Chater Twenty: Assassins


    Another day and one step closer to the tournament. Yue felt her gut twinging as soon as she woke up. From the moment her eyes opened, the tournament loomed over her like a shadow. She wasn’t scared about the tournament, per se, but she was scared of what the Cult would try.


    And then she thought about her meeting with the Cult. It was later that day, after she met up with Zade. She’d agreed to plan the meeting with the Cult in the morning with her friends. Xander said he had some special news, which was exciting for Yue.


    It was a beautiful day, golden sun shining warmly on the good and the evil. The temperature was nice, with a light breeze in the air, leaving Yue breathing deeply, satisfied. It was a scary day, but it had a wonderful start already.


    As she walked to the hospital, she saw Deserey pacing back and forth, mumbling something. Yue wanted to help her, but recently, Deserey didn’t want to talk to anyone. Yue just hoped the girl didn’t try anything. The Vanguard needed to be strong.


    She entered the hospital. Her friends were all her already, except for Artemis. He was probably still asleep. Her friends were strangely silent. Neena in particular looked nervous. Yue shared their sentiment. Today they would meet the murderer.


    Artemis finally arrived, hurrying in, still putting on his coat. Yue wondered why he wore one today. It was a warm day. Definitely not cold enough for a coat.


    “Okay, you all know why we’re here. Today I have a meeting with the murderer. He wants me to come alone,”


    “Obviously, you can’t do that,” Alyx retorted.


    “Exactly,” Yue said, “We need to decide how that will happen. Will you all come, or just some of you? Will you hide or go with me openly? How armed will we be? Also, what is our strategy?”


    “I think we should all go,” Aster said. “The more the merrier. The more of us there are, the easier it will be to catch him.”


    “We don’t want to scare him off,” Neena said.


    “We should take that chance. If he can be scared off, isn’t it even scarier if he stays?”


    “You’re right, Aster,” Yue said. “We should all go. Except Xander, of course. Sorry.”


    “Uh-huh,” Xander smiled. “And why should I not go?”


    “Because you’re healing, right?”


    Xander shook his head. “Not anymore. I told you I had good news. The nurse is letting me go today. I’ll be careful, but I’m definitely going.”


    Yue hugged him. “That’s great. How’s your chest?”


    Xander winced. “I think it’s scarred for life. It still burns sometimes. But that’s not what I’m worried about. I’ll have to leave in a few days.”


    Yue narrowed her eyes. “It doesn’t have anything to do with the Cult, right?”


    “It does,” Xander sighed. “They told me to check in with them as soon as I was healed. I have to go back soon or they’ll know. I’ll go in two days'' time and I’ll be back soon after. I promise.”


    Yue nodded. “It can’t be helped. All right, there’s one issue resolved. Question number two: How armed should we be? I was thinking we all take swords and daggers, but I know Poli has a bow, so maybe she should take that.”


    “We all definitely need swords,” Poli said, “But I don’t think my bow will be needed. He’ll know we’re there, and there might be close combat. I think a bow would only hinder me. I’ll take a dagger, though.”


    “I have a couple, if anyone needs one,” Neena said.


    “Great,” Yue said. “Alyx, you can borrow one of Neena’s. I know you don’t own one. Xander, you have one, right?” Xander nodded. “Okay, good. I think all of us have a dagger now.


    “Finally, what strategy should we use? I’m open for any ideas:”


    “I think you should go in front of us,” Alyx said. “We’ll keep me and Aster behind you, guarding you and watching for others. Xander and Neena would be behind us, followed by Poli and Artemis, not only watching our backs, but looking behind us. When he arrives, if he attacks, only Yue, me, and Aster should engage. If we’re in trouble, the rest of us should join. But we need to protect you at all times, Yue. You are their target.”


    “How long have you been thinking about this?” Aster smirked.


    Alyx grinned back. “Too long.”


    “I have one amendment to the plan,” Yue said. “Aster and Poli, you should swap. Aster moves to the back and Poli to the front. Also, protecting me is not the main issue. Catching him is. I’m willing to get hurt for that.”


