Liam's Perspective
My eyes scanned the ssage again, barely believing what I was reading.
"Warning: Umbral Covenant has issued death order against Liam Knight. Ten half-step Martial Marquis dispatched to execute. Signed, A Friend."
Ten half-step Martial Marquis. Ten! The Umbral Covenant wasn't just trying to kill . They were making a statent.
I pocketed my communication crystal and stared out the window of Michael Ashworth's guest room. Dawn was breaking over Veridia City, painting the sky in shades of gold and crimson. Beautiful. Deceptive. Like everything in this damned city.
"Why would the Umbral Covenant target ?" I muttered to myself.
The Umbral Covenant was infamous across the continent—a shadowy organization of elite assassins who only accepted contracts on the most dangerous or politically significant targets. Their involvent ant I'd beco more than just a local nuisance.
I had beco a threat.
A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts.
"Enter," I called.
Michael Ashworth stepped into the room. His usually composed face showed hints of concern.
"You've heard," he said, not a question but a statent.
I nodded. "News travels fast."
"The Warrior's Scroll just published a special report," Michael explained. "They're calling it 'The Hunt for the Dragon's Heir.' Very dramatic."
Great. Now I had a title.
"Ten half-step Martial Marquis," I said. "That's quite the complint."
Michael didn't smile. "This isn't a joke, Liam. The Umbral Covenant doesn't fail. Not ever."
"There's a first ti for everything." Findthischapter'ssourceon*.
He shook his head. "You don't understand. They've never deployed this many high-level operatives for a single target before. Not in their entire history."
That gave pause. "Why now? Why ?"
"That's the question, isn't it?" Michael sat in a nearby chair. "The Covenant doesn't act without purpose. Soone very powerful wants you dead—and is willing to pay an extraordinary price."
The Blackthornes ca to mind imdiately. Or perhaps Corbin Ashworth. But neither seed to have the connections or resources to engage the Umbral Covenant on this scale.
"I need to leave Veridia City," I said. "Too many enemies here, and I need answers."
"Where will you go?"
"Dolan," I decided. "Axel Kaelen and Evelyn Norton are both there. They might know more about the Covenant's interest in ."
Michael nodded. "A reasonable plan. But you should know—Dashiell has been making quite a na for himself in Pyro City's tournant."
"I saw the article," I said flatly.
"He's not just winning fights. He's cultivating influence. Making allies. The Blackthorne family is positioning him as the next great champion of the younger generation."
"Let him play his gas," I said. "I have more important concerns."
"Don't underestimate reputation, Liam. It's a weapon like any other."
I appreciated Michael's counsel, but with assassins on my trail, Dashiell's tournant success seed trivial.
"I'll leave tonight," I said. "Better to move while I still can."
Michael stood. "I'll arrange a discrete transport. And Liam—" he paused at the door, "—do be careful. The world is watching your every move now."
---
Across the city, in the imposing central tower of the Veridia City Martial Guild, seven figures sat around a circular table. The chamber was sealed with multiple formations that prevented any sound from escaping or any spy techniques from penetrating.
"The Umbral Covenant has overstepped," declared Olivia Chen, the oldest mber present. "Dispatching assassins to our city without consultation violates our arrangent."
"Their target isn't our concern," countered Victor Davenport, a sharp-featured man with cold eyes. "Liam Knight is an unaffiliated rogue. Let them have him."
"It sets a dangerous precedent," Olivia insisted.
Erson Hols, Dashiell Blackthorne's master, stroked his beard thoughtfully. Though not the highest-ranked mber present, his political acun made him the room's true power center.
"Perhaps," he began carefully, "we should consider the benefits of allowing this hunt to proceed."
All eyes turned to him.
"Explain," commanded Olivia.
"Liam Knight represents a potential problem for us. Not for what he is now, but for what he could beco." Erson's voice remained asured, reasonable. "He's displayed remarkable talent and growth. More importantly, he's shown himself to be... independent-minded."
"You an disobedient," Victor said with a smirk.
"Precisely." Erson nodded. "He rejects our hierarchy. Our traditions. Given ti and resources, such a man could beco genuinely dangerous—perhaps more so than the Covenant itself."
The chamber fell silent as the leaders considered his words.
"And what of the girl?" asked another mber. "The Ashworth heiress."
"Isabelle is safely contained," Erson assured them. "Her bloodline makes her far too valuable to risk in this matter."
"So we simply allow the Covenant to eliminate a potential rival for us?" Olivia summarized. "Convenient, if sowhat cowardly."
Erson's smile didn't reach his eyes. "I prefer to think of it as efficient resource managent. Why spend our energy when others will do the work for free?"
After further debate, the vote was cast. Six to one in favor of non-interference. Olivia Chen cast the lone dissenting vote, her ancient eyes troubled by more than just protocol violations.
As the eting disbanded, Erson lingered in the chamber. Once alone, he activated a communication crystal.
"Roderick? It's done. The Guild will not interfere."
Roderick Blackthorne's voice crackled through the crystal. "Excellent. And you're certain Liam Knight will be eliminated?"
"Ten half-step Martial Marquis against one young upstart? It's hardly a contest."
"I want him alive," Roderick said suddenly.
Erson frowned. "Alive? The Covenant doesn't typically—"
"I don't care about their typical procedures. Cripple him, break him, but keep him alive. My son deserves the satisfaction of defeating him personally—in front of Isabelle Ashworth."
Erson suppressed a sigh. The Blackthornes and their obsession with public displays. Still, he had to manage this relationship carefully.
"I'll see what can be arranged," he promised. "But it will cost extra."
"Money is no object. Just make it happen."
After ending the communication, Erson summoned an aide—a thin, nondescript man who materialized from the shadows as if he'd been part of them.
"Send soone right away to keep an eye on Liam Knight," Erson ordered coldly. "I want to know his every move before he makes it."
The aide bowed silently and vanished, leaving Erson alone with his thoughts. Liam Knight was becoming an increasingly complex problem. The Covenant might solve it permanently—or they might fail and create an even greater threat.
Either way, Erson would be prepared. After all, puppets were only useful when soone pulled their strings. And Erson Hols had been pulling strings for a very, very long ti.
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