Seconds to Midnight: A Maiden of Midnight Prequel

Destiny- Day Ninety

My room was an utter disaster, supplies scattered over every possible flat surface, and Cain and my Guardians going over every single item that I would be taking with me. There were food supplies, weapons, gold coins, clothes, even a fake alias that I knew I wouldn’t be needing- everything that a self-respecting Night-Hunter would own in The Borderlands. The only thing I was missing was a key to the room in the Night-Hunter Manor itself, and I wouldn’t be given that until I could convince Reece that I was, indeed, a Night-Hunter.

Now, I only had to sort through my affairs here at the Manor so I could leave, and not come back to a mountain of paperwork. After all, I still had a duty to my Manor, even if I was leaving for a time. I didn’t see the point of doing it, since I would only be gone a month, maybe two at the most. There wouldn’t be that much paperwork over eight weeks!

My plan of getting in and out of The Borderlands in a handful of days was looking increasingly more impossible. The Sins had taken my plan, and twisted it up, lengthening it, adding in unnecessarily complicated events. It was a wasted effort. I wouldn’t need that much time to convince Seth to befriend me.

The other thing I was worried about, not that I could tell anyone, was the fear that the longer I took trying to get Seth into the Manor was more time for him to convince me to keep out of it. I hadn’t had a mission with this much freedom in a long time. I would still be getting observed, every step of the way, but the Manor was mostly giving me free will to do what I needed.

Cain was seated on my floor, taking inventory, and laying out a map of the city of Ordeallan, a red pen marking out where I could build Dens for my supplies, and hide if I needed to.

He had marked out the locations of the Ordeallan Palace, the Academy, and the Town Square, as well as the Night-Hunter house. I had memorised it for days over the last three months, and could probably find my way around the city without it, but Cain was taking no chances.

In an hour, that map would be the only thing guiding me through a mostly unfamiliar land.

He had visited the city two days before, spending the time marking Guard patrol routes, listing the names of the Palace’s residents- Queen Alysia, and her daughter, Princess Leena. He had even begun establishing a mirage in the area, allowing for Lyna, my cousin, to become Princess Reanna, a name that infuriated me somewhat, since she’d chosen it with my dead twin in mind, and hide in plain sight as Alysia’s granddaughter. She would be my only ally, if I could call her that, in the city until I had secured the Night-Hunter descendant, and the three Sacreds. Then, my Guardians would join me. Whether Cain was among them would depend on whether or not the Lords of Hell decided he was better suited training soldiers, or if Devin would be able to hold the fort while Cain helped me set up the ritual, and open the Paradoxin Rift.

“Do you need this?” Cain sighed in exasperation, holding up a sparkling black diamond bracelet, and I clicked my tongue, holding my hand out. He tossed it to me, and I studied it for a moment. It wasn’t a sentimental item; just another pretty thing I had seen in my youth, and decided to buy. It would make a good bribe, if I needed one.

“Yes,” I said, tossing it back, and he placed it in the ever-growing ‘need’ pile. I was definitely going to need a Den to hide all this stuff, since I didn’t intend to leave my valuables in a Manor full of Night-Hunter thieves. I turned back to my paperwork, groaning. It was a ten-page report on a complaint someone had made against one of the many lesser Lords of the Manor, and I picked up a pen.

‘Things would run quite a lot smoother for you if you just killed everyone who made a complaint- Soon enough, nobody would complain.’

‘Yes,’ I replied sarcastically, ‘Let’s just do that. How is that a good idea to you?! If I killed everybody in the Manor who complained, Septem, there would be nobody left!’

‘It works quite well here.’

‘Because you’re in Hell, and Demons breed like rabbits.’

‘And Demonic-being’s don’t? You have met your father, yes? How many siblings are you up to now? Five? Six?’

‘Four, actually, not counting Reanna,’ I replied absently, flicking through the pages, trying to get to the bottom of why one of the lesser Lords was siphoning money from a Demonic-being family, and groaned.

There had been fifteen Demonic-being deaths, all of them having reached the age of ten first- which meant they were possessed. I was required to sign off on their deaths, and then ensure that their families received a pay-out for the death of their loved one. Surely that paperwork was more important, not to mention the fact that it was simpler- it only required my signature at the bottom.

“Why can’t you do my paperwork, and I pack my bags?” I whined to Cain, who said, “Because you overpack, and I’m not stupid enough to believe that you’ve kept on top of your paperwork. It’s your own fault that you haven’t.”

I gaped at him, and pressed a hand to my heart, gasping, “I’ve been dead for a hundred years! The paperwork never stopped!”

Cain shrugged, and said, “Unfortunately for you, I can’t control that. Just get as much done as you can.”

I groaned, smacking my head on the desk, sulking. I didn’t want to tackle the pile of work in front of me! I wanted to get going! I had better things to be doing!

‘Like swooning over Seth Smith?’

‘Like opening the Paradoxin Rift,’ I hissed in reply, and the Septem Peccatis laughed in the back of my mind, ‘Right… Right… I’ve seen the way you admire the picture in his file!’

I shoved my Demon Lord from my mind, and stood. Before I could sit down beside my Guardians, however, Cain stopped me, saying, “I’ve arranged for Lady Merantala to be living in one of the townhouses in the Town Square, or at least nearby it. Go to her if you need to.”

