The sun had fully dipped below the horizon by the time Aira, Ria, and Kael made it back to the old family estate.
They were still buzzing with the adrenaline of the fight and the weight of the King’s secret mission—but the moment they stepped through the front door, they were met with a different kind of “attack.”
Pia and Tarin were standing in the middle of the dusty courtyard, arms crossed, looking very unimpressed.
“You’re late!” Tarin shouted, his small stomach letting out a loud growl.
“You said you’d be back in an hour!
We’ve been waiting forever!”
Pia nodded in agreement, pointing at the sky.
“The stars are already coming out!
You guys said you’d behave and come right back, but you took so long.
We are starving!”
The three legendary warriors of the North, who had just intimidated an entire royal army, suddenly looked sheepish.
Aira rubbed the back of her neck, and Kael let out a nervous laugh.
And Ria tried not to make eye contact with them.
“Well,” Kael started, “there was a bit of a…
training accident.
Some people needed a lesson in how to hold a sword.”
“We don’t care about swords!” Tarin countered, his eyes wide.
“We care about the food you promised!
You said we could eat whatever we wanted because I found the Red Jade!”
“You’re right, Tarin.
We broke our promise.
How about this?
Since we were so late, not only do you get to pick what we eat, but Kael has to carry you both on his shoulders all the way to the market.
Deal?”
Tarin and Pia’s faces lit up instantly.
“DEAL!” they shouted together.
Kael groaned, but he already knew he was going to lose this battle.
He leaned down so the kids could scramble onto his back.
A Moment of Peace
As the five of them walked back toward the lively evening market, the atmosphere was light.
For a moment, the Blood Letter and the arrogant Nobles felt far away.
But as Aira watched the kids laughing, she felt the weight of the Red Jade in her pocket.
She knew that protecting this peace would be harder than any battle she’d fought in the North.
“The air is calm, but the storm is shifting direction.”
The five of them walked back through the quiet streets of the capital, their stomachs full after the dinner at the market.
Pia and Tarin were much happier now, walking ahead and yawning as the excitement of the day finally started to wear off.
As they reached the old house, the moonlight hit the dusty gate.
Aira stopped for a moment, looking at the dark windows. New chapters come out on novelping.com first.
Even though they had spent the evening laughing with the kids, her mind was still on the Blood Letter and the cold look from the palace people.
Inside, the house was silent.
Ria and Kael helped the children get settled into their rooms.
Once the kids were fast asleep, the atmosphere changed.
The “vacation” mask slipped away, and the three warriors gathered in the main hall.
Kael started checking the locks on the doors, his movements sharp.
“It’s too quiet,” he muttered.
Ria nodded, looking at Aira.
“The King said he doesn’t trust anyone.
That means even while we were eating dinner, someone was likely watching us.
We need to be careful starting tomorrow.
The training ground isn’t just for practice; it’s where we start looking for the person who sent that arrow.”
Aira sat down and placed her sword on the table, the jade catching the moonlight.
She said: “The air is calm, but that doesn’t mean the thunderstorm will stop.
We have the King’s authority,” Aira said quietly.
“Tomorrow, we enter the palace not as guests, but as instructors.
We will see who shakes first when we start tightening the grip on the Royal Guard.”