Midnight. Draven's quarters.
He woke to the Grimoire pulsing—warning, not sound, just knowing.
*Danger. Close.*
Draven rolled from bed, grabbed Stormfang. Thornblade on belt. Warden's Mantle already worn—he slept in it now, cautious habit.
Window exploded inward. Five figures. Black-clad, Dominion Shadowblade insignia.
Elite assassins.
***
First assassin: dual daggers, poison-coated. Lunged for Draven's throat.
Stormfang parried—lightning discharged through blade. Assassin convulsed, fell.
Second and third: coordinated strike, flanking.
Draven pivoted—Thornblade stabbed second, thorn burst planted. Stormfang blocked third.
Three seconds. **Thorn explosion.** Second assassin blown backward, through wall.
Fourth assassin: crossbow, fired from window. Bolt aimed at heart.
Warden's Mantle activated—cloth hardened instantly, bolt bounced off. Adaptive defense.
Fifth assassin: Soulsteel garrote, tried strangling from behind.
Draven shadow-stepped—Mantle's camouflage, brief invisibility. Reappeared beside assassin. Stormfang through spine. Dead instantly.
Third and fourth retreated—mission failed, extraction priority.
Draven raised Stormfang. **Storm Call.**
Lightning struck through window—not at assassins, at their escape route. Roof tiles exploded. Path blocked.
They turned, cornered.
"Surrender," Draven said. "Or die here."
Third assassin lunged—suicide charge.
Thornblade through chest. Mercy's Edge activated—painless death. Body collapsed.
Fourth assassin dropped weapons. Raised hands.
"I yield."
***
Guards arrived—Brenn, Ryl, Northern warriors. Secured prisoner.
Draven: "Who sent you?"
Assassin: "Emperor's Shadow Council. Direct orders. Kill Warden, destabilize Covenant."
"Why now?"
"Because you're winning. Economic war lost. Political war lost. Only option left: kill leadership, hope for chaos."
Brenn: "Desperation move."
Draven looked at corpses. "Four dead. One captured. How many more?"
Assassin: "Twelve teams. Sent to different targets. I don't know who."
***
Bloomscript relay activated—Lysara's voice: "Assassination attempt on me. Repelled. Two dead, one fled."
Another relay—Joran: "Workshop bombed. I'm fine, explosives failed. One attacker captured."
Third relay—Northern Clans camp: "Warchief Kerra targeted. We killed three. She's unharmed."
Draven: "Simultaneous strikes. Trying to behead leadership."
Brenn: "They failed. We're prepared now. Double guards, rotating schedules, Velnar watches exterior."
Velnar's mental voice from courtyard: *I sense no more hostiles. But I will remain vigilant. Sleep, Bearer. I guard.*
***
Holding Cell, Hours Later
Varen sat in cell, hands bound. Forged Bloom shackles—couldn't break, wouldn't corrode.
Guard brought water. Set it within reach. Didn't spit in it.
Under Dominion, captured enemies were tortured immediately. Standard procedure.
Here? Water. Medical treatment for wounds. Questions, not beatings.
Confusing.
Draven entered cell. Alone. No guards.
"Why did you take this contract?"
Varen didn't answer.
"I'm not asking for intel. I have that. Twelve teams, Emperor's orders. I'm asking: why did YOU personally take this job?"
Silence. Then: "Because I was ordered."
"You're elite assassin. You choose contracts. Why this one?"
Varen considered. Truth? Or lie?
Truth won.
"Because they said you were tyrant. Building empire on propaganda. Enslaving humans under guise of freedom."
Draven sat across from him. Eye level. Equal posture.
"And now?"
"Now I'm confused. Tyrants don't give captured enemies water. Don't treat wounds. Don't ask questions instead of torturing."
"What does Dominion tell its people about us?"
"That you're rebels. Anarchists. Destroying order. That if Covenant wins, chaos consumes Theia."
Draven pulled out document—Stonecross testimony transcripts. Slid across table.
"Read this. Then decide if we're destroyers of order, or restorers of justice."
He left. Door unlocked.
Varen could escape. Should escape.
Instead, he read.
By dawn, he wept. For Stonecross. For everyone he'd killed believing lies.
When guards checked morning, he asked: "Can I defect?"
***
Western Highlands Capital, Council Chamber
Western Highlands held emergency council. Dominion and Covenant both sent final envoys.
