“How did you even find this place?” Jade asked as she stepped out from the end of the narrow passage to find herself in a thin back alley that ran off from a main street. There was no signage for the inconspicuous yet shabby entrance to the cistern, although she could see that the lock over the gate had recently been broken. If she had to sum it up in one word, she probably would have gone with ‘uninviting.’

“Left,” Trim instructed her before they set off at a relatively quick pace. “I asked the right questions to the right people. Less chat, more focus. Turn right at the next corner.”

As they moved away from the stream of people that passed across the mouth of the alley in the gloom, the sounds of the city beginning to stir drifted through the streets. A cool breeze which carried a hint of morning cooking swept down the narrow space, although it was cold on the few pieces of wet clothing that Jade and Saela still wore. Rest was the one thing that they craved right now, but with Trim taking up the burden which was Nina they knew that it was better to push on while they could.

Jade didn’t bother to respond to Trim’s instructions and instead followed them without question as they moved further and further away from the wider streets. Thin, dirty, and confusing, the alleys in the farmer’s district were a maze so she was surprised that Trim was managing to guide them without referring to a map. Hardly any people were outside in the depths of the district at this time besides some drunken remnants from the previous night, but the few people that they did encounter examined their motley appearances with interest as they flew by. Trim’s decision to give Nina’s shoes to Saela quickly became a valuable demonstration of foresight, as shards of stone and glass were sometimes scattered in the dirt among a mess of other debris.

“In the door on the left,” Trim said after she had directed them around another couple of corners. Jade had almost wanted to knock, but she knew that Trim would probably scold her for wasting time. Grabbing at the handle before pushing the door open without bothering to slow down, she stepped into the dark and dilapidated space before marching across the dusty stone floor.

“Who is it!?” came a man’s voice as he appeared from a side room with a rusty dagger in one hand and a small lamp in the other. Wearing a tattered brown gown that matched his straggly grey hair, fear appeared on his face when he saw the glint of light reflect off Artel’s submachine gun which now dangled from Jade’s hip.

“Shut up,” Trim said as she fished a pair of small coins from her pocket before dropping them onto the ground. “You didn’t see us, alright?”

“Of course, of course,” the man repeated himself with a light nod and a smile as the group marched past him without looking back. Quickly bending down to search for the coins that had rolled away from each other in the darkness, a toothy grin quickly appeared on his face once his back was turned to them.

“Go straight through to the back,” Trim said to Jade as they disappeared from his sight down the hall. Three quarters of the way down the thin stone passage, however, Trim grabbed Jade’s shoulder with her free hand and forcefully turned her into a room on the side.

“This isn’t…” Jade said before Trim shushed her. The room that they had entered was an empty bedroom of sorts with a stained heap of hay which was piled up in the corner. A single window that was fortunately large enough to ventilate the neglected space was set in the far wall, and Trim silently pointed Jade towards it.

“Through,” Trim said softly before watching as Jade slipped through the opening. After dropping down into the morning gloom, Jade turned around to receive Nina’s unresponsive body as it was passed through before waiting for Trim to follow behind her. By the time Trim had reclaimed Nina and made herself comfortable, Saela had already hopped through the window and now they set off in a different direction.

“He’ll sell us out as soon as possible, but we were still leaving tracks in the dirt,” she explained as she looked to each side. “Go left.”

The group continued to snake their way through the dark district without any issues as morning drew closer. Already they could see a gentle glow along the horizon, so soon enough the streets would become full of people going about their daily lives. Trim, however, didn’t want to see it. It was true that a busy morning could help them to blend in with the crowd, but at the same time she was concerned that every extra pair of eyes out there would be one extra possibility that they would be reported to the authorities.

“We’ll have to cross a main road now,” she said while frowning as she instructed Jade to turn down an alley that would take them there. “It’s inevitable, so keep your head down and keep your pace steady.”

Jade nodded as she continued to jog towards the street. She could already see figures crossing the mouth of the alley from one direction to the other, and she swallowed when she felt that her heartbeat was beginning to accelerate. People here were carrying a range of lamps and torches as it was still dark outside, so together they lit the street up which would only highlight their strange appearances for any interested observers.

Reaching the opening to the road, Jade steeled her nerves before slowing herself down to a brisk walk. Stepping out into the open, she quickly glanced around at the random assortment of civilians before setting her eyes on the alley opposite them.

