He wondered fleetingly if Ruban was still alive. There wasn’t much room to run or dodge, in the narrow passageways of the cave system.

The teenager who’d served them wine and fruits grabbed a hunting rifle from behind the dish rack and took a shot at him. The bullet struck him in the shoulder, came out the other side, and rolled harmlessly under the upturned table.

The boy’s eyes widened. Shwaan sprang forward and slammed him into the nearest wall. His knees gave out under him, his eyes rolling back in his head. Shwaan let him collapse to the carpeted floor, pushing his insensate body into a corner, out of the way of the other fighters. If he was lucky, he might just survive.

The crackle of a half-formed energy shell reminded him that on earth, every scrap of kindness had a cost.

He whipped around to see a bedraggled Aeriel hovering over Simani. A small energy shell flickered at the tips of its bony fingers. Behind it, the wings were outstretched; muddy, disheveled feathers sticking to bruised skin.

His momentary distraction had given the Aeriel the opening it needed.

With two black-clad men pointing their guns at her from across the room, Simani had been backed into a corner. She was breathing quickly and her eyes were trained on the Aeriel. Small as it was, that energy shell would almost certainly kill a human at point-blank range.

And Simani’s wide, unwavering gaze told Shwaan she knew that as well as he did.

He could stay where he was, and watch her die. Or he could intervene, and know that she would live, aware of his true identity.

As his wings manifested around him, his eyes flicked over to the doorway. Ruban had reached the entrance to their chamber, and was struggling with a guard twice his size, trying to gain entry. But he was too far away to help Simani. Even if he overpowered the guard, she’d be dead before he got halfway across the room.

Their eyes met. Ruban nodded, and drove his sifblade into the guard’s stomach. Spitting blood, his burly opponent lashed out blindly and slammed him headfirst into a wall.

Across the room, the crackle of gathering energy ceased. And the Aeriel hurled a fully-formed shell at Simani.

Wings unfurled, skin prickling with barely-bridled power, Shwaan intercepted the shell before it could reach her. Then, he pushed her out of the way and fired a shell of his own.

Struck squarely in the chest, the emaciated Aeriel dropped to the floor, unmoving.

Panicked cries soon filled the chamber. Within moments, the chaos and confusion spread out through the caves and infected the other fighters.

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Absentmindedly, Shwaan flung a few more energy shells, incapacitating all the remaining gangsters and Aeriels in his vicinity. It was unlikely most of them would survive, but he did the best he could, especially with the younger boys. Many of them probably hadn’t known what they were getting into, until it was too late.

He could almost imagine Biskut among them, talking casually about his brother running errands for the mafia, until ‘mum’ caught him and put an end to it.

How many had parents and siblings waiting for them back home?

Out of the corner of his eyes, he watched Ruban fend off some thugs trying to enter their chamber. When the last man had been pushed back, Ruban signaled to him and stepped back. Obligingly, Shwaan sent a blast of energy his way, felling a large stone sculpture to block off the entrance.

“It won’t hold them off for long.” Ruban strode further into the chamber, his expression pinched. “You need to find Janak before he can get away.”

Simani stepped forward, blocking his path. “You knew. All this time, you knew who – what – he was. And you lied to me.” With a resounding crack, her fist connected with his jaw.

A commotion at the entranceway drew Shwaan’s attention away from the Hunters. Quickly, he retracted his wings, obscuring them from human eyes.

Inch by inch, the fallen statue was being pushed back.

The Hunters whirled, clutching their weapons. But before any of them could react, an energy blast from the other side blew the stone sculpture to smithereens, leaving the entranceway bare and open once again.

Through the dust and smoke, Janak Nath stepped into the chamber, followed closely by Kaheen, who hovered a few inches above him.

Shwaan had seen file photos of the man, taken years ago. Apart from a few grays in his hair and the laugh lines around his eyes, he hadn’t changed much. He was still large, sturdy, and broad-shouldered, but there was little fat in his muscular frame. It was all toned muscle and sinew.

He wore a loose white tunic and gray trousers. A thick, golden chain hung around his beefy neck. He’d been clean-shaven in the file photos, as the Hunter Corps required. Now, the lower half of his face was covered by a bristly, close-trimmed beard.

“So it’s true.” Janak’s eyes roved over the wrecked chamber, taking in the carnage. “The Hunter Corps really is working with Aeriels. Using them as spies and mercenaries, no less.” He laughed, the caustic sound echoing through the cavernous space. “Does the IAW’s hypocrisy know no bounds? After everything they did to me–”

Ruban raised his pistol and fired. Diving to the front, Kaheen intercepted the bullets. Simani threw a sifkren – the only weapon she’d managed to get past the Qawirsin’s guards – at the Aeriel.

Kaheen ducked, pushing Janak out of harm’s way. The sifkren embedded itself into the wall beyond.

Bullets and sifblades flew in the background as more people – gangsters and Hunters alike – swept into the chamber. The next few minutes passed in a confusing haze of bullets, blades, feathers, and blood.

Screams and whimpers reverberated through the caves.

When the dust cleared, Janak and Kaheen were gone. The walls were splattered with blood and corpses littered the scorched floors of the cavern.

Ruban kneeled on one knee, checking a fallen member of his team for a pulse. “She’s dead,” he murmured, after a few seconds had passed. Gently, he reached out and closed the young woman’s gaping eyes.

“They all are,” Simani echoed, her voice hollow. “God, they’re all dead. We-we have to check the other chambers, if there’s anyone left–”

“What we have to do…” Ruban rose to his feet, his expression darkening. “Is find Janak Nath and kill him. As soon as possible. Because if we don’t, he’ll find us.”

Simani nodded shakily. “He won’t forget this attack.”

“No. And if that bastard lives to take his revenge, none of us will survive it. Not this time.”