The rain started as I entered Lattice, the drops falling in large blots. Landing on my face as I stared at the sky. I couldn't shake the cold feeling. I put my focus on running, on breathing and my steps. I didn't know where I was going. I just needed to get somewhere else. Everything was falling apart. I had ruined everything.

I closed my eyes. The rain soaked me as I stomped down the streets. How long it had been, I didn't know. I couldn’t keep track of the time. My legs ached, fighting against my desire to run. I had gotten farther than I realized.

I stumbled into a walk, standing in the middle of the city. The center square, dark in the rain. I stopped, listening to the rain and thunder. It was going to be a bad storm. Shivers danced down my spine foreshadowing its force. I hung my head feeling weak. A new fear found me, something I couldn't put my finger on. Familiar but strange at the same time.

I paused to catch my breath. The square was empty of people, everyone avoiding the storm. Everyone gathered away in their houses. Everything around me appeared as silhouettes, shrouded in the rain. It was darker than normal for this time of day. It felt like night.

Studying my surroundings, I followed the outline of the buildings. It was quiet here. Miserable in the rain, but quiet. I was finally alone. It was therapeutic to just stand here watching the storm. The wind whirled through mixing up my wet hair. I stood as still I could, maybe I could simply fade into it. Be a part of the rain and wind forever.

I looked back up, scanning my surroundings. The shadowy outline, interrupted by the silhouette of a figure entering the square. I was surprised to see someone else. The wind and rain, still raging.

The person looked male, average height. His posture was vaguely familiar. He walked closer, cautiously, even regretfully maybe. I looked at him trying to figure out his identity. I shook as he got closer, knowing exactly who he was. I almost laughed, the irony of it all. After all the things that had happened today. I now had to face this. I realized I really was laughing or maybe I was crying. I couldn't tell. I fell to my knees, the rain wearing down on me. I didn't feel a part of my own body. I was gasping for air, sobbing so much I couldn't breathe. The force of the last two days finally hit me. I couldn't deal with the guilt. I deserved this.

He looked at me with a face full of pain. His big brown eyes screaming compassion. Luca knelt down on the cobblestones with me. I couldn't even look at him, but he was looking at me, gazing into my very soul.

I reluctantly met his eyes. The rain and wind wiping at our faces. His eyes, calm but weighted. They didn't waver. Today I felt like the hurricane, those eyes could steady.

It took me aback, I looked away still gasping for air to feed my sobs. He pulled me off the ground and held me in his arms. Crying into his shoulder, unable to stop. I held him tightly, eating up any comfort I could get. The cold windy air contrasted by the warmth of his closeness.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered, so lightly I almost missed it.

I was, for a split second, relieved. Buried in his arms, it felt so good to not be alone. I knew what it really meant, though, that Birdman was close and I was in serious danger. I had to run from this place and I would have no chance to fix the mess I'd made. For this second I didn't care, none of it mattered. I didn't want to think beyond the moment.

"We have to go." He said apologetically, still holding onto me.

"I know." My voice struggled against the sobs. I breathed deeply hoping to get a hold of myself. I pulled back and wiped my face. Looking back up to his eyes, his warm brown eyes. I lost myself for a second. Something more there than just pity that I couldn't put my finger on.

The rain, still dropping on our head and our cheeks. He wore so much sorrow in his expression, I wondered if it mirrored my own.

"He's not far behind." Luca muttered, breaking our gaze. He pulled me away from the square, heading to the edge of the square. I blinked nodding, suddenly embarrassed by my display of emotion. I didn't mean to fall apart in front of him.

My ears shuddered as an unearthly scratching sound rang down the street. My blood ran cold, Luca pulling me behind a market booth. Death coming, tracing after me.

We sat, peering into the market, waiting. The sound growing as another figure entered the square, dragging a large sword across the stones. It sparked at the friction. I held my breath. The rain bounced off him, clicking against the metal.

I stared in horror, caught in disgust. Birdman looked so different from the first day we met. His colorful bird cape ingrown in his skin, you couldn't tell where it began or ended. His fingers came to points like talons and his face took on a sharp beaklike point. Unrecognizable as the old wizard in Enfold, he looked much more monstrous. More bird than man it seemed.

I felt sick staring at him, something unnerving about his form.

"What happened to him?" I whispered from my hiding spot. "I don't know. Whatever magic he's been using is reacting weirdly with his physical body. The more he stops time, the more bird-like he gets." Luca whispered back.

