Erica arrived twenty minutes later, which meant she'd either been nearby or she moved faster than anyone David had ever seen. She slipped through the door without knocking, nodded once at Lucas, and fixed her attention on David with those watchful eyes.
"Show me."
David handed over his phone without argument. Erica studied the messages, her expression unchanged, then handed it back.
"District Seven old market. Tomorrow. Come alone." She tilted her head slightly. "They either want to help you or kill you. Possibly both."
Lucas perked up. "Both? How do you kill someone and help them at the same time?"
"Information first, murder second. Or murder first, information never." Erica shrugged. "Either way, going alone is stupid."
"That's what I said!" Lucas pointed at her triumphantly. "See, even Erica agrees, and Erica barely agrees with anything."
Erica ignored him. "The symbol. Sunburst. That's Phoenix Clan imagery. If this person really knew your parents, they're either a survivor or someone who worked with them. Either way, dangerous."
David leaned back on the couch. "You know about the Phoenix Clan?"
"I know what's in public records and clan archives. Which isn't much. They were powerful, respected, and then they weren't. Something happened about eighteen years ago, around the time you were born, and they basically vanished." Erica's eyes narrowed. "The timing's interesting."
"You think I'm connected."
"I think you have the surname, the necklace, the fire affinity, and now someone's reaching out with their symbol. You do the math."
David had done the math. He'd been doing it since he was old enough to understand that his name wasn't normal, that people reacted to it strangely, that the orphanage matron had looked at him with something like fear when she handed over the necklace.
He was connected. He'd always known it, deep down.
Now he might finally find out how.
Becca arrived forty-five minutes after Erica, which David thought was probably deliberate, giving her time to prepare whatever she was going to say. She walked in looking composed as always, though he noticed the slight tension in her shoulders, the way her eyes swept the room before settling on him.
"Lucas sent me the messages."
David nodded.
"And you're planning to go."
"I have to."
Becca was quiet for a moment, then sat down across from him. "I know. If it were me, I'd do the same." She glanced at Erica. "What's the plan?"
Erica pulled up a holographic map on her phone, projecting it in the center of the room. District Seven materialized in glowing lines, the old market a cluster of narrow streets and covered stalls near the river.
"The market's chaotic, lots of people, lots of places to hide. Good for a meeting if you want privacy, bad if you want security." She zoomed in on specific locations. "There are three entrances, all narrow, easy to block. Multiple upper levels with walkways overlooking the main area. If someone wanted to trap you, this is where they'd do it."
Lucas leaned forward. "So we don't let them trap him. We go in first, secure the area, make sure nothing happens."
"Can't. Message said come alone. If they're watching, and they will be watching, they'll spot any obvious backup." Erica zoomed out again. "We need to be invisible."
Becca nodded slowly. "I can do invisible. Shadow affinity, remember? I can move through dark spaces without being seen."
"I can take the upper levels," Erica added. "Ranged position, clear view of the whole market. If anything goes wrong, I'll have eyes on it."
Lucas looked between them. "What about me? I'm not exactly subtle."
"You're the distraction." Erica's lips twitched. "If things go bad, you make a scene. Loud, obvious, draw attention. Give David time to escape."
Lucas considered this, then grinned. "I was born to make scenes. This is literally my purpose."
David watched them plan, these people he'd barely known a week ago, and felt something he couldn't name. Gratitude, maybe. Or just the strange realization that he wasn't alone anymore.
Becca caught his eye. "You okay with this?"
"I don't have a choice. I need to know."
"Then we make sure you survive knowing." Her voice was steady, certain. "Tomorrow, you get answers. And if whoever's waiting tries anything, they'll have to go through all of us."
The weight in David's chest eased, just slightly.
"Okay," he said. "Let's do this."
---
The rest of the evening passed in planning and preparation. Erica mapped escape routes, Becca outlined signal systems using shadows and light, Lucas made increasingly elaborate suggestions for distractions that involved glitter and possibly fireworks.
David mostly listened, contributing when needed, but his mind kept drifting.
His parents. Someone who knew them. Eighteen years of silence finally breaking.
That night he dreamed again.
Fire, wings, a woman's voice whispering words he couldn't understand. A man's hand pressing the necklace into his tiny fist. Darkness, cold, the sound of something breaking.
But this time there was more.
This time he saw faces.
The woman had hair like his, red like flames, and eyes that burned gold. The man was tall, strong, with the same grey eyes David saw in the mirror every morning. They were holding him, smiling at him, loving him.
And then they were gone.
David woke gasping, the necklace burning against his chest, tears on his face he didn't remember crying.
The clock read 4:47 AM.
He lay there breathing hard, staring at the ceiling, and made a promise to himself.
Today he would find out what happened to them.
Today he would start getting answers.
---
Morning came slowly.
David went through the motions of getting ready, showering, dressing in plain clothes that wouldn't draw attention. Lucas arrived at seven with more food from his mom and the news that Erica and Becca were already in position near District Seven.
"They left early," Lucas said, setting out containers. "Erica wanted to scope out the area before the market got busy. Becca went with her."
David ate without tasting anything, his mind elsewhere.
Lucas watched him with worried eyes but didn't push. Just sat there being present, solid, the way he always was.
At eight-thirty, David's phone buzzed.
The same unknown number. A single message.
East entrance. Noon. Come alone.
David showed Lucas, who frowned. "East entrance. That's the narrowest one, it's the easiest to block."
"I know."
"You still going?"
David pocketed the phone. "Yeah."
Lucas nodded slowly. "Then let's get you there."
---
District Seven was everything the old market districts had become since the system arrived. Chaotic, crowded, layers of history built on top of each other. Pre-system buildings stood alongside newer structures, holographic ads flickered over ancient stone, and everywhere people moved and shouted and traded.
David walked through the crowd trying to look casual, trying not to scan too obviously, trying not to think about the fact that his friends were somewhere nearby watching his back.
The east entrance was a narrow passage between two old warehouses, barely wide enough for three people to walk abreast. David entered it at exactly noon, his heart pounding, his necklace warm against his chest.
At the end of the passage, a figure waited.
Old, David saw immediately. Bent with age but still standing straight, still watching with eyes that had seen too much. A woman, he realized as he got closer. Old woman with grey hair and weathered skin and a face that made something in his chest clench.
She looked at him the way you look at something you thought you'd never see again.
"You have his eyes," she said, her voice rough with age. "His eyes and her hair. I'd know you anywhere."
David stopped a few feet away. "Who are you?"
The old woman smiled, sad and warm at the same time.
"My name is Elara. I was your mother's handmaiden and I've been waiting eighteen years to tell you the truth."