“You saw his arms,” Anik continued, turning towards Ren and wrapping his own arms over his chest. “That's not weakness. The poor kid was trying to get away from this place. Away from Rowland.”

“But we can't steal another man's property,” Ren protested.

Before Ren could blink, Anik sprang forward and slammed a fist against the night stand, making the candle topple over and hit the ground, where it broke in two. “Fuck, you are so frustrating! People aren't property,” he growled, the anger in his eyes so intense that Ren worried that Anik would draw his sword against him the way he had done in the kitchen, but Anik leaned back and uncurled his fist. He sank to the floor and ran a hand over his hair.

Ren exhaled, letting his racing heart relax.

They were both quiet, trying to determine whether Rowland had heard the noise, Anik's head tilted slightly to the side like a fox listening for a mouse. “He's going to kill that kid,” Anik said eventually, voice hushed again. The look in his eyes was raw, almost haunted, and he dropped his hand from his hair to ghost his fingertips over the dip of his throat in a strange gesture.

Ren closed his eyes. Ilias was kind, gentle, soft. Anik had spotted right away that he didn't belong in a place like this, and Ren could see it, too. Ilias would die here.

“All right,” Ren said softly, shifting his gaze from Anik to the shadowed doorway. “I'm sorry. You're right.” It would be dangerous, reckless, and would jeopardize their entire mission if they were caught. But Ilias couldn't stay here. Imagining Keelan in a place like this made Ren's throat tighten uncomfortably. “So, what's the plan?”

* * *

When Ren and Anik hadn't departed by the time darkness fell, Rowland stuck his head into their room and told them they were welcome to stay until morning, but that they would have to pay extra if they wanted breakfast. Ren thanked him, giving him a pleasant smile. Then they waited until the house went quiet and Rowland put out the light in his bedroom across the narrow hall.

As they sneaked out on silent feet, Ren realized with a pang of worry that Ilias might sleep in Rowland's bed. Luckily, Ren's worry turned out to be unfounded. Rowland must still be angry with Ilias about the incident in the kitchen, because that was where they found him – under a thin blanket on the cold floor. Seeing him now gave Ren a twinge of guilt. The castle hounds in Aleria were treated better, and he had been prepared to leave this place and never look back.

Ilias gasped, eyes wide when they entered, but Anik silenced him with a finger pressed to his lips. Ren's heart sank even further when Ilias stirred, the motion revealing a chain that connected the iron cuffs around his wrists to a ring in the floor.