NOTE: This is the fifth chapter in a five-chapter update. Chapters 58-61 and the "Code of Thieves" chapter have been published over the past two days. Please read those chapters first if you haven't already as they are integral to understanding and possibly enjoying this chapter. Thanks!

ARIELLE

Because I am.

What the actual fuck? Phoenix has lost her mind.

The throne room was silent again, broken only by Damien whispering, "Shit."

Shit indeed.

I tore my gaze away from Phoenix to look at Damien whose eyes were wide, flicking between the King and Phoenix, taking a tentative step back. It seemed he had finally broken out of his trance, that he had sorted through this mess, found the answer to his questions. That he had realized some very important information that I had not yet. I wanted to ask him, but I couldn't, not while the King was watching and Phoenix was screwing everything up instead of helping.

What am I missing?

I turned back to the front just in time to watch as the King broke out in laughter. It was humorless as it echoed through the hall. Still, I didn't miss the tension in his shoulders. Phoenix started to join in, laughing along, as if they had shared some kind of secret joke. Slowly, the King stopped as he regarded Phoenix with cold eyes.

"A lot of people have wild fantasies of becoming a King or a Queen or Princess. I have to admit, you're the first that has ever been brought before who genuinely believes them. Would you like admission to our mental facilities? I can provide a few recommendations."

"Oh, don't worry. This isn't a delusional fantasy. I appreciate your concern though."

"We would love your recommendations, Your Majesty," I added. I wrung my fingers together and swallowed. I needed to get Phoenix out of her before this turns into a full-blown disaster. At least now I could try to smooth things over. If this keeps going, I'm not sure if I would be able to in the future.

"Who did you say your companion was, again?" The King asked, leaning forward.

"Sof—"

"Phoenix Night," she announced, loud and clear. Proud.

My heart sank.

The King stilled, body going rigid. And then he rose, descending the steps slowly, his eyes alight with curiosity, danger. But they were also brimmed with something else. Caution.

"Phoenix Night," he repeated, the name rolling off his tongue. "Concorde's greatest thief."

Her grin deepened. "You've heard of me?"

"Of course. You are notorious amongst our ranks. After all, you're the one who had robbed the Zionese delegate to Cressida, were you not?"

I remembered the incident from a few years ago. A delegate from Zion visiting Cressida was robbed on his way to the city. Dozens of priceless gems and artifacts, all of which were carried over as gifts to the Crowns, were gone. Field operatives and Shadow Assassins had scouraged the entire nation to find the thief, though all they found were a few baseless rumors that the thief was a demon from hell who thrived in blood and chaos, that they were starting their own clan of monsters and demons. The rumors were regarded common Streeter gossip and horror stories and the operatives came up empty. The thief had never been found. There wasn't even a hint.

That was Phoenix?

"Glad you got my tip," she said.

Tip?

The King paused midstep. "The anonymous tip. That was you? Why would you incriminate yourself, announce to our Court that you were the criminal guilty of the crime?"

Phoenix shrugged, the movement relaxed, confident. She had the high ground now, controlled the situation. We were all dancing in the palm of her hand.

"What can I say? I love the fame. And I knew you wouldn't squeak to the Crowns or the Zionese. In fact, I have to admit, I was hoping for an invitation to the Nefarian Court, or at least a bit of attention. I was quite disappointed when neither happened. Thought that the tip didn't go through. Made me resort to...other methods."

"Other methods?" I asked, though they both seemed to ignore me. Damien, who was still a few yards away, looked wildly from side to side, searching the room for something, perhaps an easy exit. Did he think this would turn deadly?

"You wanted a position amongst Nefaria's nobility. We ignored you," the King said. "So now you've come to steal my throne."

Phoenix only smiled in response.

The King continued. "And how exactly do you plan to accomplish that?"

"Haven't you been paying attention? I already have."

The King raised an eyebrow as Phoenix pointed down towards my feet. For a confusing moment I thought she was pointing at my shoes before I blinked and took a step back, realizing she was pointing at the floor beneath me, at the engraved words of the Code of Thieves. I was definitely out of it if I couldn't even recognize simple cues. I steadied my breathing, trying my best to regain my focus as Phoenix spoke again.

"Your laws state that if any member of the Nefarian government, the Monarch included, are robbed of their most prized possession, the thief may take their place."

The King rubbed his bracelet again as he peered at Phoenix from above his nose. "But you have not robbed me of my most prized possession."

