The tension in Mara's Tavern was so thick that it felt as though one could cut through it with a knife. Even the normally rowdy patrons during the evening rush were intimidated, remaining silent as they watched the feline bore a veritable hole through Azeline. By now, they had come to know and fear Azeline, so when the woman appeared timid and submissive to another, they realized the situation was delicate.

  Still lounging in the battered chair, Indi's face broke into a large, predatory smile. Her two sharp canines gleamed in the low light while her long, striped tail flicked lazily out to the side. Azeline's heart stuttered with overwhelming dread as she looked down at the floor. At that moment, there was pure malice in Indi's eyes—an icy glint that promised both mischief and doom.

  With a languid drawl that carried a playful yet perilous edge, Indi purred, “You know…” Her voice slithered through the air as she casually reached out. Her delicate fingers closed around the pair of dice resting on the scarred table, deftly flicking her wrist and sending them tumbling across the table in a clatter of chance.

  “I was very disappointed to learn you’ve not only been alive for well over a couple of months but…” Indi’s voice adopted a mockingly disappointed tone. However, the anger was unmistakable. “To discover you’ve been roaming around in this quaint little town without even sending a simple ‘how do you do!’ was quite heartbreaking!” Her words cut through the tavern’s clamor like a razor, instantly tightening the atmosphere. Even the rowdiest, hard-edged mercenaries shrank back and quieted as if stung by a sudden chill.

  Then, blending joviality with biting sarcasm, Indi added, “And you even made such… interesting friends!” A giggle, almost sweet if it weren’t for the chilling undertone, escaped the feline’s lips as she deftly unsheathed the dagger strapped to her boot.

  But before Indi could continue, the uncomfortable silence of the room was shattered by a piercing shout. “Ahhh! Aha! You lose!!” Yana’s voice rang out as she soared straight up from where the dice had tumbled and floated directly in front of Indi with her hands planted firmly on her hips. Hovering in mid-air, the diminutive fairy barked at Indi, “Pay up! Pay up! You lose! Come on! Pay up!”

  Indi’s smile remained on her face, but her eyes narrowed slightly as she regarded the airborne intruder with caution. With deliberate movements that indicated just how wary she was of Yana, Indi reached for a sack full of coins she had won from the establishment's patrons and tossed it onto the table. Then, she gently nudged the sack toward the giddy little fairy with the tip of her dagger while the menace zipped around, seemingly unable to contain herself.

  Yana cackled with glee as she snatched the coin purse and effortlessly floated off with it. Slowly, as if savoring every second, she drifted past the gathered crowd and straight past Azeline, whose eyes flickered between her and Indi, seemingly overwhelmed by everything that was happening.

  Azeline closed her eyes for a brief moment as she fought to collect herself. The chaos that whirled within her after being caught so off guard had started to fade into a distant hum as she pressed a steadying hand against the pommel of her own dagger. It was a small and insignificant gesture, she wasn’t confident she could take on her boss should the need arise, but she swore silently that she’d at least put up a fight.

  “I—Indi, this isn’t what you think it is,” Her voice echoed out, laced with an effort to project power. Azeline couldn’t afford to seem like another insignificant weakling that her boss could just simply intimidate and overpower.

  Indi’s smile twitched for a brief moment before amusement once again played upon her predatory features. This small detail sent a chill up Azeline's spine as she continued. “I promise you, I haven’t betrayed you in any—” Azeline attempted to press on, but before she could finish her plea, Indi’s dagger was forcefully stabbed into the table, silencing the blonde. A thunderous crash erupted, sending everything on the scarred surface flying while the nearby crowd scrambled back to distance themselves from that feline.

  Gracefully, as if the disruption were merely a minor inconvenience, Indi twisted her lithe body to sit up properly and crossed her legs once more. She maintained a straight back with a controlled air of regality typically exhibited by those of noble birth, her hands resting neatly in her lap. The smile on the catgirl’s face turned vicious as her eyes narrowed into a hateful glare.

  “Ohoho... oh Azeline. Always so brave and willful,” Indi purred, her voice laced with mockery and scorn.

  Leaning forward, Indi tapped the curved metal pommel of her dagger with her sharp fingernail. The metallic ring punctuated the charged atmosphere as she continued. “You know…” Her tone softened as she gently tilted her head, looked off, and shifted her expression into troubled introspection. “I was quite troubled when I received reports that you had failed in your last contract and perished…”

  The words were spoken as if one had lost a friend, but the tone slowly shifted into irritation as Indi continued. “Not only had I lost a very capable subordinate, but that failure left a black mark on my name—and left me dangerously exposed to that vapid, brutish, and conniving man,” she said as if it were Azeline’s fault.

