Blood on the Fountain Stones
Davos had been in love with Yuna Seo since she broke his nose during a training exercise three years ago, and watching her photograph evidence that could get them both executed wasn't helping.
He stood in the shadow of the eastern colonnade, close enough to the garden that he could see her through the latticed screen. She was kneeling beside the fountain, her phone angled low, capturing the blood pattern on the stones. Her hands were steady. They shouldn't be. Most operatives shook the first time they documented a kill site, but Yuna's fingers moved with the precision of a surgeon, adjusting angles, checking exposure.
The morning light caught the edge of her jaw. Davos looked away.
He'd been tracking her since she arrived at the Crimson Court two weeks ago. Not to expose her—the opposite. The Chief Eunuch had informants in every corner of this palace, and Yuna had been too visible, too perfect, asking exactly the right questions in exactly the wrong places. Someone would notice. Someone always did.
Footsteps on gravel. Davos shifted deeper into the shadows as Kaelen emerged from the northern path, his white robes pristine despite the early hour. The prince moved like water, each step deliberate, and Davos felt his jaw tighten. Kaelen noticed everything. The way a servant held a tray. The angle of a courtier's bow. The exact moment someone started lying.
Yuna rose from beside the fountain. She didn't look surprised. She'd positioned herself in his path, Davos realized. Calculated the timing, the light, the angle of approach. He felt something dangerous unfurl in his chest—pride, maybe, or recognition. He'd been alone in this court for two years, lying to everyone, and seeing her lie just as well shouldn't feel like coming home.
"Your Highness." Yuna's voice carried across the garden, soft and deferential. "I didn't expect to see you so early."
Kaelen stopped three paces away. "I could say the same, Lady Yuna."
Davos watched her smile, watched her tuck her phone into her sleeve with a movement so smooth it looked like adjusting fabric. Kaelen's gaze followed the motion. Lingered.
"I couldn't sleep," Yuna said. "The gardens are peaceful at dawn."
"Are they?" Kaelen moved closer. "I find them rather unsettling. All those hidden paths. One never knows what might be lurking in the shadows."
Davos's hand moved to the knife at his belt. If Kaelen had seen him—
But the prince's attention was fixed on Yuna, and she was meeting his gaze without flinching. "Perhaps that's what makes them interesting, Your Highness."
"Perhaps." Kaelen glanced at the fountain. At the blood. "Though some discoveries are more dangerous than others."
The neither spoke. Davos counted his heartbeats. Five. Ten. Fifteen.
Then Yuna laughed, light and careless. "I'm afraid I don't follow, Your Highness. Is there something specific you're concerned about?"
Kaelen smiled. It didn't reach his eyes. "Only your safety, Lady Yuna. The palace can be treacherous for those who wander alone."
He left without waiting for a response. Yuna stood motionless until his footsteps faded, then her shoulders dropped half an inch. Davos saw her hands curl into fists.
He should leave. Let her think she'd handled it alone. But his feet were already moving, carrying him out of the shadows and into the garden before his brain could catch up.
"That was impressive," he said.
Yuna spun, her hand going to her sleeve. She stopped when she saw him. "Commander Kael."
"Davos." He kept his distance, hands visible. "We're past formalities, I think."
"Are we?" Her voice was ice. "I don't recall us being past anything."
Fair. He'd spent two weeks avoiding her, watching from a distance, making sure she stayed alive without ever letting her know he was there. "I saw you with Kaelen."
"Congratulations. You have eyes."
"I saw you position yourself in his path." Davos moved closer, lowering his voice. "Calculated the timing. Made him think the encounter was his idea."
Yuna's expression didn't change, but the balance tipped behind her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes, you do." He gestured at the fountain. "And I saw you photograph the blood. Which means you know what happened here last night. Which means you're either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid."
"Those aren't mutually exclusive."
Despite everything, Davos felt his mouth twitch. "No. They're not."
She studied him for a long moment. The morning light turned her eyes gold. "Why are you here, Commander?"
"Davos."
"Why are you here, Davos?"
Because I've been tracking you for two weeks. Because I know you're not who you claim to be. Because watching you work makes me remember why I came to this place, before the Chief Eunuch carved out everything that mattered and left only the mission.
"I wanted to make sure you were all right," he said instead.
Yuna's laugh was sharp. "How considerate. I'm fine."
"You're not." He nodded at her hands. They were shaking now, a fine tremor she couldn't quite control. "First time seeing a kill site up close?"
"No."
"First time photographing one?"
Her face hardened. "What do you want?"
"To help."
"I don't need help."
"Everyone needs help." Davos pulled a small drive from his pocket. "Especially when they're stealing evidence that could get them killed."
