The ballroom was a swirl of music and perfume, but for those tuned to the rhythm of danger, the air had turned cold. Magnus Montclair had disappeared into the side chambers with his sons, leaving the floor to the celebration.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYmeCpKgU5Y
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Silica was currently mid-spin, laughing as Marley tried to show a Royal Guard how to do a "double-step" dance. But as Silica turned, her eyes—sharpened by years of surviving in the dark—caught a flicker of movement that didn't fit the rhythm of the waltz.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3NBCX8b29c
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High up in the vaulted rafters, a figure in a mask of plain, featureless porcelain was adjusting a small, hand-mounted crossbow.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMP6erHP8gs
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"Marley," Silica whispered, her voice dropping the playful tone. "Look at the third archway. The shadow isn't moving with the candles."13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCkhtSm6H2G
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Marley didn't look up—that was the first thing Marek had taught her. She reached for a glass of punch, using the reflection in the silver bowl to scan the ceiling. "I see him. Porcelain mask. That's a Nameless assassin."13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2R33J2S1fo
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The Girls' Secret Mission13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYMwfvHZ13I
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"We can't tell Robert or Marin," Silica said, her hand moving to the small dagger hidden in the folds of her silk dress. "If they stop dancing, the assassin fires. The King is right behind them."13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUF7iW78ogr
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"We need a distraction," Marley noted. "A big one. Something that makes everyone look at the floor so we can take the shot."13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3zYCXKkNOv
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Marley reached into her decorative lace purse and pulled out a small, dried puffball mushroom—one of Malric’s "Sleeping Gas" prototypes.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpYUhgOFCVq
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"I'll trigger the smoke," Marley whispered. "You have the better aim. Take him down before he clears the rafters."13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbahlH3ARfs
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The Shot in the Dark13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHBXCXS5w5v
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The waltz reached its crescendo. Robert spun Marin toward the center of the room, exactly under the assassin's line of sight.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmz4Bj5eQBo
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"NOW!" Silica hissed.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQG83f9gEw7
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Marley "tripped" spectacularly, smashing a tray of pastries and crushing the puffball mushroom under her heel. A thick, sparkling white mist billowed outward, smelling faintly of lavender. The guests coughed and gasped, the nobles stumbling back to avoid the cloud.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCRKpzdOZii
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In that split second of confusion, the assassin hesitated.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡItfSTKBecx
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Silica didn't. She stepped out of the mist, her form a blur of violet-tinted speed. She didn't throw her dagger—she launched a heavy silver soup spoon she’d swiped from the buffet, infused with a tiny spark of her newly awakened Atten mana.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDZl53mDUJ
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The spoon whistled through the air, striking the assassin's wrist with the force of a hammer. The crossbow fired, but the bolt went wide, thudding into the wooden throne—inches above the King's head.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSFzUROCcxS
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The Capture13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8GFmQhbMe9
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Before the assassin could reload, Jessica was there. She hadn't been dancing; she had been watching the girls. She raised her staff, and a ring of solid ice locked the assassin to the rafters.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFeDCzsfdb7
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"Going somewhere?" Jessica asked, her eyes flashing behind her spectacles.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgztS8j2IYV
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Robert and Marin came to a halt, their hands still joined. Robert’s eyes immediately went to the bolt in the throne, then to Silica, who was casually smoothing out her dress as the smoke cleared.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡirtEH8iIlR
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"Silica?" Robert asked, his voice a mix of shock and terror.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwGI9JLwwW
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"He was trying to ruin the music, big brother," Silica said with a shrug, though her heart was hammering against her ribs. "We couldn't have that."13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQFEg7sn0H
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The Message13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ZzqP9KBey
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Magnus burst back into the room, followed by Malric and Marcus. They saw the frozen assassin and the bolt in the throne.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTwMFeYREqb
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Magnus walked to the rafters and ripped the porcelain mask off the intruder. Underneath was a face with no tongue—the mark of the Nameless. Tucked into the man's belt was a second scroll, identical to the one Magnus had received.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs5tszwfm1A
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Robert took it and read it aloud:13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlA3MORFqyY
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"The willow may bloom, but the roots belong to us. Return the girl Silica to the Council, or the Kingdom burns."13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY6ZwSxhdkT
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The room went deathly silent. Robert crumbled the paper in his fist, his violet aura flaring so brightly that the candles in the room flickered out. He looked at Silica, then at Marin.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF0wYsVrFkp
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"They want my sister," Robert hissed. "They think they can still trade her."13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwobJVwTG7t
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Marin stepped forward, her hand resting on the hilt of her claymore. "They made one mistake, Robert. They sent one man when they should have sent an army. And they forgot that the Attens aren't alone anymore."13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXrO1kUiKBR
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The "Nameless Council" has officially declared war. They don't just want the Atten title; they want Silica back for a ritual they started years ago.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2PeXttj7t
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1234 copyright protection9ＰＥＮＡＮＡAGWQlpbKAi 尼13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj814wBxc2a