THE BLOOD-STAINED VOW

lked into his war room and tos

up at me. As always, h

id you f

y pil

he

hour

just telli

o see if I

owly. "You should

't have let

ack. "No br

nd. No sign

once against the

your house wants

awa

d s

breathing,"

s. "What does t

as s

gnized it

it before,"

he

out a worn leather binder and flipped through a set of

rk. Sam

t is

gho

aga

They call themselves the Noctem Order. M

s char

someone pays well eno

them," I said. "And

"This could have started before

symbol again.

anyone inside

anyone who ever trie

re

d. "They don't warn p

sank. "So w

else," he said. "One th

I'm

re alwa

e a fact. No e

him fo

pected hi

names,

t your

on't g

settle fo

topped in the doorw

ha

They knew when. That's not a merc

. "Which means it's so

d at eac

y, he

ve a t

the underground hal

Iron torche

meet your pet a

ing lik

used to vag

o pay attentio

black door and knocked

on the t

an Kaelen by maybe ten years. Hair silver at the edges. One eye was cove

Kae

ke dry smoke. "You married a V

mile. "Cassair.

. "Come in, both of you. Don't wor

e you?"

walked toward a desk cluttered w

messes," he said. "Now I

ou're ex-Drav

ckled. "Ex-

" Kaelen said. "Bett

sair added. "That's got

a note in my room. Threatened me.

than blood. Messages. Symbols. Ritu

like you ad

em," he said. "I

er. "Why are y

e Kae

r w

ed. "For not lettin

len. He said no

"You're not the first to get that mark. But

"There's

lurry photo. A body. Neck sla

re under h

?" he

. "East border. The body belong

e photo. That

as he c

envelope. "Whatever it

one's cutting off messages

f," Kael

"Can you find out w

an t

not good

get close enough to find out who pai

o walk," I said. "I

ked at me,

r in his eye, that he hadn't expect

ll Kaelen I

k but I didn'

ne of the kitchen g

niform, but he walks like Valtore. I

was e

st, Kaelen hadn't assigned to me. Through the cracked garde

melled like r

en I s

houlders. A scar on the left wr

il

fro

ed s

here

rs. The boy who once held a blade to a counci

iv

u were suppose

d. "For about t

rd. "You were a

ugh not to be seen. Clos

't you co

ter wasn't aiming

urned to i

looked harder than I remembered older

first. Changed cours

not po

one wanted to

Who hired you

me on my own. To finish

ow who

art of wh

tell

e said. "Bu

d down the corr

dy moving toward the dag

el

cou

n me and Rilan,

ou're sneaking around

st," I said. "H

d closer. "He

to

he one I'm wo

linch. "I'm no

at all ene

een them, my h

side now," I said. "Whe

stared

n a

u're right

the firs

't sur

ntil Kaelen le

st gave me a look. The kind that said I'

to the lining of his coat and pulled out a

he wedding," he said. "Said if anythin

lse s

ad it?"

need to. He told me you

ded it

gnized the handwriting inst

athe

ly four words

ds and o

h Maive. Th

ound s

d at th

s made sense.

ed ghost cleaner. The one feedi

th wen

gave this to yo

and said, 'If I die, they'll move fast. Sh

ss

ust told us h

d tucked it inside t

new, he'd c

assair w

t get a se

to anyone,"

. "I'll wait fo

adows again like he'd

rridor, my father's final w

I exp

Cass

rayal cu

t, I almost believe

mo