Yuna went very still. "I don't—"
"The photographs are on your phone. Encrypted, probably, but the Chief Eunuch has people who can crack any encryption given enough time." He held out the drive. "This has a worm. Install it on your phone, and it'll corrupt the files in a way that looks like a hardware failure. No one will know you had them."
She didn't take it. "Why would you help me?"
"Because I know what you're doing." He met her gaze. "And I know why."
"You don't know anything about me."
"I know you're here to investigate the disappearances. I know you're working for someone outside the palace. And I know—" He stopped. Took a breath. "I know you asked about Instructor Mei's daughter."
Yuna's expression cracked. Just for a second, but it was enough. "How—"
"I've been tracking you since you arrived. Not to expose you. To protect you."
"I don't need protection."
"You do." Davos stepped closer. "The Chief Eunuch has informants everywhere. You've been too visible, asking too many questions. Someone will notice. Someone always does."
"Then why not turn me in?" Her voice was steady, but her hand had moved to her sleeve again. To whatever weapon she kept there. "Why help?"
Because you remind me of who I used to be. Because I've been alone in this court for two years, and seeing someone else fight back makes me remember what hope feels like.
"Because I'm tired of watching people die," he said.
They met in the archives three hours later. Yuna had chosen the location—a dusty corner on the third floor where no one came unless they were looking for tax records from the previous dynasty. Smart. The Chief Eunuch's informants avoided places that required actual work.
Davos arrived first. He'd swept the room twice, checking for listening devices, hidden cameras, anything that might compromise them. Clean. For now.
Yuna appeared in the doorway like a ghost. She'd changed into simpler robes, dark blue silk that didn't catch the light, and her hair was bound in a single braid. No poison needles today. Or at least, none he could see.
"You installed the worm?" he asked.
She nodded. "The files corrupted an hour ago. I made sure to complain loudly about my phone malfunctioning."
"Good." He gestured at the table. "Sit. We need to talk."
"I don't—"
"Sit, Yuna."
She sat. Her hand stayed near her sleeve.
Davos pulled out a folder. Inside were photographs—not the ones from the fountain, but older ones. Bodies. Dozens of them. "These are the people who've disappeared from the Crimson Court in the last two years. Servants, mostly. A few low-level officials. One or two courtiers who asked the wrong questions."
Yuna's face went pale. "Where did you get these?"
"I've been documenting the Chief Eunuch's work since I arrived." He spread the photographs across the table. "Thirty-seven confirmed kills. Probably more I haven't found yet."
"Why?" Her voice was barely a whisper. "Why would he—"
"Because he can." Davos sat across from her. "The Empress gave him carte blanche to maintain order in the palace. He interprets that broadly."
Yuna's fingers traced the edge of one photograph. A young woman, maybe twenty, with a hole in her chest where her heart should be. "Instructor Mei's daughter. She's one of them?"
"Yes."
"Tell me what happened."
Davos had known this moment would come. Had rehearsed the words a hundred times in his head. They still tasted like ash. "Her name was Lin. She was my partner on my first mission here."
Yuna looked up. "Your partner?"
"I wasn't always the Chief Eunuch's lapdog." The bitterness in his voice surprised him. "Two years ago, I was sent here by the Jade Territories to investigate rumors of a secret program. Lin was my contact inside the palace. She'd been working as a servant for six months, gathering information."
"What kind of program?"
"We didn't know. Still don't, not entirely." Davos pulled out another photograph. This one showed a door—heavy, reinforced, with symbols carved into the frame. "But we knew it involved the underground levels. Places servants weren't supposed to go."
Yuna's breath caught. "You found them. The hidden rooms."
"Lin found them. She was better at this than I was. Smarter. More careful." He looked away. "Not careful enough."
"What happened?"
"She was caught stealing documents. The Chief Eunuch had her arrested, but he didn't execute her. That would have been too quick." Davos's hands curled into fists. "He had her poisoned. Slowly. Over weeks. Made it look like illness."
"And you—"
"I was ordered to watch. To do nothing. To prove my loyalty to the Crimson Court." The words came out flat. Dead. "So I did."
The the quiet held between them like a wound. Yuna's hand had moved away from her sleeve. She was staring at him with something that might have been horror or might have been understanding.
"Why are you telling me this?" she asked finally.
"Because you need to know what you're up against." Davos met her gaze. "The Chief Eunuch doesn't just kill people who threaten him. He makes examples of them. He makes them suffer. And he makes sure everyone who matters watches."
"Everyone who matters." Yuna's voice was sharp. "Like you."
"Yes."
"And now you're helping me. Why? Guilt?"
"Maybe." He pushed the folder toward her. "Or maybe I'm tired of watching people die for asking questions I'm too much of a coward to ask myself."
Yuna opened the folder. Flipped through the photographs. Her expression didn't change, but her breathing quickened. "These are all recent. Within the last two years."
