I step out through the heavy double doors of the counting house, the night air chilling my skin. Outside, beneath the half-lit sky, Luna and Ren wait near a frost-covered wagon, the wind tugging at their cloaks. Luna spots me at once, arms crossed, brows drawn tight.

  "Finally," she says, voice edged with impatience. "We’ve been standing here long enough. What exactly were you talking to that fork-tongued wretch about?"

  I hesitate as my thoughts churn.

  Damn. I didn’t expect them to wait for me...

  Should I lie? I've grown more familiar with the two over the past month, but I still know precious little about either.

  If they're not willing to share their secrets, why should I offer mine?

  Luna taps her arm, impatient. "Well?" she snaps. "What were you doing?"

  I give her a shrug, keeping my tone vague. "Just business. I bought something from him some time ago, I wanted to ask about it."

  The scroll, that is.

  Her eye twitches at my response, suspicion and anger clouding her expression.

  Ren, meanwhile, doesn't seem to be paying attention. His gaze remains fixed on the smoking rooftops, lips curled in an unsettling smile.

  Luna steps forward, her boots crunching the frost-laced cobbles. "What kind of business?" she demands, voice sharp. "Be direct. What could you possibly want with him? Do you have information that could aid us?"

  She pauses for a moment, her brow softening just a smidge. Her voice drops low as she looks up at me.

  "We're allies, aren't we?"

  Allies... we're allies... is that what we are?

  They've helped me to be sure, but...

  I meet her gaze, still considering my words. "I'll tell you... if you tell me who you really are."

  Her eyes widen and then her lips curl into a sneer, the beginnings of a furious outburst rising in her throat, but before she can unleash it, Ren finally looks away from the smoking skyline. He places a hand on her shoulder.

  "Come now Luna. Do not deprive a man of his secrets, without offering a little of your own."

  She turns her glare on him, but he just smiles.

  With a frustrated huff, she shrugs him off. Her fingers twitch by the hilt of her sword, but slowly, steadily, she reins herself in. After a long, taut silence, she straightens, chin high.

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  "Very well," she says stiffly, voice clipped and cold. "I am Luna of House Vynn, third daughter of Ser Halric the Gold." She finishes, lips twitching. Like the words were difficult to get out. "Or I was. Now, I am just Luna. Covenanter to the Silvered Eye."

  She ends on a note of pride, a sharp contrast to the grimace she had announcing her initial title.

  House Vynn... Silvered Eye...

  I'm not sure exactly how to respond. Titles like these are far beyond what a lowborn like me has any business hearing, let alone commenting on. So I clear my throat and ask, "What is the Silvered Eye?"

  She doesn’t hesitate. "We are an order, sanctioned by lord and covenant, bound by oath and blade. Our purpose is many-fold, but that which I deal in, is to find and purge the world of corruption. Demon filth like Vael… and perhaps Lucien."

  She meets my gaze evenly. "We will cleanse the rot. Burn it out in rays of silver light."

  Her words ring of dogma, her tone of faith. I can't perceive any lies, not that that means anything, I'm no expert in detecting such things. And I have no knowledge or context to weigh her words against.

  She always did strike me as a noble though and Daniel certainly addressed her as one.

  But what is a covenanter?

  Luna looks at me expectantly, clearly waiting for me to hold up my end of the bargain. And after a moment, do. "Lucien offered to teach me magic. I accepted."

  Her reaction is immediate. Her eyes widen, then narrow, fury darkening her face.

  Ren, by contrast, remains entirely unshocked. He simply watches me, that unsettling smile never quite leaving his lips.

  She takes a sharp step toward me, voice rising. "Why would you trust that lying snake? After what he did to you? After what he is?"

  I don’t flinch. "Because I need protection against Vael. I need strength. And I'll take any that's offered to me. Even from him."

  Even from Zaenith.

  Learning from the both of them… is probably safer for me than learning from just one.

  But her secrets aren’t something I’m willing to share just yet.

  “And what did he ask for in return?” Luna says, glaring. “Blood? Secrets? Your soul?”

  I shrug, I’ve no answers for her. “Nothing. He asked for nothing. He said I had potential, but made no mention of what exactly that meant.”

  Luna stares at me, lips parted, but no words come. Her jaw clenches.

  After swallowing what looks like another enraged outburst, she finally speaks again, her voice strained. "And during your 'lessons'... have you learned anything about him? Anything that might aid us?"

  I tell her what I know. “He’s a sorcerer, supposedly, though I’ve never seen him use any magic. His advice seems... legitimate.” I glance down at my hand, sparks of flame flickering between my fingers.

  Ren leans in to watch, brows raised. I continue, “He can also write spell scrolls.”

  This gets both their attention, Luna's eyes widening, while Ren rubs his chin, intrigued. “A spellscribe,” he murmurs. “It can't be...”

  "Is that unusual?" I ask, not really sure what he means.

  “Very,” Ren says. “It takes more than mere knowledge. You have to grasp the depths of magic itself. You need the kind of insight most spend a lifetime failing to achieve.”

  Luna folds her arms, voice flat. “Sounds like a skill a demon would have.”

  Ren nods slowly, digesting the information. “Useful information,” he murmurs. "Many thanks, friend." He gives me a nod, though his expression remains unreadable. Luna, meanwhile, continues to stare at me.

  Finally, she turns away, takes a few steps, then stops. Her voice is soft. “Be careful, Seven. Whatever that man is… he is just dangerous.”

  Then, without another sound, she walks off, her cloak billowing behind her in the cold wind.

  I agree... but...

  Ren chuckles lowly, watching her retreat. "Forge your own path, Seven. Do not let yourself be bent to the will of others... not Lucien... but also not to our poor tempered Luna."

  With that, he follows after her, vanishing into the dark.