HAWK & SABLE | TWENTY-FIVE

CIRI HAD KISSED men before. Kind men who wished to marry her. Who had to deal with a careful rejection moments later when she pulled away, forcing her cheeks to flush. Attempts at passionate kisses she had carefully subverted and avoided.

She'd never asked someone to kiss her. Or kiss someone because she wanted to. There had been men she admired from afar, giggling behind fans, but those were shallow, skin-deep. She'd never truly cared.

She cared now. Her lips still locked on Laurence's, neither daring to pull away, scared the magic of the moment would end.

This is what Cass felt. What she feels. No wonder she was so grumpy in the past six years. I would be too. And she was by far the more well-tempered of the two.

And then his hands were in her hair, and any rational thought in her head vanished. She lost herself in the feeling of skin against skin, lips against lips, tongue against tongue. Let him treasure her. Pretended for a moment she deserved any of this. That any of this would stay when the moment was over. He was not for her.

But she was selfish. So she'd take what she could for now.

It was almost as if he could read her thoughts. He pulled away slightly. She followed, but he stopped her.

"Ciri?"

His voice was soft and full of tenderness. Tenderness she did not deserve. This could not continue. It would only end in disaster. She should be wise, like she always was. But Laurence had always seemed to scramble her wits, even when she was no more than a little girl.

"We should not do this."

His laugh was sharp in the dark, quiet night. "Should have said that earlier, shouldn't you?"

"I was an idiot."

"Ciri— no, don't pull away. Damn. Stay with me."

"I should not. We should not—"

"—what's wrong?"

"My wits were scrambled, but now I've regained them, that's all. I should go."

"Ciri—" He must have seen the conviction in her eyes, because he let out a sigh and nodded. "Fine. Go. But this isn't over. Not by a long shot."

She gave the handsome boy in front of her one last longing look before banishing the feelings from her head. "It must, I'm afraid."

✢

"WE ALL KNOW the plan," Irina repeated, glancing at her assembled allies. "Right?"

"Shut it," Danna snarled. "Yes, we damned know the plan. You've been drilling it into our heads for the past five hours."

Asteria tilted her head, lips quirked up. "You've been awake for four."

Danna glared at her friend. "She haunts my nightmares, Ast. And why do you know when I woke up?"

"Fantastic," Irina deadpanned. "Everyone else?"

Ciri hadn't glanced at Laurence yet. She didn't know how good she was at hiding longing. It wasn't an emotion she felt often. If anyone else noticed their awkwardness, they kept quiet about it. She felt a hint of gratitude.

"We all know the plan, Irina." Lady Myrina pulled a finger through her dark, long hair, bored. "Don't stress it." Rhys stood next to her, since they were the ones who'd be heading in, looking calm. That was a lie, probably. Rhys might like to act cool and indifferent to everything, but it was a clear facade. An armour to protect herself with. Someone used to getting hurt.

"I feel the need to—"

Ryan raised a finger. "And I feel the need to command you to shut up." Irina levelled her cousin with a furious glare, which he replied with an arched brow.

Asteria cleared her throat. "Should we not, umm, focus?" she suggested, keeping her voice soft as if she was coaxing a puppy out from underneath a table. Ciri couldn't help but smile.

Rhys hissed, "Shouldn't you people be in position instead of frolicking around like idiots?" Dominic seemed equally irritated, though probably for different reasons. According to Ronan, he'd been trying to probe the answers out of his partner for the entire night to no avail. Rhys was one of those people who'd rather die than let out a secret.

Their trust in Rhys wasn't unconditional, but the girl hadn't failed them so far.

"Five minutes," Io pointed out. "And we spread out. You go in in ten, remember?"

"Of course," Rhys said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "It's not as if I wasn't the person who came up with the plan in the first place."

Io shrugged. "You're getting old, memory might be failing."

Every person who was older than Rhys raised their brows. Io gave them a look of pure innocence before darting off again, probably trying to find Ronan. She didn't have to bother hiding much, since no one would suspect her. She was always running around anyways, so this was actually even more natural than her staying put.

