Lapis studied the street rats crowded around the back corner reading table with bleary eyes; she had fallen asleep before her head hit the pillow, and awoken as the sun set, but her body demanded more rest. After beholding her exhausted brother dragging his way down the hallway, she refused to complain. Her last few days had been far less harsh.

She took a sip of wake juice; extra bitter, she told Dachs, and wished she had not. Some sweet would have been nice, but she needed her wits about her, and bitter would punch her awake much better.

“You’ll be working in pairs. Don’t get separated; if you hear something, report together.” She met Rinan’s eyes; he only nodded. Good. She refused to argue with him about proper behavior during Midir’s speech, and he must have sensed she would pull his help if he muttered about it.

Her gaze drifted to the other rats. Not all had pledged to be her chaser apprentices, but they wanted to help nonetheless, so when they volunteered, she did not turn them away. The more work they got from the rebels, the more likely they would get fed; she had no illusions about shortages in the very near future.

Hopefully nothing went wrong, to force her to regret the decision. “No picking.”

Scand blew his pale blond bangs up; Lykas nudged him, eyes narrowed in warning. Everyone else giggled, which irritated him further, but he wisely kept quiet on the subject.

“I’m sure you’ve guessed, but people are going to be upset, cranky, scared. Don’t confront anyone, no matter what they say or do. If you’re concerned someone’s going to start a fight or harm an attendee, find the nearest Minq or rebel guard and tell them.

“All attendees coming into the square are going to get searched for tech weapons. Not that we expect many to bring them, but who knows what someone picked up off a dead merc or bought in the undermarket. Swords and knives get a pass, which means don’t piss anyone off.”

The rats nodded and oddly, the Eaves’ regulars sitting near and listening nodded solemnly along. She wondered how many of them plucked an object or two from a deceased who-knows-who and slipped into the underground to sell them.

“If you think you’re in danger, like I said, find the nearest Minq or rebel guard. There will be dozens to keep the peace. We know Lord Krios is a fine man with Jilvayna’s best interest in heart, but not everyone does. Most people don’t know an heir to the throne survived the Dentherion invasion, let alone that her line continued.” She took another sip, and her shoulders slumped. Dammit, she needed sweet.

Dachs, unable to stifle his amusement, leaned over the table and topped the mug off with a cream and sugar mix. His dark brown skin had a bright coppery gleam to it, and she sourly wondered if tamping down on his outward merriment made his cheeks glow instead.

“Thank you.” No reason not to be nice, even if it irritated her.

“Knew you’d need it,” he said, his brown eyes twinkling like gemstones. The burly barkeep practically danced back to his place behind the bar, where his cook, Dalia leaned over the counter, shaking her head.

“I can drink bitter wake juice.”

She did not appreciate the roaring laughter from the full house, even from customers she did not know.

“Don’t you all have something to eat?” she muttered at the Eaves regulars, who only grinned wider before returning to their meals. Dalia had made a simple but hearty stew that night, and she hoped she could get some after finishing her instructions.

“I saw the Minq putting up the speakers earlier today,” the cook said, pointing to the front door. “Lord Krios is serious about all of Jiy hearing his announcement.”

“He is. But it’s not just Jiy who’s going to hear him. We’re putting up speakers in the other cities and larger towns.”

“How are you managing that?” a regular asked as he tapped his spoon on the edge of his bowl, frowning.

“Local rebel leaders,” she said. “They already have the equipment. And places like Coriy and Vraindem are loaning stuff to surrounding communities. Not everyone will get to hear the speech, but most, even in more rural locations, will.”

“Travelin’ to the nearest location is gonna be hard for them rural folks,” Rin said as he absently traced circles on the wooden tabletop. “All the snow’s in the way.”

“This isn’t the ideal time of year, no, but we’re doing what we can.” Lapis adjusted her gauntlets and ran her hands through her bangs to give her time to dampen the flare of unease. All eyes in the Eaves focused on her, and she scrambled for reassuring words; losing hope before the rebels took charge helped no one. “Lord Krios, with the help of Armarandos, the Minq and the rebels, prepared for this. It sounds strange, I know, but they had information that Dentheria was hiding the depletion of aquatheerdaal. Since it powers all their tech, it was just a matter of time before something terrible happened to destabilize the empire and they wouldn’t be able to respond.”

“And they just let it happen,” another regular, a woman named Shoose, said with deep disgust, waving her hand as if driving a fly away. “’Shrouds crashing everywhere in cities!”

“Don’t know what they were thinkin’, moorin’ them over cities like that.” Dachs sighed as he ran his hands over his close-cropped black curls. “It guaranteed someone would die when they went down. And it won’t get better. Celem’s never gotten over his rich, spoiled kid phase. Ain’t surprisin’, the empire’s fallin’.”

“Didn’t the high councilor have an heir?” Shoose asked. “What happened to him?”

