38. Henry

Henry arrives at North Hold intending to personally invite Rafe to a post-wedding dinner, anxious about meeting Aidia and aware that her opinion could sway Harlow. While he waits, he notes the ostentatious decor and a tucked-away portrait of Aidia, which sharpens his unease about her situation under Rafe’s control.

Rafe’s butler, Paul, greets Henry and explains Rafe is visiting unblessed prisoners protesting the double blood well tithes, delivering bread and funds to their families. Paul also mentions Rafe has a meeting at the Living Nightmare bar later, prompting Henry to try to catch him there, both to extend the invitation and to gauge Rafe for himself.

At the bar, Henry waits in loud, crowded conditions through a brief power outage. As he exits through the rear courtyard past a rare statue of Divine Asher, Kellan Carrenwell arrives with city guards, citing a tip about a rebel meeting inside. Henry denies meeting anyone and realizes he has likely been maneuvered into the raid.

Piecing together Paul’s tip and Rafe’s cultivated goodwill toward dissenters, Henry suspects Rafe—or his household—set a trap to implicate him or strain the new alliance. Kellan allows Henry to leave without confrontation after a brief exchange.

As Henry departs, Kellan pointedly asks him to keep Harlow safe. Henry answers that he will and, on the street, recognizes that the promise is sincere, solidifying his commitment to Harlow amid growing suspicion of Rafe’s manipulation.