They sat down together at the kitchen table and exchanged small talk while they ate. Their mother refrained from asking more about the old man, so Redden was not called upon to embellish his lie. Because both twins had washed up before coming to the table, Railing had been able to wipe off a few other telltale stains and scrapes that might have invited additional questions. But Sarys seemed content to sit and listen to her sons and Mirai visit, enjoying their conversation, even smiling now and then at what was said.

It was one of the oddities of their lives that the twins were allowed to spend so much time with the blond-haired girl from Leah. Sarys was cautious about almost everyone with whom her boys came in contact, even other members of their extended family—maybe especially other members of their extended family when it came to the Rover clans—yet seemed to harbor no doubts at all when it came to Mirai Leah. Which was exceedingly odd. Of all the people she should have been worried about, Mirai belonged at the top of the list. Not because she was a bad person. Not because they were both in love with her and this sometimes caused friction. Not even because her family had once been rulers of the Highlands of Leah, but had since abdicated and become just another family working for a living like everyone else.

Not for any of these reasons, but because when you stripped away what was on the surface—her looks and her manners and her ability to charm—she was just a female version of the twins, warts and all.

“You said something about leaving?” Redden asked after they had finished eating and were sipping from glasses of ale. Their mother had started clearing the dishes and momentarily left the room. “You just got here. Where are you going?”

“Not me. We. The three of us. To the Westland, if you want to make the trip with me.” She gave him a look. “But only if you want to come. I wouldn’t dream of taking you away from anything important. Like helping out old men with their fishing nets.”

Redden shrugged. “We’re done with that. Why are we going to the Westland?”

“Hauling transport,” Railing guessed. She nodded. “What sort of cargo is it? Weapons?”

She shook her head. “Radian draws salvaged from downed airships. I’ve been scavenging them for months. Papa says it’s time to sell. So I found a buyer.” There was a twinkle in her green eyes. “Guess who?”

The twins hesitated. “Rovers?” Railing guessed.

She nodded. “But not just any Rovers. Family. Farshaun Req, as a matter of fact.”