Dreams starring the Boleyn siblings plagued Bunty’s night. He saw Alexander surviving his injuries but spending the rest of his life in bed with dull eyes. Edgar successfully took over as heir and filled the Boleyn’s house coffers but cost the family its reputation. They became reviled as the rest of the houses. Victoria came after him again but grew resentful following his rejections and married a DeLawney to bring more power to the Boleyn name.

It pained Bunty to see Alexander suffer and Baba turned out on the street. The dream ended with him returning from a climb to find Baba dead on the streets. Someone had stabbed the famous Swordmaster in the back and Bunty couldn’t help but blame himself for it. When he awakened, it was still dark outside, but the sound of carts and workers already filled the streets.

Even though he hadn’t planned it, Gwyneth and he had ended up cuddling during the night. He found his hand tucked in between her breasts—over her nightclothes, of course—with her fingers intertwined with hers. They hadn’t gone to sleep that way, but the cold temperature must have driven them together. When Bunty realised his morning hardness was pressed against her warm, soft bottom. He quickly turned his hips away.

“It’s alright,” Gwyneth said, yawning. “You poked me in your sleep a few times. The warmth was comforting, so I didn’t wake you up.”

“I’m sorry.” Bunty let out an embarrassed laugh and quickly retrieved his hand. “That wasn’t my intention.”

“I’m pretty sure it won’t be the first time we’ll have to share body heat as we continue climbing.” Gwyneth winked at him before rolling out from under the covers. “By Gaia, it’s cold,” she said in a shaky voice. Shivering didn’t get the cold out of her bones. So, Gwyneth draped her cape around her shoulders.

The long nightdress hugging Gwyneth’s curves and her nipples poking through the fabric made Bunty forget his witty response. Even though he was still enamoured with Victoria, Bunty couldn’t help but admire beauty when he saw it. He forced himself to look away, though. Gwyneth was his climbing partner, and he needed to treat her as such. Looking at her sexually wasn’t an option.

“Have you made up your mind regarding what you’d like to do about Victoria?” Gwyneth asked, looking back at him. “Are you blushing, Bunty?”

“No.”

“Your ears say otherwise. It’s not a big deal, alright?” She sighed. “We’re pretending to be a couple anyway. Things won’t get awkward unless you make them so. I’ll ask you again: what do you plan to do about Victoria?”

“Nothing,” he answered. “Not to start things up or for closure. It’s just not worth it.” Bunty stepped out of bed and stretched. “How did you sleep?”

“Not well at first. Then you threw an arm and leg over me. The weight kept me from getting out of bed at first. Eventually, the warmth got to me, and I ended up having the best night of sleep I’ve had in a long time.”

“Now you’re just trying to make me blush, aren’t you?”

Gwyneth laughed but didn’t answer. The first rays of dawn leaked in through the frosty window, reminding the pair that they needed to get moving. As they dressed, Bunty couldn’t figure out what to think of Gwyneth. She and Victoria couldn’t be more different if they tried. He had never met anyone like her before and was glad to have her by his side. Bunty just needed to make sure that his urges didn’t get the better of him.

Initially, Bunty had planned on not summoning his coat until they were far from the settlement. He changed his mind as soon as they left the tavern. A mist had descended on the valley, and the temperature had further dropped with it. The tavern’s landlord was still fast asleep. Since they had paid in advance, he’d have no reason to complain. Bunty hoped that they wouldn’t have to darken his door again, but if they did, hopefully, he wouldn’t hold the sudden disappearance against them. Hopefully, an excuse relating to a one-off job would be enough to placate him.

Victoria stood waiting for them by the gate. The DeLawney guards appeared to know her already and didn’t ask the party any questions as they exited the gate. They weren’t the only ones leaving the city. Lumberjacks had already started working on the nearby thicket of trees. Hunters headed away from Hyene territories looking for prey too. In the distance, Bunty spotted builders working on two new towers. If they intended to set up a city, the DeLawneys would need to expand and perhaps look into food production. They needed to increase the speed of their expansion.

