“I’ve never understood why it’s called The Rocks,” Cami murmurs as we head down the darkened path, the sun obscured by a restaurant on one side and a pub on the other. “It’s not like there are huge boulders jutting out from anywhere. It’s all just … paved stone roads and old buildings.”

“Those old buildings are the reason,” Arryn says distractedly as she brings us to a halt, glancing back to make sure we’re alone. “The original ones were built using blocks of sandstone, so the early convicts changed the native name—Tallawoladah— to The Rocks. Before my grandparents passed, they still called it by its true name.”

Before Cami or I can respond, Arryn says, “Keep an eye out, will you?” Without waiting for us to confirm, she crouches beside a circular manhole. The iron has rusted with age, but I can still read the engraved lettering: DANGER.

“That’s not ominous at all,” Cami mutters.

I internally agree, but I’m also busy thinking ahead. We’re at street level now, but Lengard is at least two ear-popping elevator journeys beneath the surface. And something tells me that this entrance isn’t going to afford us the luxury of an elevator.

“You can be as annoyed about me healing you as you want, Lyss, but by the time we reach the bottom of this, you’re going to be kissing me all over,” Arryn says as she finds a solid grip on the iron and maneuvers it from its resting place with a grunt.

The scraping sound has me cringing. I glance around to make sure we haven’t attracted unwanted attention, but we’re still the only people down this narrow alleyway.

“That said,” Arryn adds, “I have a strict ‘no touch’ policy, so keep your lips to yourself.” She arches one amused eyebrow. “Kael should, too, apparently.”

Heat touches my cheeks as I recall that she—and others— witnessed his earlier teasing. “That wasn’t what it sounded like.”

Arryn wipes her hands on her jeans, smearing copper-colored rust as she says, “Frankly, I don’t care what you get up to in your personal time. Just …” She hesitates, then finishes, “Just be careful when it comes to Kael. He’s had a rough few years, ever since his mum died. I didn’t know him before that, but the people who did have only just started to comment that he’s acting like his old self again.”

“Caroline was lovely,” Cami says softly. “Kael was very close to her when we were young. Her loss would have cut him deep.”

“I never knew her,” Arryn says. “She passed before my first visit to the catacombs. Jeremiah, too.”

I’m curious where Arryn was before that, but her expression doesn’t invite questions, so I hold back—for now. Instead, I motion to the manhole and say, “How deep does this go?”