"Huh." I replied, feeling an ounce of pity now, along with my fear and anger. He deserved to suffer though, he deserved all the hurt he could get. I couldn't forgive him for what he'd done.

His feathers danced in the wind, pleated with rain. He let out a screech standing in the center of the square. I shivered, from both the rain and the sound.

"I know you're here." He screeched out, lifting his blade. "Come accept your fate little thief." His voice switched unevenly, from a scratchier tone to his regular one. I looked over to Luca, who stared at the wizard with contempt. His eyes fixed on him.

"Murders, traitors, and thieves. They will all meet a bloody end, why should you be different?" The bird wizard stalked around the square scanning the area.

"Can you get us out of here?" Luca asked, still focused on Birdman. "Ya I think so, but I have to grab something before we go." I said breaking Luca out of his glare. "What?" He whispered surprised. I bit my lip."Someone stole something from me earlier and I need to get it back before we go."

"Is it important?"

"Yes." I quickly offered my hand. "Quick before he traps us here." I urged, afraid we'd miss out on our chance to escape.

Luca was quick to take my hand, giving me a quick nod. I shut my eyes, working up Malachi's office in my mind. I figured he'd stash my atlas there. We disappeared, away from the monster stalking me. The two of us finding our footing in Malachi's office, we shuffled around the dark space. I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face. I was thankful it was empty.

"Where are we?" Luca asked in the darkness. "My boss's office." I said, finding a match in my pocket. "If I had to guess It's somewhere here." I struck the match, giving light to the space. Luca looked around at the eccentric collection.

"Interesting place." He muttered, following the walls with his gaze."He's an interesting person." I stared at the gold frogs on the mantle, with big ruby's for eyes and weird grins. I shook my head and I started shuffling through his desk.

"What is it we're looking for?" Luca asked, opening the opposite drawer.

"The atlas."

I heard him stop moving. I purposely avoided his eyes. I wondered what he'd think of me coming back to save it. He was there when I stole it. Whether or not it was actually mine, it wasn't something I wanted to lose. I paid too great of a price to let it slip by the wayside.

"Okay." He said, continuing to shuffle through the drawer.

I moved to the bottom drawer, tossing papers and ledgers around. Luca turned around looking at the wall. Studying it a long while he pressed something against the wall he slid a piece over. I turned in shock staring at the hidden cavern. "I've had a little experience with false walls." He shrugged, stepping aside so I could see.

I brought my match with me looking inside. The gold lettering lit up, reflecting the match light. I sighed in relief pulling my atlas out. There were other treasures too, mostly just large amounts of foreign currencies. The box I brought back from Wren sat in there as well. I thought about taking something but I was already in enough trouble with Malachi.

"Okay we can go now." I said, helping Luca slide back the panel. "You don't need anything else?" He said making sure. "No, I'm good. Everything I need is in my pack." I gave it a good pat.

Luca nodded, unraveling a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. "You need a mental image to teleport right?" He asked and I gave a nod for yes. "Well is this detailed enough of a picture for you to get us there?" He said handing me the paper. It was an ink drawing of a cottage. Almost life-like it carried a lot of detail and character. "Ya this should be, if this is a real place." I added, studying it.

"Did you draw this?" I looked up at him. His face went a touch red. "Ya, it's one of my frequent hideouts." He admitted. "You're really good." I remarked.

"Well drawing helps work out my dreams. I've had lots of practice." He shrugged. I smiled at his humility. He was worse than me at taking compliments.

"You want to go right now?" I asked, looking back up at him. Before he could reply a scream ripped through the walls, terrible and ear piercing.

"What was that!" I hissed running for the door. Luca threw his hand over the door, stopping me from opening it. "Wait Phyn." He said urgently, "If Merles out there you'll be trapped." I froze for a moment "But whoever that is could be hurt, or worse." I pleaded. He had to understand. His gaze flickered and he removed his hand.

"Don't follow me." He hissed, swinging the door open and closing it before I could join him. His feet drummed down the steps, rushing to whoever was down below. I stopped for a second, shocked at how fast he ran out. Coming to the realization that I couldn't let him go alone, I threw the door open as well, pausing at the top of the stairs.

I stood staring at the mess below. The common area ripped apart, the ground torn up. I had no idea what could cause such damage. It looked like a tornado had ripped through it.

