Demolition Expert

Moonlight, a cold blade, sliced through the grime-caked air, illuminating a hunched figure kneeling on cobblestones slick with fear. Lord Grant, his face contorted in a mask of terror, met the gaze of eyes like molten gold.

"Please," Grant rasped, his voice a tremor in the tomb-like room. "I didn't mean..."

A cruel smile twisted the figure's lips. "Failure deserves no explanation, Grant," he purred, his voice like silk spun over glass. "But your discoveries... they hold a certain interest."

Hope flickered in Grant's eyes, briefly chasing away the shadows. "Elias is a whisperer, I'm sure of it. And Lady Astra," his voice gained a touch of desperation, "her power... it's beyond comprehension. And there's… something else."

The figure leaned closer, a predator assessing its prey. "Something else, you say? Elaborate."

Grant, emboldened by the flicker of reprieve, blurted, "A blinding white energy, not from Lady Astra...it decimated the Black Widows!" He fell silent, pleading with his eyes. "Let me investigate! I can be of use!"

A flicker of something shifted in the golden eyes. Curiosity? Or perhaps something darker. "Intriguing," the figure conceded, his voice a caress. "Very well, Grant. You shall have your investigation."

A spark of relief ignited in Grant's chest, only to be snuffed out by a brutal flash of silver. The knife struck true, a crimson blossom blooming on his white shirt. He crumpled to the cobblestones, a gasp choked in his throat.

The figure stood over him, the moonlight glinting on the blade. "Investigate, by all means," he murmured, his voice now a chilling whisper. "In your eternal slumber."

With that, he vanished into the darkness, leaving only the silence and the cold glint of moonlight on a corpse, silent testament to the secrets that still remained.

**

"Nat?" Eydis raised an eyebrow as her friend's cheeks puffed and deflated like a deflating balloon. They navigated the labyrinthine alleys of the once-picturesque city, the cobblestones slick with rain and echoing with the ghosts of laughter and life. Every corner held a silent scream, a testament to the tragedy that had ripped through their world. 

Hundreds dead, thousands injured, all for the sake of testing a mage's potential. Of course, the noble faced no blame. The spider swarms, unleashed from the Mythshollow Woods, were conveniently blamed on the witches, mere scapegoats in the Empire's elaborate play. And Lord Grant, the architect of his own downfall, stripped of his title and banished from the academy, conveniently met his end in a squalid alley. A suicide, they said, fueled by guilt. 

Eydis scoffed. The timing of the 'Mythshollow Woods' unleashing their monstrous fury whenever the emperor played innocent was as subtle as a thrown rock. The Empire had spun a narrative, painting witches with a poisoned brush, all focused on one: Astra.

But Astra, or Callista as she confessed, wasn't just far from a monster; she was as distant as a shooting star from a stagnant swamp. The gentlest soul Eydis had ever encountered, Astra carried herself with a delicate grace that belied the power simmering beneath. The age gap loomed between them like a spectre, keeping their touches fleeting, hesitant whispers against the storm brewing within.

But then Eydis had confessed her own secrets. And in that instant, something primal flickered in Astra's amethyst eyes - a hunger, a possessiveness that sent shivers down Eydis' spine, both thrilling and terrifying.

They needed to talk, truly talk, about the curse that bound Eydis, the shadows of Callista's past, and the whispers of accomplices, one of whom Eydis suspected was Sir John.

But with Prince Adrian's ever-present shadow, a hawk tasked with unravelling the tangled threads of these events, privacy was a fleeting butterfly. Every conversation was a tightrope walk, fraught with the danger of falling into suspicion. 

And then there was Astra herself. In her presence, all Eydis could think of was the taste of her skin, the intoxicating scent of her hair, the memory of her warmth against her own. 

Natalia, her face the colour of a blushing sunset, stammered, "We're flying back tonight, and I...well, I was wondering if you might want to, uhm, ride with me instead of..." her voice trailed off, her fiery eyes flickering like a nervous candle.