    “I’m fine moving to the back,” Aster declared, “But you’re wrong about the second part. We definitely do need to protect you. You may not like it but you are our leader and the main target. You are more at risk than us. And you are arguably the most important one.”


    Yue gritted her teeth. “There’s nothing I can do to convince you, is there?” Aster and Alyx shook their heads firmly. “Fine. You can protect me if you want.


    “I think that’s everything. I’ll see you all later. I want you to practice hard today. The tournament is tomorrow. I want you all on the green at eleven. We have to meet Zade today, so we’ll leave then, and go straight to the meeting with the murderer afterwards.


    “Everyone get ready. I don’t know what will happen with the murderer. But be prepared for anything. He’s murdered three people. Let’s not add another name to the list.”


    — — —


    “They finally let you out?”


    “Yeah, I’m still injured, but I’m better now,” Joanne responded. “I’m excited to go back to training. The tournament is so close. How’s Eva?”


    “I don’t know,” Yue said. “She’s not allowed in Vanguard grounds. She’s probably fine, though.”


    Joanne frowned. “Do you know when the Wolf is coming back?”


    “Not yet,” Yue shook her head. “He’ll be back before the tournament, I know that.”


    “He better. There’s so many good things that will happen then.”


    Yue narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”


    Joanne just smiled. Yue felt shivers down her neck.


    Joanne knew more than she said.


    — — —


    It was lunchtime, and Yue was waiting for Zade once again.


    “Where is he?” Neena complained. “We’ve been waiting for forever!”


    “I’m sure he’ll show up soon,” Yue responded. She was feeling nervous, too, but she didn’t want to admit it.


    What if Zade got hurt? He was at the headquarters of the Cult. Anything could happen to him. He’d told her about the time Zenyth had basically become a battleground. What if that had happened again? She didn’t want to think about it, but anything was possible.


    What would she do if Zade got hurt? She didn’t know him for too long, so she wouldn’t feel as sad as when Diamond died, but it would still be a crushing blow. She knew he would be important to stopping the Cult. Plus, he just wanted to help her. He wasn’t even eighteen yet. He definitely did not deserve to die.


    She shook her head firmly. No. He wasn’t dead. He would be fine. He was resourceful. Zade ws a mage. He could definitely use magic. She knew he loved sword fighting too.


    And there were his friends. He seemed really close with Astil and Xavier. They would protect each other, right? Her own relationship with Neena was a lot like Zade’s with Astil. Zade wouldn’t let anything happen to Astil.


    “Are you okay?” Neena asked Yue. Yue noticed she was shaking a bit, and raised her head and stood firmly.


    “Yeah, I’m fine,” She responded. “Just waiting.”


    Aster leaned towards her. “You’re worried, aren’t you?” Yue nodded softly. “I’m sure they’re fine. I think we’d know if something bad happened. The news would spread past Zenyth.” Yue wasn’t sure that was true but she appreciated the sentiment. She breathed out slowly.


    “Oh, that’s him!” Neena exclaimed, glancing past the street. “Wait, it’s just Xavier. Where are the others?” Yue looked at Xavier and her stomach dropped. Where were the others?


    Xavier’s face was grim. More and more Yue felt desperate. She knew immediately something bad had happened. She just hoped it wasn’t too bad.


    When Xavier arrived, he shook her hand and frowned. “Zade’s not coming today.”


    “I guessed,” She responded. “Why?”


    “It’s a long story. Is that Xander?” He replied, pointing. Yue nodded. He smiled and shook Xander’s hand.


    “I’ve heard a lot about you,” Xander returned the smile warmly. “It’s good to finally meet you.”


    “I like him already,” Xavier told Yue, “And that has nothing to do with both our names starting with X.”


    “I’m sure it doesn’t,” Yue said sarcastically. The jokes eased her nervousness a bit. Obviously, Xander wouldn’t be joking around if Zade or Astil were badly hurt. “So, what happened to Zade?”