"Haven't I?"

The King laughed. "It would take a true fool to buy that bluff. The crown still remains firmly upon my head. I have made sure of that much since the moment you stepped foot inside this Throne Room."

"You're right. I didn't steal the crown. But that's not your most prized possession, is it?"

The King stilled, falling dead silent.

"No," Phoenix continued. "It was, but not anymore. Your most prized possession now, the one that I bet is now recorded in the database, is the bracelet of your late son. A bracelet you had given him years ago, as a child. One that you had taken back in remembrance of him the day the Crown Prince died."

I looked at Phoenix, watched her relaxed posture, the intent in her voice. I thought of the amount of effort she had put into analyzing the King, into truly figuring out his weakness, the way to his throne. There was a pounding in my ears as terror pumped through my veins.

What had she done?

There was a long pause before the King spoke, his voice taut, the bravado all faded away.

"That may be the case." He grasped his wrist now, covering the bracelet he had been clutching all throughout this conversation. "But you haven't stolen the bracelet."

"Oh, but I have."

She brought held up her hand, unfolding it. In her palm sat a silver bracelet with deep onyx gems nestled between the delicate, twirling metal. It was the same bracelet that had adorned the King's wrist. The one that still adorned the King's wrist.

The King let go of his wrist and held it up, showing his bracelet. "It's still here."

"Don't play dumb with me," she said. "You're the King of Thieves. You probably learned how to make sure jewels are real before you were even five years old. Why don't give your bracelet a test?"

Slowly, with his eyes still trained on Phoenix, he lifted the bracelet to his lips. He let out a strong breath, fogging up the black onyx jewels.

But I knew—even before he pulled away, before he counted down the seconds—I knew that the jewels were fake. That the bracelet was a replica. That Phoenix had researched and analyzed the King of Thieves before long before she got here, that she had made the fake bracelet for this exact moment. That this was her plan all along.

The King pulled away and paused, watching the jewels. I counted three seconds in my mind before he looked back up, the color leeched from his face. The jewels were still foggy.

Phoenix huffed on her own bracelet and held it out for all of us to see. The fog cleared before my eyes, the jewels glittering in the pristine glory once again in under a second.

Her bracelet was real. She had stolen it from the King.

She had usurped the throne. She had stolen Nefaria from under our noses.

Phoenix was the Queen of Thieves.

The fromer King staggered backwards, almost tripping over the steps leading up to the throne. The shadows seemed to rustle as I remembered that there were servants and guards hidden in the dark corners of the room. A few stepped out, towards the scene unfolding before them, but they hesitated, hands on their guns though not quite pressing the trigger. They weren't sure what to do.

Damien started tugging on my arm, mumbling something under his breath that I couldn't quite decipher. Or perhaps I hadn't wanted to decipher it, hadn't wanted to hear the words, to believe them. He was waving towards the closed doors behind us. I ignored him, my eyes set on Phoenix. On my sister.

She was clapping her hands together now, a twisted, broad grin spread from ear to ear. "You know, I was thinking of redecorating this room. I know it's supposed to have this sleek winter feel and all, but I think it's quite bland. No color. Perhaps a splash of red?"

I grasped her arm now, desperately trying to hold on, trying to regain control of the situation. "What are you doing?"

"I'm taking full control of Nefaria," she said casually. Then she paused, her eyes drifting to the side as if a thought had just occurred to her. She turned back to the King who was frozen in place. "Though I suppose I still have a few things to take care of."

She pranced towards him, shoes clicking against the floor, and placed a finger against her chin in mock thought. "What was the rule again? Oh, right! The thief gets to decide what to do with the victim of the robbery. They can be defamed, exiled, or killed. So many options. However will I choose?"

She produced a knife from her sleeve, one that she must've hidden in the pod. I swallowed, trying to take a step towards her, but Damien held me back.

"Ari, we need to go," he begged, tugging me towards the door.

My breath felt hallow as I spoke, my words shaking. "You didn't need to do all this just to help with the Ravens, Phoenix. It's okay. Just let him go. He's going to help. And after we take care of the Ravens, if you still want Nefaria, I will give you Nefaria."

But even as I spoke the words they felt wrong, foolish. Like the ramblings of a naive little girl. I knew what she was, who she was. Deep down I knew. I just didn't want to think it, couldn't think it.

