Keke, Ravyn, and I found shade beneath a tree close to the underground base. The sun was low on the horizon, and a handful of long clouds drifted through hues of oranges and violets. I shivered with the evening chill and pulled my jacket tighter around my chest.

Keke sat cross-legged at my side, resting her thigh against mine. Her familiar warmth was comforting, and I wanted so badly to be somewhere we could share a bed again. She wrapped her tail behind us, and the tip rested against my leg. Ravyn stood across from us, leaning against the tree with her arms crossed. Ball flew high above, out of sight, probably just happy to not be inside a sack.

“Let’s start with you, Keke,” I opened the floor.

She nodded. “Like I was saying, the stream carries a good amount of fish, both shelled and free-swimming. I would warn against casting a net for an extended period of time, though. Trying to catch everything in there at once could disrupt the populations coming through the fencing.”

“So they’ll have to balance fishing and hunting.” I leaned back on my hands, snaking Keke’s tail between my thumb and forefinger.

A tiny smile she tried to suppress teased her lips. “Right. It would be important for them to forage the plants available to them, hunt the roaches worth eating, and alternate fishing days.”

“Except these girls have no fucking idea how to hunt. Or fish. And their mages would burn every roach to ash with their magic,” Ravyn spoke up. “We can’t stay here forever and teach them how to function.”

I nodded. The thought had occurred to me while I’d spent time teaching my group how to garden. Even Shizen’s crash course had taken a couple of weeks, and I still felt like there was plenty I could learn. I recalled my first failed day fishing and the epic failure of my first Encroacher encounter.

There was really only one way around this. “They need help from another city. Even if just a few girls can stay here until they can move back to the surface. They’ve proven they’re pretty damn good fighters, but the other stuff would benefit a lot more from a mentor.”

Keke’s brow crinkled. “Where can we find the girls? Badyron and Sorentina seemed spread thin already.”

I hummed in thought, toying with Keke’s tail and enjoying feeling her squirm beside me.

To my surprise, Ravyn spoke first. “What if they traded places for a time?”

“What do you mean?” Keke asked.

“Like you said, they can fight. Hell, they ran to Badyron to find more fighters for that gross Defiled. The girls at the Guild Hall could train them better for combat in exchange for people who can hunt, fish, and farm.” Ravyn brushed an escaped tendril of her long hair back over her shoulder. “Not for forever, like you said.”

It was a solid plan that only had benefits from what I could see—opened trade with another city, contact with more girls outside of their cave. They could join their forces instead of working solo. “That’s a great idea, Ravyn.”

She smirked. “I know.”

“What did you find out about the wards?” Keke pressed.

“Right. Wards. Well, there are four girls here who could control their Magic without blowing the place up. Two others could conjure up a few party tricks and one that might be able to use healing magic, but Cannoli would be a better judge of that.”

You’re being uncharacteristically helpful today. “I’m guessing you worked with the four, then?”

“Mhm. By the time we were done, they could each conjure up a minor ward that’ll last a couple of days. This city’s huge, though. They’ll have to pick and choose where to put them.”

“If the Encroacher problem’s as bad as they say, it could be constantly triggered,” Keke added. “We ran into a fair few today, but nothing that would force them to stay underground if they know how to fight.” She paused in thought, and I noticed a string of goosebumps against her throat. “Is there a way to adjust what they react to? Like a Defiled versus an Encroacher?”

“That’s some advanced shit. Nothing four brand new [Mage]s could figure out in a couple of days,” Ravyn said.

I recalled my conversation with Marianne earlier as we worked. “Marianne, er, one of the guards said it’s not the Defiled that give them the biggest problems in the gates. It’s mostly the roaches.”

Ravyn cackled and stared at me knowingly. “Glad one of us is getting comfortable around this miserable place.”

Keke leaned harder against me and cleared her throat. Without awarding Ravyn even a glance, she pressed on. “Then we need to figure out where the wards would be best placed. It would help if we knew the size of the threat they face.”

I shrugged. “Maybe tomorrow. It sounds like clear days like this are rare.”

“How’d your time in the dirt go, Matt?” Ravyn asked. “You’re awfully clean for someone digging up worms all day.”

I felt my face flush, and I glanced toward the ground. “I cleaned up, too. Anyway, we found a great house for them to start with. We just need to build it a door. Which reminds me, how far is the stream from here?”

Keke pointed north. “It’s that way. It’s only a fifteen-minute walk or so.”

“Then it’ll take multiple girls with buckets to water that garden. Damn. Too bad there isn’t a well around he—” I stopped and shook my head in disbelief. There was a natural hot spring right under our feet. There was no reason they couldn’t use it for the plants. Except for Jazz. “Actually, there’s a solution. But Jazz isn’t going to like it.”

“Oh? Do tell,” Ravyn grinned. “Anything to make that bitch squirm.”

“Her room has a hot spring in the far, far back,” I replied, rubbing the back of my neck. “But she doesn’t let anyone else use it.”

Ravyn’s smile widened. “And how do you know that, boy?”

“That’s not important,” Keke snapped. “Certainly she has to understand that could mean the difference in starving or eating that night, right?”

“I would hope so. But her attitude so far doesn’t exactly inspire a lot of confidence,” I admitted. “I’ll talk to her after she’s, well, done with Tristan.”

Ravyn barked another laugh. “What I wouldn’t give to see how that’s going.”

