Something was wrong. The skin on the back of my neck crawled once more. Just as I heard the barest whisper of sound. A soft boot brushing over stone.
I slowly turned my head, glancing around the edge of my hood. My breath stuttered and died on my lips.
Two dark figures walked in tandem, steadily approaching from behind. Moonlight glinted off their demonic masks.
“Wolves,” I choked out.
“Face forward,” Ruru whispered. “Hold on.” He snapped the reins and whistled a merry tune as we slowly pulled away.
“What are you doing?” I demanded. “Aiden said to run.”
“We can lose them if we make it to the southern end of the quarter, closer to the taverns.” Fear trembled in his voice. “Or at least give Aiden and Maz a chance to lock themselves in the warehouse.”
We slowly rounded a bend.
“Are they still following?” Ruru asked.
One moment. Two. My clammy palms gripped the side of the wagon as I darted a glance behind us.
“They’re gaining,” I gasped.
The two Shadow-Wolves loped toward us as if they could catch us easily but didn’t want to. Yet.
Ruru snapped the reins again, and the horses trotted faster. The wagon’s rattling shook my very bones, my teeth clattering together.
But still, the Wolves came closer.
“It’s not working.” I tugged on Ruru’s arm. “We need to abandon the wagon.”
Aiden’s words howled through my mind,Run, hide, don’t let them capture you.
“Not yet. Do you know how much this cargo is worth?” Ruru gritted out, turning the wagon down a narrow alley.
“Less than our lives,” I snapped. “We need to run. Now!”
Ruru glanced over his shoulder, and his eyes widened. I didn’t need to look to know how close they were. The light rhythm of their boots in a matched pace told me everything I needed to know.
They were close. They were faster. And they wouldn’t tire for hours.
“Fucking Four,” Ruru swore, then jerked the reins to the side, making the horses swerve.
The wagon careened sideways to block the alley. Ruru and I leapt out the other side and sprinted. Muted thumps signaled the wagon had only slowed the Wolves for a moment. They didn’t want our cargo. They wanted us.
Terror tore at my heart as we raced.
Ruru tugged me down one alley, then another. I was lost, my panic and the shadows rendering the city strange and deadly. Like my nightmare.
“No. No!” he shouted as he came to an abrupt halt.
Our alley ended in a pile of rubble. One of the buildings had collapsed and effectively crushed our exit.
Ruru leapt forward, trying to scramble his way up the loose rock and broken wood.
Behind us, the boots had stopped.
I turned, my heart a caged, thrashing animal in my chest. Two snarling metal masks faced me. Glittering black daggers rested in gloved fists. They stood utterly still. They knew we were cornered.
“Ruru,” I said in a hollow, unrecognizable voice. “Can you make it?”