  Indi’s gaze shifted back to Azeline in an unblinking and deadly glare, “So imagine my surprise when I learned that not only was my dearest Azeline alive, but she was running around in the countryside with a new crew!” She growled, throwing her hand to the side and moving her fingers in a shooing fashion. “And no less, in a town heavily influenced by Einar, working like some kind of... renegade.” The words dripped from her voice, full of venom.

  “So forgive me for saying that... I don't quite believe you.” Indi finished with cold finality that sent shivers through the air.

  Azeline shifted uncomfortably as her mind raced to find the right words. She was nowhere near as clever or articulate as Indi, so she had to choose her words carefully, lest she end up with a knife in her throat. But almost as if on cue, another voice broke in, providing a saving grace.

  “We’re definitely not working with this Einar guy,” Elijah spoke up in a casual tone edged with undeniable certainty. The unexpected interjection sent Azeline spinning around, and Indi’s eyes snapped toward him, a slight frown slowly etching itself across her flawless features.

  Elijah stepped to Azeline’s side, nonchalantly tossing the coin sack—the money from the tavern’s freelancers and patrons Indi had won—up and down in his hand. “We don’t even know who he is.”

  Indi’s first thought was one of doubt—who would believe that after everything that had just happened? Yet, as she regarded this strange man and the other newcomers filtering in behind him, she sensed an impressive competence in them that far surpassed any trivial connection to Einar. They moved too subtly, positioned themselves deftly, and seemed far too professional to be associated with that unfathomable fool.

  But what had really made Indi pause and feel guarded was the fairy perched smugly on her shoulder. The tiny creature glowered with a sinister expression that betrayed secrets best left unspoken, and Indi was an educated woman. She was familiar with the Fae, which was no ordinary fairy and certainly not a pixie.

  Indi let out a low, velvety hum that hinted at both intrigue and appraisal. Then, she uncrossed her legs unhurriedly, almost sensuously, and rose smoothly from the chair. As she stood, Indi’s finger curled around the hilt of her dagger, and in one swift motion, she yanked it from the table. A horrible sound echoed in the tavern as the wooden surface creaked in protest, but the blade slid out as if being pulled from a mere stick of butter.

  With practiced nonchalance, Indi twirled the dagger in her hand and strode forward, stopping a good distance from Azeline and Elijah. “And you are…?” Indi asked, her gaze focused squarely on Elijah, a hint of wariness in her eyes. “Who exactly?”

  Elijah simply shrugged. “We’re just an unrelated party—trying to put this town under new, no… more reasonable management.” His tone was light, but an edge lurked beneath his casual demeanor, as if the reshaping of Glennsworth was not open for debate, promising a vicious and bloody event.

  A subtle twinkle sparked in Indi’s eyes—a glimmer that could mean anything from a desire to rip Einar’s influence right out of backwater to the unthinkable removal of the imperials. In that instant, her demeanor shifted imperceptibly; no longer was her gaze merely predatory, as if she was talking down to someone lower than her, it instead had grown calculating and serious.

  Her eyes then roamed the tavern, jumping from one individual to the next, and it became clear the trained operators in the room, trying desperately to blend in with the unruly rabble, were made. For someone like Indi, spotting those who do not belong had become something routine for her.

  And these folks were a lot more conspicuous than they hoped to let on.

  Indi noted the subtle gear they wore: strange devices discreetly tucked into their ears, barely visible beneath their hair, while a few had odd wristwatches turned inward toward their bodies and the outlines of oddly shaped weapons underneath their baggy clothes. These people were foreigners, clearly unaccustomed to the rough and tumble ways of The Savage Lands—as she herself had been when she first arrived. However, these were not people Indi recognized, and she had her suspicions, especially given their clean appearances.

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  The operators, on the other hand, ceased being subtle the moment they were made and started to edge toward this woman’s flank, shedding whatever covert facades they had to surround her. Meanwhile, with graceful poise, Indi narrowed her eyes and leaned slightly forward, curling her lips into a cool, challenging smirk as she fixed her gaze directly on Azeline.

  “And who exactly do they work for?” she asked, her voice a low purr laced with both amusement and warning.

  Azeline fell silent at the pointed question, and the woman’s mind raced as she struggled to formulate a coherent reply. If Azeline were honest with herself, she didn’t truly know—and frankly, she didn’t want to know. These were peculiar, relatively amicable warriors with a strong distaste for the empire, eager to unleash chaos upon the Imperials wherever they encountered them. It was a sentiment Azeline could relate to; the empire deserved every bit of destruction these strange individuals wrought, and she had no desire to interfere with that. This wasn’t her land, her people, or her fight.

