Covenant's End by Ari Marmell Page B

between buildings, kneeling to check on their injured compatriots. Several others stood at the mouth of the alleyway, hands dropping to the hilts of daggers, swords…or flintlocks.
    â€œThat one,” she whispered.
    The weapon all but detonated, the catastrophic misfire warping metal and splitting the wooden stock clear from end to end. The explosive crack echoed through the Davillon night, as did the piercing shriek—more startled than pained but certainly made up of both—from the man who owned the gun.
    Every man and woman in the alley had spun about or leapt to their feet, weapons drawn and hearts pounding. Remy wasn't even remotely finished cursing when, even without the divine aid that Widdershins enjoyed, the lot of them could clearly hear the shouts and rapid steps of an approaching patrol, drawn by the gunfire.
    Shins knew exactly what was coming next. She was counting on it.
    â€œScatter!” the taskmaster hissed. The Finders obeyed, vanishing—alone or in pairs—in every direction. And it was, indeed, every direction. While most of the group remained on the streets, several of them began scaling the sides of nearby structures, as others sought shelter within.
    Only one of them mattered.
    Remy scrambled up the building next to the one on which Shins was perched, accompanied by a scraggly, unshaven thief who would have to clean up to aspire to “weaselly.” With impressive stealth, they jogged along the rooftops at a low crouch, hopping the narrow gaps between neighboring eaves, leaving the scene rapidly behind.
    Widdershins found it laughably easy to keep up.
    It would have been nice if the taskmaster had scampered off alone, but apparently her luck wasn't to be that good. Now she'd have to make him alone.
    â€œAh, well. What's one more injured thief? Safer streets, yes?”
    Olgun pointed out that she really didn't need any more enemies in the Guild, but since she was already quite well aware of that, she ignored it. Instead, she said, “Going to need some extra speed and a boost here.”
    The next obstacle Remy and his companion would have to clear was a street, not an alleyway, albeit a narrow one. It was a tricky jump to make, but not too difficult, certainly not for men with their training and experience.
    Just as the two of them neared that edge, Widdershins's run turned into an impossible sprint. Inhumanly steady on the rickety roof, hair and hood flying behind her in the wind of her own motion, she closed the distance in a matter of heartbeats. When her quarry leapt, she was only steps behind them.
    She felt Olgun's presence beneath her, propelling her up and out with her last step so that she soared through the open air, higher and far faster, than the others. She tucked her knees tight to her chest, giving herself just enough room to pass over the head of Remy's companion.
    Then, still in midair, she kicked down hard with both feet.
    The not-quite-weasel screamed at the sharp impact on his shoulders, the bone-shaking jolt as he was suddenly propelled downward. Shins's kick did not , of course, substantially alter his forward momentum, so that same scream ceased just as abruptly as he slammed face-first into the wall just below his intended landing point.
    Neither that impact, nor the subsequent fall, should prove fatal, but when he finally woke up, he was going to seriously envy his friends back in the alley, who had merely been stabbed a few times.
    Given the Guild's recent activities and behavior, Shins found herself remarkably guilt-free regarding the whole endeavor.
    Thanks to Olgun's divine boost, Shins landed on the far roof a fraction of a second ahead of Remy. It was more than enough, especially since his brain still hadn't fully processed what was happening. The young woman dropped into a low crouch and spun, one leg extended, sweeping the larger man's ankles out from under him even as they had just begun to touch down. The taskmaster toppled