"Yes."
"So whatever the program is, it's accelerating."
"Yes."
She looked up. "And you think I'm next."
"I think you're asking the same questions Lin asked. I think you're following the same paths. And I think—" He stopped. Started again. "I think if I let you walk into this alone, you'll end up like her. And I can't—" His voice cracked. "I can't watch that happen again."
Yuna closed the folder. Her hands were steady now. "What do you want from me, Davos?"
"Let me help you. Let me—"
"No." She stood. "You want absolution. You want to save me so you can pretend you didn't let Lin die. But I'm not your redemption, Commander. I'm not your second chance."
The words hit like a blade. Davos felt something in his chest crack open. "You're right."
"I know I'm right."
"But I'm still going to help you." He stood, facing her across the table. "Whether you want me to or not."
"Why?"
"Because someone has to." He pulled out one more photograph. This one showed the door from the underground corridor. The one Yuna had found last night. "And because I know where this leads."
Yuna's she stared. "You've been inside."
"Once. Two years ago, right after Lin died. I needed to know—" He stopped. "I needed to see what she died for."
"What did you find?"
"Cells. Dozens of them. And in the center—" His throat closed. "There's a room. Larger than the others. The Chief Eunuch calls it the Chrysalis."
"The Chrysalis." Yuna's voice was flat. "What happens there?"
"I don't know. I was caught before I could get inside. The Chief Eunuch found me, and he—" Davos touched his ribs, where the scars still ached on cold mornings. "He made sure I understood the consequences of curiosity."
"But he didn't kill you."
"No. He said I was too useful." Davos smiled without humor. "He was right. I've been his loyal dog ever since. Doing whatever he asks. Watching whoever he tells me to watch."
"Like me."
"Like you."
Yuna circled the table. Stopped in front of him. She was shorter than he'd realized, the top of her head barely reaching his shoulder, but the way she looked at him made him feel small. "You said you've been tracking me since I arrived. What have you seen?"
"Everything." He held her gaze. "I saw you befriend the kitchen staff to learn the palace layout. I saw you cultivate Lady Chen to gain access to the eastern wing. I saw you—" He stopped. "I saw you in the garden this morning, and I saw you calculate exactly how to make Kaelen think he was in control."
"And?"
"And I was impressed." The admission felt like pulling out a tooth. "You're good at this. Better than Lin was. Better than I am."
"Flattery won't make me trust you."
"I'm not trying to flatter you. I'm trying to warn you." Davos pulled out his phone. Showed her a message. "This came through an hour ago. The Chief Eunuch is moving up the timeline. Whatever he's planning, it's happening soon."
Yuna read the message. Her face went pale. "Three days."
"Yes."
"And you think—"
"I think you're running out of time. I think whatever you came here to do, you need to do it now. And I think—" He took a breath. "I think you can't do it alone."
She handed back his phone. "What are you proposing?"
"An alliance. Temporary. Until we figure out what the program is and how to stop it."
"And then?"
"And then we go our separate ways. You report to whoever sent you. I—" He shrugged. "I figure out how to live with myself."
Yuna studied him for a long moment. The archives were silent around them, dust motes drifting in the afternoon light. Finally, she held out her hand. "One condition."
"Name it."
"If this goes wrong, if we're caught—you don't try to save me. You don't sacrifice yourself. You run."
"Yuna—"
"Promise me, Davos. I won't work with someone who thinks I'm worth dying for. I've had enough of that."
He looked at her hand. At her face. At the determination in her eyes that reminded him so much of Lin it hurt. "I promise."
They shook. Her grip was firm, her palm calloused in a way that suggested weapons training. When she pulled away, Davos felt the loss like a physical thing.
"So," Yuna said. "Where do we start?"
"With this." He pulled out a key. Old brass, worn smooth. "I stole it from the Chief Eunuch's office two years ago. It opens the door to the underground levels."
"You've had this for two years and never used it?"
"I was waiting for the right moment." He pressed it into her hand. "Or the right person."
Yuna closed her fingers around the key. "When?"
"Tonight. After the midnight bell. The guards change shifts then, and there's a fifteen-minute window when the eastern corridor is unmonitored."
"Fifteen minutes isn't much time."
"It's enough. If we're fast."
"And if we're not?"
Davos met her gaze. "Then we'll find out what happens in the Chrysalis firsthand."
The midnight bell was still echoing when Davos met Yuna at the entrance to the eastern corridor. She'd changed again, this time into black silk that swallowed the lamplight, and her hair was bound with what looked like ordinary pins but probably weren't. He'd seen her fight once, during a training exercise three years ago. She'd moved like water and struck like lightning, and he'd been so distracted watching her that he'd walked straight into her fist.
