Nyu watched as Elara and Kaelen stared at each other in utter disbelief. She didn't quite understand what was so shocking about a simple assassination — down here, they were part of daily life. Besides, they had already learned about Malvorn's plans to attack Cylion. In her eyes, it didn't matter much if their ruler died in his sleep with his throat cut open, or on the battlefield with a hammer buried in his chest. She did, however, understand how it would destabilize the power and might of Cylion before the fighting even started.

Nyu gave the siblings a brief moment to collect their thoughts.

She definitely wanted to redeem her reward for returning Kaelen and Elara before Cylion would drown in chaos. They would have to make haste, potentially go for less secure routes, but faster ones. Of course, they would avoid the main entrances to the underground city, as they would surely be swarming with guards by now. She could only imagine Malvorn's rage when he found the fate tome missing, and his harsh reaction would surely be hard and swift.

Nyu smirked. She couldn't help but notice the irony of having stolen the same book twice now.

"Can I take a look?" Elara stammered after a long pause.

Kaelen wordlessly handed her the tome.

His sister studied it for a moment, cross reading the same pages he'd been staring at. Nyu could see tiny muscles around her temples twitch as her mind tried to make sense of what she saw.

"How is this possible?" Elara whispered. "Wouldn't the Fateweaver who created this tome have notified the order?"

Kaelen helplessly shook his head. "I don't know," he muttered. "But I guess that explains why the Fateless stole the tome — they wanted to protect whoever it belongs to. If any Fateweaver we know had read this tome, they would've incinerated it right there and then."

Nyu raised an eyebrow.

"What good is that supposed to do?" she asked.

Kaelen flinched, then looked at her in embarrassment. "Oh," he said as if he had completely forgotten about her presence. "It doesn't really matter."

She knew he was holding back because of her background. In his eyes, she was still the enemy, despite the fact that she was clearly not a fan of Malvorn or his plans. But it didn't matter to her — she could imagine that burning a fate tome was probably not in its owner's best interest.

"What I really don't understand," Elara murmured, while pensively skimming through the first pages of the tome, "is why all these pages are empty. I've never seen anything like it."

Nyu almost blurted out that she was also surprised to see that when she'd briefly peeked inside the tome before sacking it in the Great Library. At the last second, she could stop herself.

"I guess, somehow, someone managed to erase that part of the tome. Or hide it," Kaelen said pensively.

Elara nodded. "So we would have a harder time tracking down the owner," she concluded.

"But —," Kaelen began, then paused briefly. "Does that mean there are Fateless who are not actually Fateless? So this person is one of them, but in secret has a fate tome in their name?"

The siblings seemed to ponder the thought, then, almost at the exact same time, turned their gazes towards Nyu.

"What?" Nyu barked. "Are you serious?"

"You definitely fit the profile," Elara said, in a mixture of apology and accusation.

"The profile of an assassin?" Nyu sneered.

But if she was being honest, that assessment was not too far-fetched.

When they kept eyeing her, she added: "My parents were Fateless from birth. They were proud of resisting the Fateweavers, and I can guarantee you they would've never asked a Fateweaver to record our fates. Besides, most people down here could be persuaded to commit murder, for the right price."

Elara frowned like she'd bitten on something sour. Nyu almost took pleasure in feeding her disapproval.

"I think," Kaelen began after a brief moment of silence, "We should destroy the tome."

Elara looked alert. "And kill someone without even knowing who they are?"

"We know enough about them. We know that they want to destabilize Cylion," Kaelen said evasively.

"Hold up," Nyu interjected and raised her hands. "Are you telling me you want to kill an innocent person before they have even committed any crime?"

Kaelen grimaced. "It's not that easy. The fate tome says they will do it, no doubts about it. It's like they'd already done it."

"Except they haven't," Nyu persisted. "I guess Malvorn is right about the Fateweavers and their twisted beliefs."

Kaelen looked torn and turned to Elara for support.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with her," she said quietly. "If we extinguish this unknown person based on what they will do in the future, we are no better than the oppressor Malvorn sees in us."

Frustration was showing on Kaelen's face as he reached for the tome in Elara's hands. His sister hesitated briefly before giving it back to him.

"So, what do you suggest we do?" he growled.

"I say we take it back to Master Zerath and see what he thinks. After all, that was the task we were given, remember? It was never about destroying the tome."

