"The experience has been serene."

Erith let out a laugh, settling into the chair beside Maeric's bed in the late hours of the night. His eyes were heavy from helping Amun clean up the Spindle after it closed. "Serene... I can't say I remember the droplets being anything but miserable."

Maeric smiled warmly at Erith. "Yet you must have found something along the way. Look at you now. I'm sure you found an appreciation—the beauty of it. I think I can see that too."

His expression shifted, as if a longing had settled in him. "When I've focused on the droplets, when there's nothing more in the world but where it will land, where they will flow... the world has never been that quiet."

Maeric's stare was distant, his tone tinged with quiet appreciation. "It's as if there is simply nothing. A void. Something I cannot grasp. It's a world unheard."

A silence stretched between them before Maeric turned to meet Erith's eyes, giving way to the confirmation Maeric sought. "Ah... so this is where the path leads, then?"

"You're determined, Maeric—more than I could have imagined. Maybe more than what's safe. Don't let that determination misjudge your progress." There was a cautious air threaded through Erith's words.

"What you've felt is what you seek." Erith hesitated before continuing. "Failing the Balance... is agony—and not always a quick end. It slowly tears the body apart from within. You've still got a road ahead."

"But a bit of praise along that road wouldn't hurt from the diligent teacher, would it? Might be good for the eager student," Maeric chuckled softly.

Erith’s cheeks reddened. He looked away from Maeric's gaze, suddenly too aware of it. Standing quicker than he expected to, he forced his focus elsewhere.

"Find that silence. A fleeting moment is a great start, but once you've found it, seize it. Try to remain there for at least an hour. When you can do that, we can take it further along."

He turned toward the door.

"Erith."

He paused, but didn't turn back.

"I never did thank you for what you did at the camp. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you."

A lump formed in Erith's throat. The words felt too heavy to take form. Without answering, he stepped out of the room.

Leaning against the wall, he pressed a hand over his face, exhaling slowly—until the adjacent door swung open. Amun poked his head out, waving him over.

"Mum wants a word..." Amun studied Erith's expression, a crooked smile slowly forming.

Erith blinked, catching the amusement in Amun's grin. With a quiet sigh, he pushed off the wall, and followed Amun inside without a word.

Rin and Rhymera sat in the chairs by the fireside while Tal stood by the window, arms crossed, watching the street below.

"How is he getting along, my dear?" Rhymera raised a cup to her lips, steam swirling around her face as she blew gently on the surface.

"Maeric's certainly getting along." Erith hesitated. "I thought he was just naive at first, but... he really wants this. He's picking it up faster than I expected." He glanced toward the fire. "Still has a long road ahead before—well, before he's there."

Rin's gaze flicked toward him, something wary in his expression.

Erith shook his head. "He'll be ready for the Balance when he's ready. He knows rushing it would kill him—I won't let that happen, no matter how eager he is to tear himself apart."

Rhymera took a slow sip from her cup before placing it back on the saucer in her hand. "And how are you, my dear?"

"I'm... I'm fine." His tone sounded more like he was convincing himself than anyone else.

The weight of Rhymera’s lingering eyes pressed down on Erith, studying him. Slowly, he took his hands off the back of the chair and sat down.

Rhymera exhaled softly. "It burdens me to ask more of you, with all that has happened, yet I simply cannot see another way through these precarious moments."

She gestured toward Amun who sat cross-legged on the floor beside the fire. "Moonsie tells me our assailant appears to be connected to the Morvathi Dominion's Diplomatic Council."

"The Estoraths aren't just well-known sifters—they're deeply tied to the Kingdom of Aldarath. Maeric's brother Ranoric has the Royal Council's ear."

"And the Morvathi Guard isn't just Morvath's sifting operation—it's an arm of their military. An attack on them is chaos enough, but when its intention is to kill Aldarath's Pining Frost leadership? That's a kindling designed to be ignited."

There was a quiet that settled in the room before Rhymera nodded toward Rin. "Rin says the Surelians are in a bit of a scramble. They're riding out to the Pining Frost and also out to the city of Aldasi to inform Aldarath's Royal Council."

Erith curled his fingers against the armchair as he looked warily toward Rin. "Did you mention Maeric to the Surelians?"

Rin shook his head. "It's best he stays missing for now. He can focus on the Balance that way. The moment they know he's alive in Verael, they'd sweep us straight off to Aldasi."

Erith glanced back at Rhymera. "You said you needed to ask something of me."

Rhymera nodded. "Yes, but before that, there's one other matter."

Rin shifted uneasily in his seat.

By the window, Tal finally pulled away from the street, turning her attention toward the fire.

"A Morvath soldier was brought to us in bad shape. A healer managed to stabilize him. When he woke up, he started talking—about what happened that afternoon." There was an edge to Tal's voice.

"He told the healer that a sifter from the Pining Frost felt the barrier carts being destroyed. That he could sense the Murasi approaching."

She grimaced at Erith.

"When I finished my rounds, I stopped by where the soldier was. His cot was cleared out. A Morvathi guard told me he'd succumbed to his wounds. I haven't seen the healer since."

Erith’s heartbeat thundered in his chest.

"It is unsettling news, my dear, but please take solace that it is unlikely that this information would lead Morvath back to you at this point." She gestured toward Rin.

"More likely, Rin will be of interest to Morvath if it becomes widely known that he was at the Morvathi Guard's camp that afternoon."

Rin crossed his arms as he sat in his chair. "The Surelians have me checking in daily. They like my connections in the Ropewalks, but I suspect they also see what I do—that I wasn't meant to make it out of that camp."

Rhymera set her cup down with a quiet clink. "We find ourselves fortunate with an upper hand of knowledge—yet burdened with the unfortunate fact that the ones connected to the assailant are the most well-guarded residents of Verael."

She looked down at her cup on the table, watching the steam drift into the air before she turned her attention to Erith.

"Vaedrin Hon and Ismira Nysharath. The two Morvath diplomats I was chatting with last night. They hold the key to understanding why Maeric was attacked. Perhaps why the camp was attacked."

Rhymera frowned, letting out a small sigh. "It may not have seemed like it, but only a fool would consider making a move on them in the Spindle. Several of the patrons are their guards. Any affairs they conduct on the streets of Verael, they're accompanied by at least a dozen others."

Her tone softened as she watched Erith, waiting for his reaction. "They reside in an estate next to the Morvathi embassy in Watcher's Rise. It is heavily fortified, no question of that, but I have reason to visit occasionally. I don't know the place well, but I do know they each have their own quarters."

A quiet disbelief wove into Erith’s voice as he leaned forward.

"So what, you want me to slip into a fortress, interrogate them, and get out before they sic an entire army on me?"

Rhymera met his gaze without hesitation. "That's exactly what I’m asking of you, my dear."

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