    Xavier grimaced. “We made a stupid plan to combat the Cult. Or at least, most of us made a stupid plan. Th’ul hid the real meaning of the plan from us.”


    Yue growled. “Tell me everything. Now.”


    Xavier began the story. He was a dramatic storyteller, telling every detail as an important piece of information, and exaggerating every danger. Yue was sucked into the way he spoke. The tale drew her in, leading her to feel horror and wonder simultaneously. Zade had been impulsive, stupid. He shouldn’t have gone with the plan. She appreciated Astil warning him.


    Xavier told her about Zade’s torture, and Yue gasped, shocked. It sounded worse than anything she could imagine. It seemed horrible not being able to move or shout while getting cut and stabbed. She felt horrible for Zade.


    Xavier reached the end of the story. Zade was mostly okay now, and hopefully it would stay that way.


    “Wow, that''s so sad,” Xander said when Xavier finished speaking. “It reminds me of my initiation into the Cult in a twisted way.”


    “Yeah, I agree,” Yue responded.


    “He’s fine, though,” Xavier said, “He seems very motivated somehow now.”


    “Good,” Yue replied, “We’ll need him. Wait a second. You told me Th’ul tricked you, right?”


    Xavier shrugged. “Not really. He just had another reason for going through with the plan.”


    “That’s the definition of a trick!” Yue exclaimed. “He should’ve told you what he was doing. He was immature and a jerk.”


    “He apologized,” Xavier muttered.


    “And what does that matter?” Yue responded. “Now that he apologized, everything’s okay? Does it make Zade better? No, of course not! If he told you the truth, would you have gone along with it?”


    “I don’t know,” Xavier said, “But I think so.”


    Yue hesitated. “Then he should’ve told you. I personally blame him for what happened.”


    “How can you do that? He didn’t do anything!”


    “Zade sacrificed himself because Th’ul told him too! It’s his—” Yue paused as Xander put his hands on my shoulder.


    “Maybe we should all take a breather,” He told her, “Relax a bit. Calm down.” His gentle voice soothed Yue. She nodded and wisely shut up.


    “So how wounded is Zade?” Neena asked.


    “I’m not sure,” Xavier responded. “I know it’ll take him a while to heal. But he refuses to stop moving around, so I assume it’ll take him months. The way he’s going he won’t heal.”


    “You need to tell him to stop,” Alyx said.


    “I know, and I tried. But he won’t. He just refuses to.”


    Yue sighed. “He needs to be ready for the tournament.”


    “He will. I’ll make sure he is.”


    “Good. We’ll be waiting. Tell him to get well soon. We’ll need him.”


    Xavier nodded. “I will. I’ll see you in two days. Zade probably won’t be here, but I’ll try to bring Astil.”


    “Alright,” Yue responded. She watched as Xavier left.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Her gut twinged,


    It was almost time to face the murderer.


    She really hoped she was ready.


    — — —


    They passed from smooth cobblestone to wooden planks as they entered the Harbor. It was a beautiful place looking out to sea. There were plenty of ships docked on the Harbor. Yue felt the breeze of the ocean on her face and loose hair and closed her eyes softly, taking it all in.


    She wished she could come to the Harbor more. It was such a lovely place. It always reminded her of how large the world was. Here she could see people from all over the world. The pale nation of Galacia. The beautiful chocolate-skinned people of Mrembo. The fair-skinned nation of Aleumdaun Seom. She could hear the different languages, feel the different textures. It was a wonderful experience.


    As they walked the wooden walkways of the Harbor, Yue wondered how the next few hours would go. She was both excited and nervous to meet the murderer. Was it someone she knew? She hoped it wasn’t. It would hurt more if she knew who it was.


    They reached the warehouse soon enough. It was a long wooden building, made fireproof by the mages after it burned down long ago. If it wasn’t so big, it would have a quaint, homely feel. It looked and felt like a cabin one would use in the woods. Yue loved places like that. To a degree, it felt a little like going home every time even though it wasn’t even close to what her home was like. There was just something about a cabin that was cozy. A cabin this big did take off some of the allure, but it wasn’t exactly for residential purposes, so that was okay. Yue still enjoyed it. She wanted to live in a cabin when she grew old.


