Debts again. It had to be exhausting being Yvanese and having to juggle debts left and right. How anyone remained in good graces with their god was beyond me.
I sighed and poured two gold coins into my palm before passing them to the postman.
“Thank you so much for your business, and stay safe from the ghosts.”
I took the letter and slipped out to the streets. The flecks of quartz and mica in the mail office’s walls sparkled in the light of the afternoon sun. I took back ways and alleys to my safe house and slipped inside. It was almost too dark to read inside, but I felt safer.
The letter was from Faraday, of course, and I exhaled slowly as I opened the seal. His precise handwriting spilled across the page. I read his greeting:
They know.
My stomach sank. I scanned the rest of the letter, then realized I hadn’t absorbed any of it, so fully had my fear overwhelmed me. I took a deep breath and read the letter carefully again.
They know.
I don’t think they know who they’re chasing, but they know someone survived their fire. Word is they’re scurrying around the city like terriers tracking a rat and that they’re considering a bounty on you. It’s only a matter of time before they catch your trail. I would recommend you finish whatever business it is you’re conducting as soon as possible and flee before they find you. Or someone finds you for them.
Expect another letter from me soon, with more information.
I will remind you it is not too late to return home, live a new life. I fear, though, that window will soon close and you will be committed whether you are ready or not.
I will pray for you, though I do not think She deals in the kind of mercy I’ll ask for.
Yours in faith,
F
I crumpled the paper in my hands.
So the Da Vias knew I’d survived their attack. They must have spoken to the Addamos. But maybe the Da Vias didn’t suspect it was me. Maybe the Addamos confused the situation and told them I was Rafeo. If they had counted and identified bodies, they wouldn’t have found Rafeo’s or mine.
But even if they thought I was Rafeo, that didn’t give me much of an advantage. Perhaps they would be surprised when they discovered the truth, as Alexi Addamo had been, but it wouldn’t change anything. They’d have to kill me no matter who I turned out to be, and I’d be easier to kill than Rafeo, who had been the best of us.
I was running out of time.
I leaned back against the wall of my space, trying to calm the fear and anxiety that had crept over me after Faraday’s letter.
A thump came from above. I jerked my stiletto from my boot and scrambled to my feet.
Alessio peered down at me from the hole in the ceiling, an amused expression on his face. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
I resheathed my stiletto, trying to decide if I was embarrassed. Clearly I was on edge from Faraday’s letter, but I’d rather overact to nothing than underreact to an actual threat.
He dropped through the hole, dust puffing around his boots. He was dressed in green trousers and a matching vest covering a loose-fitting linen shirt, his pendant resting against his chest. He looked clean, freshly washed, with his hair pulled back tightly in a tail and the short beard on his chin neatly trimmed.
Alessio looked me up and down, taking in the same stained dress I’d been wearing, and tried to hide a grin. He turned and examined my space, the empty floors, my saddle-blanket bed, my bags of weapons and supplies. Everything I owned, except for Butters stabled at the monastery.
“Is this where you’ve been staying?” he asked.
“And?” I snapped.
“Nothing. Four walls are always better than none once the ghosts come out.”
“What are you doing here, Alessio?”
“Les,” he corrected. “I want to show you something. And we can get some food on the way. My treat.”
This was the second time he was giving me food. Third if I counted the stolen fruit. “Are you courting me?”
He smiled, that ridiculous crooked smile of his. “Do you want me to court you?”
I stiffened. “Les . . .”
He held up his hands. “Lea, I simply want to make your stay here in Yvain easier. That’s it. If you’re not at your best, then your training won’t be your best either. I’m sure you’re starving, and honestly, I could use the company.”
“Are you going to show me how to make the timed bomb?”
He at least had the decency to feel embarrassed, judging by the way his throat turned red. “No, we can’t during the day.”
I glared at him. He had to be delaying things. I didn’t know why, but I couldn’t trust him.
“We had a deal,” I said. This was taking too long. I hadn’t accomplished anything yet, and Faraday’s letter urged me to hurry. I couldn’t spend any more time here.
“I know. We can work on it tomorrow night.”
“Tonight.”
He shook his head. “It’ll take me time to get all the supplies we’ll need. But tomorrow night. I promise. Now, let’s get something to eat before we starve.”