CHAPTER 76: CHAPTER 77 – BLOOD ON SILK

The blade hissed through the candlelit air, spinning end over end — fast enough to split a man’s throat, slow enough for Kai to see his own reflection on its steel.

He twisted.

The dagger embedded itself in the carved back of his chair with a solid thunk, the hilt still trembling. Gasps rippled down the table, but they weren’t all from shock. Some had been waiting for this moment.

Velis was already on his feet, knocking his chair back with a snarl. His hand moved in a blur — a flash of steel, a dagger now in his grip.

From the opposite end of the table, Astra’s chair tipped back as she stood, skirts swishing, her gaze snapping to the balcony like a hawk scenting prey. "Above!" she barked.

Kai didn’t look up. His eyes were on the Queen.

She hadn’t moved. She hadn’t even flinched. Her fingers rested lightly on the stem of her wineglass, her smile faint and unreadable.

The shadow in the balcony shifted — and a second knife dropped, this one straight for Kai’s head.

Lyra’s hand moved faster than thought. A silver hairpin spun from her fingers, striking the blade mid-flight with a ringing clang. Steel clattered harmlessly to the marble floor.

Servants scattered, some ducking behind pillars, others slipping toward hidden doors that were suddenly less hidden. Nobles rose from their seats, but not in panic — in calculation, each deciding whether they would flee, fight, or feed on the chaos.

Kai’s hand went to the dagger in his chair and yanked it free.

"Where?" he demanded.

Velis didn’t answer — he was already vaulting onto the table, scattering plates of pheasant and goblets of wine as he sprinted toward the far side of the hall.

Another shadow dropped from the balcony, landing in the aisle between tables with the grace of a predator.

Kai saw the glint of twin short swords before the assassin was moving, cutting a path straight toward him.

The Queen still hadn’t risen. But her gaze was locked on Kai now, and there was something in her eyes that made him wonder — not if she had ordered this... but why she might be enjoying it.

The assassin lunged.

Kai met him halfway, the stolen dagger flashing in his grip. Steel rang against steel as their blades collided, the impact jarring through his arm.

The man was fast — too fast for a courtly knife-dancer. His strikes came in a blur, twin swords weaving in a pattern meant to overwhelm. Kai gave ground, sidestepping between chairs, sending a platter of roasted pheasant crashing to the floor as the assassin’s blade missed him by an inch.

Velis hit the intruder from the side like a thunderbolt, tackling him into the table. Plates shattered, wine splashed across the marble, and the nobles screamed — or at least, the ones who weren’t drawing their own weapons.

Astra’s voice cut through the chaos. "Two more! West balcony!"

She leapt onto the table, her skirts no hindrance as she ran across plates and goblets, pulling a thin rapier from a hidden sheath in her bodice. A silver streak shot from her blade, skewering the first assassin who dropped from the balcony. The second landed clean, rolling into a crouch before vanishing into the crush of panicking servants.

Lyra was no longer seated. She stood at Kai’s back, one hand gripping a short, curved blade, the other holding a parrying dagger with an elegance that belied her speed. She moved with him without words, cutting down a masked attacker who had slipped between the pillars.

The Queen’s goblet tipped, red wine spilling like fresh blood across her white tablecloth. She still didn’t rise, but her voice was clear. "No one leaves."

It wasn’t a suggestion. Guards at the doors slammed them shut, locking everyone inside.

One of the nobles — the young baron who had spoken to Kai earlier — vaulted over the table, sword drawn, shouting, "For the Queen!" His blade missed an assassin entirely and instead buried itself in another noble’s chest. The dying man’s goblet rolled across the floor, spilling poisoned wine that hissed where it touched silver.

Velis tore his dagger free from the first assassin’s throat and threw it without looking. It found its mark in the calf of the fleeing balcony killer, who crumpled mid-step.

Astra, spinning her rapier, called out, "We can’t hold them here!"

"Then we move!" Kai answered, yanking a chair into the path of another attacker, sending him sprawling. Lyra’s blade flashed once — twice — and the man didn’t get up.

The chandeliers swung overhead from the force of the fight, scattering light in dizzying arcs. The hall had become a battlefield, silk gowns brushing against drawn steel, the scent of roast meat now mingled with sweat and blood.

Through it all, the Queen watched, chin resting on her hand, as if the banquet was still underway and this was merely the evening’s entertainment.

Kai kicked a fallen plate into an assassin’s face and leaned toward Lyra. "We need to reach her."

Lyra didn’t ask why. She only nodded — and together, they cut a path through the storm of blades toward the Queen’s table.

A masked fighter vaulted onto the table ahead of them, twin daggers dripping crimson. He slashed downward at Kai, but Lyra intercepted with a clash of steel that sent sparks scattering over the roasted pheasant.

