Black Dock was not like the rest of Ravenspire.
The lanterns here did not glow warmly.
They burned low and red, hanging crookedly above the streets like tired eyes watching crime unfold. The air smelled of salt, wet wood, smoke, and cheap alcohol.
Men shouted over crates.
Women laughed too loudly.
Knives flashed casually in dark corners.
And the sea beyond the docks sounded restless, crashing against the boards like it wanted to swallow the city whole.
Kael walked beside me, hood up, hands tucked into his cloak, but his body was tense.
His eyes kept scanning every face.
Every alley.
Every rooftop.
He was trying to stay calm.
But I could tell he was not calm at all.
His steps were too fast.
His breathing too controlled.
His silence too loud.
"Elara," he whispered, "do not let me do anything stupid."
I glanced at him.
"That is a strange thing to ask," I said.
Kael let out a short breath.
"It is because I will," he admitted.
I nodded slowly.
"At least you are honest," I replied.
Kael's lips twitched.
Not a full smile.
Just a flicker.
Then he pulled the note out again, reading it like it might change.
SHE IS ALIVE. COME TO BLACK DOCK.
Kael clenched his jaw.
"If this is a trap," he muttered, "I will kill whoever wrote it."
"You will not kill anyone unless we confirm it," I replied.
Kael glanced at me.
"You sound like Darius," he said.
I frowned.
"That is not a compliment," I muttered.
Kael shrugged.
"It is not an insult either," he replied.
We moved deeper into Black Dock.
The streets narrowed.
The buildings leaned closer together, wooden balconies hanging above us like broken teeth.
A group of men stood near a gambling table, laughing loudly.
One of them saw us and nudged his friend.
"Fresh faces," he muttered.
Another smirked.
"Pretty girl," he said.
Kael stepped slightly in front of me, his posture casual but protective.
"Keep walking," he whispered.
I nodded.
We passed a fish stall where a man was cutting something too large to be a fish.
Blood ran down into the gutter.
I forced myself not to stare.
Kael's voice lowered.
"This place is worse than the capital slums," he muttered.
I glanced at him.
"You have been here before," I said.
Kael nodded.
"Once," he replied. "And I promised myself never again."
I paused.
"Why," I asked.
Kael's jaw tightened.
"Because this is where they take people," he whispered.
My chest tightened.
"Who," I asked.
Kael's voice was bitter.
"Anyone with value," he said. "Girls. boys. bloodlines. fighters."
His eyes hardened.
"And they sell them."
My blood chilled.
So this was not just a dock.
This was a market.
Not for goods.
For humans.
We reached a wide platform near the edge of the water.
Old ships rocked in the harbor.
The sea smelled sharp.
Kael stopped suddenly.
His gaze locked on something.
A sign hanging above a tavern.
THE BLACK FIN
Kael swallowed.
"This is the meeting point," he whispered.
I narrowed my eyes.
The tavern was packed.
Smoke drifted out of the door.
Music played inside, loud enough to hide screams.
Kael's hand twitched near his dagger.
I leaned close.
"What is the plan," I asked quietly.
Kael blinked.
Then he sighed.
"I do not know," he admitted.
I nodded.
"Good," I replied. "Then we do what you do best."
Kael frowned.
"Steal," he asked.
I nodded.
Kael's lips curved.
"Finally," he whispered. "A plan I understand."
We entered the tavern.
The heat hit us instantly.
The air was thick with sweat, alcohol, and smoke. Men sat around tables gambling with coins and blood stones. Women leaned against walls, watching with empty eyes.
A band played in the corner.
Their music was cheerful.
But nothing in this place felt cheerful.
Kael moved through the crowd easily, like he belonged here.
I stayed close behind him.
We reached the bar.
A bartender with a scar across his cheek looked at us.
"You lost," he muttered.
Kael smiled.
"No," he replied. "We are looking."
The bartender's gaze moved to me.
His eyes lingered.
Then he smirked.
"And what are you looking for," he asked.
Kael leaned closer.
"We got a message," he whispered. "Said someone is alive."
The bartender's smile faded slightly.
"Alive," he repeated.
Kael nodded.
The bartender wiped his hands on a cloth slowly.
Then he leaned forward.
"Wrong place," he said.
Kael did not move.
"Try again," Kael replied.
The bartender's eyes sharpened.
"Or what," he asked.
Kael smiled wider.
"Or I start cutting pockets," he said. "And this whole tavern becomes noisy."
The bartender stared at him for a long moment.
Then he chuckled.
"You are bold," he said.
Kael shrugged.
"I am desperate," he replied.
The bartender sighed.
Then he nodded toward the back door.
