The structure was dark oak, ancient by the look of it. Thick cracks ran up the beams where moss had taken hold, and the windows, like the building itself, belonged to another era entirely, full of bubbles and impurities trapped in the glass.
Kael kicked the first step and watched the wood crumble under his foot.
The building was old, had no charm, and was pathetic by almost any measure. None of that mattered. He hadn't bought it to live comfortably.
He expected a creak when he pushed the door. Instead it chose to come off its hinges entirely and hit the ground in splinters.
Kael scratched his forehead with his thumb and looked at what remained.
"Maybe I should invest a few more mindstones in the next property I buy."
Judging this one by its cover would have been entirely fair, because the inside was just as bad.
Apparently this was one of the first buildings ever constructed in Sole, long before it became the capital. Looking at it, that was easy to believe.
The floors were in surprisingly good condition though, with a few deep dents here and there, perhaps from objects being dropped through the times.
Almost a dozen cabinets lined the walls, and a counter ran along the far end. Kael walked to the nearest one. Brown glass bottles with dried residue still clinging to them were spread across the shelves. A pharmacy, just as the listing had described. To the right of the counter a staircase rose, the steps creaking but holding his weight.
The upper floor had a vaulted ceiling and a small kitchen squeezed into one corner. Beneath a window at the far end sat a bed with no cushioning.
He tested the floors and knocked on a few beams. Nothing to worry about yet.
"Guess that just leaves the fun part."
He stretched, rolled his neck, and looked around.
The street below was quiet, the air surprisingly crisp given what he was standing inside, perhaps from the wind going straight through the walls, and the sun had barely cleared the horizon. Exactly what he needed.
Kael gathered all the bottles and moved them to a corner for cleaning later, then went outside to retrieve the tools he had left earlier. A mortal nearly walked into him on the way back, startled by the noble presence, apologised twice, and hurried off.
By the time he was done the sun hung high.
Kael wiped his face with his sleeve and looked at the room.
It was a different place entirely. Someone walking in now would at least understand what it was supposed to be. He walked to a corner chair, sat down, and took a slow sip of water, studying the result.
Then a knock on the door frame.
Syleena stood at the entrance, hazel eyes already on him.
"Fancy place you've got, Valerian Eireindaile."
She folded her hands behind her back.
She wore a military cape, much like his, though no crest marked her shoulder. Black with silver veins running through it in perfect symmetry, a silver sash crossing from shoulder to chest, a silver chain decorating it.
Kael smiled.
"A first customer." He gave a small nod. "What do you think? It took some effort to get it in order."
Syleena's expression offered nothing.
"What are you doing?" She leaned against the frame.
Kael shifted into a more comfortable position.
"I won't stain your name. If that's what you're worried about, Maelle Mercier."
Syleena's eyes narrowed at the name.
Things had shifted completely since they entered the city. They hadn't discussed it, but somewhere along the way, knowingly or not, both of them had picked up an alias. And somehow Kael had ended up the noble while Syleena walked as an unremarkable Luminaire with no name worth mentioning.
"Why Eireindaile? You could have gone with Valthorne just as easily."
She already knew the answer but asked anyways.
"Valthorne? The family whose head famously drew the attention of the Royal Noble families? It wouldn't hold. Besides, I needed a crest and I forgot to take one from them." He paused. "And there will come a time when my nobility gets questioned. There isn't a family I know more about than Eireindaile."
Syleena's fingers twitched as the dots connected.
Ten months on the road together. They had never been fully comfortable around each other, but conversation had come naturally to fill the time. The topics had ranged from stars to dirt, and somewhere in all of it Kael had asked frequently about her family, its history and customs. She had answered happily enough. Family history was something most nobles took pride in.
"So you're a bastard son?"
Kael shook his head.
"More like a blood related brother who couldn't stomach how nobles treated mortals, went against the family, got disowned, and is only now making himself known again."
A throaty laugh escaped Syleena, disbelief and amusement tangled together.
The irony of it. Kael, the same man who had worked alongside her to dismantle noble families, who had slaughtered men, women and children without particular ceremony, now presenting himself not only as her brother but as some rare Luminaire who treasured the lives of mortals. It was enough to make her lose her composure entirely.
"How noble. How truly noble."
Kael shrugged.
He hadn't said it aloud but she understood it completely, and she was more impressed than she wanted to admit. He knew his status was fabricated. But he had built the foundation so carefully that no one could reasonably deny it. Eireindaile was gone, but the noble status remained until formally stripped by the Royal Noble families, a process that could take years on its own or end up completely forgotten. And given what she knew of his memory, he could likely quote back everything she had ever told him about her family verbatim. Disproving his knowledge wasn't an option. His source had been the heir herself. They couldn't locate Taric either, already long gone, and they couldn't argue there was no record of a disowned son. That wasn't unusual for noble families. Disownment to save face was common enough that no one would look twice.
The only person who could genuinely contradict him was his only living blood relative.
Syleena.
And he already knew what she would say. He was her best lead on the Obsidian Shard. He was also, if used correctly, a terrifyingly competent piece. That was her mindset. Contradicting him would cost her more than it would cost him.
Syleena opened and closed her fist a few times.
"What's this space for then?"
She finally asked after a stretch of silence.
"This?" Kael looked around. "This is where I'll help mortals. Free of charge."
She raised an eyebrow and studied his face, looking for any trace of shame or irony.
There was none.
Again, Luminaires weren't supposed to act this way. Mortals were meant to be treated like dirt under a shoe. Not helped by a noble without expectation of return.
She found herself wondering about him. She tried to find reasons to doubt the persona, and while a few surfaced, nothing with real weight behind it came. Was he simply clueless about how to build a foundation? He looked almost foolish standing in a crumbling pharmacy claiming he would help mortals for nothing. But no matter how aimless he appeared in this moment, she knew better. He was her greatest threat and her most useful ally, often at the same time. He had a clear vision she wasn't seeing the full shape of yet.
"Anyway." She pushed herself off the frame. "Have you eaten today?"
The chair groaned as Kael shifted toward her.
"I haven't, no. Are you heading to Julian's for dinner?"
"No. But there's a small place in the second layer selling salmon soup. I'm willing to trade information of any kind if you share what you know about the sewers."
Kael stood and brushed off his cape.
"I don't have any gold coins on me at the moment."
He could have sworn she rolled her eyes as she stepped out of the pharmacy.
He followed shortly after, falling into step beside her.
"What are you going to name it then?" She paused slightly. "Velarific Wellness?"
Kael turned slowly towards her.
Since when had she developed even a fraction of a personality?