Kai shoved a chair into the assassin’s legs, knocking him off balance long enough for Lyra to drive her parrying dagger between his ribs. She yanked it free without slowing.

Velis caught up to them, his coat torn, a thin line of blood trailing from his temple. "They’re not here for a kill-and-run," he growled. "They’re here to clear the hall."

Kai didn’t have time to answer.

Another attacker dropped from the balcony behind Astra, aiming a curved blade for her spine. She twisted at the last second, her rapier’s point finding the hollow beneath his jaw. His body hit the table with a heavy thud, scattering candlesticks and sending wax splattering across the silk.

The chandeliers above groaned on their chains, swaying from the chaos. Shadows leapt and stretched across the marble floor, blurring the line between friend and foe.

The Queen had not moved an inch.

She sat with her chin resting in her palm, the faintest curve of a smile on her lips as nobles screamed and died around her. The spilled wine at her table now ran in two streams — one red, one darker, thicker.

"Push forward!" Kai shouted.

Velis vaulted a table, his dagger cutting through a masked fighter’s throat before the man could even react. Astra fell in step beside him, moving like a duelist in a ballroom dance, each thrust and parry precise, economical, beautiful.

Lyra stayed at Kai’s side, cutting down anyone who came within striking distance. There was no hesitation in her kills, but there was no joy either — just cold, mechanical precision.

Halfway to the Queen’s dais, a heavy oak table overturned in front of them, blocking the path. Behind it, three masked fighters crouched with crossbows already drawn.

"Down!" Kai barked.

Bolts whipped through the air. One skimmed Kai’s shoulder, burning a hot line through cloth and skin. Velis dove to the side, rolling between two overturned chairs before springing up behind them. In one swift motion, he drove his dagger into the back of one archer’s neck.

Astra lunged over the table, her rapier skewering a second. The third dropped his crossbow and ran — but Lyra’s blade caught him mid-step, her strike clean and final.

They vaulted the table. The Queen’s dais was now in sight, framed by the golden light of the chandeliers.

And then Kai saw it — the real threat.

Not in the balconies. Not in the shadows.

At the Queen’s own table.

The young baron who had smiled at Kai earlier stood to her right, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of a dagger concealed in the folds of his coat. His eyes weren’t on the assassins. They were on the Queen’s throat.

And the Queen... she was letting him.

Her gaze flicked to Kai, just once, before returning to her goblet.

"Velis," Kai said, low but sharp.

"I see him."

The baron moved — too fast for a courtier, too direct for a man making a political point. The dagger cleared his coat in a glint of steel, rising toward the Queen’s pale throat.

Kai didn’t think. He surged forward, shoving through the last tangle of overturned chairs, blades, and dying men.

The baron’s arm came down.

Kai’s dagger came up.

Kai’s dagger struck first.

It punched up under the baron’s ribs, the steel biting deep. The young noble’s eyes went wide, his breath hitching in a single, shocked gasp.

For a heartbeat, he didn’t drop the dagger in his own hand. Instead, his gaze flicked from Kai to the Queen, as if searching for some confirmation — or forgiveness. He found neither.

Blood spilled from his mouth, dark and thick. The dagger clattered from his grip, skittering across the polished floor before vanishing into the chaos.

Kai twisted his blade free and shoved the baron back. The man staggered two steps, then collapsed across the Queen’s table, staining the silk with a spreading pool of red.

The Queen didn’t flinch.

She set her goblet down, its rim still wet with wine, and looked at Kai with an expression that could have been gratitude... or calculation.

"Remove him," she said softly.

Velis dragged the baron’s body away without a word. Astra kept her rapier raised, scanning the room for any remaining threats. Lyra stepped closer to Kai, her shoulder brushing his.

The last of the masked fighters were either dead or fleeing. The great hall reeked of blood, spilt wine, and burnt candle wax. The chandeliers swayed overhead, as if still unsettled by the violence.

The Queen rose at last, smoothing the front of her gown. Her voice was calm, almost casual.

"Well," she said, "it seems dinner is over."

Kai still held his dagger. He didn’t lower it.

Something in her eyes told him that the night’s real game had only just begun.

Next Chapter Preview – Chapter 78: The Queen’s Hand

The blood hasn’t dried on the banquet floor when the Queen calls for a private audience.

Kai, Velis, Astra, and Lyra are summoned to the inner chambers — the one place in the palace where whispers outweigh blades.

But the Queen’s gratitude is a dangerous thing.

Every smile hides a debt, and every reward demands a price.

Tonight, she offers Kai her hand... and perhaps her throne.

The question is whether either will survive accepting it.

CTA:

The banquet may be over, but the game has only deepened. Step into Chapter 78, where the Queen’s secrets come to light, and Kai must decide whether to take her hand — or cut it from the wrist.