ise

ir did nothing to dull the sat

my first stop at Weaver's Cloak Emporium, tucked away in a quiet corner of the upper district. I traded my threadbare Parker-issued t

lection in the

s gone. In its place was a sharp, dangerous clarity. I l

was s

r in neat, quiet rows. I leased the top floor of a four-story building overlooking the cobblestones-a spacious, airy loft equ

s. I paid in cash, took the iron keys, and s

nt to breathe in the quiet safety of my new sanctuary. By the time the afternoon sun dipped below

ary supplier and a hot meal, only to find a figu

er, the Sinclair fa

chain glinting across his silk vest. He bowed to me with absolute pr

respectful. "Lord Sinclair has awakened. He respec

. "I told the appraiser ou

he wishes to discuss the procurement of the ingredients you mentioned for his

or debts. A wizard of Alastair's standing could not afford the magical backlash of breaking a hospitality pledge to

well,"

an adjoining courier office. He tossed a handfu

, Private Parlo

hrough the e

lasted only a heartbeat before I stepped

were painted with moving constellations; massive floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked sprawl

He looked ten years younger. The gray rot that had clung to hi

site him was a young man

leather-bound treatise on advanced counter-curses resting on his knee. When I entered, his

from his chair with an agility he hadn't pos

ffering a polite, measured

"The healers from Saint Valerius arrived an hour ago. They ran three diagnostics and ne

erization. To dissolve the necrotic root permanently, you will need powdered

uisition," Alastair said, beaming. He paused, his eyes

ocratic glint entere

ering his final year at the Academy. He's an insufferable brooding brat, but his dueling reflexes are passable, and the Sinclair family lacks for not

as Draven

of his book. His gaze remained locked on my face, watching closely fo

with absolute,

Barnaby set before me, took a sin

emotion. "However, I have no interest in marriage arrangements, patronage, or beco

ety circles, half the daughters of the Sacred Twenty-Eight

d upward in a slow, genuine smirk, revealing a flash of profound, unexpected intrigue. He was look

ith your steward," I continued, standin

's voice cut t

as low, dark, and smooth, carrying the effortless

oked down at his grandfather. "I wil

us with a shrewd, approving grin. "

ned gallery toward the floo reception hall. His strid

ey are currently spreading word that you stole an heirloom potion recipe and fled into the ci

f the hearth and looked

kers built their house on borrowed magic. When it collapses, I want t

flickering with something raw, predatory, and deeply fascinated. A muscl

ve, pulled out an object

lver, its back carved with the constellation of t

tingency," Drav

between our hands, sending a sudden jolt up my arm. Draven's breath hitched imperceptibly, his eyes dropping t

ire... specialized authorization," he finis

then back at him, feeling the

, Sinclair

e emerald flames, leaving the young master of Abyssal House standin