"That child," Danna declared, "needs a lesson."

"She'll get one." Irina smoothed her sleeves. "Eventually. Enjoy her antics before that happens." An innocent reply, but almost everyone understood what Irina was truly saying. Danna's eyes flickered shut, and she sucked in a breath.

"There's no convincing you out of this, is there?"

Irina's brow raised. "Do you have a better plan, Daneira?"

Asteria interjected, "Let's not descend down that conversation again. Please. We have a mission to complete. We can discuss this later, when this is all done." If something wasn't done to separate the two girls, they'd be exchanging blows, although verbally, within seconds. Both Danna and Irina were far too willful, too stubborn, too determined. They were left to be peacekeepers, which they were all admittedly awful at.

Except Asteria, maybe, because both girls reluctantly turned away, exchanging shooting glares that promised we'll continue this later. Ciri suppressed a sigh.

She could feel Laurence's eyes on her now. She ignored them. He was insistent on completing what they had started last night, wasn't he? And it wasn't as if she could avoid being around him. She would organise all the reasons in her head, a list that was quickly growing smaller every time he glanced in her direction, and lay it out, one by one later. He could be convinced. She'd make sure of it.

Io's head popped in. "Three."

Ciri stood. She was the first person to act in this. She would go in, seemingly to collect some forgotten item, and bump into Rhys on her way out. They'd talk, being loud about it, lying about locations and activities to put William (who if he was truly the traitor) would certainly be listening with great care.

"Good luck," Laurence mouthed.

Her returning nod was stiff. She prayed fervently everyone would think it was because she was nervous. There was no shame in being anxious before a mission, especially one of great consequences.

"There's Wolves hidden within the Palace. You'll be bumping into Ronan, who's hiding in your quarters. If things go wrong, he'll be there in a second." That was Irina being observant and wanting to assure her. "Don't fuck this up, Diao."

"Your faith in me truly warms my heart, princess." She smoothed her robes and thought about what she'd be forgetting to take with her. A fan, perhaps. She'd brought a clever collection of fans with her and hadn't had a chance to use them yet. Some of the fans were bladed. She'd take one of those, she thought. Extra protection. She'd been given one of the more unlikely escape routes, but you never knew what a desperate man might do.

Irina's snort ricocheted through the room. "I'm just being careful, dear. Now go."

Io poked her head in once more, eyes narrowing. "There's two minutes left." Clearly someone had been eavesdropping again.

"Shouldn't you be somewhere?" Danna asked, voice incredulous.

"I was. Being capable of movement, I came back. There's still two minutes. Be patient."

The moment Io vanished once more, Irina muttered under her breath, "Bossy little midget."

Rhys almost choked with laughter. Dominic smiled and shook his head. "She is most definitely still waiting outside."

Io's voice shot back. "You were correct. One minute!" Irina leaned back, throwing her head backwards in exasperation. Someday, the princess was going to strangle Io. Ciri was sure of it.

The next minute awkwardly passed, everyone too tense to make good conversation. A knock broke the atmosphere, and Ciri tilted her head. "And that's my cue."

They'd gathered in a nearby palace, and it barely took Ciri two minutes to get to Zui Hua Gong. Stepping inside, she chose to be loud about it, lingering at the doors for a few seconds before heading into her quarters. Ronan was there, hidden in the shadows. She nodded. She counted a few minutes, listening for Rhys' footsteps, and then grabbed one of her fans before stepping back out.

Just in time. The doors swung open for Rhys, who stepped in, brow raised, back straight, arms crossed. Noticing her, she dropped into a brief curtsy. "Ciri. What are you doing here? Everyone else is in Gui Yan Gong."

Ciri held up the fan now strapped to her wrist. "Missed this."

Rhys' face turned curious. "It's not even that hot."

"These are for vanity, my friend, not actual usage. If that was the case, I'd be carrying around a pack of ice." She flicked the fan open, covering half her face with it. "I plan on annoying Irina with these."

Rhys laughed. "That would work, I think. She's easy enough to drive insane."

