Gavriel hated being in the train tunnels. They were far deeper than the tunnels under Tousieux, so far below sea level that they were the stuff of myth alongside gods and deities, saints and santi, dragons and magic. Being this far underground put him on edge. Pinched nerves at the base of his neck—a persistent buzz in the back of his mind. And it didn’t matter how much he tried to ignore it.

It started as soon as he stepped into the compartment, the faux window a jarring display of the stretch of the city they were currently beneath. He took a seat by the door while Malou sat in the corner between him and Elodie. The first thing she did was order an expensive lunch with her fake silver. That’d almost made him grin, but the train finished its descent into the ancient network of tunnels used by Revern’s high-speed railway system and there was no grin he could give.

As the train started its rapid acceleration westward toward Srionne, Gavriel ground a knuckle between his eyebrows as if that’d ease his frying nerves. He was supposed to be getting information out of this Legionnaire—this Teodora Nunziata—while Malou played the charming one, all smiles. He couldn’t get himself to care about her further than noting she was as suspicious as it could get.

Malou was doing a fine job of getting information anyway. Asked where Teo had met Dorian. Some fête. Malou gave a soft laugh at that. Really good acting on her part. Even called it romantic.

“Tell me more,” Malou said. With what looked like a genuine light of excitement in her eyes.

Teo blushed, and Gavriel could’ve rolled his eyes. She quickly launched into a story that could’ve very well been an elaborate lie, except Elodie happily corroborated half of the details as she added giggled embellishments. The girl seemed her age for once, which made it hard to be cross with Malou for bringing her along.

He rolled his neck as tension tightened around it. So maybe he was still a little cross, but not necessarily at Malou. It was the entire situation. The senator’s family at the Valois manor when they’d arrived? The timing of Elodie’s engagement? Sea Legions at the station practically lying in wait? And for who—Malou or the Libertines? Yet another Nunziata at just the right place at the right time?

It was also this stupid train driving what felt like a needle into his brain stem.

Fuck all of it.

The small talk continued without him. Thankfully. Something about Dorian being a terrible date. Gavriel believed that. Something else about having low expectations. Probably a good idea. Malou made up some story about her first date with him. He made sure to muster a convincing smile when necessary even though he wasn’t listening. He’d have to make her retell it when they were above ground again.

When an attendant knocked on the door to deliver lunch, Gavriel almost didn’t bother glancing at them. He recognized his older brother immediately. His brother mostly had the same features as him, but Cassian was shorter, looked older, had a wider jaw, and kept his hair only as long as his shoulders. Today, he had it half tied up. Meant he was here for business.

“Good afternoon,” Cassian greeted them in uniform, imitating gentle kindness as usual. He’d even tried to make his accent sound less rough. He only sounded like himself when speaking their first language. The buzzing almost worsened. “I believe you ordered lunch? I’ll set the spread out for you if you’ll allow me.”

Malou didn’t miss a beat with a wide grin though she must’ve recognized him as well. “Please and thank you.”

Oblivious, Elodie and Teo followed every little sizzling meze dish with their eyes. There was spit-roasted beef and chicken, grilled fish and feta cheese, a fresh salad with black olives, and some bread served with olive oil. Cassian flashed his most affable smile as he set up their spread and indulged Elodie’s request to explain each dish with his trademark enthusiasm.

He paid no attention to Gavriel, but he didn’t need to since his presence was message enough. The things he didn’t want to deal with kept piling up.

There were Libertines on the train waiting to rendezvous. Syn having been at the station meant Leonore was well aware that Malou was on her way, so she must’ve had some Libertines sneak onto the train beforehand. That included Cassian. Had Syn managed to make it on as well?

After Cassian finished, he said, “Enjoy your meal.” He turned to leave and his gaze fell briefly with Gavriel, though he didn’t so much as a smile. Seemed he wasn’t in a very good mood, but he never was contrary to what everyone else saw of him.

