Chapter 14: The Hunt Begins

Lysandros helped her to her feet, one hand steady on her arm, the other still holding the bloodied shovel.

“Hey, hey, look at me. You still breathing?”

Alexia nodded, wincing. “Yeah, just a little spinny. Not the good kind.”

Lysandros gave a light laugh, though he was clearly worried. “Well, let’s make sure your brain’s still in there. What’s my name?”

“Ugly.”

He smiled wide. “Yep, she’s fine.”

Alexia gave him a tired shove with her shoulder. “Don’t make me stab you next.”

“Jokes on you,” he grinned, “I’m already emotionally scarred.”

She finally smiled too, even if her body still trembled a bit.

Lysandros, more serious now, looked at the blood on her forehead. “That’s a lot of headache, huh?”

“Like being kicked by a horse inside your skull.”

He gently pressed his arm to her head. “Don’t move. Just a little bit.”

Alexia didn’t flinch. She let him help, even though she hated being helped.

“You did good, you know,” Lysandros said, quiet this time. “That last move's cold as hell. Kinda scary.”

Alexia didn’t answer right away. Then, “I didn’t want to kill him.”

“I know.”

“But I had to.”

“I know,” he said again. “You did what had to be done. That’s what makes us who we are.”

She looked at him. “You ever kill someone before?”

Lysandros didn’t answer right away either. Then he looked up at the night sky.

“I’ll tell you someday. Not tonight.”

A silence passed between them. Not heavy. Just real.

Then Alexia muttered, “You still stink, by the way.”

Lysandros grinned. “Still got some toilet rage in me.”

They both chuckled.

Alexia crossed her arms, eyes on the bodies.

“These men, they’re likely behind the kidnappings.”

Lysandros leaned in slightly. “You sure?”

“Yes. They both wore blue cloaks, same as that man we fought at the Red Keep yesterday.”

He let out a small breath. “Good thing not all of them were here.”

“Right.”

She winced and touched her side. “I really need to learn how to control my fracture. The side effects are hitting too fast. I can’t let that happen again. Not in a situation like that.”

Lysandros nodded. “Don’t worry. You’ll get the hang of it. You just need to use it more. Push through it. That’s how I managed. I use mine every day. For digging, for traveling, for staying alive. After a while, the side effects slowed down. Yours will too. We're both Fractureborns, after all.”

Alexia straightened, slowly letting go of him for support. She sheathed her sword.

“I’ll try tomorrow,” she said. “But for now… for now—”

“—for now, here’s your twenty gold coins.”

The voice came from the doorway.

Alexia and Lysandros turned. Myrrha was already there, standing with a small purse of coins in hand. The sound of metal clinking inside filled the quiet.

She spoke before they could ask.

“Yes, I know,” she said calmly. “I should’ve warned you both that you’d be facing Fractureborn kidnappers. I also didn’t mention there would be two of them. For that, here’s your reward. Twenty gold coins.”

Alexia stared at her. “You knew all this time?”

Myrrha didn’t blink. “I’m careful. Strategic. I don’t walk into a fight unless I know who I’m dealing with. If I’d charged in blindly, I’d be just another story in this kingdom. Another noble, woman from the southern district, living alone, gone missing in her own house.”

Lysandros frowned. “Still!”

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Myrrha narrowed her eyes at him. “You used my toilet without asking. And didn’t flush.”

Lysandros turned red but quickly joked, “That’s gotta be worth thirty gold, at least. We almost died, you know.”

Neither Alexia nor Myrrha laughed.

Myrrha’s tone became serious again. “Lethiane. And you,” she looked at Lysandros, “you both did good. Honestly, I wasn’t sure we’d survive. But we did. So here—take it.”

Alexia didn’t take the purse. Instead, she looked at Myrrha carefully.

“You’re a Fractureborn. Aren’t you?”

“I am,” Myrrha replied, calm again. “What of it?”

“You,” Alexia hesitated. “You killed a woman in the Red Keep. I saw the mark. Ink, right above her collarbone. It wasn’t in a language I understood. And now, knowing what you are, I can’t ignore that. That was you, wasn’t it?”

Myrrha tilted her head. “How’d you figure that out? Just a lucky guess?”

Alexia shook her head. “No. When we were at your house, I saw the calligraphy in your hallway. Ink paintings. Careful strokes. That alone said a lot.”

She paused. “At first, I didn’t think much of it. But after learning you’re a Fractureborn, it all came together. I just knew.”

Myrrha gave a small smile. “Really impressive.”

Lysandros tensed, dropping the joke. His voice turned sharp. “That was you?”

Myrrha lowered the purse slightly. Her voice dropped.

“Yes. I did it. What now? Are you going to kill me? A fellow Fractureborn?”

Alexia didn’t answer right away. She was thinking.

Lysandros wasn’t. He raised his shovel in a ready stance.

“You killed her?!”

“Calm down,” Myrrha said quickly. “It’s not like you knew her. Did you? No? Then don’t threaten me, unless you want to end up like her.”

Alexia reached over and gently pushed Lysandros’ shovel down. Then turned to Myrrha.

“Why?” she asked softly. “Why kill her?”

There was a long pause.

Then Myrrha gave a slow clap. “You really are smart, Lethiane.”

She walked forward a little. “That woman was one of them. The ones behind the kidnappings.”