But as she turned to look back at me, her eyes foreign and filled with rage, I knew I would be left with no other option.

"Really, little Daria? My sweet baby sister. Haven't you figured it out already? Even after all this?" She raised her hands, pointing at the room around us, the bracelet in one hand, the knife in the other.

"Figured what out?" The words were barely more than a whisper.

Phoenix dropped her arms and gave a pleasant smile before she spoke.

"I am the Raven Ruler."

And then she turned and slit the King's throat.

The air was ripped from my lungs. My mind went blank. The entire room held its breath as the King's body collapsed, sprawling across the stairs beneath his throne. Crimson blood started to pool around him, a dark blight spreading across the stark white of the marble floor. It dripped off the steps.

Phoenix peered over her shoulder. "And I don't want Nefaria anymore. I don't need you to give it to me. I already took it."

"Isn't that right?" she said, her voice louder as she turned towards the guards who were still frozen in place. "You're all under my command now."

The blood reached the last step, soaking Phoenix's shoes. She didn't seem to notice.

Damien tugged on my arm again, whispering. "Ari, she's going to kill us."

And as much as I didn't want to admit it, I didn't have an option anymore. It was the truth. And I knew it. And if I kept trying to change it, I would only get myself killed along with Damien who would never leave my side. He would stay until his head was rolling across the cold floor.

That was all I needed. I turned on my heel and sprinted across the room. Damien followed, releasing a sigh of relief.

Behind us, Phoenix continued. "Along with every member of the Shadow Thieves, of the army, every piece of military equipment, of cloaking technology. It's all under my command now."

We barrelled into the doors, pushing against them with all our weight, heaving. The heavy doors started to creak open. Slowly. Too slowly.

"Does anyone object? Does anyone wish to support their dead King? Remain loyal to your former Monarch? If so step forward now, or forever hold your peace."

There was a long silence before I heard footsteps. Someone stepped forward. Then another. Then another. I didn't dare look back.

"Is that all?"

The door was finally wide enough for us to slip through. Damien stumbled into the main hall, and I followed right on his tail. The Court members stilled milled about, though they looked at us curiously. They didn't know, didn't hear, didn't see. They didn't know yet. But they would soon. Very soon.

"Xavier!" Damien called out, searching the crowd, his voice frantic as he looked for his brother. "Xavier!"

I could still hear Phoenix through the opening behind me.

"Then, as the rightful Monarch of Nefaria, the Queen of Thieves, I hold you all guilty of treason and pronounce you traitors to the crown."

"Xavier!" Damien called again.

I did a quick scan of the crowd before grasping his arm. "He's not here."

Damien placed his hands against his head, eyes frantic. He looked like a little child again. "But he has to be somewhere!"

"We will find him, I promise. But we have to go. Now."

"My remaining guards, loyal members of the Royal forces," Phoenix addressed those who had stayed back, had stayed silent and obedient towards her. "Do your jobs in keeping the peace and maintaining order. I order you to execute the traitors."

There was a long moment of silence. For a moment I thought the guards would resist, would argue against killing their coworkers, their long time friends. And then the gunshots started.

There were shouts of panic amongst the Court as the shots resounded, echoing along the marble hall. I covered my ears and peered over Damien. He cursed, the words inaudible, before he was sprinting for the outer doors. I followed him, running as fast as my legs could carry me, past the cowering Court.

Finally, the gunshots stopped. The Court members were silent as they reeled from the shock. I spared a glance over my shoulders as someone, a Court member, stood on shaky feet and peered through the crack in the door. He gasped and stumbled back before shouting, "The King is dead!"

A ripple of unease spread through the crowd before they were spurred into action.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Other stood, looking through the doors, pulling them open even further until they were wide enough for everyone to get a clear view of the massacre inside. There were numerous bodies sprawled across the floor. But there were even more men still standing upright, their guns smoking from the bullets they had just released.

"It was the Assassins!" Someone shouted.

"They killed our King!" Someone else joined in.

"Get them!"

But the people closest to us didn't move. They were all still frozen. And they were too smart to engage an Assassin in one on one combat, even when they were weaponless. Still that didn't give us much time. They would all gang up on us soon.

I turned back around only to plow right into someone. As I tried to regain my balance, their hands wrapped my arms, steadying me.

Xavier.

He was panting heavily—he seemed to have been running too. He seemed out of breath and a bit ragged. But other than that, he was fine. Uninjured.

