themonasnovels Chapter 39 - 38: No Proof, Only Ashes
Chapter 39 - 38: No Proof, Only Ashes
Chapter 39: Chapter 38: No Proof, Only AshesThe guards arrived ten minutes too late.
They found a burned alley, unconscious gangsters, and a dead man with Silver Rank tattooed on his arm.
A mark known across the underground.
"Gods," one of the younger guards whispered, staring pale-faced. "That’s Red Morn."
The name landed like a stone in the alley.
The captain crouched beside the body, grimacing. "Gods help us. Someone actually took him down."
"Orders, sir?"
The captain scanned the alley.
"Secure the area. Get the mage examiner here. We need a read on what magic was used."
A pause.
"But sir," the sergeant muttered, "if word gets out a big boss died like this..."
The captain looked at him. "I know."
He looked over the broken bodies again, as if
"You’re used to pain," Roan said.
Seris met his gaze. "I was trained to be."
"She’s a combat slave," Kael said quietly. "Former noble. B-rank. It’s... complicated."
Roan didn’t pry. Just nodded and kept working.
He examined her leg next. "Dislocated at the knee. Nasty sprain."
He reached into a drawer and pulled out a thick paste in a clay jar, then smeared it along her ribs. It sizzled faintly, a scent like mint and burning grass filling the room.
"This’ll dull the pain, pull the bruising out."
"What is it?" Kael asked.
"Chimera root, ghost nettle, and powdered krag bones. Expensive shit. You can pay later."
"I will," Kael said.
Roan then smiled and said, "I’ve seen very few people like you who care so much about their slave."
He looked at Seris and said, "You’re lucky, girl. Most like you don’t get a second chance. Or someone who gives a damn."
Seris didn’t say anything. But Kael saw the tension in her jaw.
Roan then grabbed a long-handled ladle from a bubbling copper pot in the corner. He poured a thick greenish broth into a small ceramic bowl.
"Drink," he said, crouching beside the cot. "You’ll sleep. Heal faster."
Seris cracked an eye. "Will it taste like dog shit?"
Roan smirked. "Worse."
She choked it down anyway.
...
A few minutes later
Lirra leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed.
"You’re a shit liar," she said flatly. "You said it was ’gang thugs.’ That kind of damage doesn’t come from punks with rusted knives."
"What really happened?" she pressed. "And why the fuck did they come down on her so hard? Why’d they attack you?"
"I— I don’t know... maybe for money."
Lirra looked at him. "You’re not telling me everything."
Kael didn’t answer.
"I don’t need details," she said. "But if someone comes knocking and says you killed their boys, I’d rather not be caught holding your mess."
Kael met her eyes, calm. "No one saw us. And I didn’t start it."
"And if someone comes anyway?"
Kael said nothing.
Lirra stared at him, her voice cooling. "Fine. I’ll pretend none of this happened. But don’t mistake kindness for ignorance, Kael. You bring heat near my shop again, and I’ll gut you before the city watch does."
"Fair."
He stepped to the door.
"Where the hell are you going?" Lirra asked, exasperated.
"I still have work to finish."