He was a talented mender who had worked as a cobbler in Bedwyck most of his life, and Lark was a metalwielder with the precision of a first-rank gunslinger—with no need for a gun. The two had met a year before things fell apart. She’d been fifteen, Niall a year younger. When her parents promised her to a nobleman twice her age, she and Niall decided to run away to Jivante. But they never got the chance.
After the warm greetings, Benjamin gestured toward the table. “Come on. Sit yourselves down.”
“What are you doing here?” Gideon asked. He clocked August then. “And who’s that?”
“We’re here to find you,” Felix said, dragging Gideon’s attention back. They’d get to August. Just not yet. He rounded the table and dropped into the chair across from Gideon, rolling up his trousers to rub his aching leg.
“It’s not safe for you here, y’know,” Gideon said. “They got the Watch out sniffing around like dogs.”
“Yeah, what’s the story with this place?” Marlow asked. “Feels a bit intense.”
“It’s the same all over, far as I’ve heard,” Gideon answered. “Ministry’s got the Watch by the reins now.”
“Which meansAshcroft’srunning things, then,” Marlow said, settling in beside Felix.
“Ah, so you’re up to speed then.”
“Just found out.” Felix leaned back in his chair, sneaking a glance at August, still hovering in the doorway, hood pulled down low, awkward as ever.
Lark followed his gaze. “You,” she said to August. “Stop hovering and sit. There’s plenty of room.” She patted the seat next to her and gave him a warm smile. A gentle welcome on the surface, but Felix knew better. August was an unknown. A possible threat. She wanted to keep an eye on him.
When he didn’t budge, her smile dropped. “Sit. Now.”
August hesitated, then crossed to the table. He sank into a chair away from the others, shoulders slouched.
“So, what’s the real reason you’re here?” Gideon asked. “It’s not just to catch up with old friends.”
“We’re headed to Fallowmoor,” said Felix. “Could use your help.”
Gideon let out a dry laugh. “Why in the hells would you want to go there?”
“To close the tear.”
The silence that followed was thick as the fog in Bedwyck.
Finally, Gideon muttered, “You’re off your head.”
“You can’t close it,” Benjamin added. “You know that.”
“I can’t. But he can.” Felix glanced pointedly at August.
Under the sudden scrutiny, August slumped deeper into the chair. It took only a moment for the group to put the pieces together.
Gideon shot to his feet. “The aesling’s dead. You said so yourself.”
“I said I shot him in the heart,” Felix replied calmly. “Which I did.”
Lottie appeared beside August, and though her proximity sent a cold chill through him, he felt better knowing she was there.
“You put all these people at risk by bringing him here.” Gideon glared at August, the revulsion painted across his features. “He’s dangerous.”
Felix gave a derisive scoff. “Believe me, he’s not dangerous.”
“He destroyed half a city!”
“Unintentionally. He’s a coward. The worst he’ll do is try to run.”
Lottie folded her arms across her chest. “Your hands are free now. Punch him for me.”
