Chapter 9 Ren Monroe

Ren watched impatiently as her mother separated from the others in line. She had a purchase tucked under one arm and an almost unreadable look on her face. When she finally spotted Ren waiting at the corner for her, she smiled.

"Got it," she said, untucking the paper. "This is the one you wanted, right?"

Ren frowned. "I don't care about the newspaper, Mother. Was it her?"

Their mark had just disappeared around the corner. This had all been her mother's idea. It was the only place in the city where a person could keep official tabs on the happenings of Kathor. They'd bribed the first few messenger boys who arrived that morning, showing them an old portrait of the Tin'Vori children. There was a girl, they said, who looked like one of the sisters, but they couldn't be sure. It was more than enough to convince Ren and her mother to wait around and see who showed up. They'd both marked the girl's arrival. She fit the description perfectly. A little tall. Her hair a nest of curls. Pretty, but always looking down to avoid eye contact. Now they were running out of time to pursue her. Ren just needed a confirmation of their guess.

"Was it who?" her mother replied.

"The girl. You talked to her in line. Were we right? Is it Nevelyn Tin'Vori?"

Her mother shook her head. "Ren. I didn't talk to anyone. I got you the newspaper.…"

But now she looked confused. Muddled. Ren was struck by the realization. Magic. She used magic on my mother. She thought back through what she'd witnessed from the shadowed mouth of the alleyway. Her mother had quietly taken her place behind the girl. Eventually she'd struck up a conversation. Their suspected Nevelyn had appeared closed off the entire time. A reasonable stance for someone who might want to hide their identity. Their conversation had ended rather abruptly, but Ren had been too far away to know the reason. She'd assumed it had simply run its course, but looking at her mother, she suspected that Nevelyn had used some sort of spell. Her mother was no forgetful crone. She was one of the sharpest minds Ren had ever met. But right now she was claiming she'd never even talked to the girl that Ren had clearly watched her talk to?

"You don't remember any of it?"

Another headshake. "Love, I'd… I'd remember if I talked to someone."

"Head back to our rooms. I'll meet you there in a few hours. Go. Quickly."

And Ren shot toward the distant alley. In pursuit once more. She heard a startled noise from her mother, but there was no time to explain. The messenger boy had given them a list—along with descriptions—of anyone in line who kept their identities hidden. Apparently, the crews that delivered papers back to their masters were all relatively familiar with one another. There were only a few outcasts in the group, and one of the women he'd pegged was the one who fit Nevelyn's description. Never spoke to anyone. Never revealed any details. Bought the cheapest papers, too.

Now that same girl had cast a spell on her mother.

Ren turned the corner, rushed down the length of the alleyway, and came shouldering out into a much more crowded space. She'd give anything to let Vega loose now. The bird would have found their mark in no time, but she'd left the bird back in Kathor, not wanting to risk such a visual display. If there were Brood spies in this place, they'd mark the statue instantly. No, she'd have to hunt with her own two eyes.

Her attention darted from face to face, outline to outline. Their suspected Nevelyn had been dressed so unremarkably, though. As if she'd intended to blend in with a crowd. All light browns—not a single color that might catch the eye. The only notable detail was a small, silver necklace.

Ren searched again. She cursed the busy, trafficked hour. On instinct, she pressed into the larger market square on her right, hoping the change in angle would offer what she needed. There was no sign of the girl. Ren knew the delivery boy would not return to the Herald for weeks. It could be just as long before they found her again if Ren did not find her now.

There was an alleyway on her right. Ren eyed the length of it and saw another market in the distance. Maybe Nevelyn had gone that way. She started forward, so distracted that she nearly missed the distant call of her name. It wasn't her mother. A man's voice. Growing louder.

"Hey!"

Ren turned. To her utter surprise, Mat Tully was bustling toward her. He looked ragged, at least compared with the polished boy she'd spoken with at Theo's party last year. He was thinner and paler and looked as if he hadn't slept since that last conversation. Ren could feel a mental clock ticking as her chance to find Nevelyn continued to slip from her grasp.