Gavriel noted which direction he went, then when a good moment to slip away presented itself, he followed him after muttering under his breath, “Excuse me.”

Cassian had headed away from premier class to where the compartments were smaller and it’d be easier to blend in. He’d expected Cassian to have disappeared into one by the time he followed, but instead, he found his brother waiting for him a few cars back with his mechanical wolf and a deep scowl on his face.

He had no right to be mad at Gavriel given what he’d dragged him into the last time they’d seen each other. His wolf was happy to see Gavriel, though. She wagged her tail and nudged her head into his palm as soon as he was near enough for it. She always had liked Gavriel better.

“Next time don’t walk into such an obvious setup,” Cassian said in Samouvean. Not even standard Samouvean—in the dialect only members of their family learned. He was pissed. Great. “That’s Teodora Nunziata.”

“Because I had a choice.” Gavriel cracked a grin because he knew that’d just piss off his brother more. “Dorian calls her Teo by the way. Cute, right?”

Cassian’s jaw tightened. He jabbed a finger into Gavriel’s chest. His voice was low, a hint of a threat underlining each word. “You need to be more careful, little brother. That girl is a Legionnaire. Her team is waiting for her—for you—in Srionne. Now is not the time for you to get arrested. I still need you.”

“Need me? Don’t you mean I love you too much to see you arrested, little brother?” Gavriel swatted Cassian’s hand away.

“You do know you’re trapped unless we help you, right?” Cassian said.

“And you’re not going to take over Bieleden in the next few days,” Gavriel countered. “Plenty of time to get arrested. I assume that all’s going according to plan after you dragged me out to help you kill someone’s wife and child? Or did that stunt not supply the results you’d hoped? Is that why you’re so mad?”

Cassian studied at him for a few long moments. Their eyes were almost level. Then his brother flipped his script between the version of himself he showed Gavriel and the one he showed everyone else.

“Quite the opposite, actually,” Cassian said. He released a long sigh and pulled Gavriel under his arm like the easygoing older brother everyone thought him to be as someone stepped out of their compartment to find the lavatory at the end of the train car. “The timing couldn’t have been better—between the death of a senator and the engagement of two patricians.”

He started heading down the hall, his wolf padding after them dutifully, and added in Revernais, “Let’s get out of the hall. Compartment’s just one more car down.” His hand found the back of Gavriel’s neck, and he gave a soft squeeze although he knew Gavriel hated it.

If Gavriel trusted his brother at all, he’d use this moment to ask if he knew anything about this Nila he’d met in meditation. Gavriel could say he had a dream about them. Or a nightmare. Between him and Cassian, his brother remembered more about their family. He could’ve heard some story when they were younger about some distant ancestor who used that name.

Except he didn’t trust his brother, this probably wasn’t the right time to ask, and the buzz had turned into a dull pulsing ache that made a hammer to the head seem more bearable.

Cassian led him to a small compartment that only had room for a booth table with seating for two or three on each side. Even the faux window was smaller than the one in the other compartment, which was in fact an improvement.

Syn and Senna were waiting for them inside, sitting together and without masks on. Syn had somehow managed to change out of his clothes from the station, and he must’ve been wearing contacts because his eyes were both brown.

Senna offered a smile. Syn—Aaro, as Malou had called him—narrowed his eyes as Gavriel took a seat beside Cassian, whose wolf curled up under the table as best as she could. So Cassian wasn’t the only one mad. What reason did any of them have to be mad anyway?

“Really?” Syn asked as soon as the door closed. He kept his voice low, but his tone was heavy enough to convey his fury. He had a few new scrapes on his face. “Elodie? You brought Elodie?”

Guess they weren’t bothering with codenames either.

Gavriel massaged his temples. “Yes, of course, the decision to bring Elodie rested entirely on my shoulders, and you have my most sincere apology. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, how long have they been targeting us?”

“Since you got to the station,” Senna provided.

