Just a moment from impact, in his subconsciousness, Solomon's voice came through it was calm and almost lmost bored.
"I think you can handle this situation quite perfectly without needing any help."
Aldrich could sense Solomon laying down on the ground of their shared mental space. "I'm going to sleep. Wake me when it's over."
"What? You're seriously"
But there was no time to argue at all.In reality, the impact took effect. The dagger stabbed downward. The blade sank deep into the mattress. But Aldrich was no longer there.He had vanished without a trace his movement was so fast.
Ella's eyes widened. Her head whipped around. Searching. Where did he go?
But Aldrich was Behind her standing tall, She twisted immediately. Her body moved with trained precision. She rotated, dagger already swinging in a wide arc. Aiming for his throat this time. No hesitation. No mercy just straight for the kill.
But Aldrich was faster.His palm stretched out. All five fingers wide open. And he slapped her across the cheek.The sound echoed through the small room like a gunshot.
Ella's body flew. She spun through the air and slammed into the wardrobe in the corner. The wood cracked under the impact. She collapsed to the floor, gasping for air, she didn't believe an ordinary slap could pull such strength.
Blood dripped from her nose. Her vision swam. That wasn't a normal slap. That was enhanced strength. Essence backed force.Aldrich stepped down from the bed. His movements were calm and controlled. He walked toward her slowly.
Ella tried to push herself up. Tried to grab her dagger. But her hand was shaking too much.Aldrich knelt down beside her. His hand reached out and lifted her head up slightly by the chin. His voice was quiet. Even. "Who sent you? And how did you know who I was?"
She was already struggling to breathe. Her ribs ached. Maybe cracked. But she didn't speak. She just glared at him. In Aldrich's mind, Solomon stirred. He wasn't sleeping anymore. He was watching. And he was disappointed.
"Switch with me, boy," Solomon said.
Aldrich frowned internally. "I can handle this situation perfectly without you interfering."
But even as he said it, he felt the shift. Solomon was already taking over.The sensation was strange. Like being pushed aside in his own body. Like becoming a passenger instead of the driver.
His hand moved on its own. Not violently. But deliberately.Solomon's personality flooded forward. His interrogation tactics were brutal.Honed through years of war and politics.Aldrich's hand grabbed Ella by the throat. Lifted her upward. Her feet left the ground. Then he slammed her body into the wall and pinned her there. His hand remained locked around her throat. Squeezing it without mercy.
When he spoke, his voice was different. Colder and Empty of mercy. "I'm only going to ask you this once. If I don't get a response, I will make sure you never see sunlight again."
Ella was coughing. Struggling to breathe. Her hands clawed at his wrist. Trying to pry his fingers away. But his grip was iron.He tightened his hold. Her face was turning red. Then purple.
She began sweating. Her legs were shaking. Her vision was darkening at the edges.And then she broke.
"Alice!" she gasped out. "Alice! Alice!"
The name hung in the air.Aldrich's grip loosened slightly. Just enough for her to breathe. Just enough to speak.He was shocked. The realization hit him like cold water. Alice was one of his wives. One of Solomon's six wives.That angered him. But he kept his cool. His face remained calm. Emotionless.
"Why would Alice send you to kill me?" he asked quietly.
Ella sucked in desperate breaths. Her voice was hoarse. Broken. "Because… because she's afraid. Afraid that when you find out what she's been doing… you'd kill her."
Aldrich released his grip. Ella fell to the ground like a puppet with cut strings. She collapsed, gasping, holding her throat.He stood over her. Thinking and Processing. "Hmm. This is interesting. What could she be doing that she had to send someone after me?"
He paused. Then spoke aloud, though it was really directed inward. "That means she knows I'm not in control of this body. Has she really figured me out?"
Internally, Aldrich spoke to Solomon. His voice was urgent. Worried. "What do we do?"
Solomon's response was immediate and Cold. "The only thing we can do is…,,"
"Don't tell me what I'm thinking is what you're thinking."
But his body had already moved on its own. He was walking toward the door. His movements were smooth. He raised two fingers upward. Then dropped them.An invisible thread materialized in the air. Thin. Nearly impossible to see. But sharp. Sharper than any blade, it cut through the space where Ella was sitting.
Her eyes widened. She opened her mouth to scream. But no sound came out.And then she was divided into two. Clean and precise. Her body split vertically. Blood pooled on the floor he had killedvher.
Aldrich screamed internally. His voice was raw with horror. "WHY DID YOU KILL HER?! SHE WAS INNOCENT! SHE WAS JUST FOLLOWING ORDERS!"
Solomon's voice was unmoved. Matter of fact. "She isn't innocent. She's not wise. Carrying out an assassination she knows she can't accomplish makes her stupid. And stupid people don't deserve to be alive. They're liabilities. Loose ends."
"That doesn't mean you had to kill her!"
"Yes. It does. She saw your face. Heard your voice. Knew you were weak. If she lived, she'd report back to Alice. And then Alice would know for certain that you're not me. We can't afford that."
Aldrich wanted to argue. Wanted to fight back. But Solomon was already moving their body.He opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. The music still played downstairs. Laughter still echoed. No one had heard anything. No one knew what had just happened in room 306.
Solomon walked down the hallway. Down the stairs. Past the woman at the counter. Out the front door. Back into the night.His mind was already working and planning ahead. If anybody was messing around, it would be nobody else but his brother Augustus. Augustus, who feared his return. Who would do anything to protect his throne.
But now there was another problem. Alice. One of Solomon's own wives. Someone who should have been loyal. Who should have been on his side.What was she doing? What secret was she hiding? And how much did she know?
Solomon's face remained calm as he walked through the slums. But inside, both he and Aldrich knew the same truth.The game had just become far more dangerous.And they were running out of time to figure out who they could trust.