The Broken Halo

As Simon was slightly lost in his myriad thoughts, the crimson line running through the Murmur Bone flashed once, then it dimmed.

A few seconds passed.

"Are you still there?" the Voice finally asked, and one could hear the impatience in her tone.

"Or did the thought of attacking Black Horn frighten you?"

Simon leaned against the wall of the empty building and slowly turned the bone between his fingers.

"I was deciding whether you offered me a mission or invited me into a trap."

A quiet breath came from the other side. It almost sounded like a laugh.

"Does the difference matter if you can survive both?"

"It matters when we discuss the price."

The faint amusement in her voice disappeared.

"You have not accepted anything yet."

"And you have not told me enough to accept."

Simon’s expression remained calm, but his attention was fixed on every change in her breathing. Shadow Sense covered the building and the narrow street outside. No one had approached.

The Voice was silent for a moment.

"You will steal three objects from the convoy. They are small enough to carry in a spatial ring and valuable enough that Black Horn will not hesitate to kill you to recover them."

"What objects?"

"You will receive their descriptions after you accept."

"Anything I should know about the objects?"

"Know that they are inside the convoy."

Simon raised a brow.

"Well, that was very helpful."

Her reply came with a slight edge.

"You are an unknown demon speaking through a Murmur Bone. I do not know your name, face, race, location, or affiliation. Why would I hand you every detail before you agree?"

That was reasonable, but it also confirmed something for Simon.

’She and the rebels have not been able to find me.’

Simon let a few seconds pass.

"Am I supposed to act alone?"

"You will not be the only danger to the Black Horn on the road."

"That wasn’t my question."

"It is the answer you are getting."

A small smile could not help but appear on Simon’s face despite her words.

He almost found this demoness... amusing.

Almost.

The answer to his question was rather obvious.

There would be another force involved. Perhaps several. The Voice did not want him to know whether they would help him, use him, or attack elsewhere while Black Horn focused on him.

"What happens if I refuse?"

"I find another way."

"You sound confident."

"Why wouldn’t I? I’ve been doing this long before you started involving yourself into something that does not concern you. And I also would not build an operation around someone I cannot identify."

The answer was immediate, and Simon believed her.

She wanted him involved, but whatever mission she had given him was only one part of a larger plan.

"Then let us discuss my payment," Simon said.

The Voice gave a soft, irritated sigh.

"What information do you want?"

Simon waited before answering.

"Tell me the Second Claw’s real name and where I can find her."

Simon felt the warmth immediately vanish from the Murmur Bone.

"No."

"Then tell me where the Chrysalis is being kept."

Silence.

When the Voice spoke again, each word was colder than the last.

"You know enough to make yourself dangerous and of high priority. Do not confuse that with permission to ask for everything."

Simon’s smile widened slightly.

He had expected both refusals, and they made his next question seem harmless.

"Fine. Tell me everything your side believes it knows about me."

The Voice did not respond.

Then she laughed.

It was brief, low, and genuinely amused.

"That is your price?"

"Yes."

"You want to hear what we say, write, and discuss about you?"

Simon raised a brow, then he shrugged.

"Yeah."

"Vanity is an ugly habit."

"Call it caution."

The amusement lingered for another moment before fading.

"Alright."

Simon straightened slightly.

"The eastern faction has no verified name for you," she began. "In our reports, you are called the Outsider. We do not know your face, bloodline, or whether the voice you use is your real voice or even remotely close to your real one."

She paused.

"Some believe you are male. I do not consider that proven."

Simon said nothing.

"We believe you are inside Velmora or close enough to enter and leave without difficulty. You possess a powerful disguise method, experience avoiding surveillance, and either a spatial ability or an artifact capable of moving living beings."

Her tone became more thoughtful.

"Your combat strength is harder to judge. You killed the Fifth Needle, but the condition of the chamber suggested deception played a larger role than direct strength. The current estimate places you somewhere between a high-level Archfiend and a Greater Demon."

"Quite a wide estimate," Simon chuckled.

"You have worked hard to keep it that way."

The Voice said with a tinge of irritation in her voice, and a faint smile touched Simon’s lips.

"You also understand Black Horn procedures better than an ordinary rebel should. You knew how to enter during a containment emergency, pass their checks, and leave confusion behind. That has created two opinions."

"What are they?"

"One group believes you have a contact inside Black Horn."

"And the other?"

"That you are the contact."

Simon’s eyes narrowed a fraction.

"Do they connect me to anyone specific?"

The Voice hesitated.

"That was not part of your question."

"It falls under everything you believe you know."

A quiet click of her tongue came through the bone.

"One report suggested a connection between you and the Kragh involved in the destruction of the Eastern Warden’s cell. But there are a lot of inconsistencies and unknowns, so nothing is certain yet."

Simon narrowed his eyes but didn’t say anything.

"The report was not accepted as fact," she added. "There is no direct evidence. Blackmoon was being watched while some of your movements occurred, and his known rank does not match what the Fifth Needle encountered and lost his life to."

’Hmm. I guess my low heart rank is acting as a veil in this situation.’

"And how many people have seen the full report of what you know about me?" Simon asked.

Her tone sharpened.

"You are stretching one question."

"I asked for everything."

"And do you think I’m just going to give you everything just because you asked? You are not in charge... I am."

Simon gave a quiet chuckle, and decided not to say anything more.

He had gotten what he wanted, so he could stop here.

"You have your payment," the Voice said. "Do you accept the mission?"

"Yes."

Her voice lost the last of its humour.

"You are to take two narrow black cases marked with three pale lines and one round case bearing a broken-circle mark. The narrow cases contain spatial materials. The round case contains a stabilisation core."

Simon’s moved the bone across his fingers and looked up with slightly narrowed eyes..

"Do not open the cases," she continued. "Do not damage them or remove their seals. Their auras will be hidden among ordinary formation materials."

"Which wagon?"

"You will receive that information after the convoy leaves Velmora."

"And the attack point?"

"The same."

Simon’s eyes cooled.

"You still expect me to prepare without knowing where."

"The final position of the cargo can change during inspection. Giving you a wagon number now would be useless."

The explanation was sensible, but Simon had a feeling that she was keeping him blind until the last possible moment.

"What about your people who would also attack the convoy on the road?" Simon asked.

"You will have no business with them unless I say otherwise."

"Will they know about me?"

"They will know that another problem may appear."

"Not an ally?"

"No."

Simon looked at the Murmur Bone with slightly furrowed brows and a pondering glint in his eyes.

She had no intention of letting her people and him trust one another. More likely, she wanted separate attacks to strike the convoy from different directions and force Black Horn to reveal its hidden guards and plans.

If Simon died, the operation would continue.

"If you accept and disappear without explanation," the Voice said, "our arrangement ends."

"You say that as though you are doing me a favour."

"I am giving you access to information you would never obtain alone."

Simon raised a brow.

"And I am solving problems your people keep failing to solve on your own."

A quiet breath escaped her.

"I really wish I could see you and cut your tongue out."

Simon smiled.

"That sucks. I never had such thoughts. I thought we were friends."

The crimson line flashed severally.

"Friends. What makes you- you know what... talking to you is exhausting."

She paused.

"Keep the Bone close when the convoy leaves the city. You will receive the final details then."

The connection ended before Simon could reply, and the Murmur Bone became cold.

Simon remained motionless and was thinking about the report.

A few seconds later, he returned the Murmur Bone to his spatial ring.

"Now, what do I do from here on out," Simon murmured while tapping a finger on his arm.

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