“Right,” she whispered, panting.
He blinked a few times, seeming to come back to himself. Vade grabbed her hand, the simple touch as electrifying as it had been when that same hand grazed her ribs. They maneuvered swiftly through the hall until the exit came into view.
“There are two guards right outside this door. When I push it open, run down the stairs and turn left. There will be an alley right in front of you. Go down the alley until you see the whiskey barrels and wooden crates. Wait for me there.”
He reached for the door, but she grabbed his wrist. “I’m not leaving you behind.”
His eyes scanned her face briefly before he looked over his shoulder. “Yes, you are. I’ll get rid of them and meet you in the alley. Now, run on three. One, two—”
“Hey! Stop right there!”
Doyle stood at the end of the hall, flanked by the two batalins that had assaulted her. Judging by the looks on their faces, they couldn’t wait to do it again if they caught her.
“Three!” Vade shoved the door open, and Orelia darted down the stairs.
fifteen
Orelia’s bare feet slappedacross the wet cobblestones as she flew around the corner and down the alley, not stopping until she reached the crates and wooden barrels Vade mentioned.
No one seemed surprised to see a scantily dressed woman running through the street, which worked out in her favor. She tucked herself behind the tall stacks of crates, avoiding the light shining down from a corner lantern.
Orelia crouched in a puddle of cool water, trying to suck more air into her lungs. The smell of rain hung in the humid night air, and a few stray droplets landed on her cheek. She kept looking between the slats in the crates for Vade, but over a minute passed, and he still hadn’t shown.
Her legs burned holding the stooped position, but she wasn’t about to wreck Vade’s plan and get herself caught again. She’d already ruined the night enough as it was.
After another agonizing minute, a dark figure dashed down the dark alley, moving too smoothly to be anyone but him. Blood streaked across his face in lines, and before she could ask if he was okay, Vade lifted her pack out of one of the barrels and gingerlyhanded it to her. “Change. Every Watcher in this whole fucking city is going to be after us, and we need to get out of here immediately.”
“Why would they—”
“Now, Orelia!” Vade turned and widened his stance, blocking the only opening where someone could see her changing.
With what little light she had to work with, Orelia opened her pack and shoved her hand inside. Her nails clinked on glass. She pulled out Bute’s jar and set it on the ground. The frog seemed a bit jostled, but he croaked, letting her know he was still alive. She’d fully expected Vade to leave him, and Orelia couldn’t help but smile, even as she hurriedly changed into a pair of leathers and a tunic.
“Someone followed me to the Pony,” Vade said. “I did a detection route to try and draw them out, but whoever was tailing me must have picked up on what I was doing and left me alone. We need to be careful about how we get out of here. I don’t want anyone knowing where we go.”
“Do you have any idea who it is?” Orelia asked as she buckled her belt. The twin daggers he’d bought her sat comfortably next to the seidr one.
Vade scanned both ends of the alley. “I thought it might be someone related to the target from my stone, but this felt different. I don’t know how to explain it. I just know I don’t like it.”
Without a clue as to who could be following them, Orelia continued readying herself, noticing the weight of her pack was heavier than it had been when they’d arrived in the city. She reached inside for the reason why, and her fingers found smooth material and laces. She pulled out a brand-new pair of brown boots smelling likepolished leather. They were beautiful, and her eyes went to Vade, who was still facing away from her.
“Are you almost done?” he asked over his shoulder.
“Almost.” Orelia pulled on a pair of socks, then laced up her new boots.A perfect fit.She smiled. “What about my sword?”
“Fuck. I must have left it at the inn.” Vade pulled all his weapons out from another barrel and strapped them to his body before retrieving his pack. “We’ll get another one somewhere else.”
Orelia left the gold rope lying on the ground and tossed the dress aside. The sheer fabric turned translucent as it soaked into a puddle, disappearing as if her time at The White Pony had never existed at all.
She donned her pack and grabbed Bute just as someone yelled, “Check down here!”
Batalins entered the alley from the far end with one ordering the others to check the next alley over.
The two of them snuck through the maze of crates and took off down the main street. Orelia tried to run as smoothly as she could so as not to shake Bute around, but the poor thing would have to deal with it until they could get to a safe place.
They wove through several alleys and side streets, stopping next to a furniture store and pressing themselves to the wall as five batalins ran by, armed to the teeth. “She’s practically naked. She shouldn’t be that hard to find!” one of them yelled.
A muscle in Vade’s jaw ticked. They waited for a few more seconds until the sounds of thundering footsteps disappeared, then moved through a side of town with few lights and even fewer people. Afterrounding a corner, they came upon a dwarf sitting on his cart smoking a pipe, his donkey half asleep.
