Malakai reached the carriage, and just as he was about to step in…
“Ninth Vein.”
Hamada’s voice called out from behind, and Malakai turned to look.
As he turned, he saw Hamada staring at him with a serious expression. His eyes narrowed slightly.
“What is it?” he asked.
Hamada stepped closer, his tone low. “Ninth Vein… unfortunately, I’ve been stationed here in the Blackreach by the Sovereign himself. I can’t leave. Otherwise, I would’ve taken you back to the clan myself.”
Hamada’s expression was filled with worry, and Malakai understood perfectly where he was coming from.
He too had predicted how dangerous the journey back would be.
Then Hamada’s voice lowered even further.
“Pardon my rudeness, Ninth Vein… but you have to be careful. You can’t trust anyone within the clan. Although I hate to say it… now that you’ve evolved, a lot of eyes are going to be on you. And I wouldn’t rule out attempts on your life.”
His gaze shifted briefly, toward Varek in the distance, who was busy yelling at his squad members to get ready.
Then he turned back to Malakai, who remained silent.
“Here.”
He handed Malakai an object.
Malakai took it, inspecting it. It looked like a mini handgun, though the nozzle was larger than usual. Sleek, dark metal, with faint etchings along the grip.
“This is a Dreadflare,” Hamada said. “We warriors of the Blackreach use it to signal for help in case we’re in danger. You might not be near the fortress… but we’re everywhere.”
Malakai lowered his eyes to the device. His hand around it tightened. He could feel the sincerity in Hamada’s gesture, and he didn’t know how to explain what he felt in that moment.
Someone was actually looking out for him…
A warmth spread across his chest, but Malakai didn’t let it show in his expression. He exhaled, then looked at Hamada.
“Thank you,” he said quietly.
Hamada smiled, bowed slightly. “I hope you reach your destination safely, Ninth Vein.”
Malakai gave a small nod, then turned and stepped into the carriage alongside Nyx.
After some minutes, with Varek hurling numerous orders, his squad members finally finished packing up their things.
They headed to the shed where their Equitaras were kept and retrieved them. And after some more time, the carriage was airborne once more, led by Varek and flanked by his squad members, heading straight back toward the City of Blood.
As the group left, Malakai’s gaze lingered on the Blackreach growing smaller beneath them.
It felt like déjà vu, only that it wasn’t. Not completely, anyway.
He had been in this same position, in this same carriage, sitting in this same spot and looking down at the Blackreach just days ago.
Back then, his gaze had been lost and his mind filled with a storm of thoughts.
He hadn’t known what to do, and the future had been uncertain.
But now…
Now, his gaze was far from lost.
Cold determination.
That was the only way to describe the look in his eyes.
This moment was different from back then. Now, he had the chance to grow stronger. A chance to take his revenge.
He had evolved.
As the group flew farther from the Blackreach, Hamada’s gaze remained fixed on the carriage, even as it shrank into nothing more than a dot in the sky.
‘Survive.’
The word echoed in his mind, his hand clenched tightly by his side.
‘Survive… and show me the kind of Sanguine you will become.’
The carriage disappeared from view, and after a few more moments, Hamada finally turned, moving back toward his chambers.
Whispers began to spread through the Blackreach. Conversations began across the fortress, and they all revolved around one name, Malakai.
No one knew exactly what the future held.
But they all felt it deep in their bones:
Change was coming to the clan.
Hours passed, and so far, the ride had been uneventful.
As expected, the atmosphere was steeped in silence. Nyx sat across from Malakai, and though he could feel his maid stealing glances at him now and then, he ignored her completely.
His mind was elsewhere, churning, calculating.
‘From here on out, I’ll have to be careful.’
The people of the Blackreach already knew about his evolved status, and soon, word would reach the clan as well.
He had chosen to leave the Blackreach immediately to avoid any potential assassination attempts… but that didn’t mean he was safe.
Far from it, in fact.
‘Ironhold.’
His thoughts sharpened at the name.
That city… was the real problem.
If he only had to worry about the Blackreach, it would’ve taken some time for news of his survival and evolution to reach the clan.
But with Ironhold in the picture, everything changed.
‘They have too many people there,’ Malakai thought to himself.
Ironhold wasn’t like the Blackreach that was located at the edge of the dome.
It was a city rich with allowed technologies, heavily monitored and heavily populated.
Because of this, word would travel fast, too fast. The moment he set foot there, the clan would know.
And then… they would come for him.
‘But there’s no choice but to stop there…’
It was one of the sacred rules of the Sanguine: never travel at night.
The dangers of the night couldn’t be overstated.
Darkness creatures weren’t the only threat in the dome. Predatory beasts, transformed by Vita, roamed the lands once night fell.
An ambush wasn’t a possibility, it was a certainty.
Even Malakai, despite being a direct descendant, couldn’t override that rule. He couldn’t command Varek and his squad to continue the journey after sundown.
It was taken that seriously.
Which meant only one thing, Malakai had to survive the night in Ironhold… somehow.
An uncertain voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
“Um… Malakai?”
Malakai’s thoughts froze.
‘Shit. I forgot.’
He had completely forgotten about the middle-aged man who could read his surface thoughts.
But he relaxed the next instant. What was done was done.
“What?” Malakai responded.
Valentine hesitated for a moment before finally speaking again.
“I’m trying to understand what’s going on. Why is everyone treating you that way? Assassins? Aren’t you like… Wait, what’s your age?”