As Gavriel had expected. The Legionnaires at the station had nothing to do with Malou, Elodie, or the Teir. They’d been there for the Libertines.

“So if they were watching us from the beginning,” Gavriel said, setting his eyes on Syn, “then maybe you shouldn’t have bumped into Elodie. You gave Janna a reason to get the Legionnaires involved in the first place. Not just any Legionnaire either, but Cap—”

Syn stood and grabbed Gavriel’s shirt from across the table in one motion, and Gavriel couldn’t help but crack a grin at that. Even the train tunnel couldn’t take away the spark of adrenaline that came from seeing the fight in Syn’s eyes.

“—And you have any room to talk, having lunch with his little sister? I thought you said you’d keep Malou out of danger. Isn’t that your whole job? You practically walked her right into it. At least I provided a distraction to get her out of it.”

“From my perspective,” Gavriel started, rising to his feet the same as Syn and hoping that bruising his knuckles might be a good distraction from this headache, “it looked more like you were the danger that walked into her.”

“You fucking—”

“Hey!” Cassian intervened, catching Syn’s fist and pushing Gavriel back into the seat. When he was in front of other people, even the sharp facial features he shared with Gavriel seemed to soften along with his entire demeanor. “What’s done is done. Let’s let this go so we talk next steps instead, yeah? Does anyone have a plan?”

Senna put a hand on Syn’s arm. “They’ve been watching the station since the Tousieux attack. I don’t necessarily think they were targeting Malou, but likely keeping watch over her just like we were. You keep forgetting that patrician families are a protected class all their own. Sit already, would you?”

Syn glanced to the ceiling, then released Gavriel’s shirt and sat back down. He folded his arms across his chest. “I keep forgetting because it’s asinine. Go on, then, give him the rest of it.”

“Thanks for your permission,” Senna said with a light chuckle. He waited for Gavriel to sit as well, then continued, “We have a team in Dorenheim preparing to grab the professor who was with you tonight from the Gendarmerie, as well as a few other Libertines they rounded up at the station. So our bigger problem isn’t what’s behind us but what’s ahead of us…”

“Yes, the trap in Srionne you’re about to walk into,” Syn said. Then he threw up his hands. “Or, if you manage to escape that one, the trap they’ll set up for you in Novenzia. As long as that girl is with you, anywhere you go, they’ll be waiting for you. You have to ditch the Nunziata girl. And you should ditch Elodie, too. Malou is too soft.” He folded his arms over his chest again.

“I can’t blame her,” Cassian said. As if he knew anything about being soft. “Not one of us would want to see anyone get engaged that young, let alone someone in our family. She’s just being a good person. That’s what makes it worth helping her.” He smiled. Beamed, more like it.

Gavriel pressed his forehead to the cold surface of the table. “Yeah, totally worth it.”

In Samouvean, Cassian said, “That’s right. You hate being underground. That explains a lot.” He rubbed Gavriel’s back and said in Revernais, “At the very least, we could try to convince Malou to get off in Srionne and help her find another way to Rielha. If this Nunziata is serious about helping, then she’d be willing to go ahead to Travorno with Elodie alone, right?”

“Yes,” Gavriel said, his headache worsening. He closed his eyes. “Convince Malou to ditch them both and come with us instead. That sounds like it’ll work great.”

So they’d get off. Then what?

Srionne would be crawling with Gendarme and Legionnaires if there had been this many in Dorenheim, but it was at least big enough to get lost in. The smaller cities between Dorenheim and Srionne wouldn’t give them the cover of anonymity they’d need. There wasn’t any better plan unless they’d overlooked something. Rather than convince Malou to leave Elodie behind, maybe he could get her to ask the Teir where to go from here.

The fact that Malou hadn’t been consulting the Teir didn’t surprise him, but a part of him wished she would. Even for some validation that they weren’t fucking themselves over in the long run. That was the reason Lavrras had entrusted her with it though; he knew she was too stubborn to use it unless necessary.

