They collect Trinket from the Bramblewood, and agree that if the job turns out to be too dangerous, they won't complete it. On the road, Vax explains that he's been hired to steal a ring named Fracture from Jorenn Village's Shadewatch. Vex doesn't want to get involved with the Clasp, but Vax convinces her, and they leave Westruun. In the morning, Vax'ildan tells Vex'ahlia the basic details, but avoids telling her about the kidnapping contract and Gideor's solution to it. Vax is horrified, but agrees to do the job. He rips out Lyre's tongue and adds it to the staff. His solution is revealed as he pulls out a staff made of tongues and uses it to transform Lyre into a copy of Vex'ahlia.
Vax asks for assurance that his sister will be protected, and Gideor takes Vax and Lyre to a back room. He offers a deal: he will find an alternative solution to the contract if Vax completes a job for the Clasp in Jorenn Village. A nobleman is responsible for the contract, and Gideor can't cancel it, but he could amend it. Gideor is, on the surface, amicable, and answers Vax's questions. Ro agrees to take Vax to the Spireling, takes away his weapons, and knocks him out with magic. The man, who is named Lyre, leads Vax to tunnel, where there are other members of the Clasp. The man reveals that there's a contract out to kidnap Vex, and finally agrees to bring Vax to Spireling Gideor, a leader in the Clasp. Vax lunges at him, and they go tumbling off the roof. Meanwhile, on the rooftops, Vax has been following her, and has caught up to the man following her. She fires back, and runs towards a busier part of town.
She feels like she's being followed, and indeed, someone shoots a needle at her from a rooftop. In the evening, Vex takes a walk near the Cobalt Reserve, thinking about Abenard. Vex'ahlia continues shopping the next morning, while Vax'ildan goes to search for jobs. The the coins she stole from Abenard are more than they earned from the job that brought them to Westruun, and should help them survive until Winter's Crest. At the inn, Vex tells her brother what happened. He leaves behind his purse, which Vex steals. He tells her to watch her back, and leaves the shop. He offers to bring her to the the Cobalt Reserve, but Vex refuses and draws her knife. She realizes that she saw him a few times throughout the day. A well-dressed man enters the store: Lord Berin Abenard.
At sunset, Vex stops at a bookstore, looking for books on dragons. The twins split up to complete their errands. Vex spots a shop selling metal figurines of animals, and she's drawn to a copper bear, but the elven shopkeeper speaks coldly to her, and she walks away. The next day, in Westruun's Market Ward, Vax'ildan is at ease, while Vex'ahlia is eager to finish their business. They discuss their plans for Westruun: as usual for them, Vax wants to spend more time in the city, while Vex wants to avoid it as much as possible. The twins defeat them, but Vax is temporarily paralyzed by spider venom. In the present, Vax'ildan, Vex'ahlia, and Trinket's journey to Westruun via the Bramblewood Forest is interrupted by giant spiders. The twins reassure each other that they always have each other, and that they won't have to leave Byroden. After the innkeeper closes the shutters, the children begin speculating that the elven man is the twins' father. The twins are surprised to see their mother, Elaina, arrive to speak with him. Twelve years ago, in Byroden, nine-year-old half-elven twins Vax'ildan and Vex'ahlia and their friends spy on an elven stranger through the shutters of the inn.
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