After continuing to travel through the night and most of the next day, we could see Ironcastle clearly from our vantage point. But there was a bit of a problem. Not many people were coming or going through the gate that was nearest to us, so we would be rather noticeable, and we weren't sure what we were walking into.

  "I think we will need to circle around the city if we want to enter unnoticed," Celeste said with a grimace.

  Callisto wrung his hands nervously. "Do we have the time for that? Saiph's letter suggested that he was in immediate danger."

  "If we are one of the few groups entering the city from this side, we'll likely be discovered. Anyone waiting for us will know we're coming. I do not think it is wise to announce ourselves to whoever is causing him problems. I still think we should circle around, or at least move in smaller groups," Celeste said with a frown.

  Maxwell grunted. "We don't know enough about our enemy to reveal ourselves. I agree with Celeste."

  ("What if we sent Helena in ahead to look for us? She could use a face they wouldn't recognize and collect information while the rest of us circle around,") Luna suggested.

  I turned to face her and cocked my head. "One of the assassins?"

  "I don't follow..." Callisto said, confused. He had been talking over Luna since he and Emi were the only ones who couldn't hear her speak through her ring.

  Celeste nodded her head slowly. "That could work, Luna. Our group won't get through the gate unnoticed from this side, but if we sent Helena in alone and in disguise, she could gather information while we enter through a different gate. We have no idea what to expect, but if anything major happened in the city, she should be able to find some information for us if it's well-known."

  Callisto scratched the back of his head. "I wish our brother had given us a bit more information before he sent that letter. We have no idea what all of this is about."

  "I don't really love the idea of being separated from all of you," I admitted.

  ("It shouldn't be for too long.") Luna cupped my hands and ran her thumb over the ring she had given me as an engagement token. ("If we're ever separated, you can use this ring to track me. Out of all of us, you're uniquely suited to looking for information without showing your true face and fighting your way out of any trouble that comes your way when it comes to it. We'll be protected as a group. You don't need to worry about us.")

  I sighed and looked over at Maxwell. "What do you think?"

  "I think you should do it. It's the best way of gathering information with the least amount of risk. One of us would likely have to go looking for information alone once we get into the city anyway, since we have no idea what we're looking for. We'll stand out if we go everywhere as a large group, going in alone now feels like a solid plan," Maxwell said.

  "You can do it, Helena," Piper said before gently punching my arm.

  "Alright... It's going to be weird taking someone else's form for so long though." I took a few steps away from them and closed my eyes. There were a few assassins that I could choose from, but there was only one female identity that I felt comfortable taking. I took a breath and let my mana flow into the changeling knot. My body quickly shifted into Merfellen's form, and I opened my eyes as a different person. I was still wearing all my equipment, but it had subtly shifted to match my new proportions on its own, strangely enough. It wasn't something I had noticed the last time, but my armor still fit despite being shaped for someone else, even though I hadn't fed it any mana to change shape with me. I pulled off the blindfold and blinked at the late afternoon sun in my regular eyes.

  Callisto stepped back in shock. "What is happening? You look completely different!"

  My eyes flicked to his. Echoes of Merfellen's memories recognized the man as a target to get back at Celeste. It was an odd sensation, almost as if she were a separate identity layered over my own. Thankfully, it didn't feel as though the identity had any will of its own. She just remembered things and had unfamiliar thoughts attached.

  "Under specific circumstances, I can change my identity." I looked down at my hand and flexed my new retractable claws. They were wickedly sharp, filed to razor points by this body's previous owner. I stared at the light reflecting off of them before retracting the claws. I turned to look at Luna and felt the tickle of recognition in Merfellen's thoughts. She still looked beautiful to me, and I wouldn't mind kissing her in this form, but I knew that Merfellen didn't share my attraction. My eyes trailed to Maxwell, and she found him a lot more appealing, though not perfectly suited to her tastes either. I finally landed on Callisto's attractive form, and that was much closer, though Merfellen generally prefers other beastkin. She would make a few exceptions if she were in the mood, but beastkin were who she sought out. The feeling was peculiar, being attracted to someone that you never would have otherwise. It felt like it was me, but not. My own feelings, but separate.

  "Why are you staring at me?" Callisto asked indignantly. "Is this how you appeared in the Fallow dungeon without anyone knowing who you are? Did you enter as someone else and leave as Helena?"

  "No. I am wearing the face of an assassin who tried to kill your sister and niece. I do not have any other humanoid forms I would be willing to take," I replied in a bored tone.

  His eyebrows rose, obviously not expecting the answer.

  "Will you be able to maintain this form for long enough to gather information, Helena?" Celeste asked.

  I looked up to the sky and tilted my head. My long feline ears twitched, and my tail flicked behind me in subtle annoyance. "I think I can hold this form more or less indefinitely. It feels different from the monsters," I replied.

  Maxwell adjusted the strap of his backpack. "So this is our plan, then? We'll split up and meet in the city. How about the courtyard of the inn we stayed at when we were last here? Do you think you can find it again?" Maxwell asked.

  Thinking about it, I had two mental maps of the city now, and Merfellen was much better at keeping track of the city's layout than I was. A key skill for an effective assassin is learning the layout of any place I visit and identifying points of entry and exit. She had spent long enough in the city that she had a large map of escape routes and hiding spots. The reasons for remembering the courtyard were different, but I would definitely be able to navigate my way back to the place Luna had blown up that post with a lightning arrow.

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  "Yes, I know where that is. I'll go look for information and meet you there," I replied.

  I turned to Luna and saw her looking at me a bit apprehensively. She spoke to me privately through the rings, ("It feels odd seeing you look like someone else. Do you still feel like you in there, when you're shifted into someone else?")

