Page 83 of A Sunwoven Ascent

Evelyne blinked. “Shopping.”

“If we arrive dressed as we are,” Alaric said, “every guard and shopkeeper in Velenshire will notice.”

Aurelia considered him. “You did once dress very well.”

Heidara leaned in, eyeing him from head to toe. “I can almost imagine it. Beneath all that dirt.”

Alaric sighed. “Your confidence in me is deeply moving.”

Aurelia smiled. “Velenshire has known our family for generations. A few proper garments can be arranged.”

“Without paying?” Cillian asked.

“Without paying immediately,” Aurelia amended.

Alaric spread his hands. “Then it is settled. We return properly dressed, and bring the others in as respectable citizens instead of suspicious wanderers.”

“You are enjoying this,” Kaldrek said.

“Immensely,” Alaric said, brushing a kiss to Heidara’s cheek before offering his arm to Aurelia. “Shall we, my lady?”

Aurelia took it at once. “Oh, I have dearly missed a proper shopping excursion.”

“Wait,” Evelyne called after them. “What if things are no longer as they were? What if the darkness has already reached our homeland? I cannot allow my sister and my dearest friend to walk into Velenshire believing it safe. We were only just taken, Aurelia.”

“My love,” Kaldrek said, a teasing smirk tugging at his mouth, “were you not just insisting it was safe here?”

Evelyne gave a small huff and folded her arms. “Yes, well, your warning compelled me to reconsider.”

His smirk only deepened.

The edge in Aurelia’s expression dulled. “You are right to be cautious, Evelyne. But I was held for only a week, or close to. And though I have not often returned to Velenshire since Leopold cast me out, I can tell you this much with confidence: no one here has the faintest notion what lies beyond our territory.” She paused. “I do not know what keeps them so sheltered,” she said more quietly, “but magic does not exist here—or at least, it is not believed to.”

Evelyne bit her lip and said nothing. For now, she would have to trust her sister. It was all they had. Then Aurelia’s words fully settled.

“You were alone in the tunnels for nearly a week?” Evelyne’s voice shook. How was her sister still standing? Evelyne and Holden had endured only hours—perhaps a day—and that alone was enough to haunt her for the rest of her life.

“I am all right, Evelyne,” Aurelia said as she cupped her cheek and drew her into a warm embrace. “Let us hold to that for now. It is all we can do.”

She kissed Evelyne’s cheek, then skipped ahead to rejoin Alaric.

“This is either a brilliant plan,” Heidara muttered, “or a terrible one.”

Kaldrek folded his arms. “Either way, I should like to see how it ends.”

“It is worth trying,” Evelyne said. As they waited, she settled into Kaldrek’s lap and let her eyes fall closed against his chest.

***

They returned two hours later wearing bright, triumphant smiles and carrying armfuls of clothing. Aurelia was already modeling a new cloak and hat with unmistakable delight, turning ever so slightly as though expecting admiration. Beside her, Alaric looked equally pleased in a freshly fitted tailcoat, its buttons fastened neatly across his chest, his new boots creaking softly with each step. Evelyne blinked at the sight of them. She had not expected them to find suitable clothes so quickly, much less return looking so thoroughly pleased with themselves.

They dropped the bundles into the grass and began sorting through them. For Evelyne and Heidara, there were fitted dresses with narrow waists—mercifully without corsets—along with new shoes and warm coats. For Cillian and Kaldrek, there were tunics and trousers far better suited to Velenshire’s streets than their worn travel leathers. Unfortunately, the problem became obvious the moment Alaric held Kaldrek’s clothes up for comparison.

The trousers would not even come close.

Kaldrek stared at them. “Do you honestly believe I’m going to fit into that?”

Alaric lifted his hands defensively. “It was the largest size available, and I regret to inform you I do not travel with a measuring tape like a tailor. You’ll simply have to do your best.”