Shadow & Spell: A Tale of Redemption Part 2

The rain had lessened to a drizzle by the time Vaelin and Elira reached the outskirts of Duskwatch. The city’s looming walls faded behind them, replaced by dense, gnarled trees and the mist-choked roads of the Moonveil Forest. Vaelin had chosen this route deliberately—few pursued the assassin who knew the wilds better than the city streets.

Unfortunately, he was not the one being pursued this time.

Elira trudged beside him, her boots caked in mud, her robes damp and heavy. “So,” she said, breaking the silence. “Where exactly are we going?”

“A safehouse,” Vaelin replied curtly. “West of here, hidden in the cliffs.”

Elira frowned. “And after that?”

Vaelin hesitated. If she was telling the truth about the Heart of Tenebris, then his employer had set him up to kill an innocent mage—something that didn’t sit well with him. He didn’t mind killing, but he did mind being used.

“That depends,” he muttered. “On a few things.”

“Gods, you’re chatty.” Elira rolled her eyes. “If we’re going to be stuck together, you might want to work on that.”

Before Vaelin could retort, his instincts flared. He froze, raising a hand. “Quiet.”

Elira, thankfully, obeyed.

The forest was too quiet. No night birds, no chittering insects. Just the whisper of the wind through the leaves. Vaelin knew that silence well. It meant one thing: they were being watched.

He turned slightly, his hand hovering over the hilt of his dagger. “They found us faster than I expected.”

Elira inhaled sharply. “Who?”

“The Silent Fang.”

A hiss of steel cut through the air. Vaelin spun, barely blocking the incoming dagger with his own. A shadowed figure lunged from the trees, their movements swift, precise—another assassin, just like him.

More rustling followed. Two others emerged from the mist, circling them like wolves. Vaelin recognized the insignia on their leather armor—trained killers, once his allies, now his executioners.

“Vaelin Duskbane,” the lead assassin said, his voice smooth as silk. “You know the price of betrayal.”

Vaelin smirked. “Funny. I don’t recall betraying anyone.”

“You let the target live.”

“Ah,” Vaelin mused. “So you already knew she wasn’t guilty. Makes me wonder why you wanted her dead in the first place.”

The assassin didn’t answer. Instead, he flicked his wrist, and the others attacked.

Vaelin moved before they did. He twisted aside as a blade sliced where his throat had been moments before, rolling into a low crouch. His own dagger lashed out, catching one of them in the leg. The man stumbled, hissing in pain, but Vaelin had no time to finish him—another assailant was already upon him.

Elira, meanwhile, had problems of her own. One of the assassins went for her, likely underestimating a mage in close quarters. Big mistake. She whispered an incantation, and a blast of force sent her attacker sprawling into a tree.

Vaelin noted it with mild approval. At least she’s not useless.

“More will come,” Elira warned, dodging another strike. “We need to get out of here.”

Vaelin parried a strike, grunting. “Working on it.”

He ducked under another blade, then surged upward, slamming his dagger into his opponent’s ribs. The assassin gasped, choking, before crumpling to the ground. Vaelin turned just in time to see Elira raise her staff. Arcane sigils flared to life beneath their feet.

“Hold on to something,” she said.

“Wait, what—”

A surge of energy enveloped them. In an instant, the world lurched, and Vaelin felt the strange, gut-twisting sensation of teleportation.

When the magic dissipated, they were somewhere else entirely—a dark cave, its entrance covered in vines. Outside, the forest stretched in eerie silence, the remnants of Elira’s spell crackling in the air.

Vaelin stumbled, shaking off the dizziness. “A little warning next time.”

Elira grinned, wiping sweat from her brow. “I did say ‘hold on to something.’”

Vaelin exhaled, running a hand through his damp hair. The Silent Fang wouldn’t stop. The moment he spared Elira’s life, he had signed his own death warrant. The only way to fix this was to find out who had ordered the hit—and why.

Elira must have read the shift in his expression. “We need to find the Heart of Tenebris, don’t we?”

Vaelin sighed. “Looks like it.”

The hunt had begun.

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All Parts of This Series

• Shadow & Spell: A Tale of Redemption Part 1
• Shadow & Spell: A Tale of Redemption Part 2
• Shadow & Spell: A Tale of Redemption Part 3
• Shadow & Spell: A Tale of Redemption Part 4
• Shadow & Spell: A Tale of Redemption Part 5