“Yes, the city noises are odd tonight. I'm having trouble sleeping too.” Ren gave him a tired smile and ran his hand through his hair, ruffling it. He watched Rowland's eyes linger there, then on his lips. His own colouring was not far from Ilias', he realised. Pale skin, light hair, blue eyes. He smiled again, more softly this time, chin dipping a little. Looking down, he realised to his dread that he was still wearing his riding boots and he shuffled a little to the side, hoping it was too dark for Rowland to notice. “I'm sorry. I wander when I can't sleep. I'll go back to bed.”

Rowland took a step down, closer to Ren. Closer to the kitchen. “It's all right. Let's have a drink together first.”

Ren's obfuscation had clearly worked, perhaps a little too well. Rowland's hand was on the staircase railing on the other side of Ren's hip, boxing him in. He could feel the man's breath against the side of his face.

“I shouldn't,” Ren said, inching down a step, forcing Rowland to remove his hand when Ren bumped into it. “We're leaving early in the morning. We have a long way to travel.”

Rowland chuckled warmly and nodded. “Ah, yes. I know how you young adventurers are. Not satisfied until you've seen the whole world. Well, have a good night then, Niklas. You know where I'll be if you change your mind. Don't worry about waking me,” Rowland assured him before turning to walk back up the stairs. Ren didn't relax until he heard the click of the door. The man was foul.

Grabbing his things, he pushed the door to the kitchen open once more, slipping inside. Anik and Ilias had both frozen in place, but relaxed when they saw him. Anik's gaze lingered on Ren, on his ruffled hair and undershirt.

Flushing, Ren ignored him and dragged his jacket back on, followed by his belt. This wasn't the time to explain himself.

“Help me with the chain,” Anik whispered, gesturing to where Ren should hold.

Ren knelt next to the two of them and grabbed the chain with both hands. They tugged hard in opposite directions, the metal creaking slightly. On the third tug, the chain broke apart, the weakened link snapping in two and falling to the floor with a clatter.

They all held their breath and listened. When nothing happened, they rose to their feet, Ren finding a jacket from his bag and wrapping it around Ilias' shoulders, thankful that he had packed more clothes than he really needed. It was a formal jacket, with gold embroidery on the shoulders. People would probably ask questions, but at least he could sell it and buy something less flashy for himself.

They gathered their bags and pulled the kitchen door open. One room and the narrow hallway was all that lay between them and freedom. Ilias followed close behind them, fiddling nervously with his own hands. They were almost in the clear.