    Cabins were great places to live.


    That was just the way of the world.


    The warehouse was free to enter normally with rooms enclosed and locked for specific ships, but today was the off-day there. Unless someone needed anything from there, no one was allowed in. Thankfully, Yue knew a way in, and she bet the murderer knew she knew that. That couldn’t be a coincidence.


    “This way,” She called her friends over to the side of the warehouse, where a door sat. It had no knob and no lock. It looked like someone had just carved a door but it didn’t seem real. Except she knew how to open it. Her father’s best friend used to work for the warehouse and he taught her dad how to open it. Yue watched her father open it one day and memorized how it was done. She would hide in the warehouse many times throughout her life. It was a comfort for her. Clearly, the murderer had chosen it purposefully.


    She moved her wrist slowly one hundred and eighty degrees and tapped the spot in the door where a doorknob would usually be. Immediately a doorknob materialized where before there was just a door. She turned it and the door opened. She walked in, followed by her friends. The room was lit brightly by the sunlight filtering in from a window only seen from the inside. Another piece of magic. Yue briefly wondered what it was like to do magic. It seemed unlimited but she knew Zade probably could not do much. It had to take a lot of work.


    Plus, mages lived to be a hundred plus years old. Must be a result of the magic. Yue didn’t know if she wanted to live to be that age. On paper, it was nice living to be that old. You could experience more love, be wiser. A deeper look revealed more, though. If she lived to be that long, her loved ones wouldn’t. The worst thing that could happen to her would be to end up alone. She was scared of that. Also, by the time she reached one hundred, she’d have a crippling disease and that would be even worse. And there was the fact that after a long time even life could get boring. It was a thought that didn’t normally cross Yue’s head, but she did want to grow old and have grandkids, see her lifeline. It would be a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. Even if she ended up not doing much, her lineage would continue. With who? She didn’t know yet.


    “There’s nobody here,” Alyx interrupted her thoughts.


    “Not yet, but he’ll appear,” Yue responded.


    “How do you know he’ll come to this room?” Neena wondered.


    “Because he already seems to know much about me. Therefore, he must know I used to hide in this room to escape. He’ll come. We just have to wait.”


    “We always have to wait,” Aster laughed. “Why can’t we be the ones that arrive last?”


    Yuc chuckled. “You regretting your decision to come?”


    “Hell, no,” She responded. “I’m excited. We finally get to arrest the man terrorizing the Vanguard, I’ve been waiting for this,”


    “Me too,” Alyx responded, her eyes narrowed in determination, “I’ll finally be able to avenge Diamond.”


    They got into the positions they’d prepared for themselves, Yue in front. The more minutes passed, the more nervous she got.


    One thing had changed about the room since she’d come here last. There were many boxes spread everywhere around the room. The room was being used for storage now. It used to be more of a meeting room, but she guessed there were important items here now. With a door like that one, there was no way the items in the box were commonplace. Yue wasn’t going to mess with them. She was fine with breaking and entering, but stealing was a different matter. Plus, she wasn’t supposed to see them, so her duty as a warrior was to make sure no one did, including herself.


    A movement caught her eye. She looked to the left. The box moved. She could swear it. She heard the crossbow bolt before she saw it, and reacted instinctively, pushing Neena out of the way. Neena fell to the ground, and Yue sighed in relief, the bolt whizzing just above Neena.


    “Is everyone okay?” She asked. A piercing scream jolted her and she looked to the side. Artemis was on the ground shrieking, crossbow bolt stuck in his leg, blood pooling from the wound. Poli was kneeling next to him, comforting him.


    “Everyone, watch out!” Alyx yelled, and Yue spun to face whatever Alyx was warning her about. A dozen people stepped out of the shadows, swords in hands. One of them still had a crossbow and was loading it. He aimed at Yue and smiled. She tried to dodge, but knew she wouldn’t be on time.


