“Woah!” Seth exclaimed. “You got to see him rebuild a market stand?” He shuffled a deck of cards on the table. They looked older than he was, with tattered edges and faded ink.

Overhead, the morning sun cast long streams of light into the house through the windows.

“Yeah,” Cora said. She draped her cloak over the back of the chair across from him. The air outside was already hot and the need to cool down overcame her desire to stay hidden.

She glanced over at Idris.

He sat with Mattias at the other end of the table, a cup of something steamy in hand. He still looked tired, though far better than he had been the day before. They had gone to see Mattias first thing. His explanation for the healer had been brief, but that did not stop Seth from getting worked up.

“It sounds like I just missed it,” he complained. “I should have stayed longer.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why?”

Before he could answer, a sudden banging on the door silenced the room.

Seth put the cards down and turned toward the door.

“I’ll get it,” Mattias said, holding a hand up to stop him. He crossed the room to another round of banging, and when he opened the door, a woman in a dark purple cloak rushed inside. “Delta. What are you doing here? Where is Liam?” he asked, glancing outside before closing the door.

Delta lowered her hood. Her hair was pulled back into a sloppy bun, revealing a red, tear streaked face. “I’ve had it with him,” she spat, approaching the table. When her eyes landed on Cora, her expression turned to a glare. “Why are you still here?” Without leaving time for a response, she continued. “You should have left! I warned you.”

“What?” Cora asked, turning to face the woman with a glare of her own.

Delta’s eyes widened. “You have made a huge mistake,” she said.

Cora crossed her arms. “What are you talking about?” The metal band she wore caught her eye and realization dawned on her.

Delta pointed at it with a shaking finger. “How could you?” she demanded, fire blazing in her glare.

“That’s enough,” Idris interrupted, the exhaustion gone from his voice.

“Come on, Delta,” Mattias said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s talk in the other room.”

“You should have gone home.” She sent one final glowering look to Cora before allowing Mattias to lead her away from the table and into the cot room.

Cora scowled at the door as it shut behind them. She remembered the warning Delta had given her. She had said to choose carefully because not all people would make good Shields and that she wouldn’t be able to change her mind once she chose. The metal band on her arm, shiny and clean, did not feel like a mistake though it had brought unwanted attention. She sighed.

“I wonder what happened,” Seth said, pulling her attention away from the door and back to the table.

“I can only imagine,” Idris said quietly.

Shouting, muffled by the door, reached their ears.

Idris looked at Cora. “We should probably go.”

“Why?” Seth asked. “You just got here. Matt will take care of Delta. I wanna hear more about yesterday.”

Cora rolled her eyes.

“There’s nothing more to tell,” Idris answered.

As quickly as it had started, the shouting ended and Mattias returned, closing the door to the cot room with a heavy sigh.

“How is she?” Idris asked, standing to meet him.

Mattias shook his head. “Resting.” He motioned toward the other side of the room where the cushions were arranged in a seating area.

“I wonder why it’s a secret,” Seth said as the healer and the Shield moved away.

Cora pulled her stare from the door and looked around the now quiet room. “Maybe it was a mistake,” she murmured.

“No way,” Seth said, regaining her attention.

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She raised her eyebrows at him. “You don’t know that.”

“Sure I do. Think about it. Where else would you have gone if not through the portal? And now you have one of the most powerful Shields in all of Phaedra.”

“I know…” Isla had said the same thing, and the way everyone asked about her gave weight to the words.

Seth smiled and laughed. “After yesterday, I bet it’s hard not to believe, huh?”

Cora shook her head. “Isla said the same thing.” She reached up and ran a hand over the braid the woman had woven in her hair. Between Idris touching the ground and rebuilding the broken stands, and Isla doing her hair and talking to her like a friend, it had been a day full of new experiences; one she would not forget. Do I really want to leave this place? She barely heard Seth talking, lost in her own conflicting thoughts.

It did not occur to her that she was watching Mattias and Idris until they approached the table.

“He’ll show up,” Mattias said, coming to a stop. “Especially now.”

Idris met her eyes.

“What happened?” Seth asked, interrupting whatever he was about to say.

Mattias hesitated before answering. “Delta just needs to rest for a while.”

Cora narrowed her eyes and studied the healer’s face, searching for the truth he was clearly hiding.

“We should go,” Idris said, regaining her attention.

“Why?” The question surprised her. Seth was the one who was always asking questions. This time, though, she was curious.

“I’d rather not wait —” He was cut off by another round of banging on the door. He closed his mouth and she saw the muscles in his jaw twitch.