Something cut through his headache, and sudden clarity sliced through the buzz. He snapped his attention to the door and motioned for the other three to shut up. Cassian's wolf started a low growl, but Cassian quieted her with a sharp whisper.

Gavriel knew Malou was on the other side without needing to hear her voice.

“Excuse you,” she said, projecting more than she normally would. Probably to make sure they knew she was out there and there was trouble. “This compartment is marked for privacy, is it not?”

“I’ve been instructed—”

“I don’t care,” Malou cut them off. Probably some Gendarme, but she’d talk like that to anyone. He’d enjoyed watching her irritate the Legionnaires in the stacks not too long ago. “It’s marked for privacy for a reason.”

They hadn’t marked the compartment private since there shouldn’t have been a reason why checking on the three of them would’ve caused any issue. But if Malou had found her way here and knew they were in here, then something had to be wrong. Wasn’t that how the whole soulbond thing worked?

“And what reason would that be, young Valois?” the Gendarme asked.

“What reason would anyone want privacy on a train?” she asked. If she’d been startled that they’d known who she was, it didn’t show in her voice. But she also was no longer playing the charming one, which required a change of plans on his part. “I brought my amouren. Have you never traveled with yours? Or perhaps you’ve never had anyone like you enough to be yours?”

Gavriel was standing before he knew it, tearing off his jacket as quietly as possible, pulling out his hair tie—whatever would make Malou’s story as believable as possible. No half-assing it, either. Kicked off his boots. Took off his sweater, leaving him in only an undershirt. Even unfastened his pants so it’d look like he’d haphazardly put them on.

He’d have to give her shit for making him do this in front of these three though. Pretty sure he heard Syn snicker.

The Gendarme seemed to enjoy Malou’s attitude as much as the Legionnaires had. “If you don’t open this—”

Gavriel opened the door and stumbled out behind Malou, careful not to leave it open enough to give the Gendarme a clear look inside. He quickly said, “My apologies.”

Malou turned away from the Gendarme and gave him a solid look of concern. “You didn’t have to come out,” she said, her tone as believable as ever. Her hands started fixing his hair and straightening his undershirt. “You should go back inside.”

“The Gendarme, don’t they need to see me?” Gavriel bluffed. He stilled her hands. They were shaking. What would’ve happened if she hadn’t stopped the Gendarme?

She took a breath and faced the Gendarme again. “My amouren. For your viewing pleasure, I suppose. Hopefully, this is sufficient for you, because I consider us finished here.” When she circled around this time, she quickly manoeuvred Gavriel inside the compartment and followed him in.

After closing the door, Malou kept a hand on the handle. No one said anything. No one moved. Not until she let go and took a seat next to Gavriel. Cassian's wolf nuzzled into her legs, and she obliged her with head pats while she looked at each one of them. Malou probably had a lot she wanted to say to all of them, but she would bite her tongue.

Her gaze fell on Gavriel last. "Would you put your shirt back on? And button your pants. Appreciate the effort though. I think you made the Gendarme blush.” She even slid his hair tie across the table to him.

His headache roared back to life, though not quite as bad as it’d been before. He’d take it for now. Not wanting to waste energy bickering with her even in jest, he did as she said while she turned her attention to the other three.

“They’re checking every compartment,” she explained. “For Aaro. They even have a picture of you. Eyes and everything. Nice try with the contacts, though.”

Aaro scrunched his nose. “So you figured better you than me?”

“They already know I’m on board,” she pointed out. “I’m sharing a cabin with a Legionnaire. She would’ve been caught on camera helping us. That Gendarme even knew my name. They don’t seem to know yours. Yet.”

“They will if you keep saying it.”

"What else am I supposed to call you besides your name? You had to know it was possible they’d look for you on the train, but you’re here anyway. Did Leonore send you?”

“Why did you bring Elodie?” Syn asked instead. "You had to know she'd only get in the way."

"Why're you being an asshole about it when you're the one who actually got in the way?"