“I don’t need babysitting, okay?” I argued, like I had every time Lady Merantala was brought up, and Cain coolly replied, “This is a city where thieving something as simple as food gets you executed. It’s not babysitting, it’s precautionary, and as your cousin, I’m ensuring that Zeella’s Heir returns alive. Especially since Zeella’s Heir has a tendency to have sticky fingers, and very little impulse control.”

I rolled my eyes, and stuck my tongue out at him. He returned the favour, shoving the supplies I would need the most- gold coins, a map of the city, Inferos with my whip hidden inside, and my fake alias that I was meant to show Reece O’Connor to prove I was a Night-Hunter, into my bag. Cain had already begun weaving the mirage that would allow me to become the Maiden of Midnight to Reece, and all I needed to do was turn-up, pretending I had come from another city, and show him the alias that Cain had woven into his mind as ‘proving I was the girl from the letters I’d sent’.

At that moment, Zeella, who had done his best to avoid me for the past month, entered the room, knocking on my bedroom door. He scowled down at the mess, but said nothing to remark on it, instead saying, “You have thirty minutes to pack. Be ready before then. Tingen is driving you to the Divider, and once you’re through, that’s it- you’re on your own.”

“Do you want reports?” I questioned, and Zeella shook his head, replying, “Don’t send them unless it’s safe to do so. You have one month to secure the Night-Hunter descendant, and another to secure the Sacreds. Don’t disappoint me.”

I nodded dutifully, and he said, “Aron will be a part of your deceit, as well as Evaline, who will be acting as Seraphina. Do your best not to kill either of them.”

Ah yes, Evaline; Zeella’s latest lover, and the mother to my youngest half-sister, Angel. I wouldn’t kill Evaline, since I had no quarrel with her, but Aron had pissed me off the last time I had been at the Manor, over one-hundred-years ago, and I still intended to get revenge. He hadn’t even done anything noteworthy, just spat some insult that grated for a handful of days- enough to convince me to kill him.

“I’ll do my absolute best,” I purred, Cain handing me my satchel, two more bags full of supplies waiting behind him. Zeella nodded, and left the room.

My Guardians rushed up to me, and Lydiav hugged me tightly, nearly cutting off my airway. I dropped my satchel on my bed, and hugged her back.

“Make sure you come back alive!” She chirped, and I nodded, Nym bumping her sister out of the way with her hip to hug me as well.

“And for the love of Hell, don’t get into too much trouble.”

I promised I wouldn’t, and Bal’gag said, “I won’t hug you or anything like that, but I will give you this.”

He handed me a small wrapped box, the girls crying out that it wasn’t very fair of him to give me a gift without telling them to buy one, and I grinned at the black wrapping paper. It was small, barely a ring-box size, and as I unwrapped it, I saw the glint of a small vial, filled with a deep purple liquid- Belladonna.

My eyes met his, and I blinked in surprise when I noticed that they were slowly filling with tears as he said, “Don’t get into a situation where you have to use it.”

Cain, grabbing the vial and placing it in my satchel for me, pulled me into a hug tighter than the one Lydiav had given me, and offered his arm, saying, “I’ll walk you to the car.”

“Why thank you, cousin,” I beamed up at him, and he gathered up my bags, motioning for me to lead the way.

Nym tossed me my cloak, saying, “Wait! Take this!”

I swung it around the black minidress that I had bought, and wrapped it tightly around myself. Nym was right, it was going to be freezing, both here in Caliem, and in Ordeallan, since it was winter in the city. I had been warned over and over by Cain about how deadly the winters were there, and how, without adequate shelter, I would freeze on the streets.

As we walked down the stairs, and out through the front door to Tingen’s car, Cain handed me another wrapped gift.

“Ordeallan isn’t a fan of Demonic-beings, so hide these until you’ve established a reputation for yourself.” He squeezed my fingers, tapping on my poisoned fingernails, and I asked, “How do you propose I do that?”

“With these.” He opened the box for me, revealing a pair of leather, black gloves, and I hummed in appreciation. They were nice.

“Seth should be your first priority in Ordeallan, after you’ve hidden your items. Make sure you don’t get caught committing a crime, and if you do, get the Hell out. They don’t hold back on punishments, even if you’re only fifteen. I would rather have you abandon Operation Eden than come back to me in pieces.”

“Sixteen soon,” I said in triumph, and Cain nodded, his face softening slightly.

“Yes, so don’t get killed. I’m not burying you again. I don’t think I would be able to handle it.” His words were tender enough that I didn’t doubt their authenticity. I never had.

He stopped in front of my car, Tingen in the front seat, and opened the passenger door for me. Warmth seeped out into the cold air, and I blew into my hands. Already, I was beginning to feel the harsh weather conditions of Caliem. How much worse would Ordeallan be? My cousin hugged me one final time, and Tingen bowed his head in greeting as I slid into my seat. Cain shut the door, and then shoved my bags into the boot of the car. I turned to look at him out the window, and he waved once, slapping his hand on the roof of the car. Without another word, Tingen slammed his foot down on the accelerator, and we shot forward, snow and crushed ice being flung into the air. I leaned back in my seat, thankful for the heated leather, and Tingen, without taking his eyes off the icy fields, “So… You’re off to Ordeallan, huh?”

I drummed my fingers on the dashboard, staring out the window at the pure-white, glowing fields of Caliem shot by, and pulled the gloves Cain had given me on, tying my satchel shut, and securing my shoe laces in my boots.