How peculiar. And, of course, ever-perceptive, Eydis kind of grasped the reason. The taller girl raised an eyebrow, her lips twitching with barely-concealed amusement. "Funny you should mention it," she drawled, her voice dripping with honeyed mischief. "Because I just had the strangest premonition. You, me, a carriage ride, and a scandalous tale penned by none other than the Inferno Girl herself. Is that what all this is about?"

She leaned closer, her voice a playful whisper against Natalia's ear. "Don't tell me you couldn't resist a little Eydis-and-Astra drama to spice up your next masterpiece?"

Natalia sputtered, cheeks rivalling a furnace in their heat. Across the clearing, Astra's eyes narrowed, a silent lightning storm brewing behind her stoic facade. Eydis couldn't help but grin. She wouldn't mind a bit of punishment later. Her heart hammered at the enticing prospect.

Natalia stammered, "N-No! It's just... Lady Astra hasn't been sleeping well, and you're not exactly helping!"

Eydis grinned triumphantly. "I'm sure she's touched by your concern, but trust me, she won't thank either of us if I disappear with you."

The Inferno girl deflated, sighing. "Fine. Blue's been nagging me to fly with her, but... we haven't exactly seen eye to eye. I figured your carriage would be a decent... detour."

Eydis raised an eyebrow, amusement tugging at her lips. 'Poor Azura,' she thought. Natalia, for all her fiery spirit, remained blissfully oblivious. Eydis, oddly grateful for Melissa's earlier help, decided to take pity. "I think she might actually...want to be friends."

Natalia blinked, eyes widening as much as her braids. "Friends? But I thought she despised me!"

Eydis shrugged, a hint of mischief in her voice. "Let's just say, some books should be read with an open mind." With a wink, Eydis turned, linking arms with Astra, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she said, "Come on, roomie. Seems Natalia has a date with destiny, or at least, a prickly princess."

**

"Also, don't judge a book by its cover," Eydis murmured, still a little out of breath from Astra's kisses. It was especially true for her lover. The woman who could freeze a room with the steel of her glacier eyes, whose grace echoed Princess Athena's, and whose delicate frame housed the fiercest warrior Eydis knew, was currently pinning her against the bedroom door, a fiery kiss devouring her lips.

"Wait," Eydis gasped, but the plea dissolved into a moan as Astra ripped open her shirt, her fingers danced under her collar, finding the supple skin beneath. A playful bite to the soft skin sent a jolt of pleasure and pain through Eydis. "Astra, I... I need to pack."

"You did this on purpose," Astra growled, her amethyst eyes burning into amber with a hint of playful accusation.

Eydis's lips curved into a slow, knowing smile. "I have no idea what you're talking about. But please, stop ripping my shirts. Coinage is tight these days."

Astra let out a husky laugh, her lips trailing kisses across Eydis's throat. "I can buy you new ones. High-collared ones, perhaps."

"Possessive much?" Eydis teased, leaning down to kiss the corner of Astra's mouth. "Though undeniably hot."

The kiss deepened, a rumble of need replacing Astra's playful growl. Her hand found purchase on Eydis's neck, fingers digging into the warm muscle beneath her silk camisole. Their tongues traced each other's contours in a slow, sensual dance, a taste of honey and sun-warmed earth. But then, Eydis pulled away, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "As much as I'd like to continue," she drawled, her voice a husky tease, "we're on the move in an hour."

Astra, her breath warm on Eydis's cheek, countered with a glint of amusement in her amethyst eyes. "Why did it feel like our roles were reversed, you the bricklayer and I the eager demolition crew?"

Eydis's laugh echoed through the room, a melody filled with affection. "Because, my dearest glacier, you were still clinging to the shore of recovery. And besides," she leaned in, her voice a husky whisper, "this flimsy excuse of a door seems ill-equipped to contain the storm I have brewing for you."

A delicious flush bloomed on Astra's face, warming the sculpted lines of her jaw. "You're all talk, bricklayer."

Eydis's brow arched, a playful challenge in her eyes. "Oh? We shall see about that soon enough, won't we, my demolition expert?"