Chapter 549: Naela’s Dance

"The deadliest blade is the one you never see coming."

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Under the veil of midnight, Naela walked into the rebel camp, her presence cloaked in perfume, grace, and perfectly forged lies.

Her disguise? Flawless.

A war medic from the Southern Plains. A healer. A ghost with no records. Her serpent tattoo now appeared as an innocent vine down her arm.

But the serpent? Still very real—and watching.

She smiled at the guards. They smiled back.

By morning, she'd have their secrets. By nightfall, their heads.

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Jayden Ochieng sat at a dimly lit table with Gloria, Maggy, and a new face—a brilliant tactician named Rizwan, half-elf, former prince, now fugitive.

They planned the strike against Otieno's northern convoy—where a fragment of the Black Codex was believed to be.

Jayden traced his finger over the map, pausing. "They're expecting us here."

Maggy frowned. "Then we go around?"

Gloria nodded. "We take the western cliffs. Riskier… but unpredictable."

Jayden looked up. "Good. I want Otieno rattled."

That's when Naela entered—her timing like poetry.

"I heard you needed a healer," she said, her voice like midnight wine.

Maggy raised an eyebrow. Gloria narrowed her eyes.

But Jayden? He simply stared. Something about her tugged at something buried.

"Name?" he asked.

"Naela," she said, with a smile that could melt swords.

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Later that night, Naela stood by the cliff's edge, speaking softly to the serpent coiled in shadow.

"He's sharper than I thought… and Gloria's eyes are always watching."

The serpent hissed.

Naela's lips curved. "Yes. But even kings fall in love. Especially with ghosts."

Unseen behind her, Rizwan listened—silent as snow, eyes narrowed.

He didn't trust her. And tomorrow, he would prove why.

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Gloria placed her hand on a glass orb pulsing with violet light. Visions danced within—scenes of a burning throne, Jayden kneeling, bloodied yet alive.

Another flashed—Naela's face… twisted, triumphant, and holding something precious.

Gloria recoiled.

"She's not just a spy," she whispered. "She's the key to the next collapse."

Her reflection stared back at her, eyes wild.

She knew what she had to do.

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