Alistair pulled two of his guard aside before the feast had fully resumed, murmured something low enough that Eva couldn't catch it, and returned to her with his jaw set in a way that told her the conversation about gate codes wasn't over just postponed.
"Reyna will look into it quietly. Tonight isn't the night to cause a panic." He touched her cheek, brief and warm. "Stay close. I have to speak with Ansgar before the toasts. I won't be long."
He wasn't wrong, exactly, but not long turned into twenty minutes, and Eva found herself drifting toward the hall's open terrace doors, craving air that didn't taste like torch smoke and unspoken accusations.
Kieran was already there, leaning against the stone balustrade, looking out over the fortress grounds like he owned the view.
"Escaping, Ms