"Mat Tully," she remarked dryly. It was too late to hide her identity. She didn't want a long conversation—especially not with someone from Kathor who could report to others that she was in Ravinia. "Apologies, but I can't stop to chat. I have an appointment. Perhaps we could catch up later? If you let me know where you're staying…"

She turned away, aiming once more for the waiting alley. Mat Tully sputtered out a warning, though. "Wait, Ren. This isn't Kathor. You can't just walk down random alleyways. That's a traveler's trap if I've ever seen one. Look."

He pointed. Ren had been so focused on the distant and glittering market that she hadn't taken note of everything between here and there. Stray crates stacked up in strategic choke points. The slightest movement in those nestling shadows. She looked back to Mat.

"Thieves?"

"Of course. There are crews running every quarter," he replied. "And they're not always content to pick your pockets. The more dangerous groups will knife you first. Trust me, you don't want to go down there.…"

Ren let out a sigh. Any chance of trailing Nevelyn was gone. She eyed the surrounding crowds one more time before turning her full attention to Mat Tully.

"Why are you in Ravinia?" she asked. "I thought you were traveling to… distant villages? Studying alternative medicine, right?"

Their last conversation had been rather pivotal for Ren. After learning that Mat had been chosen by House Winters to conduct medical research, she'd decided to take the matter of her stalled career into her own hands. That had led to her decision to alter the portal spell, which led to the death of her friends, which led to the current bond she shared with Theo Brood. Her darkest shame and her greatest hope, spun from the same moment. It was hard to imagine it had all started with plain-as-rain Mat Tully.

"I thought the same," Mat replied. "The Winters family assigned me here instead. There were rumors about the healers who attended to the gladiators in the pits. Herbal remedies. Unique magic. I was assigned to make contact with them, study any unusual traits, and report back. I've been here for nearly half a year."

He looked like he'd been there for half a century. Ren didn't say that, though. She could see that he was itching to share more about his situation. As if holding his tongue was actually painful. Ren's mother had taught her there was wisdom in letting a fool run his mouth.

"And?" she asked invitingly.

"And this is also where they abandoned me." His cheeks blossomed a bright red. "It's embarrassing to admit, but after Clyde…"

That name, mentioned so casually and in such a different context, caught her completely off guard. Clyde. She saw flickers of memory. Clyde sitting in the corner of her ethics class, offering up lazy answers. Clyde unleashing a spell, moments before the portal magic erupted. Clyde out on the river, no longer truly Clyde at all, snapping Avy's neck. And then up in the mountain pass, pulling Timmons down by her white-blond hair. Ren could see the way her best friend fell. She could hear the way she screamed.…

Ren's heart was thrashing in her chest. She forced her mind back to logic. Back to a separate set of facts. Disassociation. Mat had been one of Clyde's better friends at school. More of a hound, she recalled, always following at the wealthier boy's heels. But still. The closest approximation to a friend that any of the heirs could have at Balmerick. She'd been too focused on her own plight to think that his death might create consequences for others, like Mat Tully. Her heart rate was slowing, but she thought if she spoke, the words might come out strangled and wretched.

"Well," Mat went on awkwardly. "The Winters family severed ties with me. Sent a final stipend, and then left me here. On my own. My father isn't rich. Not like they are. I've been saving up money to try to get back to Kathor, but I owed rent, too. It hasn't been easy out here on my own."

Ren nodded, guessing his suffering was still rather limited to the kind of suffering that wealthy people experienced. A slightly-less-than-normal sort of suffering.

"I'm sorry about that, Mat."

He shrugged. "Anyways. That's a sad song. Not worth singing out here on such a fine day. What about you? Why are you here?"

Ren had been carefully considering what story to tell him. If he'd been here that long, it was quite possible that he had no idea about most of the current events in Kathor. He certainly wouldn't know about Theo's exile. He might not even know about the fact that they were bonded. But she also didn't want to overstep on the information she shared with him. It was possible that he was still connected with other Kathorians in Ravinia.

"I was sent by House Brood," she answered. "I am investigating a matter on their behalf."

