Kassian reached for a scroll on the corner of the desk—one that wasn't charred. He spread it out in front of them. It was an ancient, hand-drawn map; the ink faded, but the detail was exquisite.
"What is this?" Vera asked, her interest piqued.
"This is a map of the Grey District from before the Great Fire," Kassian said, his voice taking on a scholarly, gentle tone. He pointed to a small, winding line near the southern wall. "This was the River of Sighs. It's a sewer now, but two hundred years ago, it was a freshwater stream where the silk-weavers lived."
Vera looked at the map, her heart skipping a beat. She recognized the layout. "That's where the old temple is."
Kassian nodded. "I spent the night in the archives. I wanted to see the world you grew up in. I wanted to see the streets you ran through when you were just a girl with a stolen apple and a secret in her soul."