I released a sob of relief.

"Xavier," I breathed. "Phoenix, she—"

"I know," he said. His voice was clipped.

He looked to Damien who was right behind me. Damien's shoulders seemed to ease up as Xavier roped a hand behind Damien's head, eyes scanning his face with a silent message.

Damien nodded. "I'm fine, Xavier. I'm fine."

Xavier nodded once before releasing him. "Let's go."

The two took off towards the doors as I looked back at Phoenix one last time. Standing in the midst of the blood, the red splattered across her clothes, she looked triumphant. Victorious. And hungry for more blood.

"I am the Queen of Thieves, your new Monarch," she announced to the spectating Court. "And for my next order I have a very simple request."

Her voice was unwavering, determined. Cold. Her next words seared through mind, sent a shiver down my spine.

"Kill the Crowns."

I turned and fled.

I sprinted after Damien and Xavier, catching up to them in seconds. Powdery snow kicked up under our feet, stinging my skin as we ran. My eyes were fixed on the open gates and the pod beyond them. Our only mode of escape.

We were halfway across the front yard when I heard the footsteps following us, clambering down the steps. The Court members were chasing us, shouting to each other in panic, trying to coordinate their attack. In the background, I could hear the shouts of the guards telling the Court members to move, to get out of their way so they would have a clear line of sight to shoot us dead. No one was listening in their panic and the guards' voices died down.

Yes. Keep running around. Don't let them through.

When we reached the gates, the two guards stood in the open pathway. They weren't sure what was going on, or what they were supposed to do, but they seemed certain that they had to keep us in. But that wasn't going to happen.

Xavier procured a knife he must've gotten his hands on while he was away. He lunged forward at one of the guards, blocking his gun and kicking his knees out in a swift movement before stabbing him right in the neck.

I barrelled straight into the other. The guard and I fell to the ground and I kicked him right in the gut, before digging my elbow right into a sensitive nerve ending in his forearm. He grunted and loosened his grip on his gun involuntarily. I twisted it out of his arms and shot him right in the head before climbing back to my feet.

And then a gunshot rang through the air and the ground right before me seemed to erupt as the bullet just missed my feet. The guards managed to get a clear line of sight.

Shit.

Xavier and I sprinted to the pod, still holding the machine gun, as snow, dirt, and dust showered behind us. We were too far out of range to get a perfect kill shot. Not to mention there were still a few particularly suicidal Court members running after us even though the rest seemed to hang back, watching the guards as they fired round after round.

We clambered through the open door of the pod. Thankfully, the pod was already on and gearing up. Damien had been operating as Xavier and I fought the guards at the gate.

"Damien!" I shouted, letting him know that we were inside.

"On it!" He was standing at the front, back facing us as he tapped at the control panels, hands lightning quick. The pod started to lift off the ground.

Xavier slammed his hand into the control panel along the side of the door. The door fell shut just as bullets started to pelt the side of the pod. I sighed in relief as none of them made it through, despite the sound ringing through the pod in a deafening shower of metal against metal. The pod was bullet proof.

I looked back to the front of the pod. We were high up above the ground now, clear of most of the neighboring buildings. We hovered for a moment pausing. And then Damien clicked another button and we were zooming through the sky. I held onto a seat nearby to keep myself upright.

Damien placed his hands flat against the control panels, moving them up and down and the pod turned and twisted at his command. He had taken manual control of the pod. Xavier managed to make it to the front of the pod, gripping the walls. I followed, doing the same.

"They're going to try to close the gate," I said, raising my voice over the sound of the engine. The opening in the dome was still a distant square, despite the speed at which we were hurtling towards it. "And the other security measures—"

"She doesn't have enough time for those," Xavier cut me off.

"He's right," Damien said. "It will take a while before all departments do her bidding. They will be in too much disarray right now to properly shoot us out of the sky or send their jets after us. But closing the gate is a fairly simple process. They can do it as soon as the order is given. But if we can get through, we will have a headstart."

He shook his head, his eyes set on the open gate, body focused and measured. He added quietly, to himself, "We just need to get through."

The pod gave another jerk as it increased speed suddenly once again, as if shifting between gears. Xavier and I struggled for balance, holding onto the walls. Damien merely kicked one foot back against the floor, keeping himself solidly in place, barely moving, his hand movements still smooth and precise against the controls. He had spent far too long in simulation rooms and fooled around in pods often enough when we were younger to be thrown off guard by the pod's movements.

