The Avery River was as filthy as ever in the lower deck, its dark, brackish waves lapping against the wooden columns of the docks. Above, the creaking boards betrayed the slow footsteps of early risers—citizens beginning their day, fishermen dragging their catch toward the shore. Rifthold was still wrapped in a fragile silence, only the gulls daring to break it. The faint outlines of ships in the distance moved like ghosts through the fog, their sails just visible against the dim horizon. The sun had yet to rise. It would rain soon.

You stood by the water’s edge, staring at the dark ripples where you and Sam had just thrown a body. The stone weight pulled it down, leaving only a hint of pale flesh in the murky depths before it disappeared entirely. Sam stood beside you, silent, his gaze fixed on the fog-covered horizon. His face was unreadable, but you could sense the exhaustion in every line of his body, the same weariness that tugged at your own limbs. The assassination was done, another command from Arobynn Hamel carried out, but the weight of it lingered.

Sam shifted slightly, his voice low, almost as if he were speaking more to the mist than to you. "You ever think about it? Getting out. Leaving all of this behind." His words were quiet, but they cut through the stillness like a blade. "There’s more than this… there has to be."

You glanced at him, your mind reeling. Freedom? It was a dangerous thought. Arobynn was no fool—he knew what Sam’s eyes held, the longing that flickered there, and had tightened the leash around both your necks because of it. He had threatened to hurt Sam if he came closer to you. He had threatened to hurt you if Sam ever broke free.

You held his gaze, your heart heavy. The thought was as tempting as it was dangerous. To be free of Arobynn, to be with Sam. But you knew, deep down, that neither of you could leave without consequences.