrorists—the public will demand action.

They will support whatever measures are required to eliminate the threat.

And all this tiresome sympathy for the Talfen will evaporate overnight. "

I lunged against my bonds, hatred burning through me like wildfire. "I'll kill you for this," I promised, the words torn from some primal place deep within me. "I swear by all the gods, I will tear you apart with my bare hands."

Kalen regarded me with something like pity.

"You won't have the chance, I'm afraid. This building is on the detonation list. Not one of yours, of course—we couldn't risk you having second thoughts about that particular target.

" He checked a small timepiece from his pocket.

"In approximately two hours, it will collapse entirely.

A regrettable casualty of the day's events. "

My blood ran cold. "The others—Mira, the resistance members who aren't here today—they don't know, do they? They're innocent in this."

"Most of them," Kalen agreed. "Useful idiots, as my superiors would say. Though a few key figures have been... compromised for some time. Enough to ensure the plans proceeded as needed."

He turned to go, pausing at the foot of the stairs. "For what it's worth, I am sorry it came to this. You had potential, Tarshi. In another life, you might have been a valuable asset to the Empire."

I stared at him, hatred and despair warring within me. "In another life," I said, my voice a low growl, "you would never have been able to use me as your puppet."

Something like regret flickered across his face. Then he nodded to the men who had bound me. "Make sure he's secure. Then take your positions. We have less than an hour until the first detonation."

The two men gave my ropes a final, vicious tug before heading up the stairs, leaving me along with Kalen in the suffocating gloom.

“Why?” I asked. “Why would you do something like this? Why would you do this to your own citizens, Kalen?”