A weak whimper came across from the end of the space. Someone sat skirting away from something in the forest, pure terror in their eyes. I recognized him. Benjamin crawled away staring at something hidden in the trees. A figure knelt, draped in shadows, his blade thrust into the ground. The damage around seeming to come from the action.

He stood back up, ripping the sword from the ground. He stalked towards Benjamin. Benny whimpered looking up at Bird-human monstrosity that stood in front of him. My blood went cold, he got here so quickly. The fear paralyzed me. Looming over Benjamin, Merle studied him. Flipping his blade in his hand he turned away from him.

"Will you come out if I threaten to kill him? I'm growing weary of these games." He looked out in my general direction. My brain was screaming. He found me. I didn't know what to do.

"I'm not playing any games." Luca said, emerging from the shadows. "That's just you."

I hissed a sigh of relief, he hadn't spotted me.

"Where is she?" Merle hissed, stepping towards Luca away from Benny. Benjamin crawled away terrified, taking no time to get away. Good, it was best for him to be out of the way.

"Gone." Luca responded with a shrug.

"No I think not. Not if you're still here engaging me."

Luca kept his expression cool. Merle smiled a weird beaky grin,"And I will certainly find her when I tear this place apart. You can't stop me, but you could speed up the process."

Luca frowned coldly, "No thanks." He shook his head.

Merle's grin dropped, his expression grew serious. "You know what it means to let her live, what it means for them."

Luca stepped forward with a scowl "And more importantly what it means for you."

Merle growled "This is a lot bigger than me." His gaze intensified.

"Is it really?"

Steadying myself. I looked down at my bag, it was fuller now than before Mirth. I frowned shuffling through it, finding a few things that weren't mine.There were a few extra flares, a flint, the amulet and a couple crossbow arrows. Wren must have slipped them in my pack somewhere along the way.

An idea formed in my mind. The arrows were useless in this situation but the flares held some promise. I watched Merle and Luca as I crept down the steps. I just had to be quick. I pulled out the flint and flare. Setting it up, I paused for the right moment.

Merle and Luca were about a foot apart, engrossed in their argument. I figured now was as good a time as any. I lit it, disappearing right as I did.

Watching the bright fire shoot across the sky from the opposite side of where I lit it. The two of them turned towards it in surprise. I ran to the center, the rain still falling on our heads. Grabbing Luca I teleported away from the common area. Landing further down the path, I looked to Luca making sure he was good. He gave me a frantic nod before I turned back to the path ahead.

I should be running. My arms and legs, not cooperating. My body, weighted and stiff. I panicked remembering this feeling. Luca's eyes grew wide, he quickly grabbed my arm and pulled me away. The feeling left the farther we got.

"He's coming!" He hissed in a frenzy, gripping my arm as we ran away. We barreled down the path. I ran faster than I knew I could. Turning a corner, I looked back seeing an owl frozen in mid air. Caught in an elegant swoop. I would have been amazed if I wasn't so afraid.

I couldn't tell how far we ran. The camp shrouded in darkness. I didn't know where Birdman was or how close he could be. Luca looked over at me, furrowing his brow.

"I told you not to follow."

"And what exactly was your plan?"

"Fair." He laughed, looking back.

The rain was still going hard as we ran under one of the buildings. Water dripped down off of Luca's hair. We paused, catching our breath. My clothes were soaked, sticking to my skin.

"You still have the picture." He asked.

"Yes." I said pulling it out of my pocket and unfolding it.

"Ready when you are." He held out his hand, not wasting any time. I nodded, giving the picture another glance. A couple rain drops blurring the ink. I hesitated, I looked up across the way seeing the barn from here. Diggery. I froze, biting back tears. I couldn't leave without telling him. I looked at Luca, desperately. "There's one last thing. I need to warn someone that I'm leaving." I choked the words out.

"He's right on our tail." Luca fought, his eyes wide in fear.

"My boss will kill him when he finds out I'm gone." I pleaded, tears stinging my eyes. Luca opened his mouth to argue, stopping as he noticed the quiver in my lip.

"As quick as you can." He hung his head.

"Stay close." I grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the barn. I needed to tell Diggery and I didn't have much time to do it. I felt sick to my stomach the closer we got. I couldn't afford to dread this.

We crept into the barn, dodging sleeping kids strung out along the floors. I quickly found his bunk. He lay asleep, so peacefully and for a second I didn't want to wake him. His sleep wasn't important right now.

"Diggery." I whispered as I shook him awake. He jostled up, his green eyes, turning cold as they rested on mine.

