Snow began to fall in the late afternoon, a trickle of tiny flecks that grew thick and heavy, drifting down from a muddy brown sky.

  Kaddie pulled on the woolen vest Marla had given her before joining the others downstairs. There was still some daylight left and Torrell had promised to take her across the street in order to practice her stair climbing.

  After losing her eye, balance and co-ordination were some of her biggest issues and Mr. Kanter had forbidden her to rejoin classes until she could climb his stairs without using the handrail. Consequently, she had spent a lot of her spare time ascending and descending assorted flights of stairs.

  She and Torrell had discovered a barely used, narrow flight leading down into the second city, just a few streets away. A few afternoons of practice and she had fully expected her perception would be as good as new. Alas, it was taking longer than she thought, and to vex her further, her ability to climb stairs wasn’t the only thing affected.

  Measuring, decanting, labeling, note-taking. Everything was off to one degree or another. It was infuriating and proving slow to remedy. It had been a full thirty days after Torrell’s rescue, and even the basics of climbing stairs still felt a long way off.

  She found Elspeth, Marla, and Torrell in the kitchen. Torrell was already dressed for the outdoors, while the two women were regarding him with a look of annoyance.

  “What?” Kaddie said. “What did I miss?”

  “Nothing.” Torrell held out her coat. “I’ll tell you on the way.”

  Marla was shaking her head as if something terrible had happened. Elspeth continued to glare.

  “So, what is it?” she asked as they left via the dispensary and emerged into what was now becoming a snow storm.

  “It’s something I overhead at the palace, about the Lassings.”

  “And?”

  “Theed’s men were joking about Nianne’s mother and father, about him lying dead in the tunnels beneath the palace, while she—” he hesitated.

  “Out with it, before I fall and break my neck.” The path was covered in snow and proving treacherous underfoot.

  “Take my arm.”

  “No. I have to work on my balance, remember? Tell me about Nianne’s mother.”

  “Sold, they said.”

  “What do you mean, sold?”

  “I’m not telling you the exact words they used.”

  “But where, and to whom? Were they serious?”

  “They mentioned Enthas. Other than that…”

  “Well, at least she’s not dead.” Kaddie frowned. She’d met Nianne’s mother only once and thought she was a little cold toward her daughter. “I can see why Marla and Elspeth are mad at you, if you’ve only just told them.”

  “I was waiting until someone mentioned it, and no one did until this morning.” After a moment he added, “There’s something else, too.”

  Kaddie regarded him warily. “What?”

  He smiled. “Not sure if I should tell you.”

  “Don’t be a tease, Torrell Voldan.” They reached the avenue, where heat from the second city had melted the snow underfoot, allowing her to relax a little.

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  He let out a sigh. “The first room they put me in after they’d kidnapped me, it had some fancy furniture and paintings on the walls. There was a huge writing desk, which is why I assumed they’d chosen it. Anyway, because it was on one of the lower floors, they thought I might jump out of the window and escape, so they pulled me out of there, and on my way out I saw a name below one of the paintings.”

  “Whose name?”

  “Elandra Lowndes.” He regarded her expectantly. “Kaddie, we all know Lowndes is your real name.”

  “Like you all knew Robles was my grandfather.”

  “We were explicitly told not to say anything.”

  “I don’t care what you were told.” She stopped walking. “And if you all know everything there is to know about me, maybe you can tell me who this Elandra is, because I’ve never heard that name before.”

  “I bet if we ask Robles—”

  “No. Mother’s teeth, at least not yet.” She resumed her pace. “Let me think.”

  “Wouldn’t it be something if your ancestors were one of the four families?”

  “What, and they ended up like the Lassings? I do not want to know about that.”

  “I would.”

  She offered him a bitter smile. “Of course you would.”

  He held up his hands in submission. “I promise I won’t mention it again, not today, anyway.”

  His smile sought to disarm her, but the revelation served to put another spin on her thoughts. She had never been told the reason why her grandmother had left Terohas, and the more she discovered, the bigger the mystery grew.

  Conversation had stalled so they continued on in silence. They left the avenue and traversed some of the narrower streets. Snow continued to fall, thicker and faster. Flakes of it collected en masse on the rooftops. Occasionally one would drift beneath her hood and settle on her cheek, and she was glad when they finally reached the canopied entrance to the second city.

  Steam was escaping from a nearby vent. It billowed into the street, becoming powdery and opaque as it met the cold air and settled on the sleeve of her coat. Beyond the door, the stairwell they’d chosen lay directly to her right. This particular flight was steeper than most and was rarely populated. Grabbing the handrail, she looked down.

  “Still making you dizzy?” Torrell was alongside her, ready to grab her if she slipped.

  Disappointment was already gnawing at her insides. “What if it will always be like this?”

  “It won’t. You’ll get used to it. You just have to be patient.”

  “Hmph.” She grabbed the rail and began her descent. After a few steps her confidence grew, and so it began.

  Four descents and ascents later, as she was catching her breath, Torrell said, “You’re getting better.”

  “You’re just saying that.”

  “Sure, if that’s what you want to think. Are you ready to go and see Glen?”

  “Yes. My legs are feeling numb.”

  “I mean it,” he said, as they walked beneath a tall arch and entered a street lined with stores. “You’re getting better.”

  She nodded and hoped it was true. It certainly didn’t feel that way. The descents were always the worst, her perception completely at odds with the placement of her feet and she remained convinced that one day she would tumble from top to bottom, break her neck, and that would be the end of it.

  Knowing that bitterness and resentment were waiting for their cue, she tried not to think any more about it, or about Arben Theed, the mastermind behind Torrell’s kidnapping and her consequent eye loss. She pulled up the collar of her coat. These were dark thoughts that did nothing for her wellbeing.

  As usual, Torrell appeared to be a mind reader. As they entered a narrow alley, “Hey, are you okay?”

  “I was thinking about Arben Theed.”

  “Don’t worry. Robles said he’ll get what’s coming to him.”

  The alley culminated at a familiar T-junction. Directly across the street was the glass blower’s store. Glen was waiting outside and bounded across the street to meet them.

  “Hey,” he said. Here was another who was always grinning for no reason. With a flourish he pulled a small paper parcel from his pocket and handed it to Kaddie. Both he and Torrell shared a glance.

  “What is it?” She began pulling at the string that held the wrapping together. The others were staring at her with a look of expectation. The parcel’s contents felt soft in her hands, and when it lay unwrapped,

  “You want me to wear this?” She stared at the padded piece of black felt which had strings attached.

  “Try it,” Torrell said. “Here, let me help you.” Caught by surprise, her fingers fumbled as she handed him the neatly-stitched eye patch. “Hold this, and stay still,” he instructed.

  She placed her fingers against the patch, holding it in what she assumed was the correct position against her eye socket, while he tied the string at the back of her head. When it was done, her companions inspected the result and offered one another a mutual nod.

  “How does it look?”

  “It looks good,” Torrell said. “You look menacing.”

  Growling with exasperation, she pushed by her companions, crossed the street, and sought out her reflection in the nearest store window. There, she stood transfixed. The patch made her look older; it made her look stronger. “Huh,” she muttered, as the others arrived.

  “Well?” Glen asked.

  She smiled. “It’ll do, and thank you.”

  Torrell blew an exaggerated sigh of relief.

  Alongside him, Glen beckoned. “Come, let me show you what happened.” He led them back along the alley before taking a left and descending a narrow flight of steps.