Ciri tilted her head. "That's why we do it. Why aren't you with them?"

She shrugged. "Have some things to do first."

"Here?" Ciri asked, brows raising.

Rhys winked. "Don't question it."

Ciri pretended not to get it for a moment, then bursted out laughing. "You do you, Rhys, you do you. I'll see you later, then?"

Rhys nodded "We'll do that. I'll be with you guys at lunch. Tell the others that, if they ask."

Ciri snickered. "Alright, alright. Have fun. Not too much, though."

Rhys rolled her eyes. "I am a queen of self-restraint, Ciri dearest. Go, shoo, don't worry about me."

As Ciri walked away, she still felt Rhys' eyes following her, almost warily. Damned if they weren't good at this game. When she stepped out of the courtyard, she heard Rhys' footsteps, nearing the tiger's den.

Zhu ni hao yun. Good luck.

✢

ASTERIA WAS WITH her, along with the Cobra, in his ceremonial mask. They awaited in the shadows, quiet as mice, keeping out of sight. Asteria had a pretty, engraved pistol in her hand, probably a gift from her father. It wouldn't be used unless absolutely necessary, the noise attracting far too much attention. The Cobra threw Ciri a thin, graceful knife, the length of her forearm, which she took with appreciation, hiding it within her skirt.

They weren't expecting much excitement, really. They were part of a wide, wide net that had been casted to put an end to this mole business once and for all. Because really, it was starting to get immensely irritating. A headache, honestly. A nuisance, for your enemy to know what you're planning.

She counted the minutes as they ticked by. Tick tock. Tick tock. She heard nothing except birds and leaves, and the Cobra made no sign he heard anything either. Which meant for some reason, William wasn't fleeing like Rhys had said he would. Yet.

Doubt creeped into her heart. Were they wrong? Was the real mole still out there, watching them, mocking them? She pushed the thoughts from her head, the way she did with all unwanted emotions. She was very good at it, having had much practise. Far more than she'd like to admit.

Asteria placed a hand on her shoulder. Ciri turned her head. "Patience," Asteria mouthed, being far too perceptive. Ciri let her eyes shut and nodded. The first and most important rule of their game. Patience was a virtue. She could wait. She'd been taught to suppress her impatience since an early age.

The Cobra stayed quiet, obviously a bit uncomfortable with the two girls. They didn't say anything to calm him. He'd be more alert that way.

More time flew by. Birds chirped. Leaves rustled under the breeze, a soft symphony played by Mother Nature. She heard the faint sound of a carriage, out of sight, pulling by. Then came the commotion.

Ciri snapped alert. Besides her, Asteria stiffened but made no other movement. The Cobra pushed himself off the wall, placing himself in front of the alleyway, only in sight when the person was close enough. When it was too late to run.

"There he is!" Dominic's voice rang loud and clear. Frantic footsteps neared, and Ciri's grip on her knife tightened. She forced her mind to turn focused and cool. These weren't her usual missions. She'd never quite gotten used to the chill and worry that settled in moments before your mission reached its peak. She glanced around against her better judgment. Asteria's face was set, stern and unflinching. The Cobra's mask hid any feeling from her.

Rhys had told them he'd try to flee through the back entrance, which led to a long, large corridor with multiple exits out. Each group had been set on one of them, with the strongest, led by Dominic and Zhang daren, guarding the two most obvious ways out. He's not getting out of here free.

Loud breathing suddenly flooded the alleyway, seemingly out of nowhere. Ciri snapped around, alert, knife raised, to find Myrina standing by the end of the corridor. Asteria didn't look surprised. If the Cobra was surprised, Ciri couldn't tell.

How had she gotten there? Before Ciri could ask, Myrina raised her arm. "It's him. Rhys says it's him."

"I think," Asteria said, words dry and sardonic, "we figured that out." Her attention instantly snapped back to the incoming fight. When Ciri turned back to speak to Myrina, the girl was gone.

Strange. She'd ponder upon that later.

"You can still surrender, Hua Lin," Zhang daren's voice boomed, completely different from his usual silent demeanour, powerful and strong. "You're utterly outnumbered. We have men posted down every escape route."

