Countdown to My Rival's Blade
By @john1208
Kezra Vond likes her mornings predictable: cheap smog-caf, no explosions, and zero contact with Toris Drang, the relentless Enforcer who constantly busts her smuggling rings. But after a hyper-realistic nightmare shows Toris stabbing her through the heart as the city burns, Kezra decides she’s done playing rivals. She’s leaving. Her brilliant avoidance strategy? Throwing on an incredibly ugly, smell-proof sewer-tarp and literally sprinting in the opposite direction whenever he appears. Unfortunately, her frantic retreat accidentally intercepts a toxic sniper round meant for Toris. Now, instead of hunting her for contraband, her worst enemy is convinced she’s his secret protector and won’t leave her side. Exhausted and cornered, Kezra gets blackout drunk on rot-ale and slurs the truth about her prophetic nightmare. But Toris doesn't laugh. He recognizes the apocalyptic skyline from her dream - and drops a horrifying bombshell. The celestial alignment she saw isn't years away; it's happening in exactly three days. With a double-crossing informant on their heels and the clock accelerating, can Kezra rewrite a destiny that demands her death, or will her infuriating rival have to plunge the blade in after all?
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