Aurelia is a Courtesan, not an Assassin. Her world is turned upside down, however, when she kills a high-ranking Senator in self defense. Given his status, and the political power his family wields, Aurelia knows she will be executed without a trial...
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Countdown: 23 hours, 4 deaths
Aurelia follows Lana in silence from the lighthouse, down the old dirt path that weaves between the moss covered stones of the craggy cliffs.
With every step she takes from the lighthouse, the cavern of her chest aches more and more. It is as though a rope has tethered her there, tied between her ribs and her home, and with every stride away, it grows tighter and tighter, pulling at her bones until she cannot breathe, until the tension of it snaps and breaks something deep inside.
She wraps Mara's borrowed sweater more tightly around her body, and wonders if she will ever make it home to return the garment. She quickly pushes the thought out of her mind.
Lana guides them farther down the cliff, in the opposite direction of the main road. They wind up at a small, ramshackle shack built of cracked and crumbling stone, partially hidden from sight by the twisted branches of gumbo limbos and grass that has been allowed to grow unencumbered.
The door creaks as they step inside the cramped, dusty space, and Lana immediately swings it closed behind them. It is dark within- the only light cast by the thin beams of sunlight that manage to squeeze between the cracks of the old wooden shutters that bar the windows, but the darkness does not seem to faze Lana.
The woman steps inside a fireplace that is much too large for the size of the cottage- whose presence alone indicates the age of the structure. It must have been built in the early days of Glascoast, before solar and current powered electricity had been re-discovered and cooking was done over an open flame.
Lana begins rapping at the coral hewn bricks at the back, her ear pressed to a wall burned black over the years. Finally, she steps backwards, a satisfied smile on her face, as she pushes forward on one of the bricks.
Aurelia gasps as the entire back wall of the fireplace swings open in response.
"Come," Lana orders, gesturing Aurelia forward.
She does as she is bid, stepping over the hearth and ducking under the lintel, crouching as they slip through the hidden door that is shorter than either of them.
"This is more what I expected of Aron," Aurelia says as the brick door closes behind them, and they are plunged into absolute darkness.
A moment later, the weak light of a glow-globe clutched in Lana's hand illuminates the gloom.
"You thought a pool house beneath him?" Lana replies with an arched brow, before stepping forwards- downwards- onto a spiral staircase hewn from the same warm-gray stone as the cottage walls.
Lana makes a noise at the back of her throat, and gestures for Aurelia to follow her.
They descend the staircase, which deposits them into a cool, damp tunnel with an arched ceiling. Lana strides forward, taking the light with her, and Aurelia has to hurry to follow her in order to maintain some of her vision.
