“We need to return to Hepiko— Nowosmont,” Hildy corrected herself.
It was too late; Isahn glanced at his sister to see an intelligent fire spark up in her eyes.
“Where?” she asked coyly.
“Uh— It’s the name of a villa in Nowosmont. Homage. You know,” Hildy lied badly.
“Our friend there, Ean’s a bit of a bookworm. He’ll be able to translate for us.” Isahn tried to change the subject.
Solaelia’s disbelieving gaze flicked back and forth between Isahn and Hildy. “I thought you said that was Villa Senone.”
“Sometimes, Lia, cities have more than one house.” Aiming for humor while guilt gnawed at his gut was a risk, but he took it.
She pierced him with a flat look. “Psh. Whatever you say. I don’t know what you’re involved in, but I’m here to help, however you need. And don’t worry, honestly, I’ll write to theking about Peros’s unexpected and unfortunate demise after breaking and entering the house.”
“Thank you,” Isahn mumbled gratefully. He hoped she knew it was an expansive “thank you,” one meant to capture the breadth of his gratitude for trusting him while he was so clearly holding back. She killed a man for them—for Domos—and she didn’t even have half the facts. Solaelia was the best sort of person, and Isahn couldn’t wait until he could bring her into the fold and tell her about the fae. He needed to speak with George first, get permission to share state secrets,thenhe’d make good with his sister.
“Could you maybe leave me out of your correspondence?” Hildy requested with a grimace. “Or, if I’m included, perhaps call me Mel Hill, from Newand.”
Solaelia nodded, golden curls bouncing in the morning light. Her hair, with its puffiness on top, almost looked ablaze. Fitting, for a firebearer who’d protected her estate.
“Lia, can I talk to you about something else, too?” It was time.
“Anything...” She trailed off, visibly wary of the intensity in his tone.
Hildy cleared her throat, fidgeting her feet beneath the table, like she was debating getting up to go or maybe worried about what he planned to say.
Shooting Hildy a look meant to encourage her to stay put, he turned back to his sister. “I hate asking you to go back down there, but, would you meet me in the vault?”
“Absolutely.” Lia plucked a scone off the table of untouched food before slipping from the room.
When the door clicked closed, Isahn faced Hildy. “This isn’t about any forbidden topic. It’s personal.”
“About you and George?” She smirked before biting into a crunchy strip of bacon.
Isahn grimaced, not because of the George thing, because the sight of nearly charred, curled-up flesh roiled his stomach. He didn’t think he’d want to eat meat for quite some time. “Kind of.”
“Do we leave tomorrow, for home?” she asked.
“I think so. Yes.”
“I’ll write to Wynnie now. Should I include anything from you to George? It’ll need to be cryptic.”
“However you can manage it, just say I’m coming home, too.”
Hildy grinned as Isahn left the room.
Lia was just down the corridor, walking slowly with her scone in hand. “I thought we were meeting downstairs?” she asked after a bite.
“My chat with Hildy was quick.”
Her stare penetrated the side of his face, even as he tried to look ahead. “Is this about the princess?”
“Vault. I want to talk in private.”
She rolled her eyes. “Everyone in this house knows every bit of our business, just as we know every bit of theirs.”
He chuckled, smiling at the truth in her statement.