Choose now, or be chosen against.
Attendees:
- High King Aldric (monarch, sixties, cautious)
- General Torvak (military commander, fifties, pragmatic)
- Minister Elara (economics, forties, analytical)
- Dominion Envoy (threats, demands, coercion)
- Covenant Envoy (Lysara, offers, truth)
***
**Dominion's Offer:**
"Ally with Empire. Receive military protection, trade guarantees, territorial security. Refuse, and we cut all routes through your lands. Your economy dies in six months."
High King: "You threaten us?"
"We inform you. Reality is harsh. Dominion controls 50% of trade. Without us, you starve. Simple economics."
***
Covenant's Offer:
Lysara: "We offer partnership. Not demands. Free Cities Alliance provides trade access—40% of guilds, more profitable routes than Dominion monopoly. We pay premium prices. We respect your sovereignty. And we ask nothing except: don't ally with slavers."
Minister Elara: "Premium prices sound good. But Dominion has armies. You have... how many?"
"15,800 soldiers. Plus three Lords. Plus Allied kingdoms mobilizing another 10,000. We're outnumbered, yes. But we're winning economically, politically, morally. Join the winning side."
***
The Vote:
High King to council: "Vote. Dominion, Covenant, or remain neutral."
General Torvak voted first: "Covenant. I'm soldier. I fight beside honorable warriors, not slavers."
Minister Elara: "Covenant. Economics favor them long-term. Dominion's unsustainable."
Other councilors: 7 for Covenant, 2 for Dominion, 1 for neutrality.
High King: "Then Western Highlands stands with Covenant. Effective immediately."
Dominion envoy stood, furious: "You choose suicide."
Torvak: "We choose freedom. Leave. Now."
***
Alliance Sealed:
Lysara and High King signed treaty. Western Highlands provided:
- 5,000 elite highland warriors (mountain specialists)
- Strategic passes through mountain ranges (control northern trade routes)
- Iron mines (domestic steel, reduces import dependency)
Covenant provided:
- Trade access (Free Cities network)
- Premium prices (10% above market)
- Military coordination (combined defense pacts)
***
Highland Border Village
Maren, sixty-seven, village elder, watched soldiers march through—5,000 highland warriors, heading south. Covenant alliance.
Her grandson, fourteen, eager: "Grandma, why are we fighting?"
"Because sometimes, staying quiet is louder than any scream."
"I don't understand."
She sat him down, pointed at mountains. "See those peaks? Our ancestors fled there during last empire. Hid. Survived. Built home in silence."
"But silence only works if empire ignores you. Dominion doesn't ignore. They conquer, enslave, consume. If we stay neutral, we're next."
"So we fight?"
"We fight beside those who fight FOR something, not just against. Covenant fights for freedom. Not just theirs. Everyone's."
She pulled out coin—Covenant Standard silver. Held it up.
"Your father sent this. He's working Covenant forges. Makes twice what Dominion paid. Sends half home. This silver? Bought your new boots. Your sister's medicine. Your mother's loom repairs."
"Covenant doesn't just promise better future. They pay for it. Now. In silver that doesn't lie."
Grandson examined coin. Heavy. Real. Solid.
"Will father be safe?"
"No. War is never safe. But he fights for world where YOU'LL be safe. Where you choose your future, not have it chosen for you."
"That's worth fighting for?"
She looked at mountains—home for three generations. Free home. Unchained.
"That's worth dying for. But more importantly: worth LIVING for. Your father lives so you can choose how to live. That's freedom."
Soldiers passed. Grandson watched, quiet.
Eventually: "When I'm old enough, I'll fight too. For that."
Maren smiled, sad but proud. "Then we've already won. Because you understand what's worth fighting for."
***
Notes:
Assassination Attempts: 12 teams deployed; all failed; 35+ assassins killed/captured; Draven, Lysara, Joran, Kerra all targeted and survived.
Varen's Conversion: Captured assassin; treated humanely; reads Stonecross testimony; defects by dawn.
Western Highlands Alliance: Final major neutral kingdom; vote 7-2-1 for Covenant; 5,000 warriors, strategic passes, iron mines secured.
Highland Elder's Wisdom: Generational perspective; Covenant Standard silver as proof; freedom worth living for.
Security Enhanced: Velnar perimeter guard; rotating schedules; Dominion desperation confirmed.
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