Syn laughed, and Malou did not look amused. This wasn’t going to go anywhere fast with these two being so obstinate. Gavriel hadn't been sure how close they were, though the hug they'd shared at Tousieux in the elevator when the Legionnaires came had given him the impression they'd at least been close at some point. He'd ask later.

Gavriel finished tying his hair up again and slouched. “These three think the Gendarme set a trap for us back at Dorenheim Station and that there’s another waiting for you in Novenzia. They want me to convince you to leave Elodie behind with Teo and get off in Srionne with us. Make our way separately. I don’t disagree with them.”

Malou turned her attention away from all of them to the door.

“What makes you so sure they’re only here for me anyway?” Syn asked. “What makes you think that getting you on this train wasn’t part of their plan? They know your name. You can’t stay on board at the very least.”

“Then we’ll get off in Srionne," she said. "With Elodie.”

“Malou…” Cassian reached behind Gavriel to put a hand on Malou’s shoulder. “Of course, I understand that you’re worried about your cousin. I’m always worried about Gavriel. But how can you help her if you get yourself caught here? Or in Novenzia, for that matter. If you’re caught, she’ll be sent back to her family. And if we can’t free you quickly, you might not be able to save her before the commitment ceremony at all.”

She shrugged his hand off. “What makes you think I’d need your help getting free? Or that I’ll be caught at all? Don’t you think there’ll be a trap in Srionne as well? The Gendarme and Legionnaires were not in the station for Elodie and me. They were clearly there for you.”

You—she meant the Libertines. Senna sat back against the booth, and Syn released a long sigh instead of trying to deny what was obvious. She tapped a knuckle against Gavriel’s thigh lightly though as if to say not you. Not long ago, that fist had looked broken. Malou was getting better at using magic and probably didn't need any of their help in reality.

“That might be true,” Cassian said, “but—”

“But what?” she cut him off, and that did make Gavriel grin despite his headache. “As far as I know, they think the Libertines are organizing an attack in Srionne. On the Old Palace. If I get off with you? Especially you, Aaro. That’ll put me in league with you in their eyes, wouldn’t it? Then I really will be one of their targets.”

Senna and Cassian both glanced at Syn, presumably because he knew more about what was going on with the Old Palace plans. Gavriel had only heard some whispers about it before Malou had told him about Commander Nunziata’s call with Tousieux and Estravenza University.

“We’re not organizing an attack on the Old Palace,” Syn said. “We’re trying to prevent one from happening. Just for the record. Leonore put Ace in charge of that, though, and she didn’t want any of us interfering with her plans. All I know is that the timeline’s moved up significantly.”

“How significantly?” Gavriel asked. He was not liking what he was hearing.

“Significantly as in tomorrow at the earliest,” Syn said. Then he shifted his gaze to Malou. More serious than Gavriel had ever seen him, he told her, “I’m not here because Leonore gave me some order to follow. I’m here because I want to help you. I promise to do everything I can to get you to Rielha, but I’m not making any promises about Elodie until you get there.”

“Great,” Malou said as she exhaled, holding her elbows and closing her eyes for a moment.

Gavriel knew that look. The one she made when she was trying to hide what she was really thinking. If he was in her position, he’d probably be wishing right now that Leonore had left and never looked back. Why bother going to all this trouble to help Malou get to Rielha when it only seemed to be creating more obstacles?

There had to be a way out of this whole mess. There had to be a way to just slip away from all of this and hide with the Teir until it faded completely into myth and legend. But Malou was the one with the Teir, and she had to be the one to decide how to best protect it.

All Gavriel had was the head-splitting headache and the dark emptiness in the back of his mind where Nila whispered to him that things wouldn’t be this way if only he’d accept their deal.

If you had this power, wouldn’t you be able to better protect her? Don’t you remember how that power felt? Didn’t it feel good to be powerful? You can’t save her from anything like this, you fool.

Or maybe that wasn’t Nila’s voice at all—maybe it was his own.