  Before Azeline could muster a response, Elijah spoke in his signature cool and dismissive tone. “Does it really matter who—” he began, only to be interrupted by the cold, sharp tip of Indi’s dagger gently tapping his chin. His eyes widened, and his breath caught in his throat. He had blinked—he had just fucking blinked, and in that heartbeat, the catgirl had closed the gap between them.

  Even Azeline had barely caught sight of the feline when the blonde spun around in shock to see Indi curiously tilting her head from side to side as she studied Elijah’s face. A sly, dangerous smile played on Indi’s lips as she drawled, “Would you incinerate me or turn me into a frog if I slit the throat of your insolent little pet?”

  At that moment, a scoffing laugh erupted above Elijah as that irreverent sprite landed squarely on his head and sent a few quick, stinging stomps into his skull. “Hmph! I wish this petulant little punk were as obedient as a pet!” she jeered, her words laced with scorn at his supposed disobedience while waving her hand dismissively at Indi. “Go ahead! He’ll come back in a hundred years or so… Or at least whenever I feel like it.”

  Elijah’s eye twitched before flicking upward. A wave of anxiety and dread filled him as he sucked in a shuddering breath and released a long, heavy exhale to ease his frayed nerves. He had suspected something was wrong with his alleged mortality, but he didn’t particularly feel like testing that at the moment.

  Or… ever.

  However, he still somehow managed to maintain his composure despite Yana’s casual acceptance of his death. Around him, several operators began to react, but Mike’s calm voice came through over the comm, urging everyone to stand down, “Stand down. Don’t pull your weapons—stay chill.”

  Indi’s ears immediately perked up at the sound; they snapped like a radar dish receiving a signal. Her eyes soon followed as she let out a few soft, thoughtful hums of interest. “Hmmm… hm. hm hm hm…” Indi studied the device, trying to perceive any minute trace of magical energy within it.

  Even though Elijah was screaming internally in terror for them all to shoot this crazy fucking bitch already, he managed to collect himself and fix Indi with an amused and mocking expression. “Come on, do you even care who we work for?” He Indi’s tail flicked in agitation as she shifted her attention from the curious device in Elijah’s ear to the man himself. “It appears we both don’t like who’s running things here,” he said with a chuckle. “Can we stop with the theatrics? What are you even angry about?” He then nodded towards Azeline, adding softly, “Is it Azeline?”

  That question drew a deeper frown from Indi. “Come on,” Elijah continued, giving the cat girl an animated yet incredulous look. “She’s just repaying a debt. I found her mangled in the forest, barely clinging to life—and I saved her. She wouldn’t stop harping about you, so I knew this meeting was bound to come eventually. Probably.”

  Indi’s gaze sharpened as she stepped closer to Elijah, her predatory smile faded into a cold, dangerous scowl. With a delicate push, she brought the flat of her blade to his cheek and gently turned his head. “Careful now,” she warned in a low, dangerous hiss as her eyes flashed with anger even as her smile played upon her lips. “You’d do well to watch your tongue.”

  Even when issuing a threat, the feline’s voice was silky and alluring. “It doesn’t matter what strange little weapons your people have—your throat will be spraying everywhere before they even pull them from their cloaks.” Her ears subtly rotated as she spoke, honing in on the distinct clicks of weapon safeties being disengaged in the background as if to remind him that not a single sound was left unnoticed.

  Elijah’s expression faltered for a moment, shock and uncertainty mingling in his eyes. He managed to stammer, “If you know who we are, then why’d you even bother asking? What's even the point of all of this?”

  A scoff escaped Indi’s lips as her tone dripped with scorn. “Do you think I’m daft?” she replied, her words laced with genuine insult. “Strange people with strange manners and strange weapons? I’m not so deaf, blind, and dumb to not notice who’s playing around in my backyard.” With that, she pressed the flat of her blade harder against his chin, causing the point to dig in slightly.

  “You insult me by implying I’m as uninformed and base as the unlanded rabble,” she continued icily, offering a snarl and a huff of agitation. “No, my issue lies with the colossal failure laid at my feet. Even now, that insufferable cur is flapping his tongue to all that would hear, laying all the blame on me.”

  Her irritation was not with the foreign customs or unfamiliar gadgets—it was with the way he had Azeline wrapped around his finger. “And to see my best enforcer trouncing about when there’s oh so much to do is quite… vexing.” Without taking her eyes off him, she turned her attention to Azeline. In a tone laced with both disdain and curiosity, she asked, “As surprising as it is to see you involved with these… people, I’m quite upset you haven’t even bothered to even inform me you were still alive, my dearest Azeline. Was his cock so good that you’ve yet to even send a word?”

