Anemoi 8 – Anemoi 12, Imperial Year 1644
The Free City of Velathri – The Docks
The docks of Velathri were a maze of warehouses, taverns, and alleyways. Sailors, merchants, and criminals moved through the shadows, each with their own purpose. Vladislav Eisenberg had been watching the woman for three days.
She called herself Lynx. No last name, no fixed address. She was a bounty hunter – not the kind who chased outlaws across the countryside, but the kind who found people who did not want to be found. She had a reputation for tracking down debtors, deserters, and fugitives in the cramped, chaotic streets of the Free Cities.
She was not a fighter. She was a hunter. She used disguises, false papers, and a network of informants. She could blend into a crowd, follow a target for days without being noticed, and slip away before anyone knew she was there.
Vlad had seen her work. Three months ago, she had located a embezzler who had vanished into the slums, delivering him to the city guard within a week. Two months ago, she had tracked a murderer through the sewers, emerging with the man bound and gagged. She worked alone, took payment in silver, and asked no questions.
She is perfect, Vlad thought. Not a fighter. A finder. The Black Knights need someone who can locate targets without leaving a trace.
Anemoi 10, Imperial Year 1644
The City – First Contact
Vlad found her in a tavern called the Salty Dog, near the fish market. She sat in a corner, nursing a cup of watered wine, her eyes moving from face to face. She wore plain clothes – a gray tunic, brown breeches, a hooded cloak. Nothing marked her as unusual.
Vlad approached her table. He was not wearing the Zero armor – just a plain cloak and a hood. His face was hidden.
"Lynx," he said.
She did not react. Her eyes flicked to him, then away.
"I do not know that name."
"You have used it for three years. Since you left the army."
Her hand moved to her belt, where a small knife was hidden. "Who are you?"
"Someone who needs your skills. Not for coin – for something larger."
She studied him. "I do not work for ideals. Ideals do not pay for bread."
"I am not offering ideals. I am offering a purpose. And I will pay."
Vlad placed a small pouch of silver on the table. Fifty marks – a month's wages for a skilled laborer.
"This is a test. There is a man in this city – a fence named Borin. He deals in stolen goods. He has evaded the guard for years. Find him. Do not engage. Just locate him and report back to me. If you succeed, I will offer you something more."
"And if I fail?"
"Then you keep the silver and we never speak again."
Lynx looked at the pouch. Then she looked at Vlad.
"How do I contact you?"
"Leave a message with the innkeeper of the Rusty Nail. Ask for the merchant from Thornreach."
Vlad turned and walked away. Lynx watched him go, then picked up the pouch.
Anemoi 12, Imperial Year 1644
The Rusty Nail – Evening
The message arrived three days later. A scrap of parchment, folded twice, with a single line:
Borin is in the basement of the Old Fishmonger's shop. He moves at midnight.
Vlad smiled. It was not a warm expression.
He met Lynx at the designated location – a dark alley behind the fish market. She was waiting, her hood up, her face shadowed.
"You found him," Vlad said.
"He is not difficult. He has been using the same route for months. The guards are lazy."
"Why have you not turned him in yourself?"
"The bounty is low. Not worth the trouble."
Vlad nodded. "You are efficient. And honest."
"I am practical."
"I need practical." Vlad extended a folded parchment – the nine tenets. "Read this. If it speaks to you, meet me at the old lighthouse in three days. Come alone."
Lynx took the parchment. She read it quickly, her eyes moving down the page.
"These are… unusual."
"So I have been told."
"You expect me to follow a code?"
"I expect you to choose to follow it. Or not. The choice is yours."
She folded the parchment and tucked it into her belt. "I will think about it."
Anemoi 15, Imperial Year 1644
The Old Lighthouse – Dawn
Lynx came.
She stood at the base of the lighthouse, her gray cloak blending with the fog. Vlad waited in the Zero armor – black cape, masked helmet, the Geass crest on his shoulder. Beside him stood Hound, Sparrow, and Rook.
"You brought others," Lynx said.
"These are the Black Knights. Hound, Sparrow, Rook." Vlad gestured. "You would be the fourth."
Lynx studied them. Hound's scarred face, Sparrow's cool gaze, Rook's spectacles and notebook. "They are not bounty hunters."
"No. They are investigators and fighters. You are a finder. We need someone who can locate targets without being seen."
"And the tenets? You expect me to follow them?"
"I expect you to understand them. You have spent years working alone, for coin. The Black Knights work for justice. The coin is secondary."
Lynx was silent for a long moment. Then she said, "I have seen what happens to people who trust too much. Betrayal. Death."
"So have we," Hound said. "That is why we have a code."
Sparrow added, "Zero does not ask for blind loyalty. He asks for evidence and action."
Lynx looked at Vlad. "And if I disagree with a mission?"
"Then you do not take it. The tenets are not chains. They are a compass."
She nodded slowly. "I will try."
"Then you are Lynx, the Black Knight."
Anemoi 15, Imperial Year 1644 (continued)
The Secondary Workshop – Equipment
Vlad led Lynx to the workshop. The others followed. He opened a cabinet and pulled out a set of light armor – dark cloth, reinforced with leather at the shoulders and knees.
"For you," Vlad said. "Designed for silence and mobility. The cloth is treated to reduce noise. The leather is soft but durable."
Lynx examined the armor. She tried it on. It fit perfectly.
"And this." Vlad handed her a compact device – a metal cylinder with a hook on one end and a coiled rope inside. "A grappling hook. Spring‑loaded, with twenty feet of silk rope. It can support your weight. Use it to reach rooftops, cross gaps, or escape pursuers."
Lynx tested the mechanism. The hook shot out, catching on a beam. She pulled herself up with ease.
"This is useful."
"There is also a belt pouch with lockpicks, a small mirror for seeing around corners, and a set of false papers for three different identities." Vlad handed her a leather satchel. "You are a finder. These are your tools."
Lynx strapped on the belt. "What is my first mission?"
Vlad walked to the map table. He pointed to a city in the south.
"A corrupt official named Voss. He has been embezzling funds and hiding the evidence. The guard cannot find it. You will. Do not engage. Just locate the evidence and report back."
"And if I am discovered?"
"Then you use the grappling hook and run. You are not a fighter. Do not pretend to be one."
Lynx nodded. "I can do that."
"Good. You leave at dawn."
Anemoi 16, Imperial Year 1644
The Workshop – Departure
The others gathered to see Lynx off. She wore her new armor, the grappling hook at her belt, the satchel across her chest.
"Be careful," Rook said. "Voss has informants everywhere."
"I know. I am one of them."
Sparrow raised an eyebrow. "You worked for him?"
"No. But I know his methods." Lynx smiled – a thin, sharp expression. "I will be back in a week."
She disappeared into the morning mist.
Vlad watched her go.
Four knights, he thought. Each with their own skill. Together, they are more than the sum of their parts.
He turned back to the workshop.
There was always more to build.
End of Chapter Thirty-One