She hadn’t even made it halfway across the street when she saw a small group of Royal Guards pacing in their direction. Almost instinctively, she turned her head towards them but it seemed as though making eye contact was a mistake. Immediately a guard’s eyes widened, so before she could see him reach for the rifle on his shoulder she simply kicked into motion. If her green hair hadn’t been enough to tip them off, the fact that Trim carrying Nina and then Saela had stepped out behind her certainly would be.

“You!”

The man dropped the lamp that he had been carrying and cried for them to halt, but Jade had already shot off in the direction of the opposite alleyway. Ducking past a confused farmer, she then darted through two unsuspecting merchants who were having a quiet discussion. Ignoring the colourful mess that was sent flying when she knocked over the basket of fruit that they had prepared for the morning, she tore past their roadside stall without looking back. She even didn’t need to look confirm that Trim was right behind her, so instead she put on a burst of speed that caused her legs to scream. Flying into the narrow alley opposite which was enshrouded in darkness, she could hear the scuffle of footsteps behind her as Trim and Saela also shot through the gap.

Unfortunately their cover had blown.

“Drop it Saela!” Trim shouted before she barked at Jade to take a right turn. She had already been struggling to see some of the corners in the darkness among the grey stone walls and whatever junk was piled up near them, but thankfully she could finally see where she was going. They would need to turn frequently now as leaving long sight lines down the winding alleys could leave their backs exposed to rifle fire, and they also needed to stay out of sight to avoid a net being tightened around them.

As tired as her legs were, Jade was surprised at how light she felt without the weight of Nina on her shoulder as she flew around another corner. Skipping past a confused old man who was standing in their path, she chanced a look behind her to see that they were thankfully still together. Trim was somehow keeping up even though she was carrying Nina with one arm, while Saela didn’t even seem too worn out.

An explosion rang out behind them as a grenade which they had stolen from Artel detonated. Saela had dropped it in the darkness at the mouth of the alley, and as they had turned the corner they were safe from the fire and debris that was sent shooting out into the street. Jade heard the pained cries from both guards who had charged in after them and the civilians from the street, but she didn’t have time to feel sorry for them as the clock was ticking. Unfortunately Artel had only carried one grenade, but their pursuers didn’t know that and so hopefully they would be having second thoughts.

With their cover quite literally blown to smithereens, the group threw all caution to the wind as they charged through the alleys while following Trim’s directions. The explosion would soon attract just about everyone to their location, which unfortunately would include Ormain. Time was of the essence as they hurtled through the final stretches, but according to Trim they were close to their destination.

Jade was wondering how they were supposed to make their escape now that they would practically be under the microscope, but she didn’t raise the question as she instead blindly followed the instructions that were periodically barked out over her shoulder. Rounding the corner of a large stone house that had clearly seen better days, she looked down as she skipped over a broken barrel that had been knocked onto its side before seeing that up ahead of her there was a pair of guards headed in their direction.

“Through!”

Fully aware that there wasn’t any time to dwell on the potential consequences, Jade raised Artel’s weapon as she ran. Lightly squeezing the trigger of the unfamiliar weapon, she immediately felt the stubby submachine gun kick upward and she wondered how anyone could manage to fire it accurately with only one hand. With the alleyway being as narrow as it was, there was no room for either party to hide. The unfortunate reality, however, was that while Jade’s group had to keep moving to escape what was coming behind them, the two Royal Guards ahead of them had the luxury of crouching down and taking aim.

Jade panicked as she saw the pair drop to their knees and reach for their rifles. Slowing herself down a fraction so that she could grasp her weapon with two hands, she lined up her aim as she ran before squeezing the trigger once more. Seven shots rang in her ears, but after that she heard nothing but the familiar click of an empty magazine.

So few? She thought.

She saw the puffs of dirt kick upwards in a steady line towards one of the guards until the final two rounds struck him in the torso. Unlike searing punch from a pulse weapon that would simply tear a neat hole in someone, she saw the wet spray of mist fan out behind the man as he staggered for balance. Panic appeared in his eyes as his grip on his rifle relaxed, and Jade immediately knew that he would be out of action.

His partner who hadn’t shared the same fate, however, fired back.