-Ryn Ashten-

Drew looked even paler, if that were possible, when he returned to the Octurn that evening. The sun was melting into the wet puddles huddled on the cobblestones, turning the streets of Deporta into a chaotic masterpiece, forever shifting and becoming something new.

Ryn looked him up and down quizzically, searching for the reason behind his subtle change.

“Are you sick?” she asked, folding her arms over her chest. “I told you to take the day off, not incapacitate yourself for the rest of the week.”

“I’m fine, I just toured Deporta. I’ve never been down on the streets before, among the people. I stopped at Sur’s Bakery. The owner was something else. He seemed to know something I didn’t…”

Ryn held back a giggle. If only he knew who Sur was, Drew would have needled the poor man until he spilled his secrets. And they were many and varied.

Ryn should know. Sur was her uncle after all.

“He is quite the character. What was your impression of him?”

“Quite likable,” Drew said, removing his slightly damp shadow cloak and crossing the room in the Octurn to look out the windows.

He did that a lot.

“And his wares are unbelievably good! You’d think he’d spent several lifetimes perfecting his craft.”

Ryn shrugged her shoulders noncommittally. “They’re ok….” She couldn’t help teasing Drew. He was taking his temporary role as lineal quite seriously, especially given that he was supposed to be the Rew spy.

She’d been looking for an opportunity to talk to him about his position and reveal her own agenda, but the last week had been filled with fiery debates about growing tensions in Ananth and strange occurrences in Whisten. Apparently the Jadelin were on the move, which Ryn found not only laughable, but also almost impossible.

The Jadelin didn’t exist. They were a nightmare told to children to encourage them to eat vegetables or something.

She kept her views to herself during the meetings, but inwardly she wondered if the Forlorn were experiencing even more inner strife. The people who lived in Deporta were quite peaceful and proud of their heritage, but those living on the fringes, near the ruins…

Ryn had heard the stories. They saw things. Things disappeared. No people had been reported missing, but some of them seemed changed, seemingly overnight. They lost their warrior spirit, their drive to fight and spill blood for their land.

That was exactly where Drew needed to go, although he didn’t know it yet. She had been handling the affairs of the Forlorn elite since Callan Shadows left in search of Jordan Guildedsun, convinced she was the true lineal and the rightful ruler of the Forlorn.

And he was probably right, but from the little she’d heard of the mysterious girl, Jordan hadn’t wanted the position anyway.

Unlike Reign. Ryn was well aware that most people feared the vicious raisling, but underneath the cold exterior and stony eyes Ryn saw a familiar story—unresolved loss.

Hadn’t they all experienced enough loss…

“…and then I tasted one of the poplicks and it was obvious the little girl in the bakery knew exactly what she was doing.”

Drew was still defending Uncle. Ryn smiled broadly, unconcerned with the fact Drew wouldn’t understand why she was grinning. She’d let him think it was his opinion on poplicks.

And they were pretty good…

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“So Drew, have you had enough of the towers yet?” Ryn had never been one to cut corners or coddle. The direct route had gotten her into the towers in the first place. Had gotten her a position as the right hand of the “mysterious ally.”

She knew him by another name—Sapphire. Ryn was smart enough to know it was just another placeholder for his real name; the name referenced the man’s Orenda, which was sapphire, a form that hadn’t been seen in Forlorn circles in many, many years.

“The towers? You already know how much I love these prison… pristine pillars of glass. A true landmark of the Forlorn’s great strength and prowess and all that.”

“Of course,” she said dryly. Drew was usually better at pretending, but something from earlier in the day seemed to have him distracted and more honest than usual.

“As I’m sure you’re aware from our painfully long meetings with the Forlorn elite, many people are concerned with the situation in Whisten. People are scared, and the settlement is far enough away from Deporta that we honestly don’t know what’s truly going on.

“Although some lineals have remained in the towers, directing from afar, others—at least the good ones—have gone out among the people and served them on the ground, in the streets.

“Obviously, from your impressive display at the lineal ceremony, you strike me as the kind of leader who wants to be on the ground, in the dirt with everyone else.”

“Yes.” Drew said the word so fast he almost choked on it. “When can I leave?”

“Right now. I took the liberty of freeing up your schedule for the next couple weeks. You’ve satisfied enough of the stuffy elite here that they won’t miss you too much for a while. And it’s pointless to keep talking circles around the potential threats and dangers to the Whisten people when we don’t know exactly what’s going on.”

Drew finally tore his attention away from the windows, making eye contact with Ryn. His eyes, usually a nondescript almost-black blue color, were sparkling. A hidden weight seemed to lift from his shoulders and join the baggage Ryn was already shouldering.

Oh well, good thing I’ve got two strong shoulders.

“I’m ready. Do you have a map I can use to lead me to Whisten? I know it’s north of here, but I’ve never been there.”

“Already on the roof in your pack with the meager possessions you own.” Ryn examined her fingernails for invisible dirt, secretly pleased with herself but far too proud to show it.

“You think of everything. It’s surprising they didn’t choose you to serve as lineal instead of an outsider like me,” Drew said, withdrawing a whistle from under his dark clothing and blowing through it. It was silent, but Ryn knew his rowder would come quickly.

“They wanted to dump the job on me,” she said honestly, “but I’ve never been interested in the titles or crowns. Eventually I’ll have to take my own fate into my hands and pursue my own dreams and aspirations, and being the ruler of half of Ealias sounds like yet another shackle I don’t need.”

“But I know you care about the people. You put on a strong persona, but no one puts more time into serving them than you,” Drew insisted.

Ryn blinked. Unfortunately, the boy was right.

Occupational hazard.

“We all have our strengths and weaknesses. We can’t all be as outwardly good as you. Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask, talked to Acelin recently?”

“Who?” The question was too fast, and his eyes betrayed his surprise.

“We don’t all worship the Forlorn’s corruption and fall from grace. I’m a… friend of the mountain dwellers.”

“…but, you, you’ve been here forever!”

“It may seem like it, but I only stepped into this role two years ago. I’m your contact to Rew’s ally.”

“Really? And have they sent you any information or instructions for me? I was beginning to think Rew had forgotten about me.”

“Or that you had forgotten about them.”

Drew began to protest, but Ryn held up her hand. “I see the genuine concern you feel for the people here. And what you feel is good. Even though some people in Rew are eager to destroy the Forlorn, there are some good roots still, hidden under the surface. And many of the people are solid, genuine.

“I don’t make the comment to insult you, but to compliment you.”

“Has anyone ever told you your compliments are a little hard to swallow?”

Ryn laughed, the real thing that lasted a while and brought a couple tears to her eyes.

“No. I make it a point not to compliment people usually.”

Drew shook his head in mock disbelief, but she’d managed to get him to smile too. It softened his face and sharp features, brought out the boy hiding under the stone mask of the man, the lineal.

It was faint, but Ryn could pick out the beating of rowder wings above them.

“Safe travels. We won’t expect you back for three weeks.”

Drew bowed his head in her direction respectfully and was heading up the stairs to the roof when she added, “Enjoy it.”