The Broken Halo

Simon spent some extra minutes thinking of the possibilities and events that could occur for the mission, then his thoughts shifted toward the dead drop.

Simon glanced at the torn-banner seal and the Murmur Bone resting on the table. The demoness had chosen the Old Bell Quarter, the period between the second and fourth crimson bells, and the headless statue beneath which the report had to be placed.

She had controlled almost every part of the exchange.

That alone revealed its true purpose.

The Murmur Bone allowed them to speak from a distance. If she only wanted to know whether the vice-leader was alive or dead, Simon could have told her through it.

There was no need for a written report.

There was no need for an imprint from the command seal either.

The dead drop was meant to force the unknown holder of the Third Warden’s possessions to act physically within a location prepared by the eastern faction.

The report was secondary.

Finding Simon was the true objective.

Her warning that the Old Bell Quarter would be watching whoever entered was not merely a threat. It was also an admission that their surveillance would be thorough.

They would most likely watch the surrounding roads, buildings, rooftops and every demon who entered or left during the appointed period. They might even watch the drains beneath the quarter in case Simon took her mockery seriously and crawled through the sewers.

A courier would not solve the problem by itself.

The eastern faction could follow the courier backward, investigate who hired them, or place something on the payment used to complete the delivery.

Using wind to move the report from a distance would reveal part of Simon’s abilities. Using Shadow Eye carelessly might expose the skill before he gained anything worthwhile.

Every method would reveal something.

Therefore, the safest method was not necessarily the most complicated one.

It was the method that revealed the least.

Simon would inspect the Old Bell Quarter before the appointed bells. He needed to see its layout, the number of entrances, the available shadows, the buildings overlooking the headless statue and whether any formations had already been placed there.

Only then would he decide how to deliver the report.

He also needed to study the command seal more carefully before creating an imprint. If the imprint retained a connection to the real seal, Black Banner might be able to follow that link back to him.

The report itself would contain only what the demoness requested.

Whether the vice-leader lived.

Where he had been kept.

Whether he had spoken.

And whether he was dead by the time Simon delivered the message.

Nothing about how Simon obtained the information or how he entered the location would be included.

The less the eastern faction understood about his methods, the longer he could remain ’useful’ without becoming predictable.

As for the payment, Simon did not care about that. He could even ignore it if he felt like because he was rich as fuck. In fact, he would treat whatever they gave him as suspicious.

The eastern faction wanted to identify him.

Simon wanted to identify them.

The dead drop would simply be the first time both sides attempted to reach through the darkness separating them.

As Simon was lost in the seemingly endless myriad of his thoughts, a faint sound reached his ears.

The door of the room beside his opened.

At the same moment, the ShadowEye hidden near Simon’s door showed him Sonya stepping into the corridor. Her dark hair was slightly disordered from sleep, and one of her hands rested on her stomach as she looked toward the stairs.

”This Honourable is hungry,” she muttered. ”What is there to eat?”

Simon slowly shook his head.

The new day had already begun while he was studying the Fury Tempest Art.

It was also the day Korran had ordered Sonya to appear at the Black Horn Office and give a complete statement about the destroyed rebel cell.

Yet judging by the way she was preparing to walk downstairs in search of food, that appointment was nowhere in her thoughts.

Simon returned the Murmur Bone, command seal and protected black hide to the spatial ring before rising from his chair.

He opened his door just as Sonya began walking past it.

She stopped and turned toward him.

”You’re awake.”

Simon stepped into the corridor and closed the door behind him.

”I’m following you to the Black Horn Office.”

Sonya stared at him.

For several seconds, she looked genuinely confused, as though Simon had suddenly mentioned a place neither of them had ever heard of.

Then her eyes widened.

”Oh.”

She straightened slightly.

”I was supposed to go there today.”

Simon looked at her without saying anything.

His expression barely changed, but the silence was different from his usual calm. There was a faint disbelief in his eyes as he studied the demoness who had apparently forgotten an appointment connected to fourteen deaths, dozens of injuries and the destruction of part of a street.

Sonya noticed his gaze and frowned.

”What?”

”You forgot.”

”This Honourable did not forget.”

”You were going downstairs to search for food.”

”I can eat before going.”

”You did not remember until I mentioned it.”

Sonya’s frown deepened.

”I would have remembered eventually.”

Simon remained silent for a moment, then he shook his head slightly.

”Hopefully before Korran sent guards to remind you.”

Sonya clicked her tongue and folded her arms beneath her chest.

”Why do you even want to follow me? The old demon only asked for my statement.”

”To make the process easier and less stressful.”

”For me?”

”For everyone forced to listen to you.”

Sonya’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

Simon continued before she could respond.

”I’ll also make sure you don’t create another problem before the first one has been properly settled.”

”I do not need a babysitter,” Sonya immediately growled.

”You went out to recover a stolen spatial ring and returned after destroying an abandoned bathhouse, damaging numerous buildings, injuring more than thirty demons and killing fourteen.”

Sonya’s expression stiffened slightly.

”That makes it sound worse than it was.”

Simon tilted his head.

”Really?”

Before Sonya could reply, another door opened farther down the corridor.

Akaza stepped outside, rolling one shoulder as he looked between them. His tattoos shifted slightly over his arms with the movement.

”What is going on?”

Sonya immediately pointed at Simon.

”He wants to babysit me.”

Akaza looked at Simon, then he turned toward Sonya.

”That is probably a good idea.”

The corridor became quiet as Sonya slowly lowered her hand, and her expression darkened as she stared at Akaza.

”What did you say?”

Akaza seemed unaffected by the change in her expression.

”You need someone to stop you from destroying another part of Velmora.”

”I did not destroy a part of Velmora.”

”You lifted a building out of the ground.”

”You make it sound like it was a tower when it was just an abandoned bathhouse.”

Akaza could not help raise a brow.

”And you threw the ’just an abandoned bathhouse’ into a street.”

Sonya frowned.

”I did not throw it.”

Akaza raised both brows.

”What would you call it?”

Sonya opened her mouth, but no answer came immediately.

Simon calmly supplied one.

”Placing it aggressively.”

Akaza nodded.

”That sounds accurate.”

Sonya’s gaze moved from Akaza to Simon, then back again. The darkness in her expression deepened when she realised neither of them intended to support her.

”This Honourable does not need either of you.”

She turned sharply and stormed toward the staircase, her footsteps striking the wooden floor harder than necessary.

Akaza watched her reach the first step.

”Where are you going?”

Sonya did not look back.

”To get some food!”