"That was before we learned about its content," Kaelen snapped. "I can't believe you are willing to take that risk. What if King Montis and his family get murdered before we even get back to the Great Library?"

Nyu studied the arguing siblings for a moment, wondering what it must be like to live a life like theirs — it would've been very different from hers.

"I see a third option," Nyu said casually, and pushed back the banks that framed her face. "Since we are going to Cylion anyway, which I'm sure you didn't forget about in all this, you might as well try to prevent what you read about. Go talk to Montis, tell him he should double his guard."

"That's not how it works," Kaelen sighed. "What is written in a fate tome is binding."

Nyu scoffed. "I refuse to believe that. You can't tell me fate can't be altered at least a little. Maybe not on its own, but surely with the knowledge of what is about to happen." She pointed at the tome in Kaelen's hand. "Knowledge that you now have."

Elara gave Kaelen a caring look. "Think back to the quail," she said, ignoring Nyu's confused face, "what you wrote in that fate tome did, in fact, only partially come true."

"I doubt that's the same here," Kaelen hissed.

"Maybe, maybe not," Elara said and shrugged. "But there must be a reason why all these important leaders come to the Great Library for guidance. If their fates were already set in stone, what good would it do?" Then, after a brief pause, she added: "It's not like a fate tome explicitly describes everything."

"Well, this one was pretty explicit about the part with the murder," Kaelen muttered, looking down at the plain cover.

"Let's at least try it," Elara pleaded, giving Kaelen an encouraging smile. "We can try to get an audience with King Montis when we are in Cylion, Maybe we can convince him to take precautions. Then, we can head back to the Great Library and talk to Master Zerath about it. I'm sure he will know what to do."

Nyu was happy to hear they were coming to terms with going to Cylion. It would be easier if they went along willingly, and it would surely increase her reward if she didn't have to persuade them by means of a knife.

Kaelen seemed to consider her proposition for a long moment, his face mirroring his agony. Then he nodded half-heartedly.

"Fine, let's do it your way." After a brief pause, he added: "I still think it would be safer to just destroy the tome."

"Excellent," Nyu chimed in, ignoring Kaelen's last remark. "Let's get ready to leave, then. We've been lingering for way too long already."

"But," Kaelen protested, "we've only read a fraction of the tome. Who knows what else this person is going to do?"

Nyu frowned. "We don't have time for you to read that entire book. And since the murder of the king of Cylion has to happen first, anyway, I'm sure you will still get to catch up."

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Elara looked concerned. "I'm starting to wonder if we should've even read this much."

"Since when do you shy away from knowledge?" Kaelen shot back.

His sister pursed her lips. "As much as I love knowledge, this particular kind of insight is probably best left to the Masters of our order." She glanced at Kaelen, who looked rather displeased at the sudden alliance against him.

Nyu chuckled. "You two are cute," she said, and started grabbing her stuff.

#

To say the farewell between Nyu and her sister was frosty was an understatement. Senya barely even looked up when Nyu came over to say goodbye to the two women. Alva, on the other hand, hugged her oldest daughter until Nyu gently fought her way out of the heartfelt cuddle. She even gave Kaelen and Elara a hug, even though they had just met and barely exchanged a word.

"Take care of my daughter," she urged them, and Kaelen nodded politely at her request, while she kept shaking his hand.

Nyu rolled her eyes, knowing that, if anything, she would have to take care of the Dor siblings.

Meanwhile, Senya chose to remain silent. She was in the process of cleaning a dirty pot, viciously scrubbing away at the burned crust more aggressively than she needed. Nyu stepped over to her and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Hold tight, Sparkles," Nyu whispered. She could feel her sister's muscles tremble under her hands. She didn't mean to upset her further, but she also didn't know how to talk to her anymore, so she just reverted to the way they used to talk. Now, more than ever, she was reminiscing on the days of their youth and the close bond they'd had. But time changes things, and it changes people. Senya was an adult now, too, and she had her beliefs and principles — and lately, Nyu's actions did not seem to agree with them anymore. When she promised her younger sister she'd come home soon, she had not meant for it to be like this, and to end like it had. And she knew Senya was deeply disappointed, like she had been many times before.

When Nyu closed the door behind them, she let out a sigh of emotional exhaustion. Guilt was nagging at her with sharp teeth — she felt bad for leaving so soon again, and for probably not returning for quite some time. The longer she stayed away, the worse it got whenever she came home, only making her want to be gone for even longer next time. It was a vicious cycle, and it weighed heavy on her soul.