    A dagger pierced the man’s throat, and he crumpled over. Neena looked at Yue and winked. Yue sighed in relief. Her sigh turned into a gasp as one of the assassins attacked her. She jumped back, sword swinging wildly. The assassin advanced on her. Yue knew what she was doing, though. Years of being in the Vanguard had hardened her into one of the strongest warriors of all time.


    The assassins didn’t stand a chance and she knew that. Clearly, the murderer had expected the assassins to kill at least one of them before they showed themselves. Plus, the assassins outnumbered them, so the murderer hoped that at least one of them would be mortally wounded.


    They’d fallen into the trap, and it was Yue’s fault. She growled as she parried a thrust and disarmed the assassin attacking her. The assassin gasped as Yue stuck her in the heart, and she fell over, gasping. Those gasps died quickly, and Yue moved on to the next opponent.


    Poli was holding off two assassins from getting to Artemis, and Alyx and Aster were fending off three. Neena herself took on two of them, as did Xander. That left one who was watching from the sidelines. Why wasn’t he engaging? He looked straight at her and suddenly she was knocked to the ground by a gust of wind. Her head hit the floor hard, and she groaned.


    He was a mage. That wasn’t good. Her eyes widened as another assassin broke off fighting Alyx and lunged at Yue’s prone form on the ground. Yue stumbled back, but she felt a wall behind her. She should be far from the wall. It must have been the mage. As the assassin lunged at her, she desperately brought her sword up, barely defending herself. She brought her other hand to grasp the end of her sword. It was the only way to stop the assassin from pushing through. Her hand started to bleed and she bit her lip, and pushed her sword upwards. Eventually, her strength overpowered the assassin’s, He stumbled back and she advanced on him. She attacked ferociously, and he desperately tried to maintain his ground, but was inevitably pushed back. With her other hand, she subtly reached into her belt as she continued fighting him. He was caught off guard as he stabbed him in the neck with her dagger. He stumbled down, and desperately tried to stop the bleeding. His eyes grew glassy, and eventually, he stopped breathing.


    Yue wondered why the mage wasn’t focusing on her anymore. She counted five assassins on the ground. That left seven, including the mage. She looked over at the mage. He was concentrating on something. She followed his gaze: Neena was floating in the air, struggling with an unseen force. One of the assassins was trying to stab her. Clearly, unless someone helped her, Neena wouldn’t last long.


    Yue ran. Harder than she had in years. She screamed, jolting the assassin, who glared at her and she jumped on him. He stumbled back, and she stabbed in the arm, disabling him.


    Six left.


    Neena fell to the floor, and another assassin lunged at her, stabbing her in the stomach. Yue screamed, a piercing jolt that would’ve caused anyone to worry. Neena groaned and rolled on the floor. The assassin returned to fighting Xander, who glared at her.


    Yue decided she needed to do something about the mage. She turned to him, and he smiled. Seconds later, a fireball shot at her. She dodged it and sprinted towards him. His smile disappeared, and Yue felt the breath leave her throat. Her brain screamed at her, and she knew that if the mage didn’t give her her air back, she would lose consciousness soon. She kept running, her eyes filling with tears she didn’t need. He waved his hand and she tripped, but putting her hand on the floor as she fell, she got up immediately.


    She swung at him, air returning to her throat, and he stood his ground. As her sword hit him, she heard a metallic ting. He had magically defended himself. Of course. She should’ve known that. She needed to distract him.


    He grabbed her sword and wrenched it out of her hand, and punched her. She was flung in the air, and her fall was stopped by one of the boxes, shattering it. She tried to get up, stumbling back. The contents of the box caused her to gasp. They were human bones. She didn’t have time to worry about that, though. She needed to focus on the assassins.


    She heard a scream, and sharply looked over as Aster fell, an assassin hovering over her. Alyx quickly rushed to Aster’s aid, severing the assassin’s hand, and moments later her head.


    They had now killed or disabled nine of the twelve assassins.


    But Artemis, Neena, and Aster were wounded. That only left Yue, Alyx, Xander, and Poli.


