Mei had spent her first night in Bradford searching for a place to sleep. It had taken her the afternoon to unpack Dwayne’s luggage, which meant that it was already dark by the time her brother had announced, without consulting her, that they weren’t staying at Sanford. After that, it took a fair bit of luck, to find a tenement apartment right before Bradford’s busy season whose prior occupants had left, and a fair bit of coin, to convince a bleary-eyed Mrs. Schofeld to open her doors to a pair of armed bedraggled foreigners, in order to secure the room whose door she stood in.

Huan had left three things behind: the sheets, the berry red suit he’d worn to that fateful dinner, and the pile of purple and white that Mei had worn to that same dinner.

Charlie picked up the dress. “I remember this.”

Mei made a vaguely affirmative sound. She and Huan had fought over that dress he’d stolen the dress she was supposed to wear and handed her that one instead. Now that fight seemed quaint, compared to what… She winced.

“Right.” Charlie tossed the dress back onto the bed. “Obviously not your most impressive outfit.” He spread his arms and touched both sides of the room. “I did not expect this place to be so small.”

“It’s one of the larger ones.” Mei pushed past Charlie to inspect the floor below the window where the dust had been subtly disturbed. “Mrs. Schofeld said she normally puts four in here.”

“Four? Really?” The scrytive’s disbelief made sense. This room wouldn’t pass for a closet at Sanford. “Surely you could have afforded better.”

“Yes, we could have.” Huan’s suit and its velvet lapels and gold detailing along the cuffs cost far more than the room’s monthly rent. “But he said we should not owe Dwayne anything.”

“Oh?” Charlie leaned against the wall. “Why?”

Mei sighed. “He didn’t want Dwayne or Rodion to know where he was.”

“Only you.” Charlie lowered his voice. “Are you ready to talk about it?”

She shuddered at the memories of a body lying in the street, dressed in sky blue leathers and blood, the golden eyes of a beast peering out from behind a sky blue mask, and the last words Huan had said to her, “You put strangers before him and that meant that all he has is me.”

Mei hauled herself back into the present. “He was here. He came back.”

Charlie watched her a moment then asked, “How do you know?”

Mei gestured to the disturbed dust. “His footprints and they don’t lead to the door.”

Charlie shook his head. “Why would he come back?”

“To collect anything useful.” Mei gestured to the dress and the suit. “Those aren’t. That’s why those are still here.”

“I see. So he was being careful?”

“Careful” didn’t describe one who snuck into a heavily armed fortress or robbed the Royal Palace or charged Mei when she had her rifle trained on him. “He has the confidence of squirrel stealing nuts from a sleeping hawk. It’s how he got the sword.”

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“You told me about that. He had Dwayne and Lady Pol’s… friend’s help, didn’t he?”

“Yes.” And the new Tiger and their archer had helped him escape the rooftops, and Kay and his mage had helped him escape Palace, and Mei had helped him escape Huo Luo. “He doesn’t know what it is like to be caught.”

“I see.” Charlie picked up Huan’s suit and shook it out. “So he thinks these are either worthless or useless.”

“Like me.” Mei sat on her old bunk. “He can’t trust me.”

Charlie put the suit aside and sat down next to her. “Are you ready to talk about it?”

She wasn’t, but she’d used two weeks, Charlie’s favors, Dwayne’s powers of persuasion, and Fran’s considerable reputation in order to keep herself out of the Chamber’s dungeons, where she should be because she should have known what Huan was up to, should have done something to stop him. She owed it to Fran, Dwayne, and Charlie - to their kindness and patience - not to mope any longer.

“Yes, I am.” She curled up, pulling her knees to her chest. “How do I… What do I say?”

Charlie patted her shoulder. “Let’s start with how you feel.”

“Lost. Alone.” Mei curled up tighter. “Afraid.”

“Why lost?”

“I’m only here because of him. I have never really thought about anything else except how to keep him safe.”

“Safe from what?”

From the Empire, from Momin, from the consequences of giving Mei back a piece of her soul. “I can’t say.”

Charlie nodded, accepting this. “Why do you feel alone?”

“He’s family.” Mei never learned where her parents were buried, not after they were cut down. “My only family.”

“What about young Gallus and Miss Lucchesi?”

Mei frowned. “They’re my friends.”

“What makes one family? Blood? Name?”

“Family keeps each other safe.”

Charlie smiled. “And who’s been keeping you safe?”

Mei’s head came up. “They have been, but… it’s not the same.”

“Good. I’d hate for your friendships to be anything like what you have with Huan. ‘Family keeps each other safe.’” Charlie chuckled. “I like that. The only thing I would add is ‘and they make us our best selves.’”

“‘Our best selves’?” Mei uncurled. “What does that mean?”

Charlie smiled. “You’ll figure it out. Why do you feel afraid?”

“What he’s doing, it can’t be good.” Mei curled up again. “Dwayne thinks that the people who hired him are looking for powerful magic that could hurt a lot of people. People like that are dangerous.”

“So you want to save him and keep him safe, but I have to ask.” Charlie slid off the bed and knelt before her. “Why you?”

Mei frowned. “I’m his sister.”

“Usually the elder sibling protects her younger siblings, not the other way around.”

“It’s always been this way.”

“But it doesn’t have to be.” Charlie gestured at the window, at the city. “He betrayed the queendom, betrayed his employer, and, most importantly, he betrayed you. He is past saving.”

What Mei said next opened a door she did not want open because what she wanted was to go back to that day in Anders and refuse Maggie’s offer and allow Huan find his freedom, thus evading the fate he’d chosen. But it was too late. “Maybe, but I still need to find him.”

“Find who?” Mrs. Schofeld was at the open door. “Your brother?”

“Mrs. Schofeld.” Charlie rose to his feet. “Do you have any idea where he is?”

“No, I’ve no idea,” said Mrs. Schofeld, “but the night workers might. They’re up on the rooftop getting used to the sun again.” Her eyes dropped to Mei. “Is she all right?”

Mei wiped her face and got to her feet. “Yes, I am.”

“Good, good. Hey, do you want them outfits? They’re gaudy things, but I can imagine they’d catch someone’s eye.”

Mei swallowed a hiccup at the words Huan had used to justify stealing her dress. “No, you can have it.”

“Really? You don’t want any coin for it?”

“I owe you for all the stew.” Mei smiled. “You should come have tea at Sanford sometime.”

Mrs. Schofeld blushed. “Oh, that’s… I mean if you insist.”

Charlie chuckled. “I believe she does.”

“Then just send word and I’ll put on something respectful and be there in a jiffy. Now,” Mrs. Schofeld straightened up, “I must go see to that leaky pump. Again.”

When she was out of earshot, Charlie asked, “Are we still going to the river?”

“After.” Mei was already in the corridor. “We should talk to the workers first.”

“Understood.” Charlie fell into line behind her. “What happens when you find your brother? What will you do then?”

Mei was glad that the scrytive lacked Fran’s observation skills or Dwayne’s familiarity with her as either of them would have caught the slight squeak in her voice when she answered, “Take him in and make him tell us how to find the others.”

That was only half of her plan. The other half was to make him safe.