Chapter 74: Sleepless Night

Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Sleepless Night

"He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man." — Samuel Johnson

The moon hung high above the silver barked spires of the elven capital, casting long, fractured shadows across the obsidian tiled floors of the guest quarters.

Riven sat cross legged on the edge of his massive, silk sheeted bed.

His eyes were closed.

He regulated his breathing slowly, keeping his core calm as the cool night breeze drifted through the open balcony doors.

For the first time in years, his face was completely uncovered.

The absence of the mask still felt strange.

Not painful.

Just unfamiliar.

On the stone floor nearby, Nyx was curled into a tight, dark coil. Her wings were folded against her body, her violet eyes closed as she breathed slowly.

The room was quiet.

Peaceful.

Then Riven’s eyes snapped open.

His expression immediately hardened.

The ambient mana in the hallway had shifted.

Only slightly.

A fractional disruption that most people would never notice.

Riven did.

Someone was outside.

More importantly, they weren’t knocking.

He didn’t reach for his mask.

He didn’t turn on a lamp.

His body simply moved.

Riven slipped from the bed in one smooth motion, his right hand closing around the hilt of Garreth’s blade.

Not even a whisper of steel could be heard.

Riven moved into the shadows beside the doorway.

He waited.

A few seconds passed.

Then the heavy oak door creaked open.

Barely an inch.

A shadow slipped through.

The intruder moved with deliberate precision.

Dark leather armor covered their body, designed specifically for movement and silence. The faint smell of expensive poison clung to the air.

Professional.

Experienced.

And very confident.

The assassin moved toward the bed.

A long, serrated starlight stiletto appeared in their hand.

They raised it.

The blade was aimed directly at the pillows where Riven had been sleeping only moments before.

Riven’s eyes narrowed.

He moved.

Phantom Step

His sleeping double dissolved into shadow.

The assassin barely had time to turn.

Riven appeared directly behind them.

His blade remained in his hand, but he didn’t use the edge.

Instead, he rotated his grip and drove the heavy pommel into the back of the assassin’s skull.

Thud.

The assassin collapsed onto the marble floor.

Unconscious.

Riven caught the body before it could make enough noise to alert anyone outside.

Nyx slowly lifted her head.

Riven looked toward her.

"Stay here."

Nyx gave a quiet chirp.

Riven dragged the assassin farther into the room.

He had questions.

And he intended to get answers.

The Interrogation

Ten minutes later, the assassin groaned.

Cold water struck his face.

His eyes snapped open.

He immediately tried to move.

He couldn’t.

A crushing weight pinned his shoulders against the stone floor.

Riven was kneeling on his chest.

Moonlight spilled through the balcony doors, illuminating his uncovered face.

The assassin stared at him.

For a brief moment, confusion replaced fear.

Then he noticed the sword.

Garreth’s blade rested against his throat.

The silent edge pressed gently against his skin.

A small bead of blood appeared.

The assassin swallowed.

"W Who..."

"Save the script."

Riven’s raspy voice was quiet.

That somehow made it worse.

"Who hired you?"

The assassin stared at him.

Riven tilted the blade slightly.

His eyes moved over the assassin’s stripped equipment.

"You’re wearing elite capital guard leather."

The assassin forced a pained smirk.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about, human."

He strained against the shadow mana binding his wrists.

"I’m a lone blade."

Riven stared at him.

He didn’t argue.

He didn’t threaten him.

He simply moved the sword.

The edge slid from the assassin’s throat to his left shoulder.

Then Riven pressed down.

The assassin screamed.

The blade only cut shallowly, but shadow mana flooded into the wound, producing a cold, burning sensation that spread through the surrounding nerves.

Riven watched without blinking.

"Let’s try that again."

He withdrew the blade slightly.

"You have three more limbs."

His voice remained calm.

"And I have a lot of patience."

The assassin’s breathing became ragged.

"Who hired you?"

"L-Lord Cassian!"

The answer came instantly.

Tears of pain gathered in the assassin’s eyes.

"Lord Cassian and Captain Vaelen’s adjutant! They coordinated everything through the guard registry!"

Riven’s expression didn’t change.

"Where are they meeting?"

"The eastern garrison sub level!"

The assassin’s voice shook.

"They planned to frame you for an internal palace assassination attempt if I succeeded!"

Riven went still.

So that was the plan.

Kill him.

Then make it look like someone inside the palace had attempted to assassinate a royal guest.

The assassin had been meant to be the evidence.

