The Shadow & the King (Creatures of Domhan na Rùin #4)

1. Lunette

LUNETTE

L unette D'Ancienne observed that, perhaps, she had never been grateful enough for the feeling of solid ground beneath her feet. In her long three hundred years, she had managed to avoid most sea journeys, but getting to an island is rather impossible without a crossing, as luck would have it.

The salty air brushed her cheeks in a playful breeze, and she noted the smattering of delicate pink petals that drifted across her visage.

The port created a cacophony of sounds that were, somehow, familiar and foreign all at once.

Lunette had never had occasion to visit Domhan na Rùin's easternmost isle, the proud nation of Delkos.

On first impression, it was a beautiful place.

As she stood taking deep, steadying breaths, she observed the sprawling city before her.

It was a beautiful blend of nature and civilization, with great copses of trees throughout the city.

Most of the sprawl was level, but the castle rose above the city at its center atop a single, massive hill.

The streets were a labyrinth of two and three-story buildings made of pearly off-white stone.

Lunette ambled forward, always careful not to look too much in a hurry. In her line of work, blending in was key. She didn't become one of Domhan na Rùin's most revered assassins by bumbling around making a spectacle.

Normally, she wouldn't have accepted a job all the way in Delkos. Though she always had plenty of options, the payout for this had been too tempting to ignore.

She made her way up the main street, watching her surroundings closely.

Her informant had told her of an inn that would be inconspicuous near the docks—foreign travelers in and out constantly.

Luckily, her vampiric nature wouldn't be immediately apparent to anyone she came across.

She would only seem out of place because of her lilting Ichornian accent.

She passed a small cart that was serving steaming cups of coffee, and Lunette couldn't resist the scent.

Vampires—such as herself—preferred blood, and had to feed on it regularly, but they still enjoyed certain human foods.

Lunette had always had a soft spot for coffee; its bitter tang tasted like home.

Lunette smiled at the tiny woman at the coffee cart before carrying on up the road.

After a ten minute walk, she spotted the wisteria-covered gate her informant had mentioned.

The latch snicked shut behind her as she crossed the small courtyard and entered the inn.

She procured a room without much fuss and went up to settle in.

She had some time to kill before her real mission could begin.

The timing of her visit was purposeful—the summer solstice was in a few short days, and she knew the king would be hosting a celebration.

What better cover for her task than a feast?

No one had their wits about them at a feast; she was counting on it.

She would make her attempt in the days leading up to the feast, and if nothing worked, she would have the actual night of the solstice as a last resort.

Lunette stepped up to the window and surveyed the city, and the castle crowning it.

Delkos was a nation, an island, and a city all in one—all three shared the same name.

It was rather unique in Domhan na Rùin in that their non-human population lived openly in the city as well.

Other places had various degrees of strained relationships between humans and non-humans, but here, the royal family was a long line of minotaurs.

Many other non-human residents had come from other places around Domhan na Rùin to find a metropolitan home where they were accepted.

Ichorna had a… tenuous relationship with its non-human creatures.

She would know—she was one of them. Ichornians had blood magic, so one would think vampires wouldn't be so abhorrent to them, but alas.

When they went out in Ichorna, they had to appear as human as possible to avoid any unsavory or inconvenient situations.

Of course, there were those who sought out the vampires for their bite, and most vampires were all too happy to oblige.

Lunette had always preferred to hunt her prey rather than have them come crawling to her, or worse, using her.

The exhaustion of the journey was beginning to catch up with her, and she decided she may as well take a nap while it was still light out. Her task could only truly begin after nightfall. When darkness fell across Delkos, she would begin her hunt.

She was here to kill a king, after all.