In the capital of Thece, Mawic:

  YeFeng strode into the kitchen, moving to grab a plate of food.

  The cooks didn’t react, besides a few defeated, resentful looks at the boy who pilfered from their efforts, and had proven that there was no stopping his hunger.

  He took the plate, and walked out into the hallway, ready to eat.

  Just as he was about to sit at the stairwell he had made it his habit to sit at, Nadren approached from up the stairs.

  “Ah, there you are.” The man said. “I have something we need to discuss.”

  YeFeng sighed, disappointed at not being able to eat his meal in peace, and turned to Nadren.

  “Please, follow me.” Nadren said. “This is information I would rather not allow to be heard by listening ears.”

  As Nadren stepped past YeFeng, YeFeng followed, and they walked down the halls.

  At a quiet place, Nadren opened up a heavy oaken door into a stone room without windows or other doorways.

  YeFeng stepped into the room, ignoring the table and chairs, and sat on the floor, eating his food.

  Nadren closed the door, and pulled a chair away from the table, moving it to better face YeFeng. He sat, then spoke.

  “You, YeFeng, are more than I bargained for. I said that you were important to those people, but it seems like you matter more than even I suspected. I’ve been noticing ripples moving through the city since your arrival. But the extent of chatter in these circles is greater than I expected. Because of that, it’s given me the information I need to pursue much earlier.”

  YeFeng paused his eating. “So you need me?”

  “Unfortunately, yes. I intend to lead my team to eradicate a minor base of your would-be killers. If we were to do this just as stated, and wipe them out, the group would simply go into hiding. But if you were with us as we destroyed them, it would provoke them.”

  “When?” YeFeng asked, resuming consuming his food.

  “Today. Before they can find out. Right now, the information is already beginning to cycle through the political channels in this city. Once the enemy plants catch wind, they’ll try to send word, ensure that there is nothing for us to destroy. And that,” Nadren said, resting his head on his fist, “is how they’ll give themselves away.”

  YeFeng nodded, finishing the last bit of food.

  “I know you can fight, and that you are strong.” Nadren said. “But don’t stray too far from the rest of us, now or on future missions. I won’t have a child die because of my work.”

  “I will take care.” YeFeng said, putting the plate aside. “It is the way I work.”

  “Good.” Nadren said. He stood. “You have everything you require?”

  “Yes.”

  “Very well. Follow me, then.”

  YeFeng stood, and followed the soldier out, into the hall.

  Nadren stopped only a short distance away from the room, at a small door, and he opened it. Stepping through, YeFeng found himself in a quiet street, where three people, besides Nadren, were already waiting.

  They noticed the arrivals, and a man playing with a knife spoke.

  “He’s coming with us?” He asked.

  “He agreed to.” Nadren replied.

  “That’s good. Anyway, kid,” he said, turning to YeFeng, “my name is Retfal. We don’t have time for lengthy introductions right now, so I won’t say anything further.”

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  YeFeng nodded, and Nadren introduced the other two, a woman named Esvyn, with short blonde hair, who waved at YeFeng, and a quiet dark-haired woman with a diagonal scar running along her cheek named Kelred.

  “Is everyone ready?” Nadren asked.

  The others gave their assent, and Nadren turned to YeFeng. “Just follow close.”

  With that, the group took off running, YeFeng following as they weaved through back streets and alleys.

  In the twilight, they rarely encountered anyone, and when they did, the group was gone quickly enough to create doubt in the mind of the watcher as to whether they had truly seen what they recalled.

  YeFeng kept up as easily as any of them, and Retfal grinned at his speed.

  “Good! You’re impressive!” The man said.

  YeFeng, not caring about praise or other unimportant words, stayed silent, though Retfal seemed to respect the boy more.

  Nadren stopped at a nondescript building, and a man, standing watch, was moving to alert those inside.

  YeFeng ran close, and the man swung a club at his head.

  Dodging, YeFeng drew his knife, and ducked under another swing before ending the fight.

  Nadren kicked open the door at the same time that Retfal and Kelred jumped upward, breaking through the windows on the second floor.

  YeFeng followed Nadren, and Esvyn leapt onto the roof, watching for any would-be escapees.

  YeFeng drew his knives, and turned to the right as Nadren went to the left.

  Two people turned to see the boy enter, and one opened his mouth to shout, but his voice cut off as his throat was.

  The other person fell backward as they reached behind them to grab a spear, fear written clearly on their face, but they could not slow the knife.

  YeFeng turned, and saw Nadren stab through another opponent.

  There was a commotion upstairs, and Retfal appeared at the top of the stairs.

