"Chocolate," Lilith said in a voice that was anything but impressed.

Hain cursed again. He'd forgotten their safe word–the thing they'd agreed to say so as to let the other know they were alright.

"Such language!" Lilith feigned shock. "I hope you don't say your prayers with that mouth."

"I do lots of things with this mouth." Hain rose from the street and pushed back his black hair from his face. "Prayers, not so much."

"Well, speaking as a Lady of the Court, I don't approve. And I doubt the honest Faithful in the Sepulcher would either."

"Says the person lurking in a shadowy alley in the middle of the night."

"I wasn't lurking," she said with mock outrage. "I was waiting like any other Lady for her friend to come scurrying out of the sewers."

Hain snorted a laugh. "She said, still lurking in the shadows."

Lilith let out an exasperated sound and stepped into the light where Hain could see her. Chestnut hair framed her heart-shaped face, and her icy blue eyes reflected the firelight lapping against the cobblestone. She wore her hair shorter than most women in the haven–the ruddy brown just long enough to kiss the limp cowl about her shoulders. A leather jerkin the color of dried blood fit tight over a black wool shirt hugging her frame. Soft leather boots reached halfway up her shins, and black wool leggings bound the rest of her lean legs. On one thigh, the fire-blackened hilt of a dagger blended perfectly with the leggings.

Armed, and armored as always, Hain thought. And definitely not a Court Lady.

She leaned casually against one of the houses flanking the alley. "Better?"

"Not if you're still trying to sell the whole 'Lady' bit," Hain said, crossing the street. "Unless razor sharp daggers are this season's accessory at Court. I can't imagine those go over well with the Faithful at mass though."

She blew through her lips in a rude sound. "What makes you think I went to the mass?"

"I figured Sam would have dragged you along."

It was true. His royal cousin never gave up on trying to turn both Hain and Lilith to the Faith. He never seemed to account for the rest of the Faithful's open revulsion at his and Lilith's continued existence. As though being a royal bastard and a Cat demon girl was a crime in and of itself.

Lilith pushed off the building and folded her arms over her chest. As she did it, the sleeve of her shirt crept up her wrists and bared a word in the script tattooed down one forearm.

Hain made a point of keeping his eyes from the ink. Even after all the time they'd known each other, Lilith still got touchy when she caught him looking. He didn't know what it meant, or who'd put the mark on her, but she'd left no ambiguity about her unwillingness to discuss it.

"I told him I wasn't going," she said.

Hain didn't hide his surprise. "And of course he understood completely."

"He understood after I explained that I feel like I can't ever let my guard down around those people. Every time I come near them they act as though I'm going to sprout horns and start devouring babies."

"Babies?" Hain said. "That's ridiculous. I mean, at most you could only eat one baby in a sitting. Any more than that and you'd make yourself sick."

"You know what I mean," she said, looking darkly at him. "One bad word from the Bishop and the whole lot is likely to go all stabby on me."

Hain could have laughed if the Faithful's opinion on her wasn't such a pain in their lives. Lilith was skilled in a fight, but since she was different–because she was from such a feared and unknown place as the Godless–the Faithful had assumed she must be a monster hiding in a girl's form.

"Anyone with a chunk of brain can see you're no demon."

"Thanks for that." She lifted one shoulder in a lazy shrug. "But it's no bother to me so long as they leave me be."

"I mean, how can they say you're a Cat demon, without first having another actual Cat demon to compare? Do they even know other Cat demons?"

She shrugged again. "Really, it's fine. I don't care–"

"And," Hain cut over her as though she hadn't spoken, "it's not as though anyone actually believes the Cat Clan has magical powers anyway." He gave her a doubtful look. "I mean, really? Cats?"

"I retract half of my thanks," she said, giving him a light shove. "And so you know, the Clan does have powers."

"Would we say that?" Hain tipped his head to one side. "Unless we count eating too much and sleeping too late as powers."

"You count them for yourself, don't you?"

"Completely different," he said. "The Clan lives in the forest and clean their nethers with their tongues, while I–"

"Don't clean yourself at all?"

Hain lifted one arm, whiffed at his armpit, then pulled a disgusted face. "Not where I was headed, but point taken," Hain said, making a face. "But to be fair, it's tough to find a good bath when you're in the middle of the Hoh."

"The Hoh?" She pursed her lips. "So you've been ranging again."

Hain sniffed. "I don't think that's any of your business."

"Everything you do is my business. That's part of being my friend," she said with that same devilish smirk. "Honestly though, where have you been? I haven't seen you around at all. And last I remember, you promised you weren't going to leave the haven without bringing me along. So thanks for that."

Lilith's tone stayed playful, but Hain knew her well enough to pick up the hurt beneath the words.

"I know," he said, really meaning it. Hurting Lilith was the last thing he wanted. "I'm sorry. I just got caught up doing something."

"Well as long as it was something that made you leave your only friend to rot in the haven by herself." She folded her arms over her chest agin. "Care to elaborate?"

Hain thought through his next words. Lilith knew how much the Viajeros meant to him, so telling her about La Doña's decision to leave the haven was sure to bring on a barrage of questions he had no desire answering. That left him the option of telling her about the Vrai, which seemed just as bad an idea, albeit a less emotionally painful one.

In the end, the Vrai won out.

"I found something," he said. "Out near the coast."

Lilith raised an arched eyebrow. "Go on."

Hain hesitated, throwing a wary glance up and down the street. "I followed a Vrai patrol."

The amusement fell from Lilith's face. "I thought you told me you'd quit taking stupid risks."

"I told you that so you'd stop bothering me about it."