His nose had never quite healed right. He touched it now, a nervous habit, and Yuna's mouth twitched.
"Having second thoughts, Commander?"
"Always." He pulled out the key. "But I'm here anyway."
"Stupid or brave?"
"You tell me."
She took the key. "Both, probably."
The corridor was empty, shadows pooling in the corners where the lamplight didn't reach. Davos led the way, counting steps, listening for footsteps that would mean the guards had returned early. Fifteen minutes. They had fifteen minutes.
The door was where he remembered it. Hidden behind a tapestry that depicted the founding of the Crimson Court, all blood and glory and lies. Yuna pulled the tapestry aside, and Davos felt his pulse kick up. Two years. He'd been waiting two years for this moment.
The key turned smoothly. Too smoothly. Davos's hand went to his knife. "Wait."
"What?"
"The lock. It's been oiled recently. Someone's been using this door."
Yuna's eyes narrowed. "The Chief Eunuch?"
"Maybe. Or—" He stopped. Listened. From below came a sound like water dripping. Or something heavier. "We should go back."
"No." Yuna pushed the door open. "We're here. We're doing this."
The stairs descended into darkness. Davos pulled out a small light, the beam cutting through the shadows like a knife. The walls were stone, old and damp, and the air smelled like copper and rot. He'd forgotten that smell. His body hadn't. His hands started shaking.
"Davos." Yuna's voice was soft. "Are you all right?"
"Fine." He forced his feet to move. One step. Two. "Just memories."
They reached the bottom. The corridor stretched ahead, lined with doors. Davos counted them. Twelve. There had been eight last time. The program was expanding.
Yuna moved to the first door. Pressed her ear against it. "I hear breathing. Multiple people."
"Don't open it. If they see us—"
"I know." She moved to the next door. And the next. At the fourth door, she stopped. "Davos. This one's different."
He joined her. The door was newer than the others, reinforced with steel bands, and the symbols carved into the frame made his skin crawl. He'd seen those symbols before. In the Chief Eunuch's office. In Lin's autopsy report.
"The Chrysalis," he said.
Yuna tried the handle. Locked. "Do you have another key?"
"No. But I have this." He pulled out a set of picks. "Step back."
The lock was complex, three tumblers instead of one, but Davos had been picking locks since he was twelve. His fingers moved automatically, feeling for the catch, the give, the moment when—
Click.
The door swung open.
The room beyond was larger than he'd expected. Circular, with a domed ceiling, and in the center was a table. Strapped to the table was a woman. She was unconscious, her breathing shallow, and her skin had a gray cast that suggested poison or drugs or both. Tubes ran from her arms to machines that hummed and beeped, and on the wall behind her was a chart covered in symbols Davos didn't recognize.
Yuna moved closer. "What is this?"
"I don't know." Davos studied the machines. Medical equipment, maybe, but modified. Enhanced. "Some kind of experiment?"
"On what?" Yuna touched the woman's hand. "She's cold. How long has she been here?"
"Too long." Davos checked the chart. Dates. Dosages. Notes in the Chief Eunuch's handwriting. "This says she's been here for three months."
"Three months." Yuna's voice was hollow. "And no one noticed she was missing?"
"The Chief Eunuch is good at making people disappear." Davos pulled out his phone. Started photographing everything. The machines. The chart. The woman's face. "We need to document this. All of it."
Yuna was already moving, her phone out, capturing angles he'd missed. They worked in silence, efficient and fast, and Davos felt that dangerous thing unfurl in his chest again. Recognition. Partnership. The sense that he wasn't alone.
Then Yuna stopped. "Davos. Look at this."
She was standing by the wall, pointing at something carved into the stone. A list of names. Dozens of them. Some crossed out. Some circled. And at the bottom, in fresh ink—
Yuna Seo.
Davos's blood went cold. "We need to leave. Now."
"Wait." Yuna pulled out her phone. Photographed the list. "There's more. Look—"
"Yuna, we need to—"
The door slammed shut behind them.
Davos spun, knife already in his hand, but he knew before he turned who he'd see.
The Chief Eunuch stood in the doorway, his robes pristine, his smile gentle. Behind him were six guards, armed and ready.
"Commander Kael," the Chief Eunuch said. "Lady Yuna. How lovely to see you both." His gaze moved to the woman on the table. To the photographs on their phones. To the list on the wall. "I see you've found my workshop. I do hope you've been impressed with my work."
Yuna's hand moved to her sleeve. Davos caught her wrist. Not yet. They were outnumbered. Outmaneuvered. He needed to think—
"I must admit," the Chief Eunuch continued, "I'm disappointed in you, Commander. I thought we had an understanding. I thought you'd learned your lesson after what happened to poor Lin."
"You killed her," Davos said.
"I educated her. There's a difference." The Chief E