  “It’s handled,” he said, “but you should probably watch behind you.”

  Nadren turned, and, in the same motion, cut through a person who had been sneaking behind, knife raised high, from another room.

  Another person managed to slip past them, and go outside, and Nadren, Retfal, and YeFeng exited the building, into the alleyway where a few enemies, hoping to escape, were already slumped as a result of Esvyn’s work.

  A person crashed through a window on the second floor to fall to the ground, dead, and Kelred jumped through after them.

  Esvyn, on the roof, moved to take out the last runner, but Nadren raised a hand to forestall her.

  Esvyn jumped down to the group, questions in her eyes.

  “We still need one alive. Without a messenger, we won’t incite fear.”

  The group nodded, and Nadren turned to YeFeng.

  “This was an easy first mission, but it will be more of a challenge later on. Don’t get overconfident just because these were weak. You’re still a prime target of theirs.”

  YeFeng cleaned his knives, and sheathed them.

  The group was already putting their weapons away after their cleaning, and, seeing curious citizens beginning to approach, ran.

  * * * * *

  YeFeng took his food again, wanting to leave, but a cook stepped in the way. I thought they already learned this lesson. He prepared to push the cook out of the way, but the man held out a small wafer to YeFeng, with a white corner of paper peeking out of the food.

  YeFeng took the wafer, and the cook stepped aside to prepare more food.

  YeFeng left the kitchen, and walked to the room he slept in. Stepping inside, he set his plate to the side.

  Taking the wafer, he grasped the paper corner, and pulled.

  In his hand was a folded paper, and he looked at it curiously, before eating the cracker.

  He unfolded the paper as he chewed, reading the message that was written there.

  It was a note, and YeFeng read it.

  YeFeng, I apologize for using such unconventional methods to get this to you, but I needed there to be no suspicion. I have been paying close attention to the inner circles of this city, and I caught word that an assassin is preparing to attack you in your room today. Knock him unconscious or, better yet, hold them off and make noise. Knowing you and your obvious sense of autonomy, you’ll do the former, but be careful. This person will be strong. If this goes well, we can catch them and their handlers.

  From Nadren.

  YeFeng folded the note, and set it on a table. He took the salt he had set aside, and manipulated it with one hand as he ate his plate of food with the other. He needed to be ready with the salt for later.

  Finishing the food, he jumped upward, and caught hold of a beam at the ceiling. Pulling himself upward, he stretched himself outward, resting on the beam as he waited.

  Only a short while later, he heard a sound from just outside of his door.

  He turned, crouching on the beam, and watched downward as the door creaked open.

  A shadowed figure stole into the room, and stepped forward, scanning the room, before YeFeng dropped down onto the assassin, staggering him with a knee to the back.

  The assassin stumbled backward, and he drew a knife from his belt, grimacing.

  YeFeng drew his daggers, and the two warriors faced each other, preparing for the dance of death.

  YeFeng dashed forward, stabbing at the assassin.

  The assassin slapped the flat of the knife, knocking it aside with his empty palm, and he slashed at YeFeng.

  YeFeng stopped the blade with his empty dagger, and kicked the assassin. The assassin turned as the kick landed, making it only a glancing blow, and he punched at YeFeng’s face.

  Ducking, YeFeng stepped in close, and he ramed the back end of the knife into the assassin’s ribs.

  The man, grunting in pain, slashed at YeFeng’s face, and the boy blocked, but he failed to stop the punch that followed, and he stumbled backward.

  YeFeng managed to dodge the followup attack, and he punched upward, connecting with the man’s jaw.

  The man lifted upward off of the ground, and YeFeng reached forward, grabbing hold of him, before he swung him around, throwing in an arc around him to the wall behind.

  The man nearly collided with the wall, but suddenly he kicked his foot outward, and glass from the window flowed inward, impacting the assassin’s foot, which stopped his momentum completely.

  He landed, and the glass shattered, then flowed again, forming a river flowing around his arm.

  YeFeng raised a dagger towards the assassin, and a ribbon of salt flowed forward, meeting the man’s similar attack with a shattering sound, dust made of salt and glass being strewn around the room.

  YeFeng dashed forward, as the glowing ribbons clashed together again and again, and he attacked, careful not to end the man, though the opportunity presented itself more than once.

  He ducked under a barrage of glass shards, then slashed, knocking the dagger from the man’s hands, and he kicked the man backward, directly into a salt construct the size of a rock that moved to collide with his skull.

  The assassin fell unconscious, and the glass he had already been fashioning into a makeshift weapon shattered as it hit the stone floor.

  YeFeng sheathed his blades, and sat on his bed, waiting for Nadren to arrive.