“I am,” I said aloofly, and Tingen side-glanced me sternly, saying, “Now, now, Desterium, there’s no reason to be cold with me. We’re friends, remember?”

The icy demeanour I had begun raising around myself, my mask for Ordeallan, cracked, and I struggled not to let the corners of my lips twitch up. He smiled back at me, and wagging a finger, said, “When you come back, you’ll be hailed a hero.”

I very much doubted that. Even if I completed the ritual, and all the preparations for the ritual, on my own, the Lords and Lilith of Hell would get the credit. I would be considered as nothing more than a pawn in the plan. It didn’t bother me. I wasn’t doing this for glory. After all, I had my own agenda in resurrecting Earth.

Tingen slowed down, the car rolling across a frozen-over lake, and I braced myself in case we fell through the ice, which groaned and screamed beneath the weight of the car, and the rolling wheels. Tingen grit his teeth, and eased us over, onto a snowy bank, where he immediately sped up again. Dozens of similar lakes formed a deadly, natural barrier between the Caliem Manor, and the rest of Korath, including the city of Pangorama, the Korathians proving to be more and more of a problem each year, as their technology advanced. Many of them wanted to discover what laid in the icy, frozen continent of Caliem. I had a feeling that a Manor full of Demons was not what they expected, although a few politicians were more than aware. As the crackling of the Divider, which competed with the raging wind for who could be the loudest, made itself known, doubt began to flood me. I didn’t know the area that well, and I would be on my own, for the most part, since it would be far too difficult to get into the Ordeallan Palace, at least I presumed so, and Lady Merantala was insufferable. My entire plan on raising my mother relied on whether I could convince Reece to let me in, and if I could successfully find the Night-Hunter descendant.

“Do you think I’ll be successful, Tingen?” I asked quietly, the Guardian not fully knowing what exactly it was that I asked. He sucked on his lip in thought, and just as I began fidgeting nervously in my seat, he said, “Yes, I believe so. You’ve completed missions successfully before.”

“Never ones as big as this.” And never so alone. Cain or my Guardians had always been with me, and while I was relishing the chance at freedom, I was also afraid.

This was my entire life mission. This was the reason Zeella had continued to allow Cain to train me, why I was one of the only Heirs who could leave the Manor at will, and why I was given such large payments. I was risking my life, time and time again, lifetime after lifetime, to complete this mission. Now, after thousands of years of planning, I was ready, or at least I had thought I was. I just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going to go terribly wrong.

‘It’s likely just nerves.’

I hummed in agreement, tapping my finger against my hip, and the car began to slow. I sat up suddenly, breathing in sharply, and looking around. How had we reached here so quickly? Tingen looked over to me, and reassured, “I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

It wasn’t like I could turn back now, anyway. I would be laughed out of the Manor.

‘Who said you had to go back to the Manor?’

‘You’re joking, right? Nobody ever escapes the Manor.’ I didn’t want to, anyway. Zeella was my last surviving family member, aside from Cain, who had been on Earth with me. I didn’t count Lilith, since she had never bothered to include herself in my life very much as a child, and Abel and Reanna were dead. If I left, I would be leaving Cain and Zeella, and thus, my childhood. I couldn’t do that. It was the one and only part of me that had survived.

That, and the roiling mass of Hollowing in me. Its presence had been suspiciously lacking lately.

The Septem Peccatis fell quiet, and I stepped out of the car, rolling my shoulders, and lifting my chin against the cold as Tingen unloaded my two bags. I slung my satchel over my shoulder, and then stood in front of my father’s Guardian.

“I’ll report back to Zeella that you made it safely to the Divider! Good luck, Princess!” Tingen shouted over the wind, his tone one of warmth and familiarity. I wouldn’t be hearing anybody I knew for quite a while. I picked up my bags, knowing that Tingen wouldn’t bother wanting a hug, and stepped toward the Divider. It would take me directly to The Borderlands, unless I ordered it otherwise. Luckily, I didn’t have a particular wish to go to Hell today.

Would it be night or day on the other side?

I waved at the departing car, and exhaled loudly now that I was alone. I could take all the time I wanted in walking through; nobody was going to come here, this far from warmth and safety. But the longer I stood here, the colder it was going to get, especially when night blanketed the area thicker than the fog that coated Caliem during the day did.

Picking up my bags, I looked over my shoulder one last time at the snowy expanse of Caliem, and stepped through the Divider, scrunching my eyes tightly shut.

I opened my eyes to a chilly breeze against my skin that was thankfully warmed by my cloak, and trees, their leaves falling from the branches and forming a blanket over the floor of the forest. To my surprise, it was night, and I could hear the screech of Demons far off in the distance, accompanied by the howling of wolves.

Pulling my map out of my satchel, I pinpointed where I was, taking a seat on a fallen log that was covered in moss and frozen over with ice, and began studying the area. Cain had marked out three potential ways for me to enter the city. I could go through the main gates, which would require my proving why I was here, I could scale the wall at the back of the Palace, which was risky if I was caught, or I could use the tunnel entrance, which was a large metal grate, hidden and disguised as stone, that poked out of the wall. It would require some walking through very questionably cleaned tunnels, but that would allow me to scope out the area for some Dens. Not to mention, at night, the city gates only opened to Demon Hunters, and nobody on the outside was allowed back in until the Demon threat was gone in the morning.

The tunnels it was.

