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9:30 Dragon — 21 Solace
"What did you tell Caterina?" Illario huffed as he changed handholds, shifting to give Lucanis room to follow. A slight breeze off of the water drifted past, carrying the scent of saltwater to push out the mid-summer stench of the canals. "I can't believe she let us go."
"She thinks we are doing surveillance practice," Lucanis pulled even and gave Illario a smile, his eyes bright. "It's not even really a lie. Fledglings do this all of the time in other houses."
"Well, at least you didn't lie," Illario rolled his eyes but smiled anyway, and leapt to the next wall, using a drainage pipe to get him to a sill one story up, then scrambled up over and onto the tile roof. He waited for a second as Lucanis followed him, looking at the last of the sunset on the bay. The night was warm, with the gloaming lingering well after the sun had truly set.
"Where did you say we needed to go?" Illario asked quietly as Lucanis joined him, and they started moving to the top of the roof. His cousin hadn't told him what he wanted to do in the city, which made Illario nervous, but he wasn't about to say no. Even when their adventures went horribly awry, they were always memorable and this might be the last. Tomorrow, Lucanis started his Trials.
A month from now, his cousin would be a Crow. Caterina would accept no less.
"I didn't say, I figured it would ruin the surprise," Lucanis shrugged, infuriatingly unbothered, still smiling even as Illario returned him a frown. "But the top of the northern clock tower should be fine."
"Oh? Just the top of one of the tallest buildings in Treviso, near enough to our home that our grandmother has Crows patrolling it at all times?" Illario reached the edge of the roof, and grabbed the line that led to the roof of a bank across the canal. He turned to Lucanis and arched an eyebrow, something he'd been practicing for weeks in the mirror. "This really better be the 'most amazing thing we will ever see' like you promised."
"Stop complaining, I know you're having a good time," Lucanis gave Illario a shove and he flew out over the canal on the line, suppressing the urge to laugh. Caterina wouldn't think it was funny at all if they were seen cavorting around the city, even if she had given her permission to leave the Villa.
Especially if it was Illario who was careless and got them caught.
Dropping lightly to the balcony at the other end of the line, Illario waited until Lucanis joined him again before moving forward. In silent agreement, the two didn't talk as they moved up and across the building's balcony and roof, and onto the building next door. The Crow's Road opened up in front of them as sequence of lines, balconies, lattice work, eaves, and planks set across gaps between buildings.
Their path wasn't easy, but they each moved through silent as the night breeze coming up off of the water. Lucanis was taking his time, so Illario took his cue from him, checking each approach meticulously as they got closer and closer to their goal. They neatly avoided the obvious patrols, choosing their timing and hugging well known shadows and hiding spots.
The last bit of their climb was much more strenuous than the other sections, as House Dellamorte had taken care to limit the approaches to the top of the building. Lucanis was older, but Illario had passed him in height last year, and he quickly pulled ahead as they climbed. He didn't have the same affinity for acrobatics as his cousin, but he was finding that as they got older, his strength gave him a different sort of edge.
Almost at the top, Illario heard a footfall and signaled for Lucanis to stop, the two of them clinging to the side of the building in shadow conveniently cast by a nearby balcony. As each held their breath, a younger Crow appeared at the railing to look out over the city, a hood obscuring his features from view. There was no sense of relaxation in his stance, and as Illario debated moving they raised a hand gesture sharply.
"You two are louder than bronto on a wooden bridge," the Crow shook his head, lowering the hand back down to a cane propped against the railing. "This is not my city, and I do not have to care if the fledglings from another House choose to sneak poorly around their own territory. But, by the Maker's frosty beard, I swear I will turn you both in myself if you can't keep your racket to a minimum."
Lucanis and Illario remained perfectly still, no movement or breath. The sounds of the city and the water drifted up as they waited with aching muscles.
"Be gone by the time I come back, or at the least, be quiet enough I don't have to know you're here."
The young man whirled back into the clock tower, his cape flying out behind him dramatically enough to make a small snap as it pulled taut. Illario wondered how long he'd practiced that before it worked every time, and decided that it was likely worth whatever the effort. That had been one hell of an exit.
Arms protesting, Illario forced himself to begin moving again, this time taking every care to move as silently as possible. He did not hear Lucanis following him, which he assumed meant that his cousin had decided to do the same to some success. After an aching age of slow movement and lengthy pauses, he found himself on the roof of the tower, propped against one of the gabled eaves, the whole of the city spread out beneath him.
