The lanterns still floated in the sky above Wayford, scattered now like loose stars drifting toward the horizon.
The crowd in the square had thinned, but the village was far from quiet. Laughter spilled out of the taverns, music drifted from somewhere near the river, and children ran between the legs of adults with their faces sticky from honey cakes.
The festival is going to continue for three days, I thought, and there is still a whole night left.
I was trying to slip away when—
I felt a small hand grab my sleeve.
"Leo, you promised."
I looked down. Lily was staring up at me with those big round eyes that she used like weapons, and behind her the rest of the orphanage kids had formed a loose semicircle that blocked any chance of escape.
"I did not promise anything," I said.
"You said you would come to the festival," Tobin said with his arms crossed. "That means you have to do festival things."
"What festival things?"
