Lira and Jain both left the council room in silence, the noble's verdict hanging between them like a stain. Lira Voss and Jain Holt moved side by side down the corridor toward the exit.
"Where are we going?" Jain asked.
"Home," Lira replied without turning.
"Five minutes, then. So be quiet now," Jain added as they walked.
He fell into step, voice softening. "You know Jain was a fool. Now an Inspector. Respected.....because of you. Being with you is scary. The fear of death always follows. Still..." .he managed a grin that didn't match the weight of the place, "...never the risk of losing face. Today...you might lose face.Lira "
Lira didn't break stride. She kept her gaze forward and let him pace beside her.
"Do you know what they'll say?" Jain called after her, louder now. "Those pompous nobles will say thet top notch inspector fled like coward."
Lira stopped and turned. Jain closed the gap and held her there.
"The impression we make in here aslo sticks here," he said. " And when did an inspector like you need an invitation to catch a criminal?"
"The criminal humiliated us," Jain pressed. "We must make him pay. Think of something that will wash this away."
Lira listened. The words found purchase. She did not answer at once; Jain kept pushing, filling the silence.
"I live in your shadow. No problem for me. But now, at home, every tired, underpaid guard pins his hopes on you. For us, your name means something: Lira Voss means respect. Don't let it change."
"So what now?" Lira asked at last.
"Running like coward now cancelled," Jain said. Determination tightened his voice, surprising them both.
"Operation...screw him starts. Lira and Jain style." Saying it made it real.
This wasn't our place. We were inspectors bound by rules and protocol. We had come in with the city's rules, with procedure and patience. But now we will leave as a storm, Lira thought, the resolve settling cold and hard in her chest.
------
On the rooftop balcony, Lira and Jain stood by a stone table. Beyond the city, the hills stretched quiet under a cloudy sky, silence hanging between them as heavy as the case itself.
"Lira, we did stay," Jain said at last, scratching the back of his head. "But how do we figure out how he operates?"
Lira's gaze stayed fixed on the horizon. "Remember his circus tricks?"
Jain's grin returned, crooked and easy. "He is the king of the circus. I've become his biggest fan."
Lira turned her eyes on him, sharp and flat, the crease between her brows deepening. "To understand how he robs vault...., we must first understand his act."
Jain tapped his temple. "My brain is like a peanut. Small but sweet. If I overuse it, it will screw up. You just decide what to do."
Lira's voice was steady, stripped of doubt. "We'll find the answers."
The glass door slid open behind them. Taren stepped out, calm but resolved. She crossed to the table and rolled out a map, the parchment spreading flat beneath her palms.
"This," she said, "is the circus layout."
Lira leaned forward, her eyes narrowing as she traced the lines on the page.
"And all our answers," she murmured, "are here."
Her arms folded, the faintest smile touching her lips. "Sahir is hiding something. And I enjoy finding the hidden thing."
-----
The circus had ended in thunderous applause, but behind the curtain the show was far from over.
Lira, disguised as a cleaner, pushed a mop and bucket through the tangle of performers and stagehands. Her eyes scanned every movement, alert beneath her mask of indifference. Ahead, she caught sight of Kael slipping into an iron box. The gears groaned, lowering it into the depths below.
Lira's pace quickened. She abandoned the bucket, darted forward, and hauled herself onto the top of the box just as it began its descent. The ride was rough, rattling through a narrow shaft before jolting to a stop in a hidden chamber. Flattened against the shadows, Lira held her breath.
The chamber was dim, crowded with props and broken furniture. Kael stepped out of the box, calm and unhurried, biting into an apple as if nothing in the world could disturb him.
Then came footsteps. Another figure entered, same face, same build. Only the apple-eater remained where he was.
From her hidden vantage above, Lira froze. Two men. The same man.
"Y-you wore my costume a-again," Kieran said , his stammer cutting through the quie, eyes still on the apple.
"Yours or mine, I have no time to check. And why does it even matter?" Kael replied.
"I know y-you did it on purpose," Kieran pressed. .
"Your costume? On purpose? It stinks. Waah." Kael smirked and reached to swat him on the head.
Kieran ducked neatly and came back with his own jab. "No, you waah." The words tumbled out, clumsy but bold.
"F-for my entry, the cable is too tight. L-loosen it," Kieran demanded.
"No. Safety first," Kael answered, his tone clipped.
"I will be fine," Kieran shot back, his speech quickening. "I c-can cross 400 feet and l-land on stage in 34 seconds. I-if the cable is loose, I can somersault a-and make it in 29."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "Do not try to be too smart."
"But I am smart. S-so what?" Kieran grinned, undeterred.
Kael studied him in silence, then let out a slow breath, the corner of his mouth lifting. "Tell me something. Do you not think your entry is too fast? If you slow it down, it will look better. More believable. Yes?"
"Believable?" Kieran shook his head. "T-they do not come here for real. They come for m-magic. Why should be a-afraid of that?"
Kael's smile deepened. Still his eyes stayed fixed on his brother.
Kael brushed off the moment with a casual wave. "Fine. Just tell me, what time are we rehearsing tomorrow?"
Kieran shifted his weight, his voice slow but firm. "Tomorrow is S-sunday. It is a holiday."
Kael's expression hardened. "Kieran, do not go out tomorrow. We need to work on the new act."
"S-sunday is a holiday," Kieran repeated, shaking his head with that stubborn sway of his shoulders.
Kael stepped closer, his voice edged with impatience. "Listen to me for once. Why must you always make it difficult?"
Kieran only tilted his head and gave him a crooked smile, defiant and unyielding.
Kael pressed his hand to his forehead, drawing in a long breath. His eyes flicked toward the iron box still open in the corner. "And look at this. Mr. Absent-Minded. You forgot to send the box back. Where is your head these days?"
Kieran turned, spotted the box, and froze. His face shifted into a sheepish grin, like a child caught skipping chores.
"You have been forgetting too often lately," Kael muttered, pulling the lever that sent the box creaking back into motion.
Above, Lira clung to the roof of the box, her body taut as the machinery carried her upward. Her mind raced, the truth she had just seen burning into her thoughts. Two men. Two brothers. One act. And now, with the same box that revealed their secret, she was rising with it, silent and unseen.
To be continued.....