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Next to the stairs, I noticed a bulky shape with a large length of canvas thrown over it. From the dimensions, I guessed it was Amara’s cart. Apparently our remaining belongings had also been stored here in our absence.
Upstairs there were only two rooms available, so we split in half with men in one and women in the other. I wondered if Gia and Renley might protest, but they made no complaint about being temporarily separated.
“I didn’t expect Nik to be proven correct so immediately,” Gia said as we deposited our bags in the room assigned to us. “But I’m glad we came to Eldrida. Something is going on here that’s worth further investigation.”
“We have to keep an open mind,” Amara warned. “It’s still possible this is a reaction to the rumors about Grey and nothing more. It’s easy to see things that aren’t there when you’re already suspicious. I suspect we’ll find the capital equally tense.”
She sent Gia a questioning look, and the younger woman shrugged.
“It isn’t quite like this—or wasn’t when we were there—but I can’t deny it’s been unsettled.”
“What’s the plan now?” I asked. “Are we going to head out into the city and see what we can discover?”
Luna bounded over and wound her arm through mine. “The two of us should go together,” she announced.
“That’s a good idea,” I said before noticing Nik in the doorway, his expression disapproving. “And you’re not invited,” I told him. “Who’s going to gossip with us if you’re hanging around all silent and menacing?”
Luna nodded fervently. “Two female apprentices will get a very different reaction from any of the rest of you.”
“I agree,” Amara said calmly. “And beyond that, I am officially forbidding Nik and Gia from stepping foot outside these stables until we get a better idea of what’s going on in the city.”
They both began to protest, but she silenced them with a stern look. “I’m pulling rank on both of you, and don’t try to argue you’re royalty. Nik, you’re a reneger, and Gia, you were the one to ask us not to consider your rank. As a master mage, I am the senior member of this expedition, and I expect both of you to obey this command.”
She continued to stare them down until they both nodded reluctant agreement.
“I’m a master mage as well,” Hayes said meekly from behind Nik. “Are you also pulling rank on me?”
She gave him a long-suffering look. “If you intend to cause trouble, I’ll be forced to remind you that since you resigned your position as Colton’s second, I’m back to being your senior due to having taken the mastery exams before you—at least until you’re actually appointed the next Head of Healing.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said meekly, and the corners of her lips tugged upward.
Nik cleared his throat pointedly, and the mood of the room shifted.
“Are you really going to let the two of them wander around alone?” he asked Amara, inclining his head toward Luna and me.
“Certainly. We have no immediate reason to think there’s a physical threat lurking in the streets of the city, and you saw Delphine and my reception at the city gates. They’re more in danger of being revered than attacked.”
“And neither of them is helpless either,” Gia added heatedly. “If two mage-level healers can’t protect themselves, who can?”
Nik was reluctantly forced to concede, and I threw him a smile. I knew his concern stemmed from an excess of care rather than a lack of belief, and I couldn’t bring myself to fault him for that. I also couldn’t really blame him for thinking I would be safer with Amara than Luna. But Luna was right that we would create a different impression on our own—especially given Amara’s hero status in the city. I had been dragged into the reverence due to my connection to her, but she was the much more recognized figure.
“The two of us will also go out.” Amara indicated herself and Hayes. “We both have contacts in the city among different circles, and between us all, we can hopefully get a picture of what’s going on.”
She looked at Renley with a contrite expression. “I’ll be leaving you to babysit these two. My apologies.”
He laughed. “I think some quiet brother-sister bonding time is an excellent idea and long overdue.” Both the twins rolled their eyes, but I also caught Gia shooting him an affectionate look. It was no wonder Renley was so calm and steady when he constantly had to balance out Gia.
Although the day was coming to a close, no one wanted to wait a whole night without doing anything, so we set out immediately. The two master mages disappeared quickly, heading for their individual contacts, while Luna and I strolled the short distance into the central square.
The day’s market had almost wrapped up, with many of the stall holders busy packing away their remaining wares. We wandered around aimlessly, listening to snatches of conversation from both shoppers and sellers.
Unlike at the gates, nothing in the market gave the overt impression anything had changed. The salt tang in the air, slightly different from the one that had permeated the island, took me straight back to my previous stay in the city, and the people we saw were occupied with the usual business of life. But the longer we listened, the deeper the crease between my eyes grew.
“It’s not just me, is it?” I asked Luna. “There’s a different tone now from before.”
Luna nodded slowly, her eyes scanning the closest row of stalls. “It does seem subtly different. More fearful and insular, maybe? And I haven’t heard a single complaint about the guards at the gates, although some of these stallholders must have traveled from out of the city for the market.”
“Of course, it could just be because of the rumors about Grey, like Amara said.” I frowned at a nearby clump of people who were talking animatedly.
