A chuckle rippled through the group.
I waited for the laughter to die, twisting my hands in my lap. “Ruru, before you left Aquinon, did you hear anything of my brother and sister?”
Ruru’s grin softened. “I saw them.”
I blinked, not sure I heard him right. “You saw them? They’re alive? Where? Are they safe?” Each question tumbled over the next like water over sharp rocks.
Ruru grimaced. “They’re alive and unharmed, as far as I could tell. But they were with Renwell in the prison square.”
“What?” I gasped.
“Not as prisoners,” Ruru said quickly. “But as part of his coronation.”
My face crumpled, and I buried it in my hands.
They’re alive. They’re alive. They’re alive.
That one simple truth echoed through my mind, roaring louder and louder. It drowned out the incessant worry.
But then other fears appeared, stacking on my shoulders like stones.
How long would he keep them alive? What was he doing with them? By going with Aiden to Calimber, I could be condemning them.
But they’d been alive and well this whole time. Nikella had been right. Renwell had dangled my brother’s and sister’s fates to get me to follow him home, like raw meat in front of a dog.
Gods damn that man to the deep, dark, wandering hell. I hope I get to send him there one day.
Someone wrapped an arm around me. I lowered my hands to see Yarina half-hugging me, tears in her blue eyes. But I knew those tears weren’t for me.
“You’ll see them again soon, I’m sure,” she whispered.
She would never get her sister back, but I still had a chance to save Everett and Delysia. If Renwell was keeping them alive to lure me home, then I needed to make sure I had more than my knives when I faced him again.
I returned Yarina’s half-hug, then clasped Ruru’s hand. His thumbless grip was so familiar and comforting. “Thank you for telling me. You don’t know how much that means to me.”
He squeezed my hand. “I do know. I would’ve given anything for someone to tell me of Daire’s fate.”
Shadow-Wolves had taken his older brother years ago, before Ruru resorted to stealing food and Aiden had helped him evade capture.
I met Aiden’s eyes over Ruru’s head. They blazed with a fierce emotion I couldn’t name. Deeper than happiness. More grim than worry.
“Start from the beginning, Ruru,” Aiden said quietly. “What happened after we left?”
Everyone sat in a crescent around Ruru, ready for a story.
“After you sailed away, I hid out for a few days, hoping for news,” Ruru began. “I never stayed in one place very long, but when nobody came after me, I figured I was safe.”
“What has Renwell done to the city?” I interrupted. Sigrid shot me a glare. Interrupting stories was tantamount to a crime around a Dag fire.
“He’s got it locked up pretty tight,” Ruru said. “Curfews and such. Shadow-Wolves prowling at all times of the day. It’s awful.” He glanced at Aiden. “I went to check on Melaena using the tunnel, but Renwell must’ve found it. Filled it with rubble.”
Aiden grimaced. “Is Melaena safe?”
Ruru nodded, and I nearly melted with relief again. I’d never told Renwell about that tunnel, but he’d guessed what I was hiding from him.
“Renwell’s keeping a close eye on her club, though,” Ruru continued. “Probably hoping the three of you will show up. I sent her a coded message, and she sent—” Ruru jerked upright with a wild look. “Fucking Four, my bags! Did you grab?—”
“Calm down,” I said, dragging his saddlebags forward. “Nikella took them off your horse.”