Mattias took his time, pushing a chair in to its place at the table before crossing to the door.

Cora twisted in her seat to watch as he put a hand on the handle, took a slow breath, and opened it.

Liam burst in with wide eyes. “Where is she?” he demanded.

Idris moved closer to the table, positioning himself between the frantic visitor and Cora.

“Hello, Liam,” Mattias said, stepping in front of him with fluid movements.

Cora could feel the tension filling up the room as they waited for Liam to respond. She leaned to the side to see around Idris.

Liam cleared his throat and crossed his arms, then uncrossed them again. When he spoke again his tone was composed. “Sorry. I— I lost Delta on the way to the market. I figured she might have come here. Have you seen her?” She thought she heard something in his voice, hidden beneath the panic. It made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

“She is here,” Mattias answered slowly.

“Where is she?” Liam asked without skipping a beat. He scanned the room again and when his eyes landed on Cora he paused, just for a breath, before looking back to Mattias.

“She is resting now. Why don’t you come sit down and tell me what happened?” Mattias motioned toward the table.

The sound of cards shuffling caught Cora’s attention and she turned to see Seth picking up his cards. She aimed a questioning look in his direction and he shook his head, his expression concerned.

“Delta told me her side,” Mattias said, pulling a chair out for Liam at the far side of the table. “What’s yours?” He sat down beside the panicked man, giving Liam his full attention.

Idris took the seat on the man’s other side, still between him and Cora. He stood behind the chair, hands resting on its back. The way he stood reminded her of their encounters with Shadow-Walkers, putting her even more on edge.

“We were on our way to the market and she just ran off,” Liam said. His voice had changed again oozing with a fake concern that sent Cora back to the city. It was eerily close to the way the upper class spoke to the Rats.

“Is that all?” Mattias asked.

“I don’t know why she ran!” Liam burst out. “How am I supposed to know why she does what she does?” He grumbled under his breath and Cora thought she heard the word, “unstable.” When he cleared his throat again, he composed himself. “Can I please see her? I just want to make sure she’s okay.”

Mattias shook his head. “She is sleeping right now. She’s alright, I promise, but I am not going to wake her up so soon.”

Liam huffed, narrowing his eyes at the healer. “Since when was she your responsibility?”

“Since she came to me for help.” There was an air of finality to Mattias’s words that conflicted with his usual calm.

Liam gritted his teeth. Then he rounded on Idris. “And what about you!? Are you here to team up against me?” He spat the accusation.

Idris shook his head. “No.”

“No one is teaming up against you,” Mattias interrupted, calling the man’s attention back to him. “She needs to rest and you need to calm down. Go, do your shopping, and come back when you can think clearly. Then the two of you can talk.”

Liam ran his fingers through his hair. “What is there to say?”

“You might start with an apology,” Idris commented.

Liam stood, pushing his chair back with a loud scraping noise. His eyes flicked to Cora and back. “What would you know?” he demanded, slamming a fist down on the table. “How long have you been a Shield? A day? That’s nothing, and she’s—“ He cut himself off suddenly, looking at Idris as if seeing him for the first time. “You have no business giving me advice,” he growled.

“This isn’t about them,” Mattias intervened. “This is about you and Delta.” He stood slowly, meeting the man’s eyes.

Liam took a sharp breath, then let it out in a sigh. “How was I supposed to know this would happen?” he asked the healer. “It wasn’t supposed to happen. I am not prepared for a baby.”

Cora nearly choked. She whipped her head around to look at Seth who met her with an expression that must have mirrored her own.

“How is it even possible?” Liam let his shoulders slump. “What am I supposed to do?” he asked.

“That is a conversation for later,” Mattias answered, choosing his words with care.

Liam nodded. “Fine. I guess I’ll leave her here and come back later.”

“I’ll be here,” Mattias confirmed, walking him to the door before he could change his mind.

“That went well,” Idris said dryly when Liam had gone and the door was shut.

“About as well as we can expect, I suppose,” Mattias agreed.

“I thought the Ancient Magic is what determines who can have children,” Seth spoke up.

Mattias looked over at them. “It has far less say over those without magic, so the possibility is higher.”

“What do you think he’s going to do?” Seth asked.

Mattias shook his head. “We have no way of knowing.”

“He’ll be back,” Idris added.

“That is one thing we can be sure of,” Mattias said with a grimace.

“We should go,” Idris said, directing his attention to Cora.

“That sounds good to me.” She stood without hesitation and picked up her cloak, draping it over her shoulders.

“See you later,” Seth called as they headed for the door.

“Yeah. Ok,” she responded without looking back.