Gathering my bags once again, I began trekking through the forest, which was ironically called the Forest of the Lost, and began to see the beginning of a large stone wall surrounding the city of Ordeallan, dim light emanating from inside.

From here, the clanging of swords and the shouting of Demon Hunters fighting for their lives was easily the loudest thing around for kilometres, and I paused. Once again, I had two choices I could take.

I could kill my way through the field, and go through the tunnels, or I could simply use my powers to command the Demons to leave me alone.

It was a simple choice.

To anyone who might have seen me, it must have been quite the sight; a fifteen-year-old girl with eyes as black as ebony, carrying two travelling bags and a satchel across a field that, for many, meant certain death. Luckily for me, nobody saw, and it wasn’t until I stopped at the tunnel entrance that I realised how strange it would have looked.

I reached up to where Cain said the grate was loose, and pulled it off. Damp darkness, and the smell of sewage, greeted me. Wrinkling my nose, I hoisted myself up onto the cold metal, pulling the grate closed behind me, and lifted my hand.

Red light lit up the chamber, illuminating algae and moss coated walls, a stone floor that was damp, and smelt strongly of mildew, and two small indents in the floor that allowed for clean water, and sewage water, to run to their respective wells, where it was either dished out to housing for drinking and washing water, or disposed of, respectively.

I walked along the small path that was mostly dry, hoping my boots wouldn’t end up covered in the filth that lined these tunnels, and continued to peer at Cain’s map in the light my power created, hoping that anybody above wouldn’t be able to see its glow. I was approaching a small curve in the tunnel, a gap that had been carved in for housing that had now collapsed. It would be the perfect place for a Den.

I dropped my bags at the entrance to the carved-out space, and studied it. It was dry, for the most part, and had a small area where I could set up a sleeping area if the Night-Hunter house didn’t work out, as well as plenty of nooks and crannies to hide items in. So long as nobody came through with a lantern and peered in, my items would be safe.

I began depositing smaller pieces- weapons and jewellery and coins, into various holes and placing them on small, natural shelves that had been carved into the rock, smiling at my handiwork. It was certainly going to make a good Den.

With my bags now significantly lightened, I began walking once again, heading for the closest tunnel entrance to the Night-Hunter house. I would have to be careful since, like the Manor, Ordeallan was a nocturnal city. If I emerged into the middle of a busy street, people were going to begin questioning why I was down in the tunnels.

Up ahead, light pierced the darkness, and I crept forward to see a tunnel entrance above my head. It had a small, rusting ladder leading up to it, and through its grating, stone walls and slatted rooves were glistening in lantern light. There was a strong scent of night air and cooking food that made my stomach growl. I hadn’t had blood in a few nights. In all the excitement of planning, I’d forgotten to eat.

Hopefully it wouldn’t be too hard to find a good blood source in the city.

I climbed the ladder, peering through the grates to ensure nobody was nearby, and then listening to double check, before lifting the grate, and tossing my bags into the alleyway. I crawled out over them, my fingers digging into cobblestone streets, and sucked down a breath of fresh air.

Digging through my bag, I found a simple passionfruit perfume, and used it, smoothing over my hair, and quenching the hunger on my tongue with sheer determination. It would do no good to hunt through these cities.

Which reminded me… Cain and I had worked on weaving my reputation as a terrible Demonic-being into the city, and many people quietly linked my name with a number of deaths that had occurred many years ago. Of course, they weren’t mine, but it didn’t matter- the real killer was likely dead, and everybody remembered me being the killer. I had been put on the execution post when I was a child, and then rescued… or had I escaped? I dug through my bag for the notes Cain had given me, wishing I had paid more attention to the briefing we’d gone over, and read over my supposed backstory. I was possessed by the Septem Peccatis, who, unsurprisingly considering the large Demonic-being population, was known here, and Zeella, who would be installing himself as the Prince of Ordeallan, and Leena’s husband, before the end of the night, was my father. That made Leena Delance, the Princess of Ordeallan, my mother, and Reanna my sister.

Delance. A chill crossed over my skin. My mother’s maiden name had been Delance.

My father didn’t like me because of my powers- which wasn’t far from the truth- and my ‘mother’ had given me to Reece as a youngling after my father tried executing me. I had been caught for my crimes as a child, and nearly executed, before I was rescued again.

I had been working with Reece since he had ‘adopted’ me, and I had become his Maiden of Midnight three months ago. I was returning from outside the city after a mission that involved a murder that Reece desperately needed to cover up for a client.

Everything from there was now up to me to create.

I imagined that this girl, ‘Destiny Delance’, since Cain hadn’t wanted to give me too fake a name, was quite sarcastic, rude and deadly- somebody to be feared. I imagined her to be quite monopolistic concerning her abilities as an Assassin; not somebody who enjoyed sharing her position, or being known as anything other than the best.

I let the mask fall onto place, picked up my bags, flipping my hood up to cover my face, and sauntered arrogantly into the streets, which were quite full, now that the moon was rising. I had gotten here just as the sun had set, it seemed, leaving me an entire night to set up my plan, and begin executing it.

With the Dens out of the way, I had to go visit Reece.

I tore up the notes on my new mask, tossing the pieces into a fire that a homeless person had set up, and then tore up the map on the city. I couldn’t risk anybody finding my plans, or knowing what I had done to Reece’s latest victim. It would put the Night-Hunters at risk.