Lucanis arrived soundlessly a moment later, his earlier joy still bubbling up through a more serious expression as he took in the view.
"Who was that?" Illario asked, keeping his voice as quiet as possible. "He was .. impressive."
"I have no idea," Lucanis shrugged, but a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "But I'm definitely going to find out. Caterina has some big meeting tonight, maybe he's here for that."
"So…" Illario gestured around, the question of their goal implied.
"I—" Lucanis was interrupted by the clock tower, striking the hour, and he crossed his arms in irritation as he waited for eleven bells to slowly peal out. "It's Dragon Fire night."
"What is that?" Illario furrowed his brow, trying to remember if he'd heard of this, but not coming up with any festival that matched.
"You never did like Astronomy," Lucanis chided. "You know the meteor shower at the end of Solace? That happens tonight."
"I thought that was the Tears of Andraste? I didn't totally ignore my lessons."
"Unless they fall across Draconis, which they will tonight," Lucanis rejoined, and pointed out at the sky. Illario followed his gaze and sure enough, they had a fantastic view of the constellation Draconis, rising above the skyline. "Then people say that they're Dragon Fire. Well, some people do. It's supposedly very portentous."
"Oh? Good or bad?"
"Nobody seemed to know," Lucanis shrugged, his eyes bright as he scanned the sky. "Just that important things were about to happen. Of course, Dragon Fire happens about every 22 years, so maybe it's just that people want it to mean something."
"Perhaps this will a fortunate year," Illario smiled at his cousin. "Or a really exciting one."
"We'll have to see—" Lucanis cut off with a gasp, eyes wide and pointed at the horizon. Draconis was fully visible and bright, and one by one, flame-colored shooting stars began to streak past growing in number. It became obvious as it continued why it had been named Dragon Fire, as the the combined trails across the sky drew a fiery line from the constellation out into the heavens itself.
Lucanis was rapt, his eyes full of joy, and Illario couldn't remember the last time he had seen him this way. The day they'd gone hunting wyverns, and come back covered in mud and burrs? Maybe not even then. There was very little aside the satisfaction of training and soon, work.
"If we survive your 'portentous' year, and whatever follows, we should do this again. Maybe with something to eat next time," Illario joked, elbowing Lucanis gently in the ribs.
"It's a deal," Lucanis smiled briefly back at him. "You bring the wine, I'll bring the food."
9:52 Dragon — 23 Solace
Treviso glittered under a cloudless night sky, occupied but unbowed. The stars sparkled in the breeze off of the bay, and in some miracle, the canals didn't hold as much of their usual summer stench. It was a perfect night.
Illario took a sip of wine as the cascade of shooting stars began to slow, the taste a bitter acid on his tongue. It was a good wine, but even the best vintner can't compete with the taste of your own memories and bile. He had made the same climb, without anyone to notice this time, and arrived just as the celestial light show had started. More ominous than of hopeful this time around, the meteors carving trails that were far more green than red, cuts of grave-light across the sky. He wasn't sure how long he watched, his unease a growing ache in his stomach.
Time passed slowly, the clock silenced these last months by the Antaam, claiming it was disruptive, somehow. Illario wasn't sure how long he had been there, drinking and watching, but he was relishing the solitude. Caterina was waiting, and he was very much enjoying making her wait, assured that he would get a frosty reception when he did finally arrive.
"I brought the wine, cousin," Illario whispered to himself as he poured the rest of the bottle out over the side of the roof, grimacing as he heard a sharp intake of breath from below.
Well, now there were two things he'd need to answer for.
Might as well make it three.
Viago appeared suddenly at Illario's right side, seizing the bottle out of his hand just as he wheeled back to throw it.
"So, are you going to sit out here drinking and terrorizing your fledglings, or do you plan on actually joining us this evening?" the man scowled at him with open disdain. "I personally would rather leave you to your whatever idiocy this is, but your grandmother insisted you attend."
"I had a pressing engagement," Illario smirked in return, stretching as he stood and feeling the familiar, bitter twist in his gut wrench as he moved. The night felt incomplete, but he could only lay the blame for that at his own feet. "The stars don't wait for just anyone."
"Neither does your grandmother."
"Very well," Illario sighed, gesturing for Viago to begin his descent. "Let's go see this exiled protege of yours. I always wanted to meet the Crow that defied their Talon so spectacularly and lived."