that I’d seen on Dirva’s face countless times. The sudden resemblance between them made me laugh. “What?” he asked.
“ You look like your brother when you make that face.”
He laughed with me. “Oh, I don’t look nothing like Falynn.”
“ Who?”
“ Falynn. My brother, Falynn. We don’t look nothing alike.”
“ No, I meant Dirva,” I said. I was reading him a little as I spoke. “I meant your brother, Dirva.”
“ Oh,” he said. “Hey, stop it with the prying eyes, would you? Shave and get dressed.”
Caught, abashed, I followed his directions. I shaved haphazardly in the dark and pulled on his clothes. I couldn’t help but think about what I’d eavesdropped: at the mention of Dirva he had turned hard, irritable, and confused. I followed him out of the squat house. We were the only ones awake. When we were outside, Sorcha dawdled by the door. “Aren’t we late?” I asked.
“ Yeah, but…” He peered out into the Square. He whistled, and someone else whistled back. “Yeah, just had to wait for Caddie to get back. Can’t leave the little ones on their own, right?” He started off, towards the south end of the Square.
I walked with him, but craned my neck to catch a glimpse of his sister. I saw nothing but the soft yellow glow of the streetlights. “She’s just getting back?”
“ Tables run all night.”
“ What tables?”
“ Card tables.”
“ Sorcha, she’s not…is she a gambler?” I ducked close to him when I asked it, very much scandalized.
He laughed. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, charmed, I think, by my naiveté. “I don’t know that I’d call her a gambler. Gambling makes it sound like she might lose. Ariah, she’s a card sharp. Keeps the squat house afloat practically single-handed. Gets it from Pa.”
We walked deep into the musicians’ district of the South Quarter. It was populated predominately by red elves who ran from the war in the South and blue elves who’d run from whatever it is in the forest they run from. The South Quarter had no order to it—it was all chaos, with some streets already alive and bustling before dawn and some that did not wake until noon. The edge of the quarter, which bordered the Qin quarter, was home to card and drug dens. Brothels were sprinkled throughout. On the other end, where the South Quarter met the West Quarter, which the locals called the Tinker’s Borough, blue elves felled Magi buildings and grew gardens in their place. In the heart of the South Quarter was the musicians’ district. It was there that I saw my first satyr. I saw several of them on that first morning’s walk to Prynn’s apartment. My mother’s mother had spoken of them when I was young, but I had thought them legends. The first one I saw leaned against a building, impossibly tall, hoofed and horned. I slipped close to Sorcha, eyes wide, too surprised to know whether or not to be afraid. The satyr grinned at me. “Off to see the Lover’s Lover, Sorcha?”
“ Yeah. Morning, Violet,” he said.
I could not help but stare at her as we passed by. I tried not to, and I failed miserably. “You know the satyrs?” I asked Sorcha when we turned the corner.
“ Huh? Oh, sure. Can’t be a musician and not know at least some of the bards.” He caught sight of my face and stopped. “Hey, you all right? Look like you’ve had a fright.”
“ Are they safe?” They didn’t look safe to me. The satyrs looked feral.
“ Who, Violet? Yeah. Well, I mean, I guess it depends, but yeah, they’re safe to us. They can get brutal with their own kind. Hey, they’re just canny bastards who mess with you, that’s all. You all right?”
“ I’ve never seen one.”
“ They don’t go into the Empire?”
“ I guess not.”
Sorcha raised his eyebrows. He motioned for me to stay where I was. He jogged around the corner, calling the satyr girl’s name. A second later he was back in front of me. “Violet says you Imperials don’t drop coins
“ You look like your brother when you make that face.”
He laughed with me. “Oh, I don’t look nothing like Falynn.”
“ Who?”
“ Falynn. My brother, Falynn. We don’t look nothing alike.”
“ No, I meant Dirva,” I said. I was reading him a little as I spoke. “I meant your brother, Dirva.”
“ Oh,” he said. “Hey, stop it with the prying eyes, would you? Shave and get dressed.”
Caught, abashed, I followed his directions. I shaved haphazardly in the dark and pulled on his clothes. I couldn’t help but think about what I’d eavesdropped: at the mention of Dirva he had turned hard, irritable, and confused. I followed him out of the squat house. We were the only ones awake. When we were outside, Sorcha dawdled by the door. “Aren’t we late?” I asked.
“ Yeah, but…” He peered out into the Square. He whistled, and someone else whistled back. “Yeah, just had to wait for Caddie to get back. Can’t leave the little ones on their own, right?” He started off, towards the south end of the Square.
I walked with him, but craned my neck to catch a glimpse of his sister. I saw nothing but the soft yellow glow of the streetlights. “She’s just getting back?”
“ Tables run all night.”
“ What tables?”
“ Card tables.”
“ Sorcha, she’s not…is she a gambler?” I ducked close to him when I asked it, very much scandalized.
He laughed. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, charmed, I think, by my naiveté. “I don’t know that I’d call her a gambler. Gambling makes it sound like she might lose. Ariah, she’s a card sharp. Keeps the squat house afloat practically single-handed. Gets it from Pa.”
We walked deep into the musicians’ district of the South Quarter. It was populated predominately by red elves who ran from the war in the South and blue elves who’d run from whatever it is in the forest they run from. The South Quarter had no order to it—it was all chaos, with some streets already alive and bustling before dawn and some that did not wake until noon. The edge of the quarter, which bordered the Qin quarter, was home to card and drug dens. Brothels were sprinkled throughout. On the other end, where the South Quarter met the West Quarter, which the locals called the Tinker’s Borough, blue elves felled Magi buildings and grew gardens in their place. In the heart of the South Quarter was the musicians’ district. It was there that I saw my first satyr. I saw several of them on that first morning’s walk to Prynn’s apartment. My mother’s mother had spoken of them when I was young, but I had thought them legends. The first one I saw leaned against a building, impossibly tall, hoofed and horned. I slipped close to Sorcha, eyes wide, too surprised to know whether or not to be afraid. The satyr grinned at me. “Off to see the Lover’s Lover, Sorcha?”
“ Yeah. Morning, Violet,” he said.
I could not help but stare at her as we passed by. I tried not to, and I failed miserably. “You know the satyrs?” I asked Sorcha when we turned the corner.
“ Huh? Oh, sure. Can’t be a musician and not know at least some of the bards.” He caught sight of my face and stopped. “Hey, you all right? Look like you’ve had a fright.”
“ Are they safe?” They didn’t look safe to me. The satyrs looked feral.
“ Who, Violet? Yeah. Well, I mean, I guess it depends, but yeah, they’re safe to us. They can get brutal with their own kind. Hey, they’re just canny bastards who mess with you, that’s all. You all right?”
“ I’ve never seen one.”
“ They don’t go into the Empire?”
“ I guess not.”
Sorcha raised his eyebrows. He motioned for me to stay where I was. He jogged around the corner, calling the satyr girl’s name. A second later he was back in front of me. “Violet says you Imperials don’t drop coins
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