People lowered their heads as they passed, not wanting to meet my eyes, and a smirk twitched at my lips. In the alleyways, I could see other Night-Hunters, identifiable only because Cain had told me who worked for the Night-Hunters, waiting in alleyways, on the corners of houses and streets, and even sitting on rooftops, waiting for somebody to approach them. Several of them recognised me, or thought they recognised me thanks to the mirage, and nodded in acknowledgement. I returned it, albeit begrudgingly.

Two saw me, stood up, and raced ahead to announce my arrival back in the city, using the rooftops as their personal streets.

As I neared the Night-Hunter house, several things became apparent- there weren’t nearly enough precautions against Demons in this city.

And I was being followed.

I could hear the light footsteps of a Vampire following me, and could hear their ever-so-faint breathing as they stalked me through the city. They had been following me since six streets back, and I was intrigued to know why.

I turned, and a man stared back at me, caught red-handed. Without a word, he turned, and fled, blurring in his haste to escape. I shrugged, and continued walking. Nobody could touch me here.

I stepped onto the lawn of the Night-Hunter house, using my toe to trace in the markings the door needed to open, and stepped inside.

A dark oak and onyx foyer, dotted with small pieces of white marble scattered like stars, greeted me. A gold chandelier lit up the space, and a black rug softened my footsteps. The doors to the dining room were closed, and Reece’s office, which was nearby, was open, the two Night-Hunters from before standing inside. Reece looked up from his paperwork, and stood when he saw it was me.

Extending his hand, I stepped forward to take it, allowing him to sit me down at one of the chairs in front of his desk, the other two Night-Hunters leaving, closing the door behind them. I dropped my bags on the floor, grateful to be relieved of the weight, and lifted my chin, my eyes shining with mischief. He put down his paperwork, and cleared his throat.

“I presume it’s done, then?”

“But of course,” I purred, dropping the ring Cain had given me as ‘proof’ onto the desk. Reece picked it up, studying it only long enough to ascertain its authenticity, and then dumped it in his bottom drawer, pulling out a bottle of wine, and two glasses. He poured one for me, sliding it across the table with his finger, and said, “Congratulations, Miss Delance, for another successful mission. You’ve reminded me, once again, of why you are my Maiden of Midnight.”

I would be a liar to say that it wasn’t strange, seeing this man for the first time, and having to act as if I had seen him a hundred times before, while knowing that in his mind, I was familiar to him. I studied him, the dark hair and dark eyes, before smiling thinly at him, sipping at my wine while he lifted his in a silent toast to me.

“I suppose you’ll be wanting payment, then?” He asked when I didn’t stand and immediately leave, and I tipped my head. Naturally.

“I have five offers for you. You can either take them as they are listed, or take the total amount in gold, rather than the items.”

Five? Why so many?

‘Perhaps he wants to stun you with too many options.’

‘Or perhaps he’s trying to be a pain in my ass?’ I replied as he slid five separate parchment pieces over to me, each one listing an amount of gold, and several various items.

The first offer, which consisted of eighty gold, two gems, two perfume bottles, thirty arrows, and a dagger came to around a total amount of three-hundred-and-forty-two gold. The second offer had eighty gold, sixteen bronze arrows, forty-two stone arrows, thirty-three quartz arrows, one dagger and one ritual item, that totalled two-hundred-and-forty-four gold pieces.

Reece’s third offer was eighty gold, two brooches, one pendant, one dagger, one ring and twenty-six bone arrows, which had a total value of three-hundred-and-fifty-four gold.

The fourth offer, which was by far the least generous, was no gold, two gems, thirteen glass arrows, four medallions, and three ritual items at seventy-six gold in total, and Reece’s final offer comprised of ninety gold, eleven bone arrows, twelve glass arrows, four gems, two vials, one sword, one dagger, and another two different gems at one-hundred-and-forty-one gold. After a bit of quick math, I smiled, tapping my finger on the third parchment.

“I think I’ll take the third offer.”

“In gold or items?” Reece questioned, grabbing a key to the safe that was half buried in his wall. His office was quite elaborately decorated, with a large, flecked-with-gold desk, two plush chairs on my side, an even plusher chair on his, thick silk curtains, a warm rug, a fireplace that was burning in the right corner, four bookshelves that were filled with expensive tomes, and a safe on my left. In all, it was a cosy room, and despite the fact that it was quite small, he seemed to make it feel endlessly deep, like I was going to drown in the walls.

“Gold, if you don’t mind,” I said, anxious to leave and continue my mission, and as he knelt to unlock the iron safe, grabbing out one of what could have been hundreds of coin purses, and dumping it on the desk, he offered, “Come dine with me. I’m sure you’re hungry.”

I hesitated, torn, and then nodded. I had to keep in character if I didn’t want Reece to suspect anything. If spending an hour or two eating with Reece was what I needed to do, then so be it.

Counting out the coins as I dumped them into my satchel, I thought over what I needed to get done before the night was over. I had to locate the Night-Hunter descendant, find where he lived, and then begin stalking him. I needed to know every aspect of his life before I left to find the Sacreds, to ensure that I didn’t lose him again.

Reece led me out into the foyer, and through the oak doors, revealing a table laden with food, and my stomach growled loud enough that it was audible. The Night-Hunter leader only laughed, pulling out a chair for me, and offering me a plate. I did my best to wait until he was seated before digging into the food ravenously. I was going to be sick later, no doubt, but without blood being readily on offer, food would have to become my main source of nutrition until I could find blood.