His eyes lit up at that. "So, you found a house! I remember… at the party. Honestly, I was such a prat. You asked for help, and I just kind of… didn't help. Sorry about that. You clearly landed on your feet. What's your role with them? Are you working for one of the cousins?"

Now she had a chance to really impress. "I'm bonded to Theo Brood."

If Mat Tully had been drinking tea, he likely would have spat it out. She watched a run of emotions flicker across the features of his face. He landed on something between shock and elation.

"Good for you. Seriously. Good for you. That's a very nice upward move."

"Maybe you can help me," Ren said, leaning a little closer. "I have some money to spend on resources for the investigation. I could certainly pay you for your services. I'm not sure who your contacts are in the city, but I'm searching for a very particular person here in Ravinia."

Mat was nodding enthusiastically. "I've made some connections. It just depends on who you're looking for."

Ren knew it was a risk to say the name. Mat could take her inquiry back to someone else, but if she could really sell herself to him as the true envoy of House Brood, he'd have no reason to report to anyone except for her. This could be a very useful relationship.

"Have you ever heard the name Dahvid Tin'Vori?"

Mat's quiet smile faded. His face completely shut down. He no longer looked simply tired. He looked almost dangerous instead. A building fury. "Seriously? You know, you didn't have to backpedal into it like that. Pretending to be all friendly just to drive the knife home. That's some slick to pull. I know we weren't exactly friends or whatever, but I never treated you poorly.…"

Ren was completely lost. "What?"

"Come on. Don't act like you don't know. Why the hell would you bring that up if you didn't? It must be fun, now that you're established in House Brood, to kick a man when he's already rolling around in the gutters.…"

"Mat. Wait. I don't actually know what you're talking about."

There was an awkward silence between them. He was more red-faced than ever now, breathing raggedly. He stared at her long enough to get a proper read and realized she was telling the honest truth. "Really?" he asked. "That's just a coincidence?"

"Mat. What is a coincidence?"

"Dahvid Tin'Vori. That's the name you said."

"Yes. I'm looking for him."

Mat was actually pacing around. "Sorry. It's just… odd. It's odd. Fine. I've been telling people that the Winters family let me go because of Clyde's death. Selling it as… you know… them not caring to keep up with connections that no longer existed after he passed. That story allows me to save face. The truth is that I was removed from their employ because I informed on them. And a few of the other great houses."

That caught Ren's attention. "Informed how?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I was drunk. They knew I was from Kathor, and they kept asking me questions. About the different houses. Who owned which properties? What businesses were thriving? How had the seats of power shifted over the years? I honestly didn't think anything of it at the time. I thought they were a pair of curious outsiders.…"

Ren took note of that detail.

"A pair? There were only two of them?"

He nodded. "Dahvid and his sister."

One sister was alive. But not both sisters? It took all of Ren's restraint to not smack Mat on the shoulder. "You mean you actually know them?"

"I really only talked to them one time. It's not like we're friends.…"

"Can you help me find them again?"

Mat hesitated. It was clear the first encounter had set him back, and he felt like he might be digging the hole even deeper. Ren followed her instincts. She went with the first lie that came to mind.

"There's money in it for you," she said. "And if the results are satisfactory, maybe there's even a position with House Brood down the line. What's the worst that could happen, Mat? It's not as if the Winters family can end your contract twice."

Mat was slowly nodding. "How much money?"

"I can't guarantee it's enough to get you home, but it would be a start."

"Okay. I'll help you."

She gestured to the shadowed alleyway. "You already did."

"Right. Wait. Don't you need to get to your appointment?"

She waved that idea away. "You are suddenly much more interesting than the person I was intending to seek out."

He smiled at that, and Ren smiled back, happily pretending to be his friend for now. It would take some careful navigating. If Mat led her back to any Kathorians who were properly connected, they'd be able to figure out rather quickly that she hadn't actually been sent on behalf of the Brood family. For now, though, Mat Tully was a bridge, and she had every intention of walking straight over him and to the Tin'Vori siblings.