Cassius proudly showed me his ledgers. I leaned over the documents, reading, trying to understand the columns of numbers and be happy, as he so clearly was. But I struggled to focus. I was so aware of Leona standing there. Cassius interacted with her with great comfort and familiarity. It was clear they'd been working together for some time—and that their relationship was amicable, productive, friendly.

I just couldn't determine how to feel. Olaf hovered by the bar, nursing a drink. His face was stone. I couldn't tell if he had hostility for her. She had betrayed him too, in the arena, when she had tried to end my time in the Choosing. Had our team been defeated, he would have had no Flows for his home.

For me it was all the more conflicted. I had gone far out of my way to save her from the executioner's axe. I had killed men on Bishop Ra's behalf to win his favor—to earn her banishment instead of destruction. I had done it because I couldn't bear the thought of her dying on my behalf. I didn't want or need that much revenge. I didn't think it was fair for her life to end when it had been the wills of others that had driven her to the act.

But… I hadn't sought her out. I hadn't spent effort ensuring that her banishment was safe or profitable. I had put her out of my mind.

The fact was simple: I could still remember that moment in the Arena. My sword blazing. The culmination of all my growth swelling in me. That had been the moment I was going to put Lance down, really show him. I could have won everything that day. But the sensation of her arms snaking around me from behind was still so vivid in my memory. I couldn't forget the confusion, the sudden sense of loss. For all of it—she had betrayed me.

It was clear she knew it as well. She was a ghost in the room as Cassius showed me profits and projections, expounded on plans for further routes and other revenue streams for Dodge. As he described a city with a thriving leisure district, drawing nobles and Griidlords from far and wide, Leona just watched. She claimed none of the glory for what had been achieved here in the short months since my last visit. But listening to Cassius, it was clear she had been instrumental in making it a reality.

As Cassius drew to a close and I felt the meeting ebb, I realized there was a moment here. I was still too much the boy. Too much afraid of the human challenges in life. It was easy—for me at least—to raise a sword and interact with violence and power. It was the other side where I struggled. The awkwardness of the intimate moment. The undefined hostility of an implied wrong.

But I thought of my moments with Racquel beneath the trees. That had come so easily when it happened. It had required a strange little sort of bravery, to push through the difficulties left on me from Father's raising, but the rewards had been—

As Cassius gathered his ledgers, clearly eager to return to the endless tasks before him, I said, "Leona, would you walk with me? It's been too long."

Cassius reacted not at all to this. To his perception, I had sent Leona here as an agent. For all he knew we were the best of compatriots. If he had checked my background, if he knew of our history, then he must have had information to reconcile our relationship as well. Perhaps he didn't connect her name with my betrayal. Or maybe he did, but knew of my efforts to have her freed.

Leona was more awkward than I was. I could see the desire in her to both reconcile and fade away until she disappeared. Instead, her voice was stuttering and weak, but fortified by the desire to appear normal.

"I… Y-yes, of course."

I moved through the door and onto the street. I tried to keep my face steel, holding myself as the powerful, strong Griidlord. Maybe I did alright at the projection. Leona followed. She too was trying to appear comfortable. I think I was performing better than she was.

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We moved down the street, neither of us speaking until we were confident of being clear of eager ears.

I broke the silence. "Did you tell him I sent you here? Or did he assume?"

Her voice was so meek, it softened the hardness I felt. "He… he assumed. I went to him seeking employment. I was raised with the skills to manage our lands and businesses back home. I thought I could be useful—make something of myself after… after I ruined everything."

I said, "And why Dodge? Why my town?"

She said, "That was an accident, Tiberius. Truly it was. After you… after you saved me from the gallows—even after what I did to you—I never intended to trouble you again. I wanted to disappear. To go somewhere that nobody knew me, where I could leave the shame and the guilt and the reputation behind. I wanted to go West. Father gave me money, but he didn't want to be seen supporting me, so it was money and goodbye. No retainers, no guides. I joined a caravan heading West with just the vaguest notion of trying to make a life on the Empire Coast."

She sighed. We walked past another tavern under construction. Cassius had referenced plans to make a sort of resort of Dodge, a sanctuary. I frowned slightly. I hadn't paid enough attention.

She said, "But all roads seem to lead to Dodge now. I couldn't afford or find Griid-trains for the whole journey. I bought passage with normal caravans too. The journey was long… and it was… eye-opening…"

There was a crack in her voice, and I looked at her instead of staring into the vague distance. Her face was hesitant. Her eyes were wet with restrained emotion.

She said, "It's… the road isn't a great place for a woman on her own. Even for me, with my training… it's uncomfortable, uncertain. One garners a lot of attention from a lot of men. Attention that's not wanted."

I could imagine. Leona was a highborn lady. She was more than pretty enough. She was also deadly. She may not have been the greatest of us in the arena, but that had been facing the best of our city. Common ruffians would be shocked at the result of accosting her—especially with a sword on her hip.

She said, "It was exhausting. There was never a moment of peace or security. I didn't know what the next day would bring. I couldn't imagine a future without my home or my family..."

A tear escaped her eye, despite her efforts. "So… when Cassius recognized my name, a noble from Boston, he assumed we were friends. I did nothing to dissuade him. I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to take further advantage of you. I was just… I just needed..."

I didn't mean to say it. I wanted to resent her. I wanted to have some measure of justice. I wanted to want her to suffer. But my voice said, "It's okay."

She was startled by the words. She looked at me with hope and pleading in her eyes. "It is? Is it really?"

It was far beyond me to shatter the sudden, imploring expression. I said, "Yes… you've helped build the town back. You've earned your place here. Maybe… maybe I should've done something to ensure your security when I freed you."

A small part of me felt like I had shirked a responsibility when I had her spared and done no more. I had thrown her to the wolves.

She said, "I'll serve Dodge well, Tiberius. I owe you. I owe you more than I can possibly express. I owe you for the… for what I did in the arena. And then, afterward—I know it was you that saved me… I owe you my life as well. And now, here, I owe you for this life too."

I said, "You owe me nothing now. That's all in the past. This is a new life for both of us. You received no charity from me here. Listening to Cassius talk, you've more than earned your place."

She shook her head. "No… I have a debt I must repay. Disowned or not, I'm a lady still. I still have my honor. I must make amends with you."

There was a sudden hardness to her voice. I looked at her again and couldn't understand her expression. She seemed determined—as though she were steeling herself. I didn't understand what she might be fortifying herself for.

Then she said, "There is something I can do to help you still."

She took a deep breath and stopped. We were in the middle of the street. We'd walked beyond the active part of town. The construction sites and bustling carts were further off now. Around us were only empty lots, cleared of rubble. Weeds and tufts of grass sprouted from the blackened ground where fires had burned.

She said, "I can tell you of the conspirators who worked against you during the Choosing. They're not done yet, Tiberius. There's more to it than you know."

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