Reece watched me with amusement, barely picking at his own food, before concernedly asking, “Just how long has it been since you ate, Destiny?”

“A few days,” I mumbled around a mouthful of Fell meat. That was nothing, I could go longer than that without food, it was blood I needed every few days. Eating this would do nothing for me, other than silence my stomach for a few hours. I would still feel hungry.

“Why didn’t you eat?”

“I had a job to get done,” I replied, eagerly shoving more food into my mouth, and Reece sighed, “When on a mission, take care of yourself first and foremost. A hungry body is a distracted mind, and when you’re distracted, you’re in danger, especially in this line of work.”

I waved his concern, and his philosophical statement, off with my hand, and said, “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

He nodded unconvincingly, and then said, “I wanted you to have this- it’s a gift from our client. It was addressed simply to: ‘The Assassin’, so I presume that’s you?” He pulled a wrapped box from under the chair, likely the real reason he wanted to dine with me, and I unwrapped it as he explained, “It’s a Reaper blade- an Archangel weapon. You can’t really use it, but you might be able to get some gold for it in the Town Square.” Another item I would need for Operation Eden.

Reece had just unknowingly given me the weapon that would end his life.

I finished my plate, sliding the Reaper blade into my satchel, and said, “Would you mind having my bags moved up to my room, please? I have some work I need to complete before the sun goes down.”

“Of course,” Reece stood, calling in a few servants, and ordering them to move my bags from his office to my room upstairs. I had used the mirage to gain it, and now that I had convinced Reece that I had indeed been living here for quite some time, it was time for me to leave, and find the Night-Hunter descendant.

I stood, pushing my chair in, and bowed my head to Reece as I left the room, exiting back into the street again. Just as I walked down the street, however, Nym and Lydiav approached me, carrying their own bags, and whispering to each other as they walked.

I paused, and hissed under my breath, “What are you two doing here?!”

“There was a complication at the Manor. Nym pissed off Zeella somehow, but we’re not sure how, so we came here. We’re going to establish ourselves as Novella and Marriatta in the Night-Hunter house- your oldest friends,” Lydiav said, and I nodded. Fine. Let them protect themselves from my father. I squeezed their hands, and they rushed toward the house, leaving me in the empty street.

Flipping my hood up again, I began walking aimlessly now that my map was destroyed, and did my best to find my way around. Something tugged me toward the direction of the Academy, and I followed it, wondering if it was instinct, or just my mind growing bored.

The streets here narrowed out, becoming dirtier, the houses smaller, and I sighed. This was the poorer part of the city.

Here, I could see people waiting in alleyways- young men armed to the teeth working in groups, young women dressed in what little jewellery they had to try and lure in customers, and older people who looked sick or injured laying on the streets, huddled together under fraying blankets. This was the eastern side of Ordeallan. I had entered into the city just a bit closer to the Night-Hunter house, avoiding this place altogether.

The Night-Hunter descendant, according to his file, had grown up here before being taken in by Darcie O’Connor, my Night-Hunter leader’s older brother, and he now resided closer to the western side of the city, where the rich and middle class worked and lived. I couldn’t imagine the blond haired, somewhat beautiful boy that was the Night-Hunter descendant growing up here, and remaining even close to what his file claimed he was- kind, happy, and naïve. Surely a childhood growing up here, in this place of slow death, was taxing on the mind?

‘Mind you, you grew up in a life of luxury, if we momentarily forget the heartache, Destiny. You wouldn’t know what a life out here could lead too.’

‘Neither would you!’ I argued, and the Septem Peccatis said, ‘That’s true, up until Eve and I were cursed. Everybody here is fighting to survive every single day and night. Every hour requires something of them if they want to last until the next. Here, families sell their children for property, money, sometimes even food, and children exploit those idiotic enough to walk by.’

‘So you’re telling me I’m going to get robbed?’

‘Considering you jingle like a damn bell whenever you walk, yes.’

I clutched at the locket at my neck, reminding myself that it would have no power in this Dimension, amongst those who were not a part of my court, and pulled Inferos from my bag, holding my blade close to my side, out of sight. It would do no good to look threatening here. Behind me, I could see a group of people following me. They were children, really, only nine and ten years old, by the look of it, and I sighed, conflicted. Did I really want to kill children?

‘The choice is yours, Princess.’

I decided to ignore them for now, and continue walking, my footsteps ringing out like a beacon for anybody nearby, and I soon realised that the Septem Peccatis was right, I did make a lot of noise when I walked, or at least the coins in my satchel did.

I tied my satchel closed, not wanting to risk it being stolen, and adjusted my hood slightly, wincing. There was death nearby, I could smell it. The children could, too, because as they passed by an alleyway that I had just walked by, they crossed themselves with the Archangel prayer symbol, but continued to follow me. Did they intend for my body to join the one in the alleyway?

I could hear them whispering as I approached a particularly dark spot, the six of them planning out how to best attack me, and one of them said, “What is she?”

“What do you mean?” His friend replied, and he said, “She doesn’t seem Nephilim.”

“Who cares? She’s rich! That’s what she is!”

“What if she’s a Vampire? She’s pale enough to be one.”

I smiled slightly, and one of them said, “I’ll run ahead and get a look!”

Before his friends could warn him not to, he ran ahead of me, as if he was just a child playing games, but as he ran by, he stared at me. I scratched at the back of my neck, intentionally knocking my hood back, and his eyes widened. He ran into an alleyway, and waited until I had walked by to join his friends. They didn’t know before that I could hear their every word, but they knew now, and they lowered their voices even further.

