“Find anything?” Kaidu asked.

Rowan shot him a thumbs up. “I’ve got us a route.”

“What are the ants for?”

Rowan held up the bag. “Oh, these? I found their anthill--that’s the escape route. I figure we lure the combat party over toward the anthill, toss the ants at them, watch them flail and squish the ants, and the ants take care of the rest.”

Kaidu shook his head. “I found a swamp and wide-open plains, so we’ll go with your route.”

Rowan nodded. He jogged in place and clapped, killing the clap at the last second so his hands met with a quiet plop instead. “Alright. I go in through the brambles, you go in through the trees. We get the boots, grab their food, highfoot it out of there, dead ahead toward the moon. If anyone follows us, run to the cliff, toss the ants, and go.”

Kaidu nodded. “Good. Let’s go.”

Taking a deep breath, Rowan nodded and padded off into the shadows.

Crouched behind the brambles, Rowan surveyed the sleeping combat party again. The burly man nodded off against the tree, still not fully awake or asleep. Rowan frowned. Go to sleep, already.

Kaidu slipped through the trees to their edge, a shadow in the night. He slipped up behind the half-asleep man and reached toward his head.

Rowan’s heart skipped a beat. He’s going to kill him after all! He clenched his fists, tense.

Kaidu’s lips moved, whispering something. Suds appeared on the man’s hair. Kaidu gripped the man’s head. The man jolted awake. He clawed at Kaidu’s arms.

Murmuring something under his breath, Kaidu gently massaged the man’s scalp. His arms went limp. They draped over Kaidu’s arms, then slumped to his side. Bubbles floated around the man’s head. A faint pink light lit up around his hair. Every muscle relaxed. His eyes fluttered shut, and this time, a gentle snore emerged from his lips.

Kaidu’s illusion spell is… giving someone a nice shampoo? Rowan bit back a laugh. I guess I did relax, back when I was a kid and the hairdressers did that for me. A little magic, and why can’t he put people right to sleep?

Kaidu retracted his hands carefully. The suds vanished off his hands and the man’s head. He hesitated a moment, but the man remained asleep. He gave Rowan a thumbs-up.

Time to go. Rowan slid his trowel into a pocket and drew out the shears. Opening them wide, he whispered, “Prune.”

Again, the skill lit up the unnecessary crop-offs, the places the vines twisted back on themselves, the unnecessary branches he could remove to beautify them. Rowan narrowed his eyes. Not to beautify, to remove! I want to get rid of the brambles!

The lights blinked. They hesitated. Mana drained from his body, dropping lower and lower. At last, the lights obeyed his orders and rearranged themselves into a neat line, dancing slightly left and right across the center line. Rowan snipped as quietly as he could, chasing the lights through the vines. Brambles fell away to the left and right, swishing softly against the surrounding plants. Rowan’s eyes darted to the sleeping climbers, grip tight on the shears.

No one moved. The slender man continued to snore loudly.

Rowan sighed with relief and stowed the shears, drawing out the trowel again. He crept forward, mindful of every brush and crunch of his feet against the long-fallen leaves that blanketed the area.

A loud sigh. Rowan froze. Across the clearing, Kaidu froze as well, whites showing in his eyes.

In the clearing, the spread-eagle girl flipped over onto her side and propped her head onto her arm.

Rowan met Kaidu’s eyes. Kaidu nodded. Slowly, they pressed forward again.

Out into the clearing. Moonlight fell on Rowan. Completely in the open, he shivered, exposed. If anyone wakes up now…

The spread-eagle girl shifted again, rolling to face Rowan, her back to Kaidu. Rowan froze. Unperturbed, Kaidu reached out for the hanging bag and hovered the scissors over the taut cord.

Rowan bit his lip. Now or never. He high-stepped over the girl’s leg and leaned over her body. His fingertips brushed the top of the boots.

Kaidu met his eye. He nodded.

Kaidu cut the cord. Rowan grabbed the boots.

The bag rustled as it landed in Kaidu’s arms. The boots brushed against the leaves.

The girl’s eyes flashed open. She jumped up, toppling Rowan on the way, and grabbed Kaidu’s wrist. “You filthy thieves--”

Kaidu’s hand flashed. The girl shrieked and pressed her arm to her body. Blood blossomed over her shirt.

Across the clearing, the slender man and the curled-up girl startled awake. The girl blinked. “Topaz, what--”

“Get them!” the slender man shouted, jumping up.

"Run!" Rowan shouted. He and Kaidu raced out of the clearing, Rowan with the boots clutched to his chest, Kaidu hugging the bag.

"They have our shit! Fuck!" Topaz shouted.

"Are you okay? Topaz..."

"He cut me, the motherfucker!"

"I thought we agreed not to kill!" Rowan grit through his teeth, glancing out the side of his eyes at Kaidu.

"It was a disabling strike," Kaidu replied.

"Disabling--you slit her wrist!"

"If I wanted her dead, I would have gone for the throat. Or at least cut lengthwise," Kaidu replied evenly.

Rowan shook his head. "Damn... Who did this to you? Are you okay?"

"Get them!" Topaz shouted behind them. Rapid footsteps sped toward their rear.

Rowan and Kaidu exchanged a glance and sped up.