The Lantern was equal parts word on the street and useless fishwrapper, with the only qualifier between them being the name under the headline. This was a statement tantamount to fact for Warren Castille. The Highlander kept up on the news out of habit and good practice, long used to trying to gleam fact from baseless rumor and pairing factual reporting with gil-backed agenda. This headline in particular caused all of those instincts and patterns to be set aside for something else.
What prices had been paid to prevent this? No, not prices. Sacrifices, pieces of themselves thrown away and cast into the fires. Smoke and fire turning the stink of the sewer into something entirely worse, cries and shouts and blood spilled to bring about resolution that wouldn't come. Angry, hateful eyes turning glassy. Kill or be killed. What had happened to those who'd walked through that level of Hell?
I'm just saying... You should keep an eye on Melkire. Just in case.
Words from an assassin, a request to bridge the distance. Unheeded, now. Lynx had fallen in with the Grindstone since then, but Melkire... Who the hell knew? The newspaper was in his hands and in front of his face, but Warren was looking at those eyes. Resentful. Hateful. Blood spilled for nothing, another meaningless death.
What prices had been paid to prevent this? No, not prices. Sacrifices, pieces of themselves thrown away and cast into the fires. Smoke and fire turning the stink of the sewer into something entirely worse, cries and shouts and blood spilled to bring about resolution that wouldn't come. Angry, hateful eyes turning glassy. Kill or be killed. What had happened to those who'd walked through that level of Hell?
I'm just saying... You should keep an eye on Melkire. Just in case.
Words from an assassin, a request to bridge the distance. Unheeded, now. Lynx had fallen in with the Grindstone since then, but Melkire... Who the hell knew? The newspaper was in his hands and in front of his face, but Warren was looking at those eyes. Resentful. Hateful. Blood spilled for nothing, another meaningless death.
![[Image: yEROfKO.png]](http://i.imgur.com/yEROfKO.png)
