Page 2 of What Remains of the Sun

“On the way, but we do have a small problem.” He stretched an arm. “They have a specter.”

Reina sighed. “Gods from Ettan…”

Lily shared Reina’s worry. Today might be the day she actually aimed to kill.

“It’s not a big one. Freshly fused so nothing to get too worked up about.” Xavier chuckled to himself, clearly not worried. “Imagine if Kael is behind this.”

“Not funny,” Reina warned.

“We don’t really know him, do we? And he keeps specters. How are you so sure he’s not trying to get out of paying us?”

“He’s a good distributor and an honest one too. Besides, if these men worked for him, we’d be chasing these bastards in our own backyard. I’m more worried about a Diseased soul orchestrating this whole thing.”

Lily’s stomach turned at the prospect. Specters were strong, but they were still mortal. Unlike the unnatural delay of death that Emperor Valen managed for his people through drugs and body alterations, Diseased souls made their bodies truly immortal. They were by no means common, so the likelihood one would come after a small group of gunsmiths was small. But they did exist, and they were as respected as they were feared, both within and outside of the empire’s walls. Only a very specific blade could kill them, short of their soul departing of its own free will.

Well, other than Lily’s soul. It was capable, but she was unwilling to let it kill anything. Not after what her last life did with it.

Xavier cringed. “Kael works with one, you kn—”

“Shut your mouth about Kael,” Reina growled. Xavier lifted his palms in defeat. Groaning, Reina raked a hand down her face. “Whoever it is, these men have all the money they could want. Why come all the way down the mountainside to steal from us?”

“Because they know our product is superior over what the Viceroy and his militia provide,” Xavier said. “What matters now is that we send a message that they can’t walk all over us. If we handle this group of Dawns ourselves, what does that tell Kael and those who are thinking about stealing from us in the future? We can do this.”

Reina and Xavier carried souls created by Dusk Flares—deities composed of dark magic. Innovative as Dusks may be, they were still looked down upon by Dawns, souls born from the light gods. Dusks were relegated to the lower side of the mountain out of fear of the darker gods influences.

Reina held Xavier’s gaze. They were adopted siblings who’d known each other since they were small. If anyone could quell Reina’s worries, it would be Xavier. “There’s the specter and how many men?”

“Three. We”—Xavier gestured between himself and Reina—“can take care of them no problem. And we’ll pin the muscle against muscle.”

Lily waited for the rest of the plan before realizing he was looking at her. Befuddled, she glanced at Reina’s sinewy frame. Lily was strong but she wasn’t “bested a beast of a man in a cage fighting match” strong. Sure, Reina stumbled out of the ring bruised and bloody, but she did so waving her bag of winnings in the air while screaming a slew of curses at the roaring crowd.

Lily was “able to drag Reina inside when she finally collapsed a few meters from the warehouse” strong. “Now I know you’re joking.”

“Afraid not. You’ve got the best aim to keep him occupied,” Xavier argued. “You can shoot off its prosthetic while we take care of the thieves and whichever one is controlling him. Up there will do it.”

She followed his gaze to the highest walkway encircling the plaza. Lily cursed her mother for sticking a gun in her hand the moment she could walk. He was right, and it was what she was good at—security from a distance. The vantage point would make it easier, but she preferred to keep level with the ground.

“Fine,” Lily said, fastening her rifle over her shoulder. “Anything to get out of here.”