Page 67 of City of Secrets and Shadows
“He saved your life,” she pointed out.
“He was just being… honestly, normally he’s so arrogant. He even ignores the other nobles. Trust me, he’s nobody.”
“Do you ever wonder,” Octavia asked carefully, “what happens after? If you succeed in your vengeance, what comes next?”
I’d avoided that question for so long. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “For years, revenge was all that kept me going. I never thought beyond it. Now there’s Septimus, and Marcus, and... and it’s all so complicated.”
Octavia refilled our cups with more wine. “Love is never simple, but especially not for women like us who have never had freedom.”
“Is that what this is with them? Love?” The wine had loosened my tongue enough to ask the question that had been haunting me.
“Only you can answer that.” She reached across the table to squeeze my hand. “But I do know that having more than one person to love isn’t the tragedy some would make it out to be. The heart is capable of remarkable expansion.”
“It would be easier if I could just choose,” I murmured. “But they’re all so different, and each fills a space inside me I didn’t know was empty.”
“Then perhaps you don’t have to choose,” Octavia said simply. “At least, not yet.”
We fell silent, watching the late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the fountain square. Children played in the spray of water, their laughter carrying on the warm air. For a few precious moments, I allowed myself to imagine a life where such simple pleasures weren’t stolen moments, but everyday joys.
“Thank you for this,” I said finally. “I needed it more than I realized.”
Octavia’s smile was warm with affection. “That’s what friends are for. To remind you there’s a world beyond your troubles, and that you’re not facing them alone.”
“Whatever happens with the trials, with Septimus and Tarshi and the rest,” I said, “I’m glad I have you, Tavi.”
“And you always will,” she promised. “No matter what role you’re playing or what name you’re using. I know who you really are. Now. We need more wine. A lot more.”
As we stood to leave a little while later, a woman approached our table. Silver streaked dark hair drawn up into a knot, and deep burnished skin with lines around her eyes and mouth. Her eyes were a warm brown, though something about the shape made me hesitate, and then I noticed the elegant pointed ears. She was part Talfen.
Octavia stiffened beside me, then relaxed slightly. “Suura,” she said with cautious familiarity. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Nor I you,” the woman replied, her voice melodic but guarded. Her gaze shifted between us, lingering on me with unconcealed suspicion. “You’re usually at the spice stall on Seventh Street this time of week.”
“We decided on wine instead of cooking tonight,” Octavia said, a hint of nervousness creeping into her voice. “This is... a friend.”
“A trusted friend?”
Tavi frowned. “I’d trust her with my life. Why?”
“You’ve never treated me like a creature, even when others at the market whisper and cross to the other side.” She hesitated, fingers trailing anxiously along the edge of her cloak. “That’s why I’m taking this chance.”
“Chance?” Octavia asked.
Suura glanced around, ensuring no Imperial guards were within earshot. “There are those of us who gather. People who believe the Empire’s war against my father’s kind is built on lies. People who want something better.” Her voice dropped even lower. “If you’re truly such a person, come to the old tannery by the warehouses tonight. Bring your friend if you trust her as you say.”
Octavia’s eyes widened, and I could see her preparing a polite refusal. “Suura, I don’t think—”
“We’ll be there,” I interrupted, earning a startled look from Octavia.
Suura studied me more intently. “Who are you?”
“Someone who has seen enough bloodshed to last several lifetimes,” I answered. “Someone who knows that an enemy isn’t always what the Empire tells us they are.”
Something shifted in Suura’s gaze — recognition of a kindred spirit, perhaps. “After the night bell,” she said. “Knock three times, pause, then twice more.” She hesitated, then added, “There are guards who would gladly run any half-blood through for sport. If you’re planning to betray us—”
“We’re not,” I said firmly.
She held my gaze a moment longer, then nodded once and melted back into the crowd.
