In this moment, I forget about his uniform, the Council, the ransacked apartment. He's just Arlo. The little blond boy with the lisp who broke my naive heart when he confessed he was in love with my brother. Who became my brother in every way that mattered.
I push away every fear, that the Council has changed him, that we've lost him, that we'll never get him back. Instead, I holdonto the memories. The way he held my hand in the healing chambers when Jordi couldn't bear to go. The way he always knew when I needed space, and when I needed someone to pull me out of myself. The way he never judged me for either. I hold him tighter, trying to thank him for all of it without words.
"Gods, Temp." His voice cracks. "I wanted to see you. It's been impossible."
"I know." I pull back, wiping my face. "I saw your ... promotion."
He flinches. "You were there?"
"Yes." I manage something like a smile. "I hate your new uniform."
He laughs, the sound watery. "You hated my old one too."
My lip trembles. I pull him into one more hug before stepping back. "This must be urgent if you braved the tunnels. With all those Hupia spirits lurking."
He sputters. "I'm a champion dueler!"
"And that means you're no longer afraid of ghosts following you home?"
He rolls his eyes. "I'm a very fast runner."
That startles a real laugh out of me. His eyes warm.
"I missed you, Temp."
"I missed you too, Lo." The lightness lasts only a moment. "Have you seen Jordi?"
"No. It was difficult enough getting there before. Now it's impossible." His expression darkens. "That's why I'm here. To warn you."
My stomach drops. "Warn me about what?"
"The Council knows." His voice is low, urgent. "They know the Sages raised children in Veritas. They don't have names yet, but they're looking."
"How do they know?"
"I don't know. But I overheard Constantine and Nicolas. They've sent guards everywhere, claiming they're hunting renegades. But I think they're trying to identify us. Find out who the children were." He hesitates. "Cas was assigned to search your quarters."
The air leaves my lungs. "Cas did that?"
"He didn't have a choice. He had to make it look thorough."
"The hidden passage was exposed, Arlo. That's not thorough. That's deliberate."
Pain flashes across his face. "You really think Cas would betray us? What would he have to gain? He was raised alongside us!"
I look away and swallow. I hate that I don’t have answers to those questions. That I even have to doubt him at all. I force myself to breathe and look at him again.
"Why does Constantine even care? We're not children anymore."
"It would be a treaty violation. The Sages weren't supposed to raise anyone. Not without Council approval."
"And arresting the Veritas mapmaker isn't a violation?"
His jaw tightens. "We might see it that way. But the Sages haven't retaliated."
"Why would they want the Sages to retaliate?"
"I don't know." He runs a hand through his hair. "All I know is Constantine is furious that the Sages raised children without his knowledge. The visitors keep mentioning an heir—Cato's son—and Constantine keeps insisting he's the heir. But behind closed doors, he's obsessed with the children the Sages raised." His eyes meet mine. "It's only a matter of time before they discover you were singled out. That there were seven."