“She’s a Demonic-being. A possessed one, too!” He whispered fearfully, and his friends whispered, debating for a moment, before their leader said, “She can’t be! She’s over the age of ten!”

“Test! If she’s really a Demonic-being, she’ll hear us!”

“Hey, Miss!” One of them whispered, and my ears pricked up slightly, the movement unintentional, and they began crossing themselves once again.

“Leave her alone, we’ll find someone else.”

“But she has money!” One of them sulked, and the other replied, “And she’s possessed! Do you really want to fight a Demon?”

Before they could scamper, I sped up to them, and they whimpered, cowering behind the eldest. I cocked my head, studying them. Torn clothes, no shoes, and dirty skin, as well as being as thin as bones. They looked utterly at the mercy of the cold.

If they went without, they would die soon. Even I could see that in the way they weakly held themselves up, the eldest trying his best to lift his shoulders so he seemed more intimidating. All of them had the same red hair, and green eyes, even the little girl with them. Two of them were twins, and I felt something tug at my heart. For a moment, I let the mask slip.

“Are you all siblings?” I asked sweetly, and the eldest, nudged by his brothers into speaking, croaked, “Yes, Miss.”

I smiled slightly, and untied my satchel. There were six of them in total, and I towered over all of them, despite being short myself.

Reece had given me three-hundred-and-fifty-four gold pieces, and while it was meant to be used for food and blood, I didn’t need it as much as these children did. I could easily hunt my own, or steal, if I had to.

I scanned each of their fear-filled faces, and said, “Hold out your hands.”

They did, wincing as if I was going to whip them, and I reached into my satchel. The eldest went to step in front of the youngest, but was pulled back by his siblings.

“Don’t! Do you want to get flayed?!” They hissed in his ear, and he said, “She’ll be too strong for Tyla. A hit will kill her.”

I pulled out the gold, and thought for a moment. If I gave them all of the gold, they each got fifty-nine pieces.

I sorted it, their eyes widening, and I dropped the first fifty-nine into the eldest child’s hand. He held it loosely, afraid to take it, and I continued dishing out gold to them, their faces still pinched in fear.

“Take it,” I said, and the eldest whispered, “What do you want in return?”

I cocked my head, confused, and one of the twins said, “People usually want favours in return for money.” I struggled not to scrunch my face in disgust. I couldn’t imagine any adult doing such a thing. Well, I could, but I didn’t want to.

“I don’t want anything other than for you all to stay off the streets for a while. Go home, and look after each other.” I wouldn’t bother telling them not to waste the money, since I could tell they already knew, and as an afterthought, I reached into my satchel again. There, tucked into a small wax bag at the bottom, was a bag of Fire Sugars. They would be spicy, but they were better than nothing.

“Here. They’re spicy, so be careful.”

I gave it to the littlest one, Tyla, and she blinked up at me.

They went to leave, and then hesitated, debating over where to hide the money so they weren’t mugged on the way back to their home, and I offered, “Would you like for me to walk you?”

They hesitated again, and then nodded. I joined them, motioning for them to lead the way, and we began walking. They were surprisingly silent, considering they weren’t trained as thieves, and we entered a long, dark alleyway. I blinked, my eyes shifting to adjust to the lack of light, and watched as they skipped over broken cobblestones, clambered over walls, and crawled through small tunnels in absolute silence. Around us, I could hear people whispering and waiting for a perfect opportunity to walk by. I kept up with them easily enough, and before long, we were standing in front of a ramshackle home, the foundation sinking into the muddy ground, its roof beginning to cave in. Here, they began talking again, and opened the door to the home, the hinges squealing loudly. Sitting in the one-bedroom house was a woman, her red hair hanging around her body, and a baby in her arms.

This child, however, had a lock of brown hair hanging over its forehead, and it gurgled happily. She lifted her tired eyes to the children, and then stood when she saw me.

“Oh my- Please don’t take any of them!” She begged, pulling her children close to her, noticing the money in their hands, and I assured her, “I’m not going to take anything, or anyone. I’m just here to make sure they get home safely.”

“But you gave them money-”

“Yes, I did. As a gift.”

She sighed in relief, and I smiled in as friendly a manner as I could, watching the little one in her arms. She lifted the baby, which was swaddled in what looked like one of the children’s shirts, and said, “This is a friend’s child. She recently…” She glanced at the children ambling around the room, tidying as best they could, making makeshift beds out of old hay and mud, “Well, she recently departed from the city.”

I knew what the woman meant without having to hear her say it. Died. Her friend had died.

I looked around their home, and asked, “Do you all live here?”

“Yes. We make do in the other seasons, but winter is always the hardest. I’m sorry, I’m being incredibly rude- my name is Penny.”

“Destiny,” I said, shaking the woman’s hand, which was coarse in my own, covered in callouses from working hard. My own hands only had a few, and even they were small, healed by creams and long soaks in baths. I looked to the eldest, and asked, “How old is he?”

Immediately, fear lit up Penny’s eyes once again as she squeaked, “Twelve.”

“Does he have a job?”

“No. Not many people hire children, at least not for savoury jobs.”

“How good are you at sneaking around, child?” I asked, and he said, “Pretty good, I would say, Miss.”