They left the neighborhood, Nyu leading the way with the siblings close behind her. She could tell they were eying their surroundings like the stench alone could kill them, and every noise made them flinch. More than once did she snub them to be more inconspicuous, and act less like they belonged anywhere but here. She, too, was more tense than usual, the thought of Malvorn's rage looming over her. Should he catch them, Nyu could only imagine the things he would do to them, or worse yet, her family. Their ruler would be smart enough to figure out Nyu's weak spot, and he would take full advantage of it.

Before they made their way to one of the secret exits Nyu had curated over the years, they stopped at a sketchy store a few streets down from where Nyu lived. To the untrained eye, it wasn't obvious what wares were being sold here, and the milky windows did little to change that. Kaelen and Elara were glancing at each other, exchanging concerned looks.

"Your message," Nyu explained, and walked up the few steps to a rusty metal door with a small hatch.

She knocked loudly, banging her fist against the metal. The dull sound vibrated off the walls across the street. When she looked over her shoulder, she could see Kaelen and Elara nervously watching their surroundings, as if they were expecting an ambush. For what it's worth, she thought, Malvorn's soldiers rarely made their way into this remote part of the underground city, leaving its inhabitants to their shady dealings. It meant more risk, more violence — but also more opportunity, for those willing to take their chances.

When the hatch slid open with a grinding noise, a pair of narrow eyes appeared in the opening. They darted from Nyu to the two strangers in the background, examining them with burning suspicion.

"What do you want?" a peevish voice hissed from behind the door.

"Cut the crap, Ravik," Nyu retorted impatiently.

Ravik seemed unfazed. "Who are they?" he snarled, his eyes narrowing even further as he glanced past Nyu's shoulder.

"They are business associates," Nyu droned out. "I vouch for them."

"What business?"

"Open that stupid door, or I will bash it in," Nyu barked, her patience wearing thin.

Ravik Cowl was an information broker she had worked with in the past. As part of his profession, he also employed a network of spies and messengers, who would have no trouble getting a message to the Great Library. She personally did not care one bit for said message, but it was the deal they had struck, and if it kept the Dor siblings obedient, she was going to honor it.

She could hear Ravik grumble, hissing a quiet curse, before he started unlocking the door. A first lock clicked open, then a second one, and finally a third. When the door swung open, it exposed a short man with a cane and a hunch. His gray hair engulfed a bald patch at the top of his cranium, his wrinkled pouches flanked a crooked nose, and his large ears were splaying out like barn doors.

He stared at Kaelen and Elara with sinister eyes, grinding his teeth under his patchy mustache.

"Where did you pick up those guys?" he rasped and loudly spat onto a pile of trash next to the door.

Elara frowned in disgust, while Kaelen's hand seemed to grasp for a nonexistent weapon on his back.

Nyu sighed. "They are not from here. They are from the surface."

Ravik's eyes swelled to the size of plums, his eyelids yanked open. With unexpected agility, he bridged the gap between himself and Nyu and vigorously yanked on her sleeve, using his other hand to usher the Dor siblings inside.

"Are you mad?" he squeaked, as he pulled them inside and shut the door, locking all three locks behind them.

"You can't just sputter things like that out on the street."

Nyu shrugged. "It made us skip your games."

Ravik's eyebrows showed his exasperation.

"Impertinent youth," he muttered. "You think nothing can hurt you, but you will get what's coming for you."

"Is that a threat?" Nyu sneered, but she knew it was just banter.

Ravik ignored the question and instead limped to a counter on the other side of the small room. A metal oven was crackling in the corner, and the scent of leather filled the air. It was overly warm — a sign that Ravik's enterprise was going well, and he could afford more coals than he needed. He probably had the means to move to a nicer part of town, but his business depended on the proximity to people like Nyu.

"What do you want?" Ravik repeated his initial question, achingly sitting down on a bar stool. A stack of scrolls was lying on the counter, probably what he'd been studying before they knocked at his door. He quickly took the notes and shoved them in a compartment, watching Nyu as if to check whether she'd seen anything she shouldn't have.

"I always found your hospitality truly heartwarming," Nyu jabbed.

Ravik snorted and pointed a wrinkly finger at her. "Now, you are playing games."