William came into view, a small bag in hand. He didn't look too panicked, glancing around as if awaiting help. That concerned Ciri. The Cobra took a step forward into full view, as if trying to prove Zhang daren's point. Asteria and Ciri remained out of sight.

He scanned the routes. Ciri could see him calculating, internally, his easiest way out. Finally, his eyes settled on their alley.

She sighed. Guess she's getting her dress dirty. She'd chosen one of the ones with a wider slit today, for more mobility, but if she did get into a proper fight, it wouldn't do much. What were Cobra's abilities again? Something relating to poison. And the man moved like his namesake. A fighter of speed and agility. Asteria carefully swapped her pistol for a knife.

The moment William, black hair tousled and messy, eyes cold and more focused than she'd ever seen got close enough, the Cobra struck, quick as lightning. William dodged out of the way just in time, baring his teeth. Asteria and Ciri stayed in place, just in case. This would be a quick fight.

Ciri had never seen William fight before, not that it would have helped much. But he was skilled, dodging and wriggling around like an alley cat. The Meliqueans always trained their operatives damned well. Asteria waited a moment more before leaping into the fray, blade brandished. Ciri sucked in a breath before joining.

William had gotten out a pair of knives. A dual-handed fighter. He wasn't enough, though. Not against the three of them. It was over in a moment— the Cobra lashed out with his sai, causing him to jump back, where Asteria was waiting. He stumbled, and Ciri kicked out with her foot. He fell. She kicked again, this time at his hand, and his grip around his knife loosened. Asteria took care of the other.

Irina walked out from where she had been hiding, stony face impassive. "I was expecting more than that. A disappointment, really."

Laurence was behind the princess and Ryan. "Congratulations. You have your mole."

"It was so anticlimactic," Ciri quipped, "that I do not feel nearly as triumphant as I think I should."

He smirked at that, but then remembered himself and said nothing.

The Cobra and Dominic looked up from where they were tying him up. "A little help?" The latter snarled from behind his dark purple mask.

Danna's voice, cool and amused, said, "You do that. I'll go get them to prepare the cell." They'd be keeping him in the Iron Wolves headquarters for a while, until they were prepared for the questioning process. And then the trial. He'd be executed, most likely, unless they found a proper use for him. Unlikely, once they had all the information they needed from him.

Zhang daren watched his subordinates tie up their prisoner. He was the only Iron Wolf not wearing a mask, and he smiled. "We'll take it from here, I think."

"It's as if none of us were even needed." Io had joined them from somewhere. "Overkill for this mission, really. I could have spent the day... I don't know. Reading."

Bored, Irina replied, "Because you love doing that so much, don't you?"

Io didn't have a reply to that. It was a well-known fact she loathed sitting in one spot and reading one of the books Lady Kuroki chose for her.

"Fuck... off..."

Ciri's eyes fell down to William's tied-up body. "Well, it feels weird to know your neighbour was the traitor you were looking for this entire time."

"I did say we'd want to kick ourselves once we figured out who it was," Asteria shrugged.

"Trust me," Ryan said, "I really feel like kicking myself right now. Right under our noses. I'm both impressed and disgusted."

'The latter, please." Irina huffed and prodded William with her foot. Dominic's mask turned up to face her, his irritation clear. The princess took a step back, hands raised in mock surrender. "A wonderful gift for the older Miss Diao and Lord Farnsworth. Justine would be overjoyed."

Rhys was nowhere to be seen. She'd be fine.

Myrina seemed to have recovered from her breathlessness, and was now watching a long distance away, standing next to North and Malcolm. The three courtiers were talking softly, eyes trained on the group huddled around the prisoner. Ciri wasn't sure what they were saying, and she didn't bother eavesdropping.

From the shadows of the alley, Ronan took a step out, glancing around. He then grunted. One of his colleagues clapped him on the back. Ciri took a step back as they began to haul William towards a carriage stopped at the end of the corridor.

A voice behind her muttered, "I'll go to your room tonight. You better be there."