“City Lothic is better,” I said. She looked over at me, eyebrows raised, and I wished I hadn’t said anything. I couldn’t exactly articulate why, but the fervency of her curiosity about me scared me. “If this helps you, I’ll try to sneak an Athenorkos volume out of the Library.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

I had dared already. I had cased it, and I had learned which of the guards paid little attention to elves in workman’s clothes and which stopped everyone. I had, during my tenure as a lecturer at Ralah College, stolen some thirty books. Dirva had told me that I shouldn’t tempt fate, but he also read everything I brought back, and I was fairly certain he would pay the fees if I got caught with one. But I didn’t plan on getting caught. A smile flashed across my face. I think she saw it, and I think it confused her, but I couldn’t be sure. “Are you taking classes this term?”

“No,” she said. She pulled the book of poems back out and flipped through the pages.

“Why not?”

“I can’t afford it. Besides, it’s just these two languages I want to learn, and I’ve got you teaching them to me for free.”

“Free for you. Parvi’s losing time and labor and wool to me.”

“He likes you. And he likes making your peculiar clothes. He gets bored of robes.”

This was, clearly, her way of asking me to remain on as her tutor. I knew her well enough, by then, to know she never asked for things directly and rarely even suggested. Mostly, she did what she did, and she left it up to the rest of us to decide whether or not to acquiesce. I left soon after that, but I left quite pleased that there was yet an excuse to see her week after week. And then the day got strange.

I had meant to go to the markets to steal more Droma songs, but I wound up at Dirva’s apartment instead. This was not a matter of veering slightly off course; Dirva’s apartment was embedded in the borough. It was in the opposite direction from the markets. I didn’t know then what had led me there, but I knew when I looked up and saw our building that whatever waited inside was not going to be pleasant. I felt it in my bones. And I was right.