    They had to finish the assassins off. And quick. Before the mage killed all of them.


    She stood up, legs shaking. There were only two assassins left excluding the mage. She could take them. Thankfully, Xander was already taking care of one. The mage was focused on Alyx and the other assassin, and didn’t notice as Xander stabbed one through the neck.


    Two assassins left.


    Yue grabbed her sword and rushed to help Alyx as they took on the final swordfighter. Alyx looked at Yue and smiled. Yue knew what she would do a second before she did it. She tried to yell at her to stop, but Alyx was dead set, and all Yue could do was comply. As the assassin’s sword entered Alyx’s midsection, Yue swung her own sword, severing the assassin’s head. The head flopped to the ground, and immediately, Yue checked on Alyx. The stab wasn’t deep, and didn’t seem to have hit anything critical, which was a relief, but she was still wounded.


    Why hadn’t the mage done anything about this last assassin? Yue looked around. The mage was gone. She looked around wildly. He wasn’t there. Had he run away?


    She looked back, and suddenly a punch threw her to the ground. The mage was standing in front of her. Thankfully, she wasn’t alone. Xander and Poli rushed to her aid, and the mage was left fending for himself. As he was still using magic, he used his fists to block their swords. Still, they had more skill than him, and his clothes were quickly getting ripped to shreds, even if he wasn’t getting hurt.


    Yue stood up and joined the fight. The mage was busy fighting them, so Yue was sure that he wouldn’t be able to do any new magic. As long as they kept him occupied, they could hold him down. But they needed a little more. She needed to find a way to stop the magic he was already using.


    As Xander tried to stab him, he ducked and punched him. Xander tried to stand his ground but still stepped back. The mage growled and attacked Xander, murder in his eyes. That’s when Yue struck.


    She stabbed at his side, and he was forced to turn around and keep his eyes on her. He may have made his skin like metal, but obviously it still hurt. As he focused on her, Poli struck at him from the back, and Xander did from the side. He looked around wildly as Yue and her friends struck at him again and again, and he yelled in confusion. He tried to block the swords, but it was too much. He was retreating. Xander stepped back and let Yue and Poli take care of it. Yue wondered what he was doing. Her question was answered a moment later as she saw him behind the mage, struggling to pick up a box. The mage was too focused on Yue and Poli to be bothered by him, and Yue was determined to keep it that way.


    She struck at him again, and he squealed. Xander finally got a hold of the box. He lifted it and walked over slowly, quietly to the mage. As Poli and Yue forced him to retreat, the mage unknowingly closed the distance between him and Xander. And when he got close enough to Xander, Xander threw the box as hard as he could.


    Thunk.


    The sharp end of the box hit the mage in the back of the head, and his eyes rolled back. The box hadn’t pierced him, but even with magical skin, a hard enough hit could neutralize him. He fell to the ground unconscious. Poli quickly dispatched him, chopping off his head.


    “I’ll check on our wounded,” Yue told Poli and Xander. “There’s one assassin I left alive. Go check on him. I want to ask him some questions.” They nodded and went.


    Yue went to check on Alyx and Artemis first. They were fine. Artemis’ leg was hurt, but nothing that wouldn’t heal quickly. Alyx was a little more hurt in the stomach, but she would be okay.


    Same with Aster. She had had her arm stabbed, but she was mostly fine, though Yue thought her arm might be broken.


    Neena was in trouble, though. While they were fighting, Alyx had apparently gone to stop the bleeding, but Neena was still very hurt. She was slipping in and out of consciousness. Yue thought she would live, but she couldn’t be sure.


    “I’m sorry,” Yue whispered to her, crying.


    “It’s okay,” Neena replied, waking up a little. “I’ll be fine. You were there for me.”


    “No, I wasn’t, I…”


    “Shh,” Neena’s soothing voice relaxed Yue a bit. “I’ll live. You didn’t fail me.”


    Yue nodded, smiling a bit now.


    “Yue, the assassin is awake,” Poli’s voice reached out to her. Yue stood up, wiped her tears, and glared at the assassin. She walked over to him and slapped him.