Disapproval shot from her eyes. "Are you trying to die?"

"Of course not," Hain said. "I mostly enjoy living."

"Then what in all of Heaven and Hell do you have to gain from tracking Vrai patrols all the way to the sea?"

"Better keep your voice down," Hain said, trying to steer the conversation from himself. "The Faithful might take issue with a Cat demon cursing on a holy night."

Lilith's hand shot out from her side and landed a punch on his shoulder before he could react.

"Bless the End Day, Lilith!" he hissed. "What did you do that for?"

"Because you're being an idiot," she hissed back. "So much of an idiot, in fact, that you must have missed the fresh crop of flayed bodies outside the walls."

Hain's smirk faded. "I saw them."

"That's half the masters from the Mason's Guild, Hain. Flayed."

"Masons?" Hain said, feigning ignorance. It wouldn't do him any good to let on what he'd learned from La Doña. "What do the Vrai care about the Masons Guild?"

"Does it matter? The point is, the same thing will happen to you if you're not careful. In case you hadn't noticed, you don't exactly blend in with the rest of the Court. What if the Vrai from that patrol recognize you?"

"They're not going to tell anyone anything."

"You can't know that."

"Yes I can."

Lilith's eyes dug into his. "How are you so sure?"

"I just am." Hain shifted uncomfortably. "And stop looking at me with your what-did-you-do-this-time face."

Her eyes grew more intense. "Those Vrai weren't dead, were they?"

"How did you know that?" he blurted, a bit more loudly than he'd intended. "I only found them–"

Lilith's hand shot out to clamp over his mouth. Hain let out a muffled cry and almost pulled away from her, but stopped as he caught sight of her face.

Terror blanched her cheeks.

She leaned in until her mouth was inches from his ear, speaking in a whisper almost too low to hear.

"The Vrai know."

Hain felt his body go weak. The Vrai knew. They knew.

He pulled back from her slowly until her hand came free of his mouth.

"How did you find out?" he said in the same low tone.

"I was there when they stormed into Court," she whispered. "They were furious, Hain. Accusing your uncle and the rest of the nobility of murdering all but one of an entire patrol."

Hain felt something go tight in his chest as he thought back to the Vrai who'd snatched at his leg. In his rush to escape, he hadn't considered the possibility that the Vrai might actually survive his wounds.

"I didn't attack that patrol," Hain said. "They were like that when I found them."

"Do you really think the Vrai care about that?" she said. "Your tutors have been practically shouting from the ramparts that you've been gone from lessons, and it's not exactly a secret that you spend a lot of time ranging outside the haven."

"Did the Vrai say anything else?" Hain said, thinking back to La Doña's claims about the ring. "Anything about the Viajeros?"

Lilith gave him a confused look. "Why would the Vrai care about them?"

The knots in his chest loosened. The fact that the Vrai hadn't mentioned anything about the camp didn't mean the Viajeros were out of danger, but it wasn't a bad sign either. Whatever trouble he'd brought on himself might still be his alone to bear.

"No reason," Hain said finally. "Forget about it."

Lilith's confusion morphed into concern. "If those people had something to do with this, and the Vrai find out you kept it from them–"

His voice was hard as he spoke over her. "I said forget about it."

Lilith's mouth pinched into a line. "Fine. I'll forget about it," she said, then added, "for now."

But Hain wasn't listening. His eyes scanned the secluded street. "I need to get back out to La Doña. She needs to know about this."

Lilith's icy eyes narrowed. "That woman can't do anything for you. We need to get Sam."

Hain rolled his eyes. "Oh, come off it, Lilith. Just because you need Sam, doesn't mean we all need him."

Not even the dimness of the street could hide the blush rising onto Lilith's cheeks.

"My relationship with Sam has nothing to do with this."

"I wouldn't say it has nothing to do with this." Hain looked thoughtful. "I mean, you two were definitely doing something when I–"

Before Hain could finish the sentence, Lilith's fist shot out from her side and connected in the same place it had the first time.

Hain's face pinched in pain. "Ow!"

"That's what you get," she said, her voice loud enough to echo from the stone row houses around them. "This is serious."

Hain rubbed at the place she'd struck him. "Do you want to say that a little louder? I think some of the Faithful in the Sepulcher didn't hear you."

Lilith's nostrils flared, but she kept her voice lower. "Sam is the only one of the Faithful who doesn't think we're both depraved heathens. He can protect you."

"Except there's that bit about Sam being in mass, in the Sepulcher, along with the Faithful horde who both hate, and hope to one day dismember both of us."

"We can wait for him in the Keep until it's over," she said. "If the Vrai think you had anything to do with their soldiers turning up dead, you're going to need someone with more power than a nomad witch to keep them from flaying you alive."

Hain grimaced as he remembered the scene in the Forest of Screaming Trees. He knew exactly how they'd react–the Vrai would start cutting, and they wouldn't stop until the screaming did.

"I'm not saying you're completely right."

"Even though I am."

"But," Hain said, as though she hadn't spoken, "finding Sam might be a good idea. I'll wait with you in the Keep like you said, but if Sam doesn't show after mass lets out, then I'm leaving."

Lilith looked as though she might punch him again.

"Will you stop looking at me like that?"

Lilith didn't stop. "Why are you so keen on going back out there?"

"If I tell you now then you'll probably get all Lilithy, start yelling, and then we'll both get flayed."

"Here or in the Keep, I'm going to yell at you either way if you tell me something stupid."

"Then save it for the Keep," Hain said. "At least there the walls are thick enough to save the rest of the haven from your booming man-voice."