Convenient.

Riven stared down at him for several seconds.

Then he struck.

A sharp pulse of concussive mana traveled through the sword hilt and struck the assassin between the eyes.

His eyes rolled back.

His body went limp.

Riven stood.

He searched the assassin’s equipment.

A folded parchment.

Administrative vouchers.

A small registry seal.

He slipped all three into his coat.

His expression hardened.

"Nyx."

The wyvern uncoiled from the floor.

She stretched her wings before settling around his shoulders, her violet eyes glowing faintly in the darkness.

"Keep watch."

Nyx gave a low purr.

Riven looked toward the door.

He had two choices.

Wait for Cassian to make another attempt.

Or end this tonight.

He preferred the second option.

Riven slipped out of the guest quarters.

The corridors of the upper spires were almost completely silent.

Moonlight poured through enormous windows, creating long stretches of darkness between the pools of silver light.

Riven moved through them without hesitation.

He had memorized the architectural layout of the palace during his first few days in the capital.

Every corridor.

Every staircase.

Every blind corner.

He knew exactly where the noble residency wing was located.

It didn’t take long.

Cassian’s private quarters occupied an enormous suite overlooking the eastern gardens.

Gold leaf decorated the walls.

Heavy velvet curtains covered the windows.

Even the entrance looked more extravagant than most houses Riven had seen during his entire life.

He stopped outside the doors.

A defensive ward covered the entrance.

Riven studied it.

Then he raised his hand.

"Disturb Magic."

Shadow mana flowed from his fingers.

The technique entered the ward and searched for the structure holding the spell together.

Riven found it.

The anchor.

He pushed.

The runes flickered.

Then the entire defensive barrier collapsed with a faint pop.

Riven placed his hand against the mahogany doors.

They opened.

Inside, Lord Cassian was pacing beside a large bay window.

He still wore his fine silks.

A half empty goblet of moon wine rested in his hand.

He turned sharply.

His expression initially showed annoyance.

He was clearly expecting someone else.

Then he saw Riven.

The goblet nearly slipped from his hand.

The human stood in the doorway.

Unmasked.

Calm.

And holding a blade that seemed to swallow every trace of light around it.

Cassian’s face drained of color.

"You..."

His golden eyes widened.

"How are you..."

"Your killer missed."

Riven stepped inside.

His voice was quiet.

"And he was surprisingly chatty about who was paying him."

Cassian stumbled backward.

His heel caught the edge of the Persian rug.

He threw out a hand.

Wind mana gathered around his fingers.

A compressed bolt of air shot toward Riven’s chest.

Riven didn’t move.

At the last instant, Phantom Step activated.

His body dissolved into shadow.

The wind bolt tore through empty air.

It struck the wall behind him.

Stone exploded into a cloud of white dust.

Cassian’s eyes widened.

Riven appeared directly in front of him.

Before Cassian could react, Riven brought Garreth’s blade down against the floor.

A burst of compressed shadow mana exploded outward.

The shockwave struck Cassian’s legs.

His feet left the ground.

He crashed onto the floor.

His goblet shattered beside him.

Riven stepped forward.

One boot planted firmly against Cassian’s chest.

The pressure forced the air from his lungs.

Garreth’s blade rose.

Its point stopped just above Cassian’s throat.

Cassian stared up at him.

His arrogance was gone.

Completely.

"P=Please."

His hands clawed uselessly at Riven’s boot.

"I’m a lord of the High Court."

"I don’t care"

His voice shook.

"You can’t..."

Riven leaned closer.

His dark eyes were cold.

Cassian froze.

Riven’s voice dropped lower.

"You tried to put a knife in my back."

The blade lowered another fraction.

"Next time, I won’t just leave you bleeding on a rug."

Cassian’s breathing became frantic.

"Do you understand me?"

Cassian nodded rapidly.

"I understand."

Tears gathered at the corners of his eyes.

"I swear I understand. Just get it away from me."

Riven watched him for another second.

Then he slowly withdrew the blade.

He flicked his wrist.

The sword slid silently back into its scabbard.

Riven removed his boot from Cassian’s chest.

The noble immediately rolled onto his side, desperately trying to catch his breath.

Riven turned away.

He didn’t bother looking back.

"Sleep light, Lord Cassian."

He walked toward the open doors.

"Shadows have a habit of creeping in when you least expect them."

Cassian stared after him.

He didn’t move.

He didn’t dare.

Riven disappeared into the darkness of the corridor.