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I look up at him, and I swear a flicker of concern flashes in his eyes before he smiles down sweetly at me. “I don’t want to leave. Ever.” The ground trembles. A few loose stones crumble from the wall to our feet. “Promise me you’ll stay safe while I’m gone?”

I know he’s just leaving to go back underground, where he is safe from getting caught—or worse, captured and questioned by the human Elders—but something about his tone seems so formal. Sad.

“I promise.” I raise up on my toes to kiss him. “Now you better go before you get caught.” I adjust my skirt and attempt to comb a few fingers through my messy hair.

Atlys laces his pants and then leans against the stone wall, crossing over his chest. “Until next time, my Sunrise.”

“Until next time.” I blow a kiss and watch as Atlys leans into the wall, disappearing through to the other side and likely down many layers of earth.

I pat my cheeks and walk out of the alleyway.

22

The Reunion

Ipress my back against the wooden door of Anita’s tavern for a moment longer than necessary, breathing through the heat still humming in my veins. My hair is a mess, skirt crooked, and my lips feel suspiciously swollen.

Absolutely no one needs to know why.

From inside the tavern comes a roar of voices and laughter, the clash of tankards, and someone badly attempting to sing the Solarball anthem. The celebration is already in full swing.

I straighten my jacket, smooth my hair with both hands, and mutter to myself, “You look normal. Completely normal… No one saw anything.”

I push the door open.

Warmth and noise crash over me like a wave.

Anita’s is absolutely packed. Cadets in Watch uniforms are wedged shoulder-to-shoulder with townsfolk. Orb-lit lanterns glow against the wooden rafters. Someone has strung purple and silver ribbons across the beams in honor of the Solarball season opener, though half of them have already been pulled down and tied around people’s heads.

A chant rises from the corner.

“LEAF! LEAF! LEAF! LEAF!”

I chuckle under my breath.

Of course.

Leaf stands on a table like a victorious warlord.

He’s holding two bottles of wine—one in each hand—and pouring recklessly into any cup thrust toward him. His dark hair is wild, his cheeks flushed, and his grin is so wide it looks painful.

“Drink, you cowards!” he shouts. “The captain commands it!”

“Get off my table!” Anita bellows from behind the bar.

Leaf bows deeply toward her without spilling a drop. “Your tables have served the glory of Solarball, my lady.”

“Get off it!”

He hops down anyway, immediately pouring wine into someone’s goblet.

I spot Ramona first. She’s leaning against the wall near the hearth, arms folded, watching Leaf with the particular expression of someone trying very hard not to smile.

Next to her is Castor, sitting stiffly at the table like a man pretending he is absolutely not drinking with a tavern full of his own students.

And beside him, Esther is staring into a mug of ale like she’s trying to decode it.

My friends notice me at the same time.