“Have you ever heard of a man named Reece O’Connor?” I turned, showing off the Night-Hunter tattoo that Cain had put on my shoulder, and Penny gasped. She recognised that symbol. Quite a lot of people in this Dimension did.

“No… Who is he?”

“He’s the Night-Hunter leader of Ordeallan. That pay that I gave all of you- that’s one mission’s salary.”

They gaped at the coins in their hands, shocked, and I continued, saying, “I’m his Maiden of Midnight- that’s his second in command. If you want a job there, you can find the Night-Hunter house, and demand to speak to Reece O’Connor. Tell him that Destiny Delance sent you.”

“What about my siblings?” The boy asked, and I looked to each of them. They were all nine, ten and eleven. I shook my head, “They’re too young. Reece won’t hire anybody under the age of twelve, for ethical reasons, and safety reasons, too. Being a Night-Hunter isn’t easy.”

“Will he have to kill?” Penny whispered, and I shook my head.

“Assassinations are left to the older Night-Hunters. Children mostly complete tasks for Reece- fetching mail, helping the older Night-Hunters. Sometimes there’s petty crime, thieving and the like, but it’s mostly confined to the Night-Hunter house.”

“Can I leave whenever I want?” The child asked, and I shrugged.

“That depends on how well you complete your training,” I said, “Night-Hunters hold a lot of valuable information, so if you were caught, somebody would try and get that information. If you can prove you can keep your mouth shut in any situation, then you’re allowed to leave whenever you want.”

“Would we have died if we attacked you?” One of the younger ones chirped, and I shook my head.

“No, I don’t kill children. You would have been knocked out, though. And that doesn’t go for all Night-Hunters, either. Some of them have no qualms about killing children,” I warned, hoping they wouldn’t use me as an example for other Night-Hunters, and Penny said, “Thank you for bringing them home safely, and for the gifts.”

I nodded, and said, “What’s your name, kid?”

“Ben.”

“Good luck, Ben. Make sure you look after those little ones.”

He nodded dutifully, and with a chorus of children waving me out, I left, exiting the alleyway and back into the streets. Now, at least, my pockets didn’t jingle when I walked.

‘You did the right thing.’

‘Yeah, well let’s not mention it to Zeella, hey?’

I would be Severed if he heard I was making any form of a good reputation for myself here. Which reminded me: I was running behind schedule.

I still felt like I was being tugged toward the Academy, so I picked up my pace, jogging briskly through the city, and the Academy, sitting high above the city on its cliff, towered over everything, even the Palace on the other side of the city. The stairs curled into the clouds, and I began the long walk up, pondering over what might have drawn me here. Students milled around the outside regions, finding their classes, waiting for the later sessions, and reading studiously, and I found myself remembering my old school, back on Earth. There, the students didn’t seem as dedicated, but they had grown up in a different world. With a majority of Ordeallan’s population growing up to fight the Demons that plagued the city come nightfall, the students here studied to survive. If you attended the Academy, it was to learn about the world around you, and about the Demon species that you would eventually graduate to fight. It was a prestigious school, with the price to attend quite high, and only those who were rich enough to attend could.

The Night-Hunter descendant apparently attended classes here, and so did his older brother, Merry, all of it paid by Darcie O’Connor, who carried the highest title a Demon hunter could earn- Demon-Slayer. My Guardians had gotten hold of one of Seth’s old tests, completed about three months ago, to see how smart he was. It had quizzed him on various herbs, tonics and alchemy ingredients. He’d gotten four out of the seven correct- Not bad, for a kid that a couple years ago couldn’t even read.

His professor had left a comment on the page that poignantly stated ‘The fact that you are fifteen years of age, with so little knowledge, is frightening.’ His closest friends had taken the same test, and their comments varied. Emmett’s had read ‘Emmett, I fear for your future.’. That had made me snort, reading it. I knew not to ask Emmett for any help with healing.

Would any of them be present tonight? I knew Darcie received some nights off from fighting to work at the Academy as a tutor of sorts, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have taken the night off from all work.

What about the Night-Hunter descendant? Would he be here?

I kept walking into the building, intending on going up to the upper floors across the strange bridge I had seen, where the senior classes were, and was stopped by a wizened old woman at the door. She tapped her finger on the register, handing me a quill, and I signed my initials. It was best to keep my trail to a minimum.

The woman waved me through, and I flipped my hood up, hiding my eyes. Possessed Demonic-beings died at the age of ten, their bodies burnt up by the power of their Lords, so to see me, it would be obvious to some that I was an Heir, rather than a lesser Demon. I couldn’t risk that exposure.

The halls were so noisy here, the younger students running around, shouting and practising their fighting in the halls.

I kept to the side, trying to avoid being seen, and made my way up the stairs to the senior hall. There, crouching by the doors, was a blond-haired boy. I paused, glad that he hadn’t heard me, and watched as he took a deep breath, hyping himself up to run. I ducked behind a pillar when he glanced over his shoulder, and watched him take off.

The doors opened, allowing a burst of wind into the building, and on it, the boy’s scent.

I clapped a hand over my mouth and nose as my teeth grew longer, wondering what was wrong with me. His scent smelt familiar and unfamiliar at the exact same time, and it made me, in a strange way, want him.

‘Go after him.’

I nodded, watching as he swayed across the boards, the wind blowing him roughly from side to side, and he gripped the rail that ran along the middle tightly.

Lining up my shot, I ran, barrelling past the glass doors, and across the platform, slamming into who I was certain was Seth Smith…