The mist didn’t deter Victoria. She already had her fine armour summoned and took the lead, heading downhill. Her DeLawney-made map of the fifth floor was more detailed than the one in the guidebook, and annotations detailed where they’d find their mark. The valley carried sound far and wide, so they tried their best to stay silent. The trio feared fellow Climbers more than beasts. The DeLawneys only let approved parties approach the Hyene lands. Victoria had permission, but that didn’t extend to Bunty or Gwyneth.

Two hours passed before the sky cleared. We spotted deer as tall as elephants in the distance, but none of them approached us. They stuck to their herds, but the largest among them would go stiff, watching us pass. The guidebook called them hill springer deer and called them viscous. Despite their size, the creatures didn’t appear particularly threatening. None of the trio was willing to test the guidebook though.

“I think we’re far enough from civilisation to talk,” Victoria said. She kept her scarf wrapped around her mouth and nose, so her words came out muffled as well. “I managed to get leads on a couple more tribes, a large cat that preys on the deer and the Hyene warrior’s exact location. We’re going to find a door for you to keep climbing today one way or another.”

“Thank you, Victoria,” Bunty said, flashing her his best smile.

“You have no idea how much your help means to me, Miss Boleyn,” Gwyneth added. “I was ready to write off the nobility for good, but Bunty convinced me otherwise. Thank you.”

“Our escorts—the pair you saw yesterday—told us about a Gwyneth Frie over drinks last night, I assume that’s you.” The wind picked up, dropping the ambient temperature and making it harder to hear one another. In order to keep our volume low, we walked shoulder to shoulder. “You know they’re calling you a thief, right? The story is: you stole research they paid for and are lying to the council so they can’t get it back.”

“That’s not a complete lie.” Gwyneth sighed. “My father used to be in their employ, and I inherited his research data. The DeLawneys tried to keep me as an indentured Climber after pushing his debts on to me.”

“That’s despicable,” Victoria said after a moment of silence. “I didn’t know things like that still happen in New Calcutta.”

“And now they’re your closest allies,” Bunty said, chuckling. “The wonders of nobility.”

Victoria fell silent, leaving Bunty regretting his words. He knew it wasn’t Victoria’s fault, but there was a rage in him that he wanted to get out.

“I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair.” Bunty regretted to have put her in its receiving end.

“It wasn’t.” Victoria’s volume made it almost possible to hear her. She sighed, glancing at him. “I understand you’re worried and unhappy, Bunty. I am too. Don’t you think I’d rather be climbing the tower with you?” She looked at Gwyneth. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know the nature of your relationship with Bunty. If it’s romantic in nature, this might be awkward for you to hear.” Victoria stopped, turned, and took Bunty’s hands in her. “I’m genuinely sorry. I’ve been attracted to you for the longest time, but instead of saying something, I tried to play games. It was stupid of me, but I thought that it would encourage you to get off your arse and make a move if I pretended to like Lawrence. If we were together, perhaps none of this would’ve happened. I love you, Bunty and I hope you’ll allow me to show you how sorry I am.”

Bunty looked between the two women. He didn’t know what to say to Victoria and wanted to hide his embarrassment from Gwyneth. Bunty regretted not taking the previous evening to design a hood and scarf to accompany his coat.

“I need time, Victoria,” Bunty said. His partnership’s nature was none of Victoria’s business, and he didn’t feel the need to iron it out for her. “I know your conditions aren’t ideal having to work with Edgar and the DeLawneys, but there is nothing I can do about that now. If its comfort you want, I’m not in a place to provide that either. Let’s just be friends for now, and perhaps someday things will be different.”

“I understand,” Victoria said, looking away.

They still had a long way to go, so the party returned to walking in silence. Bunty didn’t mind. In fact, he preferred it. Drama only added to the distractions. He hoped Victoria understood where he was coming from. It was evident from the look in her eyes that his words stung, but Bunty thought it essential that she understood his standing. He seriously doubted time would change his decision not to get involved with her or the Boleyns ever again, but he didn’t have it in him to say the words outright.