"Go outside," he said quietly. "Dockside stairs. Wait there."
Kael's breath caught.
He nodded once.
We moved toward the back door.
As we stepped outside, cold air hit my face.
The sound of waves grew louder.
We descended wooden stairs to a lower dock platform.
The boards creaked under our feet.
The water beneath was dark.
Kael stood at the edge, staring out like he expected someone to rise from the sea.
"Elara," he whispered, "if she is alive…"
His voice cracked.
He stopped.
I watched him silently.
Then I stepped closer.
"If she is alive," I said, "you will not waste the chance."
Kael nodded slowly.
His fists clenched.
Minutes passed.
Then footsteps approached behind us.
Kael spun instantly, daggers drawn.
A figure emerged from the shadows.
A woman.
Her hood was up, cloak wet from sea mist.
Kael's voice was sharp.
"Who are you," he demanded.
The woman stopped a few steps away.
Then she pulled her hood down.
Her hair was dark.
Her face was pale.
And her eyes were familiar.
Not because I had seen her before.
But because Kael reacted like he had been stabbed.
His daggers dropped slightly.
"No," he whispered.
His voice trembled.
"Serah…"
The woman's lips parted.
Her eyes filled with tears.
"Kael," she whispered.
Kael stumbled forward.
But I grabbed his arm quickly.
He froze.
He looked at me, eyes desperate.
"Elara," he whispered, "it is her."
I studied the woman.
Her face looked young.
But there were scars on her neck.
Faint marks like chains had been there.
Her hands were shaking.
Her posture was cautious, like she expected pain.
She looked like someone who had survived hell.
But something felt wrong.
The Queen's voice whispered.
Too easy.
I narrowed my eyes.
Serah stepped forward slowly.
Her voice was soft.
"I did not know if you would come," she said.
Kael swallowed hard.
"I came," he whispered.
His voice broke.
"I have been looking for you for two years."
Serah's eyes filled with tears.
"I am sorry," she whispered. "I tried to come back."
Kael stepped closer again.
His hands were trembling.
"What did they do to you," he asked.
Serah lowered her gaze.
Her voice became quiet.
"They took me to the Blood Court," she whispered. "They tested me."
Kael's jaw tightened.
His eyes turned red with anger.
"Tested you," he repeated.
Serah nodded slowly.
"I escaped," she whispered. "But I could not go home. They would follow me."
Kael's breathing became heavier.
He looked like he wanted to hug her.
To protect her.
To cry.
But I did not move.
Because I still felt it.
Something wrong.
Serah lifted her gaze toward me.
Her eyes locked on mine.
And for a second…
I saw something flicker.
Not warmth.
Not fear.
Recognition.
My blood ran cold.
She knows.
Kael spoke again, voice desperate.
"Where have you been hiding," he asked.
Serah hesitated.
Then she spoke.
"Ravenspire," she whispered. "In the tunnels beneath Black Dock."
Kael nodded quickly.
"We will leave," he said. "We will go far away. I will protect you."
Serah's expression softened.
But her eyes stayed sharp.
"Kael," she whispered, stepping closer.
Then she reached out and touched his cheek gently.
Kael froze.
His eyes filled with tears.
"I missed you," Serah whispered.
Kael's voice cracked.
"I missed you too," he whispered.
My chest tightened.
This was real.
His emotions were real.
But hers…
I was not sure.
The Queen's voice whispered again.
Trap.
I stepped forward.
"Serah," I said calmly.
She turned to me.
Her gaze stayed steady.
"Yes," she replied.
I narrowed my eyes.
"How did you escape the Blood Court," I asked.
Serah hesitated.
Only for a second.
But it was enough.
Then she answered.
"A guard helped me," she said.
Kael turned toward me sharply.
"Elara," he whispered, warning.
I ignored him.
"What guard," I asked.
Serah's lips parted.
She looked away.
"I do not know his name," she whispered.
Kael stepped toward me.
"Stop," he hissed. "Do not interrogate her like she is a criminal."
I turned to Kael.
"I am not interrogating her," I said. "I am making sure she is real."
Kael's eyes widened.
"What," he whispered.
Serah stepped forward suddenly.
Her voice was soft.
"Kael," she whispered, "do not fight. Please."
Kael's gaze snapped back to her instantly.
His anger faded.
Like her voice controlled him.
My blood ran colder.
That was not normal.
The Queen's voice whispered.
Enchantment.
I stepped back slightly.
My fingers twitched.
I wanted to summon blood threads.
But I could not.
Not here.
Not in Black Dock.
Not with spies everywhere.
Serah turned her gaze back to me.
Her expression became gentle.
"You are Mira," she said.
My heart tightened.
Kael frowned.