Alexia looked down at the bodies on the floor. “She didn’t wear a blue cloak.”

“I took it. It’s in my wardrobe if you want to check. Might be useful later, if I need to sneak in somewhere.”

Alexia's voice stayed calm, curious. “Your fracture, how does it work?”

Myrrha smiled faintly. “Ink and a quill. I write commands on the skin, in a language almost no one understands. One person at a time. Whatever I write, they do. With her, I wrote: ‘Don’t breathe. Hit yourself in the liver until you die.’ Not pretty, but it worked.”

She crossed her arms. “It’s not made for fighting head-on. It’s made for one thing, assassination. And I’m using it for good. To get rid of the ones hunting us.”

Alexia’s eyes narrowed. “How do you even know all this?”

“I walk this kingdom every night. I listen. I hear the stories, the whispers. They’re killing Fractureborns, then taking others alive.”

“Do you know why?”

“No. Not yet. That’s what I’m trying to find out. We know the what. But not the why.”

Lysandros lowered his head slightly. “Sorry.”

Myrrha blinked. “Sorry?”

He looked at Alexia. “I jumped to conclusions. Again. No evidence.”

Alexia sighed. “It’s fine. We’re both just tired.”

Myrrha raised the purse. “So? Are you taking this gold or not? I’m not asking again.”

Lysandros smiled. “Why are you talking about money like it’s candy?”

Myrrha raised a brow. “Then I’ll hire someone to clean the toilet you pooped in—”

Lysandros panicked. “Don’t do that! I’ll clean it myself!”

Myrrha returned to her serious tone. “Lethiane. I’ll take care of the mess here. No one will know a fight broke out. I’ll pay for the repairs too. Now, are you taking the gold or not?”

Alexia surprised both of them with what she said next.

“Can we work together?”

Lysandros blinked. Even Myrrha’s eyes widened.

Myrrha raised an eyebrow, still holding the purse loosely in her hand. “Work together?”

Lysandros looked at Alexia, wide-eyed. “Wait, what!?”

Alexia stayed calm. “Yes. You said you're trying to figure out their reason. I want to know too. And we both want to stop the same thing. You’re trying to hunt the people behind the kidnappings. So are we.”

Myrrha crossed her arms. “You’re asking to work with someone you just accused of murder?”

Alexia nodded, “I’m not saying I trust you. I don’t. But I believe you about your mission.”

Lysandros muttered, “This feels too fast.”

Alexia looks at Myrrha, “Yes. I don’t want to just fight when they show up. I want to stop all of this before it gets worse.”

“Hmph, unexpected, but not unwelcome.”

Lysandros still stunned, pointed at both of them. “Wait, wait. So we’re just a team now? After fighting fractureborns and nearly dying? Just like that?”

Myrrha looked between the two of them. She tossed the purse onto the grass.

“I don’t usually work with others. Especially not loudmouths who leave their shits floating in my toilet.”

Lysandros threw his arms up. “It was one time!”

Alexia ignored them. “So, yes or no?”

Myrrha stepped forward, slowly.

“I’ll think about it. For now, take the gold. Rest. You two look like you’ve been kicked down a cliff and punched by a bear.”

She turned back toward her house, stopped at the door, and glanced over her shoulder.

“If you’re serious about this then don’t die before morning. Just close the gate"

Then she vanished inside, the door closing with a soft click.

Lysandros sighed, hands on hips. “So we’re working with a noble who's also an undercover assassin now. Great.”

Alexia picked up the purse, held it in her hand.

“She’s dangerous.”

Alexia nodded, her head still throbbed. “But she can also be a great help.”

But she knew one thing clearly now.

This wasn’t the end.

Just the beginning.

— • — • —

A tall man sat still on the edge of the wall, his blue cloak fluttering lightly with the wind. far below, Alexia and Lysandros stepped out of Myrrha’s gate. They closed it behind them, the soft creak of the iron latch barely heard from where he was.

He leaned forward slightly, eyes tracking their every move.

“Not bad, not bad,” he muttered. “Killing two of my henchmen. You were lucky to have the rain by your side that time. If it weren’t for that, you two would’ve been dead already.”

He didn’t blink.

Just then, he turned to his right. Another figure had stepped up to the wall beside him.

“Thornu, wasn’t it?”

Thornu nodded once. His long brown hair was pulled back, the blue cloak hanging over one shoulder. Leather armor buckled tight over his chest, and an axe strapped to his back.

“Yes, that’s my name.”

The man didn’t look at him. Just kept watching the street.

“You already know what you’re here for?”

Thornu answered plainly, “Yes. yes, I am. Kidnap the fractureborns, Alexia and Lysandros. At least that’s what you told me.”

He paused, then added, “So how much will i earn for taking those two?”

The man, “Five gold coins.”

Thornu scoffed, “Cheap money. But i’ll take that.”

The man finally looked at him. “Just don’t snitch on me. Or else, you know what’s going to happen.”

Thornu gave a dry smirk. “I won’t. But make sure you do have that five gold coins ready.”

Without another word, Thornu turned, footsteps quiet but heavy as he walked off the castle wall, heading down the stairway.

The man stayed sitting, watching the street below again.

The night had settled.

He leaned his back to the stone behind him and whispered under his breath,

“Now then, four more fractureborns. And my mission will be done.”