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Tyr thanked him and turned to leave when the man called out to him.
“Oy, Penhallow.”
“Yes?”
“Mind yourself, aye? There’re rumors swirling. ’Bout ravens going missing again. The ones in the mountains, I mean. Not mine. Mine are smarter than that, aren’t you, lovies?”
Tyr’s blood cooled. “What has that to do with me?”
“Don’t know. Just had a feeling I should warn you.” He tapped his head. “Trust your feelings, they say. They’re the closest thing you got to wisdom.”
“All right.” Tyr nodded. “Thanks.”
He skipped down the seemingly endless stairwell and ran the rest of the way to his cabin, taking the longer way to avoid the tavern. The party would be ending soon, and he’d fully intended to go back after Nessa had left, but instead he’d worked up the letter to Asterin. He hoped his family would assume he was off with Nessa and tease him aboutthatinstead of honing in on his grief and panic.
His mother’s reaction to Nessa had been curious. Her strained smile might have fooled a stranger, but not a son.How lovelywas Fransiska’s signature polite dismissal. The response made no sense when Nessa was everything they’d wanted for him in a mate.
They had to get to know her better was all. Really, so did he. Weeks she’d been visiting, and he knew almost nothing about her.
His cabin door was unlocked. He couldn’t remember locking it, but he always did, so he must have. The door swung open and he stepped in slowly, listening to be sure he was alone.
Satisfied no one was lurking in wait, he threw both the bolts and went into the kitchen to pour himself a cider. It was cold and viscous, the fire having died sometime in the evening, but he drank it anyway, downing it in one long swallow.
Tyr leaned against the wall beside the hearth, breathing deep for the first time in hours. He’d sent his concerns to Asterin, and Asterin would advise what to do next. With luck, he’d ask Tyr to stand down and return to his other work. He hadn’t understood Asterin’s and Sesto’s anxiousness untilsomeonehad gone to great trouble to make sure he only read what they wanted him to.
While he waited for a response, he needed to find a new hiding place. There wasn’t time to build a new cubby, but he had a small chest he could empty. He could bury it outside until he had word back from Riverchapel.
It was too late in the evening to be digging holes in the ground—a ground only just beginning to thaw for the season—but doing it in the daytime would draw unwanted attention from his family and patrons.
No, I’ll do it now,he decided and went to retrieve the letters.
But when Tyr opened the not-so-secret cubby, there was nothing there.
The letters, all of them, were gone.
Ana divided her focus between her speed and her illusion, running as fast as she could as Nessa. It might not be necessary, but if anyone caught her fleeing his cabin, there would almost certainly be questions, and it was better for them to think Nessa was up to something than Ana.
She’d only meant to steal the ones in Vjestikaan, but then she’d spotted Tyreste from the window, heading down the back path along the forest line. With no time to separate the letters, she’d shoved the entire stack inside of her cloak and fled.
In her haste, she’d forgotten to turn the knob lock on her way out.
Ana slowed when she neared the tavern. In a few more feet, she’d turn off, and in a hundred yards or so, she’d be back on the main village road, blending into the evening crowds. She was close to being able to duck behind a market stall and emerge as herself before making her way home.
But Ana screamed and leaped back several steps when something jumped in front of her.
It was only Adeline, though her relief was short-lived.
I know your truth. I know who you really are,she signed, and Ana was too caught off her guard to hide her reaction to words she, as Nessa, had no business understanding.
Adeline lit up with mischievous delight.I knew it! I knew it was you!
Ana looked behind herself and then ahead. All she could do was shake her head, back and forth in a fruitless attempt to look confused.
“Adeline, I...” She cut herself off and sighed.
Adeline crossed her arms over her chest, stared, and waited for an explanation.
It’s not what you think,Ana at last signed, cringing with every turn of her fingers. How Adeline had figured it out, Ana had no idea, but if she’d done it, others would as well.
