Nina didn't stop walking until the lights and noise of the main street swallowed the silence behind her.
Her cloak fluttered in the early evening breeze, her steps uneven. She turned sharply into a quieter lane and leaned against a wall, pulling her hood lower.
[That was reckless. Kevin's carelessness could have unraveled everything.]
Solarin said, voice calm despite the tension in her chest.
"I know. But I didn't expect him to follow me."
Nina whispered, pressing her fingers to her temple.
[You should've. You are the glue that holds these threads together. They all orbit you, even if they don't know why.]
Her Patron murmured.
"That's not comforting."
She pulled away from the wall and started walking again. Her boots clicked softly against the cobblestones. Her heart still hadn't settled.
Hwan had looked too stunned to speak—but not angry. Not yet. That could change by morning.
