Elsa scrambled from their hiding position first and Noak heard her sharp intake of breath. He followed her and stopped in the doorway. Finn lay on a cold kitchen bench, long tubes branching out of both arms.

“His skin,” Elsa said. “The cuts…why would they do that to him?”

Noak couldn’t answer. His rage threatened to overtake him. The Leashworm whispered at him to draw on the Source and make them all pay. Make them all bleed, just as Finn had. He resisted. Noak crossed the room and touched Finn’s clammy shoulder, one of the few areas the doctor had left unmarked

“Finn, wake up.” He gave him a gentle shake. “Can you hear me? It’s Noak. I’ve come to get you out of here.”

Finn mumbled, but his eyes remained closed. Noak started undoing the restraints and gritted his teeth when he saw how the leather had rubbed Finn’s skin raw. Elsa raced to the other side and began pulling out the tubes and needles. She gagged as she removed the tiny hooks pinching back his skin, keeping his wounds open.

“I wasn’t expecting this,” Elsa said. “Is he your brother?”

Noak shook his head.

“Is he someone you know from your guild?”

Noak ignored the question. He picked up Finn and heard the boy groan, the pain reaching him even in his unconscious state. Noak cradled Finn against his chest and revised his plan. There was no way he could escape into the waterfall channel with Finn as he was now. “We need to get to the main kitchen.”

“That’s the mess hall.”

“I know someone who works there. He might be able to help us.”

“How do you know we can trust him?”

“I don’t, but I can pay him, which is the next best thing. Unlike you, he has no trouble accepting the coin I offer.”

“You never mentioned you were looking for a person,” Elsa pointed out.

“I wasn’t sure you’d care.” He glanced at the doorway. “Do you have a weapon?”

Elsa partly unsheathed a knife from her belt.

“Melker has weapons in his room,” she offered. “If we could find where he keeps his ammunition, we’d have the advantage, at least against the normal soldiers. They’re only allowed knives.”

“I thought you were worried about drawing Melker’s attention?”

Elsa rubbed her wrist. “I’m in this now. I just want to live long enough to get what I was promised.”

“We’ll make it through this without shooting anyone.” Noak assured her. “I’ve never been in a situation where my knife has failed me.”

“Yeah, but I’m sure you’ve never fought an entire house of guards either.”

“No guns.”

Noak gestured to a pile of clothing and a familiar wood-handled knife on a table in the corner. “Those belong to Finn. He’ll need them when he wakes.”

Elsa scooped up the belongings. She hooked the knife into the belt loop beside her own weapon and tucked the clothing under one arm. “Let’s go.”

Noak followed her through the officers’ dining hall, the map room and down the stairs to the captain’s apartment. The two guards were still within, lying unconscious where Noak had left them.

Elsa squatted and began removing the larger one’s black coat.

“What are you doing?” Noak asked.

“Put this on.”

Noak adjusted his hold on Finn, shifting him into a position he hoped was comfortable. “Why?”

“Look at the time.” Elsa pointed to a clock on the mantelpiece.

Noak was a bit rusty, so it took him a few seconds to interpret the position of the clock’s hands. “It’s ten to seven. So what?”

She threw him the jacket and moved to the guard’s pants.

“I have an idea.” She said, groaning with the effort it took to shift the man and steal his clothes. “It will be easier to pull off if you look like a guard.”

Noak placed Finn gently onto the chair by the fire. Elsa tossed him. He took off his coat and shrugged into the black garment. She passed him the rest of the clothing and gave him some privacy.

“Well?” He asked when he was dressed.

Elsa ran a critical eye over him.

“The clothes fit,” she said, circling behind him. “Well, the jacket is a little tight, but nobody should notice.”

She rubbed at a smudge on his cheek and combed her fingers through his short hair to neaten it. When Elsa realised what she was doing, she stepped back, embarrassed.

Noak felt the heat rise up his own neck and cleared his throat. “What’s your idea?”

Elsa removed a small pocket watch from beneath her shirt and checked the time. “It was something one of the cadet’s said, about the Guardhouse being as civilised as Haven. I’m hoping that means they run to the same day-night schedule.”

“How does that help?” He asked.

“Night-time protocol.”

The words meant nothing to him and Elsa could tell. Her gaze slid to his left wrist and back up again. “Which section of the Science Guild are you from again?”

He dodged the question. “We don’t have time to swap background stories. You think your plan will work?”