  I smiled and pulled her into a hug. ("I do. It feels a bit odd to me too, like I have two sets of memories thinking about different things at the same time, but I'm more me than I'm Merfellen. I'm still madly in love with you, don't worry.")

  The armor I was wearing muted most of the contact, but I still felt the pressure as she returned the hug. ("Holding you feels different when you're like this, and being able to stare into your eyes directly feels... strange after all this time. I prefer my Helena, to this other person's body.")

  I chuckled. ("I know how you feel. And it makes me happy that you prefer the real me. I'd better get this task over with so I can reunite with you as Helena, then. I don't think it's a good idea to shift back and forth just to say goodbye.")

  She nodded. ("Okay. Just be careful. I know you could probably get out of any trouble you come across, but try to avoid it where you can.")

  ("Of course. I'll see you soon, Luna.") I reluctantly pulled away from her.

  "Are you ready?" Celeste asked.

  "I am," I said, pulling myself back onto my kleth. Merfellen was naturally comfortable with them, and the skills or instincts I had pulled from likely came from her in part.

  Celeste patted the kleth on the side and looked up at me. "Tell them you are coming from Saebryn, a city-state east of here. Not many people make the journey directly from Saebryn to Ironcastle, but it's not uncommon enough to raise any eyebrows. You are a hunter who was looking for a type of giant lizard known as an Igriss, but you didn't find your quarry."

  "Understood. I'll gather some rumors, see if anything major happened in the city, and collect information from the Hunter's Association if I don't find anything sooner. We'll meet up in the courtyard between the inn and bar we visited last time... I don't recall the name, but I know where it is," I said.

  "Good luck, Helena. Or, Merfellen, I suppose," Celeste said.

  "You remember my name... er, her name rather," I said with a bit of surprise.

  "It was on the list you compiled for me," Celeste said with a grin. "A second identity is, of course, worth committing to memory."

  Callisto turned to Celeste. "Your daughter in law keeps getting stranger, sister."

  Celeste chuckled. "It's true, yet I find it exciting. Again, good luck, Helena."

  I nodded. "Thank you, Celeste. Take care of everyone."

  "I will," she said confidently.

  The rest of us said a few more quick goodbyes, and I began to travel toward the city alone. Every now and then, I looked in their direction, traveling their own way until they disappeared over a hill. I turned and fixed my eyes back on the city ahead of me. It was quiet.

  As I traveled silently for a while, I realized that this was the first time I had been entirely alone in a long time. The last time I had been alone was when I got separated from everyone in the lost halls, but that was a while ago now, and it hadn't really been for long. It felt strange. I was used to the constant joking and bickering of our group. Luna's questions and flirts. Aria's playful teasing, either at Iris or one of the others. Piper making sure everyone was taken care of and healthy. Maxwell's confident commands and information about whatever we were facing. I knew that I loved all of them, but it wasn't until I was alone again, without the threat of immediate danger in the dungeon, that I really began to feel it.

  The group of strangers that found me in the Fallow dungeon, people who couldn't even speak to me directly for the longest time, had become the most important people to me since I lost my dad. And now, one of them was even my wife. I looked down at my hand. The wedding band was wrapped around an unfamiliar finger, but it was there. Below it was my engagement ring, a ring that would always tell me where Luna was. I looked in her direction. I couldn't see her, but I knew she was there. Things have changed so much. I thumbed my braid, woven with the ribbons signifying our marriage, before taking it off and storing it in my ring. Merfellen wasn't married, so I couldn't openly display it right now.

  I turned to look at the looming city ahead. It wasn't time to be sentimental, I needed to slip in unnoticed, find out what was happening, and meet back up with my family. Even Celeste and Callisto were my family through marriage now. The thought made me smile a bit, though the feeling felt strange on Merfellen's lips. She wasn't used to smiling, not the happy kind at least. She was more comfortable with snide sneers and toothy grins. I pulled my hood up over my ears and they disappeared into it again. It felt weird, but only if I thought about it. I hadn't even noticed the first time I had pulled my hood up.

  Finally, I reached the gate. The line wasn't long from this direction, but the guards were suspicious. I told them the story that Celeste had given me, lying came easy to Merfellen, and the guards bought it. There was still an air of hostility about them, but I didn't question it. Merfellen knew that it was none of her business.

  Once I had my kleth set up in a stable, I quietly pushed through the crowd with my ears perked, listening for information. It seems that even though the hood hid my ears, it thankfully didn't restrict my hearing at all. I followed Merfellen's instincts and searched for the kind of people who would know what was happening and spreading the rumors... It didn't take me long to find what I was listening for.

  I made my way to the center of town, hoping that the whispers had been wrong. I didn't really care the way I knew my family would, but the thought made me anxious all the same. The low chatter became a bit overwhelming as I made my way to the city plaza. The large courtyard in the center of the city was packed full of people, but I needed to see it for myself.

  Even Merfellen's instincts couldn't mask the gasp I let out when my eyes finally fell on him.

  Saiph's body hung limp from pikes held aloft over the crowd. 'Traitor to the Queen,' had been carved into his naked body. His stomach was torn open. His blood and guts seeped out from his torso as birds pecked at his scales. His horns had been removed from his head, leaving deep pits in his exposed skull. The shell looked like a shadow of his former self.

  Saiph Titannus was dead, and his killer had been the newly coronated queen, Ganymede Titannus.

  Hello! This was a bit of a melancholy chapter leading into the big reveal. I was also happy that I got to show Helena's reaction to literally wearing someone else's skin for a while. The next few chapters are going to be a little wild, so I hope you're prepared! Thanks for reading!

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