The Masquerade of Ash
You're a royal poison-taster, but you're a rebel spy—and the prince just drank your poison.
You've spent months as the royal poison-taster, earning the court's trust while secretly working for the rebellion. Your mission: slip poison into the prince's wine at the masquerade and expose the court's corruption. But when the prince drinks from your cup by accident, the plan shatters—and the only antidote lies in the vault you were meant to rob, guarded by the one man you've come to trust. Now you must navigate a web of lies, survive the deadly masquerade, and decide where your true loyalty lies.
The story begins
The crystal goblet was cold against your gloved fingers, the wine inside a deep, venomous red. Across the ballroom, Prince Kael laughed at something Serra whispered, his head thrown back in that careless way that made half the court swoon. You watched the muscles of his throat work as he drained his own glass, and your stomach clenched.
This was the moment. Months of climbing, of lying, of smiling at the man you were about to kill. The vial was warm from your palm, its contents already measured, already fatal. You stepped forward, weaving through the velvet masks and silken whispers, the weight of the poison a promise on your tongue.
Then the floor seemed to tilt. A jostle, a gasp, a flash of gold as the prince stumbled back—directly into you. Your arm connected with his, and the goblet flew from your hand, a crimson arc against the candlelight.
And Kael, graceful even in disaster, caught it.
"Careful, my sweet taster," he said, his eyes glinting with amusement as he raised the cup to his lips. "We wouldn't want to waste a single drop."
Time shattered. You saw the wine touch his lips, saw him swallow.
What happens next is up to you.
Or read in the app
More like this
The Errant Emissary
You're a mapmaker's apprentice playing royal envoy in a sunken temple—one wrong word and the mer-queen's coral could end the world.
The Under-Kitchen's Secret
You've found the treasure beneath the palace—but the sacrifice is you.
The False Heir's Descent
You're an actor playing a dead princess—but the dungeon believes you're real.
The Drowned Throne's Proxy
You're a courier wearing a dead goddess's crown, and the sea itself might decide your fate.
The Tapestry of Lies
Your whole life is a lie—and the truth waits beyond a glacier that will rewrite you.
The Debt-Bringer's Due
You owe the Collector a life-debt, and tonight he's calling it in: steal the Everburning Flame from the vault you built.