Treviso had settled into its night rhythm, quieter, but not silent. A violin carried from a distant balcony. Laughter drifted from some tavern tucked away in the alleys. And still, Evie said nothing.
Kieran walked beside her, hands shoved into his coat pockets, his gaze flicking between her and the shifting shadows. She was quieter than usual. Not brooding exactly; he knew that look well. This was something else. Thoughtful, guarded, a little tired.
"He was there," she said at last.
"Lucanis?"
She nodded once, gaze fixed ahead. "Of course he was. Antivan elite love their pet assassins."
He didn't reply. He just waited.
Evie exhaled, slow and tight. "He didn't confront me. Not really. Not until I was alone. Said he liked the songs." She gave a little shrug, like it didn't matter. But her voice caught slightly, right at the edge of the words. "Tried to talk. I tried not to."
The guilt she wouldn't name edged into her voice like a crack beneath glass. She felt it in the pit of her stomach, cold and shameful. There'd been something almost desperate in his eyes. Not in the dangerous way, not like a man angry at being refused. Something quieter. Hopeful. Then confused. As if he thought if he just said the right thing, she'd come willingly.
Evie let out a breath and asked, "Do you ever think about her?"
"Her?" Kieran asked, startled.
"Bellara," she said, glancing at him.
He smiled a little, eyes drifting down to where the faded ink lay hidden beneath his sleeve. "Sometimes. More now."
"Do you think about what she'll be like?"
"Of course," he said, then chuckled softly. "But I always feel like I'm getting it wrong. She's this... idea, more than a person. I wonder what she likes. What she'll hate about me. If she snores. If she's allergic to cats."
Evie laughed, a small puff of warmth in the cool night air. "She's definitely going to hate how you organise your books."
"Neat rows in alphabetical order is normal," he muttered.
Sometimes his sister was a slob. Maybe that was harsh. Evie liked clutter, all her art utensils, and her instruments and sheet music, just left wherever she set them down. Back at the castle, her rooms were clean, but that was mainly because of the maids. Her studio and her music room – absolute disasters.
He gave a dramatic sigh. "Even if she doesn't like it, she'll love me anyway."
A beat of silence followed, then his tone shifted to something quieter, more reflective. "I can't imagine finding her only to realise we're meant to be enemies. Or that she's already decided I'm someone she has to leave behind." His eyes found hers. "I'm sorry, Evie."
She looked away. "Up until a little while ago I didn't even know my soulmate was Lucanis. Besides, I'd already decided it wasn't for me anyway. It's fine."
"It's not."
She didn't argue, just pulled her shawl tighter around her arms.
"I'd still like to meet her," she said after a while. "Bellara. I mean, once all this is done."
Kieran glanced at her, surprised.
"I'm excited, actually," Evie went on, smiling faintly. "Future sister-in-law. Hopefully she doesn't mind a little baggage."
"If she minds, she's not worth either of us."
She nudged his arm lightly. "She's going to be lucky, you know."
He went quiet at that, jaw tensing slightly. He didn't say it, but she could see it in the way his eyes softened. He thought the same of her.
"Maybe it's time to stop," she murmured, almost to herself. "Singing, I mean."
That made Kieran halt. "What? No."
She kept walking.
"Evie."
She waved a hand dismissively. "It's just, maybe I could try painting again. I could break into the art world here. Get us commissions and gallery spots. Might be safer." Her tone was light, too light, like a mask that didn't quite fit. "It would be harder for Lucanis to find me."
"You love singing."
Evie didn't answer right away. "I loved a lot of things," she said finally, her voice quiet. "Things don't always last."
They walked in silence for a while. The wind picked up, threading through the narrow streets.
"If you could go anywhere," Kieran said suddenly, "after all this is done, where would you want to go?"
Evie blinked, caught off guard. "I don't know."
"You can think about it," he said. "We'll finish this, and then we'll go. Wherever you want. Just say the word."
She hesitated, then smiled faintly, tugging her shawl tighter around her shoulders. "Maybe... Ferelden."
"Home?"
She nodded. "I'd like to see it again. Maybe even... see Father, just for a little while."
Kieran was quiet for a breath. "Me too."
They walked the rest of the way in silence. But it wasn't heavy, not entirely. Just the quiet of two people carrying too much, side by side.
-
The flat smelled faintly of old tea and older parchment, a quiet hum of rain tapping at the windows. A low fire crackled in the hearth, less for warmth and more for comfort. On the floor near the table, pages of coded ledger entries lay in small, precise stacks, each one marked with Kieran's looping script and tiny notations. Hirik was making copies of what Kieran had already managed to translate.
Evie leaned over Kieran's shoulder as he worked, her braid brushing his back. "You look like you're trying to summon a demon."
"I might be," Kieran murmured, squinting at a smear of ink. "Depends on how many more of these glyphs turn out to be metaphors for bribery. Or murder. Or both."
Tai snorted from where he sat cross-legged near the shuttered window, preparing his pack. "If a demon shows up, tell him we've already got enough problems."
Evie chuckled softly, but it didn't last. Her fingers lingered on the edge of the table. She was in a soft green dress today, boots scuffed. Nothing conspicuous.
She didn't wear her black tonight. Neither did Tai. Not yet.
"We're sure about the location?" she asked.
Kieran didn't look up. "I triple-checked it. That particular safehouse has its own lockbox of… sensitive documentation. Not money, not orders, I don't think. But definitely names and transactions. Promises made in ink and blood. Not the kind the Crows would leave in a ledger." He paused. "Blackmail and leverage."
Evie's jaw tightened. "Good."
Tai rose smoothly, blades sheathed. "We'll head to the square first, blend into the evening crowd. There's a basement near the potter's district where we can change."
Evie stepped back as Tai moved to collect the small bag of supplies they'd prepped the night before - lockpicks, poisons, a few distractions. Nothing that tied them to the Crows, nothing that tied them to anyone at all.
Kieran finally stood, stretching his long limbs with a soft groan. "Be careful, both of you."
Tai gave him a crooked grin. "We always are."
Kieran's gaze shifted to Evie then. His usual easy humour softened into something quieter. Worry flickered behind his bright eyes, unspoken but insistent. He stepped forward and wrapped her in a tight, sudden hug, one hand cradling the back of her head like she might disappear if he didn't hold on.
"You all right?" he asked against her hair.
Evie hesitated. Then nodded. "Of course."
She didn't hug many people. But she leaned into this one, just for a moment.
"I hate this," he muttered. "Letting you walk into their den. They'll still be on high alert after the ledgers."
Tai, sensing the shift in mood, looked up from tying his boots. "You want me to do this one solo?"
Evie shook her head immediately. "No. We go together."
Kieran didn't press her again. He just nodded, letting his hands drop.
"I'm serious though," he said, trying for lightness again. "If either of you get killed, I'm going to be very annoyed."
Evie smiled faintly. "We expect you to resurrect us, mage."
"Trust me, I'm already looking into it, given what you two get up to."
She glanced once toward the window, where the city lights glimmered behind rain-slicked glass. Then she reached for her cloak, folding it over one arm.
Tai was already waiting at the door. "Quick and clean, and we leave them reeling," he grinned.
Evie nodded with a grin.
Kieran was still watching her, arms crossed, ledger pages behind him. "Come home safe."