Chương 9: Clean Entry, Messy Exit

As soon as I activated [Clean Entry], it felt like every drop of mana got sucked out of me. My knees nearly buckled. In an instant I was bone dry. Completely empty. The pistol hummed in my hand. White light leaked through the metal, glowing hotter and hotter until I squeezed the trigger and the bullet ripped free in a streak of white light. For a second, there was nothing but the flash. When my vision cleared, Menandros' head was gone. Just gone. His body twitched, then folded on top of Perry.

[You have gained 1 level.] [You have gained 1 skill point.] [You have gained 3 stat points.] Shit. It actually worked. Fuck. What have I done? I wanted to gag, to rewind, to un-pull the trigger, but there was no undoing it. No clever line, no half-assed excuse would change what I had just done. I had killed someone, and not just anyone—the son of the most powerful man in the city. The thoughts barely had time to form before I realized Menandros's crew was still there.

I snapped my head up, pistol still raised, ready for them to jump me. But they didn't move. They just stared, slack-jawed. One of them finally muttered, "That's impossible." Another whispered, "But… his barrier had thirty points in it. Six of us couldn't break it." The third blurted, voice cracking.

"She just got her class… how is this possible? Was that a curse? Has she been chosen by the gods?" The first one glanced at the others.

"So the stories about her mother are true…" One of them finally realized I was watching and took a careful step back. Another shifted forward, maybe out of anger, or instinct, or trying to be brave, hoping the Archon would reward him. He froze a second later, probably remembering that I just ended his friend's life in an instant. If they attacked me now I'd probably be dead. No mana, four bullets left, and no way of knowing how many points they had in their barriers.

I straightened and pointed my pistol at the guy that had stepped forward.

"You want to be next? You want me to shoot you in the head as well? Still think it's funny?" He swallowed. In fact he looked like he might vomit. The others just stared at me, terror in their eyes.

"Five seconds," I said.

"If you're still here in five seconds, you're next. Starting with you." I aimed the gun at the guy who'd stepped back.

"Go on." He ran. Fast. The others followed one after the other, half falling and tripping over each other. As soon as they were gone my adrenaline crashed. My body felt twice as heavy, and I let out a long exhale. I turned around and saw Perry was still pinned under Menandros's corpse. I dropped down and grabbed Menandros's arm and pulled, trying to get him off. He was so heavy. My arms shook. It wasn't just the mana, my whole body felt like I'd just run a marathon. It was like I was trying to move a boulder.

With the last of my strength I managed to drag him off, and Perry sucked in a breath. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"Perry?" I asked.

"Perry, are you okay?"

"Run…" he said with a raspy voice.

"I'm not leaving you here," I said.

"The Archon—" Perry started.

"I know." I interrupted him.

"I'm sorry. I just… he was going to kill you."

"I know," Perry said, surprising me with how calm he sounded.

"Thank you. But once they tell the Archon, we'll still be dead." Perry was right. The three who'd run off would probably go straight to the Archon and tell him what happened. And then what? The Archon wasn't going to sit down and weigh the facts over a cup of wine. His son was dead. Killed by me. Did I honestly think he'd care that it was self-defense? That his son was about to murder a classless in broad daylight? If Menandros was anything to go by, his father wasn't a reasonable man.

He'd twist the story, turn it into a neat little lie where we started it. Three witnesses against two. No contest. Execution was the only logical outcome. What could I even do? Ask Mēnē for guidance? Hide in the temple? Beg the Sisters to protect me? Even if they wanted to, what could they do against the ruler of the city? Nothing. I'd be dead the moment he decided I should be, and the Sisters would suffer for it. There was only one person who might have enough standing to keep my head attached to my shoulders.

My mother.

"Don't worry," I said, "You'll be fine. I killed him. They can't blame you for that." Perry let out a shaky breath and forced himself upright. I put his arm over my shoulders and pulled.

"I'll get you home. Then I'll go to my mother and tell her everything. Hopefully she believes me. Hopefully she can do something." He made a face.

"Maybe he'll understand," I said.

"Maybe the Archon will see it was self-defense." Perry shook his head.

"I'm sure he knows his son and will understand it was self-defense. I just don't think he'll care. You killed his son and he'll want your head. Probably mine too." I forced a smile.

"He'll be furious at me, not you. You didn't do anything. You'll be fine. I'll make sure of it." My voice sounded steady enough, and that was what mattered, Perry didn't need to hear the panic whirling around inside of me. Inside, the dread was already eating me alive. Of course the Archon wouldn't care. Of course he'd twist it. My life was already over, I was just walking around waiting for the sentence. And my mother… gods, if she found out I'd chosen anything but [Katarologa], would she even try to save me?

Would she see me as her daughter or as a mistake she was finally free to disown? I could see it already: the three of them whispering to the Archon, the crowd, the judgment. No one stepping forward to defend me. The Sisters looking away. My name spoken like a curse, if he would even allow it to be spoken ever again at all. A rope, a blade, a pyre? However it happened, it would be public and final. I kept moving. Perry's alive, I told myself. He's alive. Even if it costs me everything else, that's still something.

By the time we reached Perry's house I was half carrying him, half dragging him. I knocked hard with my free hand. After a moment the door opened, and his parents froze at the sight of him bloodied, bruised, barely upright.

"Gods," his mother gasped, reaching for him.

"What happened?"

"Menandros attacked him," I said.

"He's alive. He just needs rest." Perry shook his head weakly.

"I'm fine, Hecate saved me." Their eyes went wide, flicking between us, but I shook my head before they could start in with questions.

"I can't stay to explain. I'm sorry." I put his arm into theirs and stepped back, already turning away.

After I dropped Perry with his parents I immediately headed home, dread building inside of me with every step. The walk home was a blur. Every shadow looked like soldiers. Every sound made me flinch. By the time I reached my door, I felt like I'd aged years in the space of a street. I pushed inside. My father looked up from the table, face brightening into a grin.

"There you are! How was the celebration? Did you have honey cakes?" His voice was warm, normal, like nothing had changed, and all I could think was how much worse it would hurt him once he knew what I'd done. Then my mother's voice cut through the room.

"What did you do, Hecate?" She knew something was wrong. The panic hit all at once. I had to tell them, right here, right now, before the Archon came. If he dragged me off without them knowing the truth, I'd be dead before I ever had a chance to defend myself. Maybe my mother could protect me, maybe she couldn't, but she had to know. Where would I even start? How much time did I have? They must have reached his house by now, and he was probably already on his way. Start at the beginning? Just blurt it out?

Oh, well, you know… we didn't go celebrate. Instead, I killed Menandros, no big deal.

"I'm sorry, I didn't—" I stammered, but was interrupted by a loud bang on the door. The knock shook the door in its frame. A man's voice barked from outside, "Open this fucking door right now!"