Redtail Rise The Conversation of Eiros and Charmion

Ancelin’s voice recaptured her attention. Her brow furrowed for a split second before she realized he was acknowledging her apology (of sorts). Just as her face relaxed, he said something else, which made her ears draw back, pulling the skin tight as a drum over her vermilion and cream cheekbones.

She bobbed her head and rolled her shoulders. But I already do that. And so she would continue, heeding the warning in Ancelin’s words even as they snuffed out the flare of hope in her chest.

An idea whispered through Masquerade’s mind when he went on to infer he and Atreus intended to sneak out of the territory. Despite herself, she was immediately tempted to teach Ancelin how to move around the rise without being detected. She licked her lips nervously, mulling.

Maybe there was an ember still burning, after all. If she helped Ancelin and Atreus learn her “ninja ways” (as someone had recently referred to them), then maybe she could get on Atreus’s good side. And she would get to hone her craft further while she was at it. It was what some called a win-win situation.

If ever there was a time to find her voice and make herself crystal clear, it was now. I can show you, Masque said in a surprisingly deep voice, how to sneak out without getting caught.