"Fair enough," Nyu said and nodded. "We need to send a message."

Ravik glanced at Kaelen and Elara. "We?" he repeated scornfully.

Nyu rolled her eyes. "It needs to be delivered to a man named Zerath at the Great Library."

Raised eyebrows told her she'd piqued Ravik's interest — as expected.

"Go on," he prompted with an uncomfortably smooth voice that didn't fit his haggard face.

Nyu turned to the siblings, gesturing for them to plead their case.

Elara and Kaelen exchanged uncomfortable glances, their hesitation as clear as a crystal in candlelight. When Kaelen spoke, his voice was cautious but assertive.

"The content of the message is … confidential," he said, raising his arms apologetically. "We would prefer to just send a sealed letter."

Ravik scoffed with palpable annoyance. "Where did you pick up these mud brains?" he barked at Nyu, who was messaging her forehand with one of her hands. "Do these surface dwellers think we all dance to their piping? If your message is that confidential, you can go deliver it yourself."

He seemed to suppress the impulse to spit on the counter, then looked at his hands and muttered a quiet curse.

"We meant no disrespect," Elara quickly added, her voice trembling. Ravik raised his head and studied her with wary eyes. "My brother and I really need to send that message. It would mean the world to us if you could help us."

A crackling laughter bellowed through the room, as Ravik tossed back his head so violently, Nyu worried he was going to break his fragile old neck. Baring his yellow teeth, most of them more like stumps, he laughed hard and long, his voice bouncing off the walls.

"Help?" he screeched under tears. "You think I'd do this to help you?"

Even during this short time, Nyu had come to realize that people from the surface were even more naive and gullible than folks down here made them out to be. She knew it was coming from a place of hope and good nature, but those things only led to an early demise in the underworld. She knew the siblings were not stupid — they just easily came off that way.

Elara was blushing at the violent reaction to her well-meant attempt at appeasement, but there was also a spark of defiance in her eyes.

"No, of course not," she spat out, striking a tone more suitable to this kind of place, "I'm saying that if you want this job, you are going to do it the way we want."

Ravik raised an eyebrow and glanced at Nyu, a smile tugging at his lips. "There you go," he exclaimed, "that's more like it."

Nyu had hoped this encounter would take less time. She could feel droplets of sweat forming around her temples, and her skin was starting to get itchy underneath her heavy leather rags. The heat was seeping through her clothes and clinging to her legs and arms like a film of oil.

"Lovely," she murmured impatiently. "Now that we are all best friends, why don't you get cracking on that letter of yours so we can get out of this rat's nest?"

"Excuse me?" Ravik retorted. "I will have you know that there is only a fraction of the rats left since I started laying out poison everywhere."

Elara and Kaelen looked disgusted, but Nyu couldn't tell if it was the rats or the poison that did it for them. They seemed to be inching further away from the furniture in their direct vicinity, and Nyu couldn't help but chuckle at their continued quirkiness.

#

It took the siblings ten minutes to write their letter, before they shoved it into a spotty envelope and sealed it with an old stick of wax. Of course, they had to pay Ravik upfront, but they promised him another payment in the future if the seal remained intact. How and when they would ever make said payment to Ravik, who would remain right here in the underground city, remained a mystery to Nyu, and she was almost certain the cunning information broker would not respect their wish — why bank on a future return, when you can sell confidential insights tomorrow already? Also, since Kaelen and Elara had been stripped of all their belongings during their capture, including any coin they might have had on them, Nyu had to advance an uncomfortable amount of money to pay for Ravik's services. Of course, she would charge that exact sum plus interest on top of what she would ask of their parents upon arrival in Cylion, when she would leave the siblings in their gilded hands.

When they finally left Ravik's place, the old man gave them a cheesy smile before shutting and locking the metal door behind them. In the cover of everlasting darkness, they made their way through Morathen until they reached a steep wall on the western side of town, covered in moss and slimy algae. Nyu led them along a few run-down houses, most of them abandoned, before reaching a crack in the wall of a narrow alley, barely wide enough to fit a human torso. A foul smell wafted out of the tear in the wall, and no light was breaking the blackness of the path ahead.

"Say goodbye to Morathen," Nyu muttered. "I don't expect you to be back anytime soon."

And with that, she squeezed through the opening in the face of the cave wall, the siblings close behind her.

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