afraid, despite her attitude, but she had to be coaxed into talking, and she clearly didn’t respond to niceties. Reverse psychology worked best for people like her.
“I’m not afraid!” the old Rimian growled. “I’m merely vigilant. And I didn’t see anything.”
Clearing my throat, I looked at Valaine. “We should go. We’re not going to get another word out of her.”
“Are you sure?” Valaine asked, looking dumbfounded.
“Yeah. I mean, look at her. She’s terrified, thinking we can’t see through this fake bravado of hers,” I said with a shrug. “She’s not going to tell us anything, so we might as well check with the other neighbors.”
Valaine nodded and joined me as we descended the small steps leading from her door, when the old Rimian finally found her courage. “Maybe I did see something.”
Thankfully, my sun mask hid my smile as I turned around to face her again. “Pray tell.”
“Not out here, you insolent boy. Come in!” the old Rimian replied, moving away from the door to let us in.
I admired her courage. She definitely didn’t fear an elite Aeternae like Valaine—at least, she wasn’t afraid of speaking her mind. But there was definitely something that had made her stay quiet over the past two decades, and it was connected to the Darklings.
They were still active. They could still seek retribution against anyone who snitched on them, which was why she was inviting us into her home now. I’d riled her up enough to make her want to talk to us, but she retained her extreme cautiousness by moving the conversation inside.
Valaine looked at me as we went in. I could tell from the glimmer in her eyes that we were both thinking the same thing. We were on to something here. We were maybe one lead closer to unmasking the Darklings… and maybe even stopping them for good, this time around.
Tristan
“I’m Katlin, by the way,” the old Rimian woman said as she welcomed us into her small living room. The house itself was economy-size, but bright and airy. She pulled the shutters closed as we settled on a pale blue loveseat, and I took my sun mask off.
“Thank you,” I replied.
“You’re easy on the eyes, I’ll give you that,” Katlin grumbled. She went into the kitchen, while Valaine and I looked at each other, listening to the clanks and the sound of water running down the hallway.
“She’s right. You are easy on the eyes.” Valaine chuckled.
“Oh, hush. You’re embarrassing me,” I replied, trying not to laugh.
“She might invite you to dinner,” she said, clearly amused.
“Don’t get me wrong, she’s nice and hospitable, but she’s not my type.”
Valaine covered her mouth, stifling a chortle, but immediately put on a more serious face when Katlin returned with a silver tray, on which she’d brought a porcelain tea service. She placed it on the coffee table in front of us and sat in the armchair next to our loveseat. Exhaling deeply, she pointed at the flowery tea kettle.
“Help yourselves. I’m already tired.”
I nodded, pouring a cup for myself and one for Valaine. It smelled of roses and cinnamon, likely a local tea variety. I’d caught a similar scent back at the marketplace, and it filled my lungs with a quiet but much welcome tranquility.
“Tell us, Katlin, what do you know about the orphanage?” Valaine asked, holding the cup and saucer in her lap.
Nervously glancing around, the old Rimian frowned. “I knew about the Darklings. But my husband was ill at the time. None of us on this street dared to rat them out, anyway. We saw what they did to snitches.”
“So you saw them in there,” Valaine concluded, nodding toward the window.
“Every day for thirty years,” Katlin said. “Some left, others came, but there were always Darklings in that place. The children feared them, but they had no other choice. They had to serve them, to watch the streets for them.”
“And what happened on the day of Kalon’s raid?” Valaine asked.
“The Darklings were tipped off. I saw them carrying wooden crates and leather bags out of the building, hours before the golden guards came. They left the children and a few of their newer recruits behind—fodder for the soldiers, really. But the big bosses fled to safety. They’re probably still somewhere in the city, plotting their operations.”
“Do you know what they were?” I replied. “I mean, only Aeternae, or Rimians and Naloreans, too?”
“None of us would ever consort with their kind.” Katlin scoffed, visibly disgusted. “Whatever their beef is with the government, we will