“I didn’t know you were into watching,” I joked.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, baka.”

“I just hope he’s alright. Same with Ara. She looked crushed,” Keke sighed.

“We should head back down, anyway. It’s getting dark.” Ravyn called out for Ball, and a flash of blue descended from the sky to her shoulder. “Coming?” she asked when neither of us made a move to leave.

“Yeah, we’ll be right there,” I replied. I hadn’t had a chance to talk with Keke in what felt like ages. She nodded her agreement.

“Suit yourselves.” Ravyn shrugged and made her way back to the entrance of the underground city.

We both watched her leave. Once she was out of sight, I slid a hand around Keke’s waist. She tilted her head against my shoulder. “How are you doing?” I asked.

“I’m tired, Matt,” she replied. “I wish we were home.”

“Yeah, me too.” I abandoned her tail in favor of taking her hand and entwining our fingers. “A warm bed, a warm meal, and less clothes would do us some good.”

Keke chuckled. She traced circles on the back of my hand with her thumb. “You know, back in the cave with that horrible girl… I’ve never been so scared in my whole life. What she did to Cannoli, and then your offer to stay with her… I just—” she shuddered, and her words quivered. “I thought I was going to lose you both.”

I kissed the top of her head, inhaling and memorizing her scent all over again. My time spent with Marianne may have sated latent frustrations, but sitting here, quietly at Keke’s side, felt safe. Like home. “I promise, you’ll never have to worry about me actually jumping into a pot of God knows what.”

I was hoping for another laugh, but Keke tilted her head up, golden eyes packed with concern. Her voice dropped to a whisper, “I never want to lose you.”

I tipped my head so our foreheads touched. “Hey, if you’re next to me, I can do anything. I’ll be by your side so long as you’ll have me. I promise.”

She tipped her chin and kissed me. Her lips were soft and warm and welcoming. I embraced her tightly and felt the tension in her shoulders relax.

“Hurry it up, you fucks! It’s dark!” Ravyn’s call screeched through the silence.

Keke pulled away and laughed. “She’s right. We can find more time later.”

Yes, please. I nodded and took her hand. “Lead on.”

Keke and Cannoli disappeared into one of the caverns the natives had dubbed “the kitchens.” Though, from what I saw, it was little more than a larger fire pit, sparse cookware, and a single stack of wooden crates. I wondered if that was leftover contraband from Jazz’s adventures in criminal dealings, but it didn’t seem to matter either way. Ravyn returned to her group of new [Mage]s, seeming to enjoy teaching more than she let on.

My favored mental image of her with a riding crop resurfaced, and I lingered on it for a moment before I saw Ara emerge from behind our room’s curtain. She glanced wearily from side to side, frowning with indecision. Her face was still intensely pale, and the dark rings circling her eyes were more prominent. This girl needed sleep.

Feeling a lot calmer than I had in our last conversation, I decided to break the silence between us. “Hey.”

She straightened her back and faced me head on. “Hello.”

“I’m sorry about earlier. You’re right, I did promise to watch him, and I left. That was my bad.” I paused and ran a hand through my hair. She waited, silently studying my face. “But I meant what I said. You have to let the kid spread his wings a little. I told you once before—he has to make his own decisions now.”

Ara gave me the slightest nod. “I know,” she murmured. “It’s really, really difficult. I’ve spent most of my life in the service of Venicia, learning to best act in the School of Etiquette. How to raise a family that would give back to our society. How to protect the Young Master if it ever came to that.” Her ears flicked back, and she avoided my eyes. “Never once before had I wondered how he felt about the arrangement.”

That checked out. Small wonder that so many of the citizens of Venicia treated Tristan like a precious commodity. “How do you feel about it now?”

“I want the Young Mas—” Ara stopped short and sighed. “I want Tristan to be happy.”

I was pretty sure that was the first time I’d heard Ara call him by name. We really are making progress. “Yeah?”

“Yes. I will continue to protect his life with my own. Should he wish me to stay at his side with wherever this may lead, so it shall be.” She clasped her hands in front of her apron and stared up at me. “Our island is a shade of what it used to be. I… I wish to assist him in restoring it.”

“I’m glad to hear that, really. And I know he will be, too. Just talk to him, Ara. I think right now that would help him more than anything.”

Ara nodded slowly. She slowly shifted from one foot to the other, her balance veering farther to the side than I liked.

I caught her by the shoulder and steadied her. “And get some sleep tonight. Okay?”

“Alright.”

Our conversation was interrupted by a breathless Marianne by my side. Her words were split with laughter. “Matt. You have to come see this.”

I looked at Ara. “You okay?”

Ara yawned behind one hand, then blinked her eyes a few times. “Yes, I’m well enough to join you, I believe.”

“Alright.” I looked back at Marianne. “Lead on.”

We traveled down the winding corridor until Marianne stopped short at one of the larger alcoves. Inside was a series of narrow tables stacked from end to end, then side to side, a lot like a tavern. At the head of one of the tables was Jazz. With Tristan in her lap.

Ara’s tension was electric. Her eyes locked on Jazz and her hand whipped one of the daggers free from its sheath.

Leave it to Ara to go from zero to Red Wedding in a heartbeat.

Jazz’s arms curled around Tristan’s waist, and she flashed me a brilliant smile as we passed through the curtain. “Matt. Good. Sit. We have much to discuss, it seems.”