Belonging, Chains, and a Gift (1/3)

"Are you sure you want to be here? It's not too late for us to turn around." Rowan clutched Wren's arm as they approached the pub where Lili was having her birthday party. The muffled chaos of laugher and music drifted to his ears, adding another kink to the knot in his stomach.

The grandmother he'd helped just once was apparently very fond of Mara, and even Loma knew who she was. Since Lili had given both his sister and his part-time assistant explicit instructions that they were all supposed to join her to celebrate with a drink, Rowan had little choice but to accept his fate.

Add Wren to the mix, and Rowan found himself wearing a new outfit cloaked in magic, walking at dusk through the streets of a town that lost every trace of previous hostility under the watchful eyes of the lanterns that dotted the way.