Xanda leaned against the doorframe regarding me with a scowl. I would have risen to greet her, but the manacles didn’t afford me even that much movement. Instead, I did the only sensible thing I could. I grace her with my best scowl.

Hayden’s ears rang from the wind meandering through the chamber. The air flowed through crevices too slender for his pinky, oblivious to the freedom to move he craved. The few steps the cell afford were not enough.

The Gloom Market’s crowd churned about Nuesti. Straightening from the arcane artifacts she peered about for the disruption’s source.

Astryn stood within the doorway, watching as color faded from the sky. The coming night marred the sunset’s beauty. A night when they would be free.

Others could make her happier.

“I have two things on my mind,” Jerdine declared authoritatively. Her voice carried through the thin walls of the residence, unknowingly making my job easier. I ghosted over the worn wood tracking her by sound.

Adrolore paused before his pile of books catching the sound of his pages conversing nearby. A soft murmur, but enough to disturb. He could not be constantly harried.

Tobias dropped the heavy pack on the table before Kierda. She stepped back, eyes widening at the girth of it. Tobias suppressed his grin with practice. He wondered what she would think if she tried lifting it.

Melori grimaced as he passed the barrier enclosing the feedlot. Stench washed over him which, while foul, didn’t surprise him. The barrier had gleamed a sullen brown when he’d left the barracks this morning. Not the normal, vibrant red.

“You must be joking.” Darman rounded on Jadeen.

She stepped back, blinking at him. “Joking? About what?”

Darman gestured to the ridged case at her feet. “You cannot bring your pet along.”