Chapter 1: The Day I Died
The blade slipped beneath his ribs before he noticed the guard shift.
He inhaled sharply. Merely a breath—damp, erroneous, interrupted.
He let the knife fall from his hand. It clanged against the cobblestones and darted beneath the wheel of an aristocrat's carriage. A woman shouted somewhere behind him.
He wobbled backward.
The guards didn't even glance at him. They continued to walk, creating a protective wall around the palanquin. The man within—the one Leon had attempted to murder—continued to smile. One hand against his face, blood seeping through his fingertips.
A mark. That's everything he accomplished.
Another yell. He rotated his head quickly and knelt on one knee. The sky was excessively bright. The road whirled. His hand hit the ground to regain balance but failed to do so. Crimson stained beneath his cuff.
His voice emerged soft, foolish. "Not... I—"
A boot knocked him onto his back.
The crowd swirled around him. A few crossed over. A few didn't notice him whatsoever.
He glanced up at flags fluttering over the grand gates. Maison Merentis. Golden snakes on white.