"What on earth are you doing Phyn?!? This isn't what leaving me alone means."

I stepped back trembling. I didn't need to cry right now. "I can't stay here." I said, avoiding his eyes, unable to bear the look in them.

"You what?" He whispered.

"I can't stay." I repeated, understanding the weight of it.

"Really Phyn? You couldn't just do this one thing for me. Not even one day!" He hissed, shaking his head, "I really can't believe you Phyn. Your so selfish-"

"That's enough." Luca's voice came from behind me. Diggery's eyes grew, tilting his head to look around me.

"I'm so sorry if this is inconvenient for you but," Luca turned from Diggery to me, "If we don't go now Merle's going to kill you and maybe even the rest of them too" He motioned around at the room full of sleeping kids. I nodded weakly, he was right. I didn't have time to argue, not if it put people's lives in jeopardy.

"I'm sorry Diggery." my voice broke as I said it. His green eyes apologizing slightly for his harshness, I turned away regardless. I couldn't drag this out.

Taking Luca's hand, I brought the picture once again to mind. I prepared myself to leave this place. I didn't ever once think it would be difficult. Here I was hesitating. I didn't have much of a choice anyway. It was leave or die.

I drew in my focus and in a split second we were gone from the camp. Away from the dusty barren landscape, Malachi, Diggery, and most fortunately Merle. I opened my eyes, standing in a grassy field facing the cottage.

It wasn't stormy here, the stars poking through the dark night sky. Luca stared at me, studying my expression. Concern slapped across his face. "Are you okay?" He asked, waiting for my response.

"No." I grinned at the stars, "I'm not."

I handed him back his picture and he slipped it in his pocket. He gave me a half smile, "I'll remember to keep that in mind."

Luca led me down closer to the house. The cool evening air following me. "You're free to stay here as long as It's safe." he said as we walked up to the door. "Not that is my business saying that as I don't own the place, but I'm sure Broc won't mind."

I turned confused, "Broc?" I asked. "He's a friend of mine, owns the cottage. He's probably asleep right now." Luca added pulling a key from the top of the door frame. "He's one of the good ones." He grinned, turning the key.

Opening the door, he motioned to the darkness inside. "Welcome to his humble abode." He grinned, waiting for me to enter. I stepped inside, it smelled like cedar and cinnamon. A warm homey smell. I couldn't see most of the inside, everything caught in the dark. "I would turn on a light but I don't know where Broc keeps them." Luca explained, coming in after me. "Just follow me and I'll find you a place to sleep." He said brushing past me.

I followed him in the darkness, up the steps. It was warm in here, a little stuffy but in a comforting way. It had a calming effect on my nerves. Stopping near the top of the stairs, Luca pulled a few things out of the closet and closed it again.

"Just in here." He whispered, leading me a few doors down into a little room. A small circle window at the end of it let in the moonlight. Luca set down some thick blankets on the floor and tossed on a smaller blanket and a pillow. "Will this be okay?" He asked, adjusting it, "We can find you something nicer tomorrow."

I gave a weak smile,"Ya it should be fine." I said, setting my pack down. He was being very good about everything, considering how badly I embarrassed myself tonight. Sobbing all over him. I felt my face go red. He nodded, looking to the door. "Good, I gotta find myself somewhere to sleep too." He chuckled heading towards the door.

He poked his head back in, "Goodnight Phyn." He grinned beneath tired eyes.

"Goodnight." I echoed, as he shut the door, leaving me with myself. I took a breath, starting to warm up. I slowly walked to the window. The moonlit forest waiting below. The weak light shone off the trees, making the whole place look enchanting. I guess I really did manage to make my next stop a forest. Although I had no idea how long I'd be here. I had no plans. Best not to get comfortable, this was temporary.

I needed to rest, hopefully I could do that here. My hands were still shaking. The monster's face at the back of my mind. It didn't ever get easier. I shivered, blocking it out of my mind. Once more I had to run away. My stomach felt at the thought of what I left behind, what I left Diggery too. Hopefully he would get out before Malachi had a chance to retaliate. I didn't need his blood on my conscience. I blinked back tears, frowning at my heavy eyelids. I wasn't in a head space to process this.

I turned, crashing on top of the mound of blankets Luca left for me. I buried myself inside them. Luca was too kind to me. How long till he realized he shouldn't be? I was too tired to keep up with my thoughts. I yawned, welcoming the exhaustion. I closed my eyes, drifting off. Losing myself to the pull of sleep.