Kaelen arrived before dawn this time, sprite at his heels, a roll of paper tucked under his arm. The twins were already there. Bent over a table covered in charcoal sketches and mathematical scribbles. The air was thick with the scent of old wood and fresh graphite. The only light came from a single oil lamp that cast long, wavering shadows across the walls.
They looked up when he entered. Their identical faces brightened with the particular excitement even the sickly Aperi was slightly bright.
"You came," Ariani said. His voice was rough, as if he had been up all night.
"I said I would."
"You're a noble. Nobles lie."
Kaelen set his paper on the table and Ignored the bluntness. It unrolled with a soft rustle, weighted at the corners by stones he had collected from the harbor that morning. The stones were cold, damp with frost, and they left small circles of water on the parchment. The twins leaned in, their breath catching.