“No, but do you have a better idea?”

Noak shook his head.

“Let’s go then,” she said. “I don’t have any intention of being here when Melker returns.”

He scooped up Finn and carried him to the door. He listened and when he heard nothing, he opened it.

“Go now,” Noak said.

They slipped down the corridor. He was afraid someone would come out from one of the rooms and challenge them, and he used some of the Source to heighten his senses. They made it to the external door without any trouble.

Elsa brought out her watch again. She cracked the door a fraction. Noak looked over her head and saw the courtyard still brightly lit by the dome above. The mess hall lay to their right, perhaps a hundred paces, maybe less. He scanned beneath the open arches leading into the eatery and felt a small measure of relief when he saw no movement at the long dining tables.

They weren’t so lucky on the other levels. On the second-floor balcony, a dozen guards milled about.

“There are too many of them,” Noak said. “We’ll be seen as soon as we step outside.”

Elsa ignored him. “Wait for it,” she said, eyes glued to the watch.

“This is not a good idea,” Noak hissed, pulling on her shoulder. “We’ll be spotted.”

Elsa batted him off. “I said wait!”

She counted down from ten. At one, the ceiling orbs dimmed almost to nothing as the Guardhouse lights adjusted to the night-time intensity.

“Go!”

Elsa pushed open the door and raced along the path to the mess hall. Noak followed, clutching Finn tight to his chest. His heart was racing faster than it’d ever done in its adult life. Noak dashed for the safety of the awnings and entered the shadowed dining area.

“I knew it!” Elsa said. “Seven o’clock. Exactly like the city.”

Plates shattered behind them. Noak spun to find a young girl with a pile of dirty, broken dishes at her feet. The Smoker’s hair was plaited, and she wore a white apron over a plain brown dress. Her hands shook and Noak tensed.

“Hold on.” Elsa grabbed his hand before he could go for his knife.

Noak waited for the girl to scream and bring the whole Guardhouse down on their heads.

“Please,” Elsa whispered. She held up her left wrist, revealing a strange black mark tattooed there. “Please,” she repeated.

The Smoker took in Finn’s battered appearance and the blood on his clothing.

Without a word, she crouched down to collect the broken shards in her apron. In a slow deliberate movement, she turned her back on them.

“Thank you,” Elsa said. She tugged on Noak’s sleeve. “Come on.”

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“But…” Noak was reluctant to let the girl out of his sight. There was nothing stopping her from sounding the alarm the moment they left. Elsa pulled on his shirt again.

“She’s a regular at my stall,” Elsa said. “She won’t tell, I promise.”

Noak decided to trust Elsa. They skirted around the Smoker, entering the kitchen.

Unwashed dishes and food encrusted pots covered the counter. The room smelt of burnt sauce and old meat. A tub full of soapy water waited on the end of one bench and the remnants of a fire smouldered in the oven along the far wall.

“What now?” Elsa asked.

Noak heard a faint sniff. He leant over the closest counter and found Viktor slumped on the floor against a cupboard.

“What the hell, man,” Noak growled. “You’re at work!”

The cook stood, knocking several jars at his feet and propped himself against the counter. “Technically, I’m finished,” he said.

“Viktor?” Elsa said behind him. “He’s your escape plan?”

“You know him?” Noak asked.

“Of course I know him. He’s the most useless man in the Darkzone, and that’s saying something! He’s a liar, an alcoholic, a thief and a gambler. Rusty has him on his ‘do not serve’ list and even my uncle won’t do business with the man unless he gets payment upfront. To be honest, I’m surprised he still has a job at the Guardhouse, from the amount of times Melker’s caught him stealing from their stock.”

Viktor wiggled his finger in Elsa’s face and slurred, “Because I turn scraps and slops into meals fit for the Keeper herself, that’s why!”

Elsa batted Viktor’s hand away and shook her head. “What possessed you to put your faith in him?”

“Well, he was sober the last time I met him,” Noak said, defending his decision.

“And down on my lumieres too,” Viktor crowed. “A condition you quickly remedied, and I thank you for it.” The Smoker wobbled.

“What did you think the letters on his face were for?” Elsa asked. “Surely the guards warn you about Smokers like him in Haven?”

Noak could see her mind ticking over, working hard to put together all the pieces of the puzzle. It was only a matter of time before she realised he wasn’t a Citizen. If she challenged him, he was going to have to lie outright.