    “Who do you work for?” She commanded. He just stared back at her. She slapped him again and repeated the question. He didn’t respond.


    “Don’t make me torture you,” She yelled at him. He still didn’t say anything, so Yue looked at Alyx, who smiled wickedly. She grabbed the man’s hand, and quickly chopped off his finger with her dagger. He screamed, but didn’t say anything. So she continued, finger by finger, until all ten were on the ground, blood and bone visible on the ground. The man was whimpering now.


    “TELL ME WHO SENT YOU!” Yue screamed.


    The man just laughed.


    Eventually, they had to give up. They decided to bring him back to camp, and give him over to the Magefell Guards, where he would be put in prison.


    Yue and her friends set off towards Zenyth grounds.


    Neena needed immediate medical attention.


    — — —


    Yue had asked the nurse to put them all in one room, at least for an hour. The nurse didn’t like the idea, but she grudgingly agreed, especially when Yue told her it was very important. Yue and her friends had been going over their list for a few days now and there was only one name left they didn’t know of the people who watched her game. They had also been able to eliminate some of them. There were not that many names left. One of them would be the murderer.


    “Does anyone have the final name?” She asked nervously.


    Poli smiled weakly. “I figured it out. James Windstor. He was there. I can also confirm that he did not kill Jos. He was with three of his friends during that time, all who confirm he was with them. Some outside of their friend group confirmed it too.”


    One step closer. Yue smiled. She starred then scratched off James’ name.


    “We have ten names left of those who attended my game that could be the murderer. Any news about that?”


    “All of us have been eliminated, right?” Neena asked.


    “Only Alyx and Aster,” Yue shook her head. “And me of course.”


    “I’m eliminated too,” Xander said.


    “I actually hadn’t done that, but it’s true,” She replied, scratching off his name.


    “I was with Poli and Artemis after the funeral,” Neena said, wincing from the pain.. Yue nodded, smiled, and scratched all three of their names off.


    “That only leaves six,” Yue told them.


    “Marya, Ax, and Petr were all seen when Jos was murdered. Confirmed by five different people. They couldn’t have done it.” Alyx’s voice sounded triumphant, even while hurt.


    Butterflies grew in Yue’s tummy. That only left three people. One man she didn’t know. His name was, coincidentally enough, Josh. The other two shocked her.


    Eva.


    Joanne.


    “Does anyone have an alibi for Josh?” She wondered aloud.


    “I do,” Artemis replied, and Yue’s heart sank. Artemis told her his story with Josh and how his friends had had to visit the parliament close to Jos’ death. They couldn’t have been there.


    Yue’s heart raced. She’d checked every name they’d crossed out after their meeting. Each one checked out. None of them could be the killer.


    Unless it was Eva or Joanne. Or if there were more than one.


    She had never wanted to think about that possibility. It couldn’t be true, right? Thankfully, most of the alibis were airtight: Even the killers being more than one couldn’t break them. But the thought of the killers being plural shook Yue’s world.


    Not as much as the thought of Eva or Joanne doing it. They couldn’t be the ones. Eva was a bastard, sure, but she wouldn’t have killed Jos. And Joanne was just too nice, even if she did worship Dautha. It couldn’t be true. Yue wouldn’t believe it.


    “There’s only two names left, right?” Aster asked. Yue nodded, and Aster cringed. “I’m really sorry, but I can confirm that Eva did not do it. Not only do her friends confirm it, but Kol himself did too.” Yue sighed.


    “That only leaves Joanne then,” Alyx groaned. “Once I’m out of here..”


    Yue fell down. No! It couldn’t be Joanne. Joanne was too nice. She…


    She didn’t have a firm alibi. She was the only one left on the list who could’ve done the murderer.


    Joanne had to be the murderer!


    Yue didn’t want to believe it.


    Joanne had killed Diamond and Jos. Even Rosalia’s death was her fault.


    It was all Joanne.


    Yue felt a mixture of sadness and anger.


    Joanne was a murderer.