It only took us about a minute to cross the city and reach the walls of the dome, the gate looming before us. There seemed to be some activity in the metal box that hung beside the gate, monitoring it. Thanks to the lights which were on inside the box I could see clearly through the window. A girl was talking animatedly on a Tab with a few others. She turned as we neared and her eyes widened.

She must've just gotten the order to close the gate, to make sure we didn't get out.

We zoomed past her just as she dropped the Tab and rushed to the other side of the box towards a control panel. I craned my neck, looking back at her. I watched as, just as we were passing through the gate, she slammed her hand down against the control panel.

I held my breath, waiting for the gate to shut, for the dome to cut through our pod and slice us apart.

It never came.

We glided through the gate just in time. The dome fell shut right behind us, the city disappearing with it, replaced with only untouched, unforgiving ice and snow.

We were safe. For now.

Damien sighed before guiding the pod to dip down, getting us below the radar. Finally, when we were nearly touching the ice, we leveled out, gliding over the ice. We were still travelling incredibly fast, but we were steady and the pod was no longer lurching us forward or back.

As the threat of a fight disappeared, so did the adrenaline that seemed to keep me standing. My body seemed to sag and I stumbled back until I found myself on the floor, my back against one of the leather seats. My breath felt shaky as I curled up, my arms wrapping around my folded knees.

Phoenix was the Raven Ruler all along. My sister. She killed our friends and allies, trapped us in the Tower, tortured us with our worst memories. She bombed our mother, sent her into a coma and Erilia into a grave. She hated us, hated me so much that she took control of an entire nation just to fight us.

My older sister. Whenever our father was mad at us, she would sneak into my room and give me candy. And when he stormed out of a training session in disappointment she used to work with me, used to gently guide me to other weapons that I might be more comfortable with. She's the one who handed me my first set of blades. And when I could manuever them easily without a hitch after a few tries, she's the one who took me before our parents, told them about my specialization, and asked the Crown Kingston to commission a set of golden blades. My golden blades.

And then she didn't hesitate, didn't even blink as she ordered our deaths.

I always thought that when she came back, she would fix everything. She would claim the crown, let me be free. Mother and father would be happy again in her presence. She would help protect me from our enemies like she had done when we were younger. I knew that it would take time, but I thought that, eventually, we would be a family again. I wanted to be a family again, to feel her hug, to feel the annoyance whenever we got in an argument or she was being bratty, to feel the comfort of having her back at my side.

Instead, she had been planning our downfall for years, had been planning to kill me all along. And everything she had done since she got back was a lie, a fake mirage, a mask placed to get us right where she wanted us to be so that she could finally finish us off and take what she truly wanted more than family—power and revenge.

I let out a shudder.

How had everything gone so, so wrong?

I buried my chin into my tucked knees. I was too worn out, too shocked, to cry.

Xavier moved, sitting down right next to me, the warmth of his body enveloping my own. He didn't say a word. He just folded his arms against his chest and rested his head back against the seat, staring up at the ceiling.

We sat in silence for the rest of the journey.

Heeelloooo!

In case you guys were wondering, the song at the top of the chapter is actually the song that I've basically tied with this entire scene ever since I first imagined it. Like, to this day, whenever I listen to it, I immediately imagine this scene and the next few chapters.

Also... as an apology for not updating in quite a while, I did promise the teensy weensiest bit of bonus content, so here it is.

I present to you, the first line of the "Shadows of Variatus" (working title) spinoff novella that will take place directly after the events of the third and final book in the Crown Assassins trilogy (Which will be titled "Reign of the Crown Assassins"). Here is the line:

The first time Nydia met Damien, the first thing she noticed was his eyes.

Additional note, I may or may not have been feeling inspired one day and actually ended up writing the rest of that particular flashback. And I may or may not publish that particular flashback in a future bonus chapter ;)

Also, School has reached over 90k reads!!! (nearly 95k in fact!!!)

I can't believe that! As a dystopian action novel, I NEVER thought we would get past 50k on this platform. And now we have nearly twice that! Thank you guys for making this happen. I love you guys so so so much. 🖤🖤🖤

That's all! Updates will slow down a bit, but they will still be at least on a weekly basis, so hope you tune in for those. We're almost at the finish line!

See ya next time!
- Sreenija Paruchuri