The streets of Ironhold were empty.
The four of them walked in a loose group through the sleeping city, their footsteps echoing softly off the stone buildings on either side.
The lantern light from the McCoy estate had long since faded behind them.
Alex walked slightly ahead, his hands in his pockets, his head tilted back to look at the stars. He hadn't said much since they left. The quiet suited him.
Behind him, Lucy and Nathan walked side by side, their conversation drifting in quiet fragments through the still air.
".....the market district has changed so much since you left, Sister. You would barely recognize the eastern quarter."
"Really? What happened to the old tea house near the fountain?"
"Burned down three weeks ago. Some drunk knocked over a lantern. They're rebuilding it, but the owner decided to make it twice as large this time. He says if the gods wanted to burn his shop, they must have wanted him to build a bigger one."
