The air locks in my throat. I look down, there’s too much Citadel white on me. Too much silence between us. He doesn’t move, doesn’t speak, just stares like he's seen a ghost.
“I can explain.” The words scrape out low, useless.
But before Bren can reply, movement snaps my attention down the street. Ezzy barrels around the corner, breathless, with Finn and Rowan right behind her, both wide-eyed and scanning.
“There you are!” She gasps. “Where’d he go?”
“I… I lost him.” My voice is too fast, too tight, a hard rush still hammering through me.
Ezzy’s eyes flick between me and Bren, cheeks still flushed from the run. But beside her, Finn’s grin is already spreading, like he’s walked in on something he shouldn’t have.
“And who’s this?” he asks too loud.
I hesitate. “This is Bren. My... friend.”
Bren huffs. Not quite a laugh. Not anything close to kind. “Lyra here was just about to tell me where she’s been.” Hefinally says. “You know: why she disappeared for a month, why I thought she was dead. Why she’s wearingthat.” His chin tips toward my uniform like it offends him.
My mouth opens. Closes. No sound comes out.
Ezzy shifts, clearly feeling the tension, clearly ignoring it anyway. “Right. Well, it's... it’s been a weird month. Dragons, death threats, Talen...”
“Ezzy.” I say quickly, trying to shut her up with my eyes.
“Perfect.” Bren replies. “I’ve got the morning free. Lyra, you can fill me in at my place. I look forward to hearing all aboutTalen...”
Ezzy claps, delighted. “Ooh, can we come? I’vealwayswanted to see how the Outerlands live. It’s so... rustic.”
Bren raises an eyebrow, unimpressed. “Sorry. And you are?”
“They’re—” I start.
“Friends,” Finn cuts in. “We’re her friends.”
Bren's expression doesn’t shift, but I feel it. That question twisting beneath his skin.Citadel friends. These are the people you chose over me?
My voice scrapes out. “Please. Just give me a little time. I’ll explain everything.”
Silence stretches. And finally, finally, he nods.
Rowan scowls. “We can’t leave our patrol.”
Ezzy throws her hands up. “Rowan, the officers are hauling those two drunks in for questioning. That’s gonna take hours. You really think they’ll notice if we’re gone?”
I blink at her. Ezzy, by-the-book, always-early Ezzy, suggesting we ditch patrol? For me?
Finn grins, easy as ever. “Yeah, I heard one of them bragging about hitting a brothel after. Real dedicated to the cause.”
Rowan’s eyes go wide. “That’s not funny. If they catch us, we’ll be Reassigned for sure.”
“Look, we’ll be back before they even realise we’re missing,” Ezzy says, already angling toward Bren like it’s decided. “They sent us here to find a drunk troublemaker, right? Well, he’s long gone. Patrol’s over.”
Finn bumps Rowan’s shoulder with a grin. “Come on. Don’t you want to see where Lyra grew up?”
“I want to not be Reassigned,” Rowan mutters.
But Ezzy’s already turning to follow Bren’s lead like it’s settled. Rowan glares at all of us, arms folded, spine stiff. But when no one backs him up, he finally sighs through his nose and falls in line behind us.
“Please say something. Anything—”I say to Bren. We’ve been sitting on the ground outside his house for what feels like hours, backs pressed to the cool stone wall while the afternoon sun inches across the alley in slow, golden bands. Inside, Ezzy, Finn, and Rowan are waiting—giving us space that I’m not sure I wanted.
