The capital was alive with celebration, but Garrett moved through it like a shadow.He kept to the edges of the main streets, his steps steady, his eyes scanning the crowd. Beside him, Lily walked close, her small hand gripping the edge of his coat. Her pink hair was tucked under a plain hood. She looked like any other street child following a guardian. No one paid them much mind. That was the point.Garrett had been in the city for two days now, moving between inns and markets, listening more than he spoke. He had contacts here—old ones, from a time when his face was known and his name carried weight. Most of them were retired now. Some were dead. A few still remembered him. He had spent the first day near the outer gates, buying cheap drinks for men who liked to talk after a few cups. The second day he worked closer to the center, where the festival was thicker and people were more distracted. He asked careful questions. He never stayed long in one place.He thought about Lucian as