  Azeline’s mouth opened as if ready to retort, but then she froze. A cold, sinking realization gripped her—she would sound so utterly foolish that Indi might have slit her throat right then and there. Why hadn’t she reached out to Indi while she was adventuring? Sure, she had been stabbed in the back and saved by Eli, but her boss, Indi, was reasonable enough to understand the situation and even provide her with some support. Deep down, Azeline knew the real reason: it was a terrible flaw in her own nature—ego. Such arrogance was a liability in this ruthless line of work, where even the most ordinary person could end up successfully knifing her in the back.

  She had been bested by someone who was both inferior and significantly weaker, so admitting this would tarnish not only her reputation but also that of her employers. To add insult to injury, she had been rescued by strangers from a distant land on a mere whim. To return empty-handed, with her tail figuratively tucked between her legs, was beyond humiliating. Shieldmaidens had taken their own lives for far less, and delivering nothing but a terrible outcome to Indi was simply not an option. Yet, the very thought of bringing back even a head—or two—to win back a modicum of honor only brought her further from anything that would tangibly help her boss. Every piece she managed to collect further complicated her situation, especially with these foreign elements involved.

  For a long, agonizing moment, Azeline stood there, caught in the crushing grip of her own indecision. The echoes of Indi’s cutting words still reverberated through her mind, and the silence that followed seemed to stretch on indefinitely. Every nerve in her body screamed in protest at the humiliation of her failure—and yet, deep within, she knew she had no choice but to own it.

  With trembling determination, Azeline drew a slow, steady breath. The air in Mara’s Tavern, thick with tension and the metallic tang of spilled blood, seemed to pause around her as she inhaled deeply. She straightened her posture, lifting her chin as if to reclaim the defiant strength she once possessed. In that measured exhale, she resolved to take responsibility for her actions, to accept the consequences of her shortcomings without cowering beneath the weight of her pride.

  Her voice, when it finally emerged, was low and resolute. “I… I thought I could… fix this.” Each word she murmured felt like a barbed lash of shame against her back. Her first thought was to give an excuse, but she realized it would simply sound like another plea for forgiveness. Despite how little fault she bore, she had to declare the cold, brutal truth.

  Azeline did her best to gather her resolve, but the weight of her failure still pressed heavily upon her. “These are my benefactors,” she admitted in a low, deferential tone. “They saved my life and... I saw them as the only way to uncover Einar’s plot and even the score.” Her eyes flickered down with shame as she continued, “I tried to figure it out on my own, but one thing led to another, and I’m not the most talented…”

  For a long, tense moment, her words hung in the air like a desperate confession. Azeline had nearly completed her thought, but Indi more or less knew what she was about to say. The feline wore an incredulous and crazed expression as she stared at Azeline as if her subordinate were speaking gibberish. She emitted a series of noises—“argh… ugh!”—that punctuated her growing annoyance. “So, basically,” she drawled with a scolding look, “you’ve done nothing at all! You ran in circles chasing shadows because shame kept you silent after such a colossal disaster!

  A flicker of annoyance crossed Indi’s face as she cast an icy glance at Elijah before deftly withdrawing her dagger. “Alright, fine!” she declared in a haughty huff. “I am a person of reason, after all.”

  Realizing she was being a bit unfair, Indi turned around and sauntered back toward the battered chair behind the table. “You’re not to blame for this,” she declared just before flopping down into the chair and elegantly folding her legs over the armrest once more.

  Pausing, Indi swept her gaze over the room before fixing her eyes on Elijah. “Anyhow,” she continued in an aloof tone, “it seems our interests are somewhat aligned.” Indi waved her hand dismissively. “You wish to usurp this town, and I—well… intend to stamp out an operation run by my… rival.” She sneered at the word ‘rival,’ as if the person she was discussing was far beneath her.

  “And I’m sure someone is itching to fix the mess they helped create.” For a moment, Indi shot Azeline a scalding glare before a slow, wry smile spread across her face. “I am a forgiving woman, after all,” she purred.

  Even though Azeline still felt the burning pain of humiliation after being exposed for her incompetence, her eyes retained a flicker of resolve. She had been given an opportunity to restore her honor and bring justice to those who had wronged her.

  “We have a lead already,” Azeline declared with cautious hope. “I’ve organized a meeting with one of Einar’s key contacts in Glennshore.”

  At those words, Indi’s ears perked up again, and a wide, menacing smile spread across her features. “Oh, do tell!” she exclaimed excitedly with sinister delight. “I just may join you.”