Lapis glanced at the barkeep, then Shoose, clearing her throat. Planting misinformation about him might keep the janks from discovering where he fled. “Dead, as far as we know. And Gall’s kid is as money-hungry and incompetent as his dad; he’s not up to managing a country while the empire craters.”

The regulars heartily agreed.

“Armarandos and his da did get the community centers up and running after Gall destroyed the guard,” Rik said thoughtfully, tapping at his sunburned cheek. Lapis had not spoken to him since Midir ended the king and queen, but she had heard from Rin that he and Shoose were carting bodies to the Pit, and getting well-compensated for the work. It was not easy or fun, to go through pockets and belongings, make notes about who they had been, and then dispose of the body. Most wagon couriers not have adequate face protection, either, and working in snowy fields reflecting sunlight had burnt some to a crisp.

“Quick, too, considerin’ no one expected it,” Dachs said, as he wiped down the counter with a cloth.

“And it won’t just be just Lord Krios giving a speech,” Lapis told them. “Local leaders from around Jilvayna will speak as well. He wants citizens to know that people they respect will vouch for him.” She smiled, one not too forced. “My partner has completed chases for Lord Krios. The king should have cared for certain problems but did not, so Krios paid to do so. Patch isn’t cheap, especially for dangerous missions. If he paid to clean up the throne’s messes because that helped Jilvayna before the disaster, think what he’ll do as a leader.”

“You may not like all his choices, but he cares,” Dachs stated with proud firmness. “I ‘kept for one of those missions. I know what Gall ignored because he thirsted for metgal and power. We still have a functionin’ country because of what Krios did.”

Eyes riveted to him, and the Eaves’ regulars took a huge breath in harmony before launching into an avalanche of questions, with more impertinent ones voiced by the rats. Sighing that she had lost their attention, she leaned back and sipped the wake juice.

Rin scooted over on the bench and leaned into her. “I’s can take charge of ‘m,” he whispered. “I knows you’re wantin’ t’ keep it all simple, but we can get more rats on, iffen we promise ‘m food.”

She nodded. “I want them fed, but this isn’t going to be a typical Lells function, either. There are people who want to take advantage a king’s death, and they won’t enjoy Krios staking his claim as leader.”

“Yeah, but there’s more who’re afraid,” Rin said. “Heard talk at Candycakes ‘bout some merchants chargin’ more. They gots kicked out. People’re shocked, but Paliope’s staunch ‘bout backin’ Krios. Seems Granna Cup got her on board, and she thinks her bread’s buttered on his side.”

“It will be.”

“Don’t know if you knows yet. Gabby brought word from the farmers. They’s needin’ help bringin’ produce through the tunnels ‘cause so many are fightin’ right now. They’s promised food in return. I’s gettin’ us older rats together, ‘n we’ll share with the younger ones.”

“Rin—”

“We’ll be careful.” He grinned, with enough cheek and green-eyed twinkle she sighed. “We’s all in this together, Lady. Er, Lanth. Lapis.”

She nudged him as he chuckled. “Lady when you’re in apprentice mode, Lanth in brother mode, Lapis in rebel mode.”

“It’s all seemin’ upside down, but I thinks the only ways we’s makin’ it out the other side, is to help.”

She slipped her arm around him. “You’re right. That doesn’t mean I’m not concerned.”

“Yeah, I know.” He hugged her back, then looked up. Patch stopped at the table, bundled in a puffy blue, knee-length coat very unlike his style, looking like he bit into the sourest fruit and had to swallow rather than spit it out.

“Up for a chat?” he asked.

“With who?” She knew the answer, and he simply raised his eyebrow. She sucked up a huge breath. “Not really.”

He huffed on laughter. “Me neither, but Midir insisted.”

Wondrous. “Why us?”

“Because they’re scared of me.”

Rin glanced back and forth, irritation growing that they refused to indulge his curiosity. Lapis patted his back and pulled away. “If any other rats show up, tell them the same thing, and that I’ll talk to them later.”

“It’s jest Gabby ‘n Nerik,” he said. “But they’s on courier duty.”

“They probably know more than I do, then.”

“Yeah. Most of the rest ‘r hidin’ in the Lells or Night Market. At least Grey Streets rats. Ain’t seen a Stone Streets kid near since the ‘shroud went down.”

That worried her. “Tell Brander or Sherridan about that, would you?” She chugged the wake juice, wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, and rose. She thought she had left enough warmer wear in her Eaves’ room to bundle up properly, and planned to wrap herself in Patch’s things if not.

By the time she returned downstairs, her partner was swinging a jug of wake juice from his index finger, Dalia beaming at him.

“It’s nighttime,” she muttered.

“All the more reason I need it,” Patch replied with breezy aplomb.

“You’re going to freeze, pissing in an alley.”

“I’ll make due.”

“Good luck,” Dachs called as he dropped his cloth on the countertop to take a drink order.

Waving her gloved hand in acknowledgement, she headed for the back door. If she had to deal with Meinrad and Rambart, she would need it.