The Broken Blades Trilogy, #3
Three Shattered Souls
by Mai Corland
Contents
Chapter Nineteen
Overview
An assassination attempt shatters the group’s sense of safety in Rahway. Aeri uses the relics to kill two palace assassins but suffers a troubling dissociative episode. The survivors argue over who betrayed them—Gambria, Rune, or Seok’s agents—deepening mistrust and signaling that the palace is actively hunting them.
Summary
Aeri wakes in the Rahway villa sensing an intruder and readies a knife to protect sleeping Sora. Hearing footsteps and unwilling to risk a miss in the dark, Aeri invokes her ring and amulet, wishing to turn enemy hearts to gold. A burst of golden light reveals two black-clad intruders entering by the window; they collapse, dead.
Sora screams and lights the lamp as Royo and Mikail rush in, weapons drawn. Aeri suddenly dissociates, perceiving a red sky and ash-strewn street before Royo’s voice pulls her back. She speaks in odd phrases before regaining awareness, and Royo helps her into bed while Mikail inspects the bodies.
Aeri calmly states she killed the attackers by turning their hearts to gold. The others register both her lethal power and her alarming freeze. Safety is clearly compromised despite Rune’s hospitality.
Suspicion turns to betrayal. Royo questions Gambria’s absence; Mikail resists condemning her without proof. Sora identifies the dead as palace assassins, implying Seok’s reach rather than Rune’s. Mikail counters that Rune could still be aligned with Seok. The group is left rattled, divided over trust, and newly aware that the palace now knows their location.
Who Appears
- AeriSenses intruders, kills two assassins by turning their hearts to gold, then suffers a disturbing dissociative episode.
- RoyoBursts in armed, calls Aeri back from her freeze, comforts her, and sharpens suspicion toward Gambria.
- MikailArrives with flaming blade and scepter, examines bodies, resists blaming Gambria, suggests Rune might side with Seok.
- SoraAwakens during the attack, identifies the dead as palace assassins, heightening fears of Seok’s involvement.
- Palace assassinsTwo black-clad infiltrators who scale the villa; both die when Aeri turns their hearts to gold.