Ryuu walked beside her with his hands in the pockets of his long tweed jacket, his chin lifted but his eyes guarded. She wanted to tell him to take his hands out of his pockets, to always be alert and prepared, but then again, they were in Rose Court and not the Stacks. He was either very good at ignoring how people stared at him or he was unaware. People at every corner pointed at him and whispered to each other with curiosity in their eyes, possibly talking about his brother, or maybe they, like she, had just noticed how handsome he was under the golden lights of Rose Court.

She ignored it, mostly, until they turned a corner and a poster with her face and one hundred thousand kors beneath it stared down at her from a shop front.

“You know,” she said, clenching her jaw, “if you would call off that goddess-damned reward for my—”

“I didn’t put that up,” he said with a frown. “I only reported the crime and gave the Sentinel the drawing. They’re the ones giving the reward.”

“Why would they do that?”

“Well, with the new alliance we’re making with Linash and their princess visiting soon, the Sentinel wants the city to look safe. So, they’re being harder on crime now.” He shrugged. “You shouldn’t complain, you know. No one would expect me to be walking around with my brother’s killer, so if you’re with me, no one will look at you and think you’re the suspect.”

She couldn’t argue with that. And his shortcut through the mansion and out of a side door that let them slip into the neighbor’s backyard to escape would have taken her a long time to find on her own. She hadn’t asked what he planned to do with the bodies she’d left behind. She supposed rich people had their own ways of covering up crimes. Then again, this pampered prince seemed far more accustomed to death than she’d expected him to be.

“Where can we find a blood magic practitioner?” he asked.

“Let’s find my friend first,” Aina whispered. With so many people pointing at Ryuu, every word she said seemed amplified for all to hear. “We need to get out of Rose Court. Stuff your wallet down your shirt. I could have robbed you five times by now. Keep your head down when we get out of here. Well, don’t stare at the ground. Keep your head down and up at the same time. I know that doesn’t make sense, but do it.”

“I’m fine,” Ryuu grumbled, but he hid his wallet better anyway as they set off.

Aina led the way out of Rose Court, down a hill, and through narrow roads until they approached the Center. Dimly lit bars were already packed with railroad and factory workers as the sky darkened to navy. Lampposts flickered on. It was as they crossed into a small, open square that she saw Teo’s head and shoulders bobbing above the rest of the crowd.