strained her ears. A faint clattering and squeaking drifted toward them. “A cart, maybe?”
Keir nodded, and Quin glanced back. The street they had come from had no alleyways or open buildings for them to retreat to. The thoroughfare ahead offered nothing better. Nowhere to hide.
They huddled against a wall as the cart rounded a building at the far end of the street and crawled toward them. A pony drew it, led by a man in a tattered cloak. Soldiers rode to either side, cloth tied over their faces in the hopes of keeping the plague at bay. All three animals had padding lashed over their hooves to muffle their steps, and the two wheels of the cart appeared bound in rags.
“To keep them silent,” Keir told her as she puzzled over it. “So that those breaking curfew or looting empty homes will have no warning of their approach. If such men were to escape the soldiers, they might spread the plague further.”
Quin shivered. The procession drew closer, and the guards were looking everywhere, intent on their duty. “They’re going to see us!”
As one they moved back from the junction and Quin felt a gap open behind her. A doorway, shallow enough that they would have to squeeze together to have any chance of hiding, but it gave them their only hope. She pressed into it and tugged Keir inward, tightening her grip on his cloak as he jerked away from her. “It’s this or nothing!”
Keir froze against her, his breath coming in short, ragged pants as if she were crushing him. She tried to ease herself away, but body contact was unavoidable.
The carter came into sight leading his pony. Quin dropped her hand to the tell-tale bulk of the smoke bombs then moved to the explosives. Please don’t make me use these.
The cloth-wrapped wheels rolled past, and the mounted guards paced into view. As the group moved away, Quin saw the nearest turn his head to look down the street but not to where they huddled in the doorway.
She let out the breath she had been holding. Before she could move, Keir lurched out of the doorway as if he could not stand another second stuck with her. She brushed down the irritation she felt and tugged the tracker from her pocket. “We go right.”
Keir nodded.
The tracker led them from the main streets and into a series of narrow alleys. Quin had the strangest sense of déjà vu as she glanced around before realization dawned that this was where she had begun her search for the legendary Blue Demon. As she considered the thought, Keir suddenly stepped forward, eyes fixed on a house at the corner of a junction. Quin pulled him back, startled by his unexpected move.
“Where are you going?”
“I…” His voice faltered. “I do not know. A feeling…”
He shook her off and crossed the road, forcing her to follow. As they came closer, the skin on the back of her neck prickled. At the door, she raised a hand to stop him as she took out the tracking device Surei had programmed with Quin’s DNA. Horror trailed cold tendrils down her spine. The tracker showed two signals coming from inside the house Keir had chosen. It would seem Rulk had already begun her work, contaminating human DNA with that of the Sentiac’s. With trembling fingers, she brushed the screen of the tracker and wiped it clean of images, as if she could erase the knowledge it had revealed as easily. Keir watched in silence.
“She’s here,” Quin sent, along with a few threads of her apprehension.
He flinched, though whether from his own fears or in response to hers she couldn’t tell–he’d learned to shield himself from anything less than a determined search. After a moment, he gave a small nod–he would follow her lead, whatever she chose to do. She put her hand to the door and found her fingers tracing an oddly familiar sign burned into the wooden surface.
“It is to ward off the ultimate evil.” Keir startled her from her appraisal. His thoughts were as dark and bitter as the night surrounding them.
“I’ve seen
Keir nodded, and Quin glanced back. The street they had come from had no alleyways or open buildings for them to retreat to. The thoroughfare ahead offered nothing better. Nowhere to hide.
They huddled against a wall as the cart rounded a building at the far end of the street and crawled toward them. A pony drew it, led by a man in a tattered cloak. Soldiers rode to either side, cloth tied over their faces in the hopes of keeping the plague at bay. All three animals had padding lashed over their hooves to muffle their steps, and the two wheels of the cart appeared bound in rags.
“To keep them silent,” Keir told her as she puzzled over it. “So that those breaking curfew or looting empty homes will have no warning of their approach. If such men were to escape the soldiers, they might spread the plague further.”
Quin shivered. The procession drew closer, and the guards were looking everywhere, intent on their duty. “They’re going to see us!”
As one they moved back from the junction and Quin felt a gap open behind her. A doorway, shallow enough that they would have to squeeze together to have any chance of hiding, but it gave them their only hope. She pressed into it and tugged Keir inward, tightening her grip on his cloak as he jerked away from her. “It’s this or nothing!”
Keir froze against her, his breath coming in short, ragged pants as if she were crushing him. She tried to ease herself away, but body contact was unavoidable.
The carter came into sight leading his pony. Quin dropped her hand to the tell-tale bulk of the smoke bombs then moved to the explosives. Please don’t make me use these.
The cloth-wrapped wheels rolled past, and the mounted guards paced into view. As the group moved away, Quin saw the nearest turn his head to look down the street but not to where they huddled in the doorway.
She let out the breath she had been holding. Before she could move, Keir lurched out of the doorway as if he could not stand another second stuck with her. She brushed down the irritation she felt and tugged the tracker from her pocket. “We go right.”
Keir nodded.
The tracker led them from the main streets and into a series of narrow alleys. Quin had the strangest sense of déjà vu as she glanced around before realization dawned that this was where she had begun her search for the legendary Blue Demon. As she considered the thought, Keir suddenly stepped forward, eyes fixed on a house at the corner of a junction. Quin pulled him back, startled by his unexpected move.
“Where are you going?”
“I…” His voice faltered. “I do not know. A feeling…”
He shook her off and crossed the road, forcing her to follow. As they came closer, the skin on the back of her neck prickled. At the door, she raised a hand to stop him as she took out the tracking device Surei had programmed with Quin’s DNA. Horror trailed cold tendrils down her spine. The tracker showed two signals coming from inside the house Keir had chosen. It would seem Rulk had already begun her work, contaminating human DNA with that of the Sentiac’s. With trembling fingers, she brushed the screen of the tracker and wiped it clean of images, as if she could erase the knowledge it had revealed as easily. Keir watched in silence.
“She’s here,” Quin sent, along with a few threads of her apprehension.
He flinched, though whether from his own fears or in response to hers she couldn’t tell–he’d learned to shield himself from anything less than a determined search. After a moment, he gave a small nod–he would follow her lead, whatever she chose to do. She put her hand to the door and found her fingers tracing an oddly familiar sign burned into the wooden surface.
“It is to ward off the ultimate evil.” Keir startled her from her appraisal. His thoughts were as dark and bitter as the night surrounding them.
“I’ve seen
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