Sevensworn

VI. Respite

If anyone could say they had been left untouched by the war, it would be the people of Illirium. Most outside the city were under Rhydellan rule, and though the majority within Illirium's towering peak had lost someone, they were still blissfully free. As he wandered the streets the next morning, when the magelight "sun" was overhead to signal noon, Ronan wondered how long it would stay that way.

The city, as dark as it may have been, was made bright by its people. This much was clear as he navigated through the crowds beside Acaeus and Wynne, who had insisted on accompanying him, citing the possibility of danger that Ronan was choosing to ignore. The stalls of the open market that sat on the city's base were brightly colored in reds and purples, a purposeful contrast that sat well beneath the ice-blue of the magelight. The merchants that tended them were just as vibrant, wearing bright swathes of cloth and heavy jewelry.

When they had walked for an hour or so, Wynne passed him off to Acaeus, who knew the city better. Citing some planning she had to do for the trip to Llyran, she parted from them with a nod to Acaeus and a quick kiss to the top of Ronan's head. Without Wynne, he felt even smaller, acutely aware of the city stretched out before him. Part of him enjoyed being in a new place, while the rest begged for any hint of familiarity. Seeming to see this in his eyes, Acaeus pulled him off the main street and down through an alleyway.

"Is there anywhere in particular you wanted to go? I worked here for a bit, you know. Back when Liliana owned The Dove and Raven."

"I remember," Ronan said. Wynne's wife had been a prominent informant at the time—her noble heritage gave her the in she needed in most of the higher-up circles, and she'd started taverns in all of the major cities on the island to gather more of the knowledge she sold. She'd been Acaeus' caretaker for a year or so before he'd gone back out onto the sea and finally to Adacia proper, but in the span of time he'd been gone, she'd left her taverns in the management of her agents and retreated to her family estate in the center of the island, having heard news of the Rhydellan strike mere hours before it happened.

It was her warning, whispered to Wynne by one of her agents, that had saved their lives when the first siege hit. Had it not been for Liliana, he was sure he would have been dead within an hour after the first Rhydellan ships had touched down on Adacia's shores. He had not yet gotten the chance to thank her in person⁠—Wynne had not gone back to see her in the half-year they'd been at Solthorne, worried that her presence or that of the Circle would alert Rhydel of someone else that needed killing.

For her safety, Wynne had said, they would stay away.

"Ronan?"

"Sorry." He looked around. "I don't know of anywhere in particular. Any suggestions?" As Acaeus bit his lip, considering their options, Ronan allowed his mind to turn back to Shivaroth, who he'd agreed to meet when the artificial city lights began to dim, signaling dusk. He was to join him at a temple dedicated to the Seven, one that had been deserted for many years. Acaeus spoke again as he was considering what topic Shivaroth was planning to breach.

"Well, you've seen the tavern, the gates, the markets. Most of your bases are covered, but there is one thing you haven't seen." Acaeus' eyes glinted with excitement. He pointed to the peak of the mountain. "The old mine shafts are up that way," he said. "There's not much else to see down here unless you want to come train with me, but if we go to the mines there are a few things I could show you. That would probably kill the rest of the time before you have to go meet Shivaroth—think of it as a thank you for taking care of me back at the Reach."

"As long as you don't try to scare me like you did last time you took me into a cave," he muttered with a smile. As they started walking toward the winding set of stairs that were carved into the mountainside, Acaeus laughed, the sound of it immediately putting Ronan at ease. If he was able to laugh even after what they had been through over the last four days, perhaps the situation wasn't quite as grim as he had thought.