"How do you know her name," he asked.
Serah smiled.
"I have seen her around the guild," she replied calmly.
Lie.
She had never been near the guild.
Not with that face.
Not with that fear.
Kael did not notice.
Because he was drowning in hope.
But I noticed.
Serah stepped closer to me.
Her voice dropped.
"You should not be hiding here," she whispered.
My blood froze.
Kael blinked.
"What did you say," he asked.
Serah turned back to him quickly.
"Nothing," she said softly. "I was just… thanking her for bringing you."
Kael nodded.
Then he reached for her hand.
"We leave now," he said. "We go back to the inn. We pack. We disappear."
Serah's lips curved slightly.
"Good," she whispered.
Then she glanced past us.
Into the shadows.
And for a second…
I saw it.
A faint glow in her pupils.
Not normal.
Not human.
A slit.
Like a serpent.
My blood turned to ice.
I stepped back instantly.
"Kael," I whispered.
He turned toward me.
"What," he asked, irritated.
Serah's voice became soft again.
"Kael," she said gently, "do not listen to her."
Kael froze.
His expression went blank.
My heart slammed.
The Queen's voice roared.
Control.
I reached for Kael's wrist, shaking him.
"Kael," I hissed. "Look at me."
Kael blinked slowly.
His eyes were unfocused.
Serah stepped closer.
Her voice was a whisper.
"Come," she said. "Come with me."
Kael took a step toward her.
My blood surged.
I did not care anymore.
I lifted my hand.
A thin blood thread snapped out like a whip.
Invisible in the night mist.
It wrapped around Kael's wrist and yanked him backward.
Kael stumbled.
His eyes cleared instantly.
He gasped.
"Elara," he whispered, confused.
Serah's head snapped toward me.
Her eyes widened.
Then her smile changed.
It became cold.
Predatory.
"Well," she murmured.
Her voice was not Serah's anymore.
It was deeper.
Older.
Poisoned.
"You really are royal blood."
Kael's face went pale.
"What," he whispered.
Serah's body shifted slightly, her posture becoming unnatural.
Then she laughed softly.
"You wanted your sister," she said.
"And the Blood Council wanted the queen."
Her gaze locked on me.
"So we gave both of you what you desired."
Kael's breathing became heavy.
His voice shook.
"That is not her," he whispered.
The woman smiled wider.
"No," she replied. "But she is alive."
Kael's eyes widened.
His voice cracked.
"Where," he demanded.
The woman's eyes glowed.
"In the capital," she whispered.
"Waiting."
Then she lifted her hand.
The air around us twisted.
Blood mist rose from the dock boards like smoke.
Kael cursed.
I stepped back, pulling my blade.
The woman's smile became wicked.
"Run," she whispered.
"Because Elder Morcant will not be as patient as me."
Then she vanished.
Not by running.
Not by hiding.
She dissolved into blood mist and disappeared into the sea air.
The dock fell silent.
Only the waves remained.
Kael stood frozen, shaking.
His daggers trembled in his hands.
He looked like he was about to break.
I stepped closer.
"Kael," I said softly.
His voice was hoarse.
"That was not her," he whispered.
I shook my head.
"No," I said.
Kael swallowed hard.
Then he whispered.
"But she said Serah is alive."
I nodded slowly.
"Yes," I replied.
Kael's eyes filled with tears.
His fists clenched.
Then his voice turned cold.
"They are using her," he whispered.
My chest tightened.
The Queen's voice whispered.
They are baiting you.
Kael turned to me.
His voice shook.
"Elara," he said, "tell me what to do."
I stared at him.
And for the first time…
Kael was not asking as a thief.
Not asking as a friend.
He was asking as a broken brother.
I exhaled slowly.
"We go back," I said.
Kael blinked.
"To the inn," I continued. "To Lucien. To the guild."
Kael nodded.
"And then," he whispered.
I looked at the dark water.
Then back at him.
"Then we prepare," I said quietly.
"Because now we know the truth."
Kael's voice became sharp.
"What truth," he asked.
I answered slowly.
"They are not just hunting me," I said.
"They are hunting everyone connected to me."
Kael's jaw clenched.
"And they are holding your sister," I added.
Kael nodded once.
His eyes hardened.
"Then we take her back," he whispered.
I nodded.
"Yes," I said.
Kael swallowed.
Then his voice dropped.
"And if I see that serpent woman again…"
He did not finish.
He did not need to.
Because his anger was louder than words.
We turned away from the dock and began walking back into Ravenspire's lantern streets.
But the city no longer felt lively.
It felt like a cage.
And somewhere behind us…
in the darkness of the harbor…
a raven made of blood watched our backs.