Ch 92: Too Many Corpses

Mira sat at the worn wooden table in the corner of their rented workshop, idly tapping her fingers against the surface. The room smelled of metal, oil, and faintly of salt from the ever-present sea breeze that slipped through the cracks in the walls.

Across from her, Kael was hunched over his workbench, soldering a circuit with the steady hands of a man who had done this a thousand times before. The dim lighting cast shadows over his focused expression, the occasional spark from his iron reflecting in his eyes.

Mira leaned forward, resting her chin on her palm. "Do you think they'll come after me?"

Kael didn't even look up. "They won't."

She raised an eyebrow. "And you're so sure because…?"

Kael paused for a moment, setting his tool down. He glanced at her, smirking faintly. "Too many corpses. Does that answer your question?"

Mira exhaled through her nose, shaking her head. "You're impossible."

The Aftermath of Blood

She wasn't wrong to be concerned. Their escape hadn't exactly been clean. The people who had held her weren't mere criminals—they had ties to factions Mira had only just begun to understand. If there was one thing she had learned, it was that powerful groups rarely let things go.

Yet, Kael seemed unfazed.

"You're really not worried?" she pressed.

Kael picked up a thin wire, attaching it carefully to the circuit board. "People only hunt down loose ends, Mira." He adjusted his grip, melting the solder into place. "You're not a loose end. You're a closed chapter."

She frowned. "They could still come after us to make an example."

Kael sighed, rolling his shoulders before finally meeting her gaze. "Mira, the people who took you? They're dead. Their immediate allies? Dead or running scared. The ones who gave them orders?" He tapped the circuit board lightly. "Too far removed. They won't act, because doing so would bring attention to something they clearly wanted handled in the dark."

Mira considered that. It made sense, in a ruthless kind of way. No organization wanted to acknowledge a failed operation, especially one that ended in a massacre.

But that didn't mean she could relax.

Silent Moves, Hidden Shadows

"I still think we should be careful," Mira muttered, glancing out the workshop window toward the bustling streets. "If not them, then someone else will come eventually."

Kael nodded absently, already back to his work. "I never said we shouldn't be careful. But if someone comes, it won't be because of that mess back there."

He reached for another tool, adjusting the circuit's connections with an expert touch. Whatever he was working on, it wasn't just for curiosity—it had purpose.

Mira sighed. "I've been looking into things, you know."

Kael hummed. "Figured."

Mira leaned back in her chair. "The proxy war isn't just limited to the Blanks or its borders. The Consortium is involved, yeah, but there are at least four other factions moving pieces on the board. Some smaller cities have turned into battlegrounds for them. Supply routes are being disrupted, key figures are disappearing, and entire trade networks are being restructured under different control."

Kael finally glanced up. "And?"

Mira folded her arms. "And I found something interesting about Baku."

Kael's expression didn't change, but he set his tools down fully, giving her his attention. "Go on."

Mira's eyes sharpened. "There's a power struggle happening here. The city's leadership isn't as stable as it looks. Someone's backing a coup, but it's not a full-blown rebellion. It's more... surgical. Certain people are being nudged out, others are being placed in positions of influence. The money trail leads to multiple sources, but one of them has a connection to Gron."

Kael's fingers drummed against the table. "Gron, huh?"

She nodded. "I don't think it's a coincidence. Whatever's happening here might have ties to what we uncovered before. I don't know if it's the Consortium pulling the strings or someone else, but things are shifting."

Kael exhaled slowly, deep in thought. "And where do we fit into this?"

Mira smirked. "That depends on what we want to do."

Kael returned her smirk with one of his own. "Then I guess we should decide quickly."

Mira chuckled. "Yeah. Before someone decides for us."

The soft hum of Kael's tools resumed, filling the room once more.