The inn was quiet, its halls filled with the faint crackle of torches burning low.
Luciel stood by the window, one hand resting on the frame, the other idly tapping against the wood. Outside, the streets lay wrapped in darkness, their stone alleys swallowed by shadow.
He narrowed his eyes. "Something's wrong."
Behind him, Mino tilted her head, her long, soft ears perking curiously. "What is it? You've been staring outside since we got back."
Luciel closed the window and turned toward her, his expression calm but his voice low and measured. "We're being watched."
"Watched?" Mino's ears twitched anxiously. She crept to his side, straining to listen through the walls. "Who would watch us?"
"I don't know yet," Luciel admitted, his brow furrowing. "But the feeling started on the way here. I had the tricolor lizards sweep the area—they confirmed it. Someone's keeping an eye on us."
The rabbit-eared girl frowned, her nose scrunching slightly. "Could it be the Bloodbeard's men?"