Elsa opened her mouth and was interrupted when Viktor gave a loud wet burp. Her expression of doubt turned to one of dismay.

“Well, whatever your backup plan, you can’t use him,” she said.

“We don’t have a choice,” Noak said. “Viktor has a delivery cart. I need him to push it back to the Alley with Finn inside. I don’t know how else to get him out of here.”

Finn shifted in Noak’s arms, drawing Elsa’s gaze. Her eyes traced the red cuts marking his skin. In the end, she pointed to a dark corner of the mess hall.

“Victor isn’t the only one with a cart.”

***

Noak promised to create a diversion, and the job of smuggling Finn out of the Guardhouse fell to Elsa. His instructions had been clear—get Finn as close to the main entrance as possible and wait for his signal.

She inched towards the bridge, harbouring her small unconscious fugitive in her cart’s largest compartment, and cursed her stupidity for taking this stranger at his word. She should have trusted her instincts and walked away the second she met Noak. Now, it was too late.

Every guard she passed seemed to look at her more than normal and she convinced herself they could read her guilt in her expression. Elsa’s hands shook to the point she had to tighten her grip on the cart’s handle to hide their movement.

The dimmed dome above painted the area silvery-grey. The guards had packed up their equipment and only those on duty remained on the plateau. Their lanterns shone as warm orange spheres in the pale light of the cave.

Her cart rolled along the path, sounding like a metal can full of stones. Halfway to the bridge, she slowed. She could make out the huddle of guards, still playing their card game in front of the train boxcar. Elsa searched beyond them and sent a blessing to the light when she saw the platform spanning the divide. If she could convince these men to let her cross the bridge, she wouldn’t need Noak’s diversion.

The road changed to smooth stone, softening the cart’s rattle. The weak light hid her from view. She heard the guards arguing between their turns.

“We’re not supposed to leave the bridge down,” one of the younger men said.

The others went on playing as if he hadn’t spoken.

“Did you hear what I said?”

“Yeah, yeah,” an older grey-haired guard answered. “I heard you fine, Lieutenant, but I don’t care. My back’s killing me. I’m not hauling in the bridge only to push it out again in ten minutes when the patrol returns.”

“The captain’s not going to be happy.”

“The captain’s gone to Haven and taken his best and brightest officers with him. He’ll be gone hours yet and he can’t punish what he doesn’t know. Unless you plan on telling him?”

Suddenly all the guards paused in their deliberations. They glared at the young lieutenant who swallowed and shook his head.

“Serves the captain right, anyway,” the grey-haired guard continued. “It’s not fair those engineers get fancy electric elevators to move about the cavern while we guards have to push out a clunky old bridge like stupid mugs. We never did work like this when the old captain was in charge. Sun above, I miss those days!”

Elsa moved closer. The guards finally looked up from their makeshift table to investigate the approaching sound. She entered the light.

The grey-haired guard stood. “Girl, what are you doing here this late?”

The others regarded her with open curiosity, but remained seated. None of them wanted to leave their cards unattended.

“I’m Junker Amos Jefferson’s apprentice,” she said, with as much confidence as she could muster. “I’ve delivered the requested wares and I’m leaving now.”

The guard settled back onto his wobbly seat and fanned out his cards.

“Okay, hurry up,” he said, waving her forward.

The younger guard stiffened. “Now, hang on a sec. I’ve let this nonsense with the bridge go, but she’s got a cart.”

“So?” The older guard asked.

“No Smoker leaves without a search.”

“Be my guest, Lieutenant Emmett,” the grey-haired guard said, pushing a stack of lumieres into the centre of the table. “But I’m going both ways on the pot.”

The lieutenant waited for the others to side with him. When no one moved, he threw down his cards and grabbed a lantern. “You’re all a bunch of lazy shankers, you know that?”

His companions ignored him.

“Wet blanket,” one of them said.

Lieutenant Emmett stalked towards Elsa and held up his light.

“Open the compartments,” he ordered.

“But there’s nothing there,” Elsa said, fighting to keep the panic from her voice. “I told you, I delivered my junk.”

The guard huffed. “And who knows what you could have replaced it with while we weren’t looking?”

“You think I’ve stolen something?”

The lieutenant nodded. “Isn’t that your nature?”

The older guard gave a loud, exaggerated sigh. “Would you just deal with the girl already? I could have searched the cart twice in the time you’ve spent flirting.”

The other men sniggered. The lieutenant’s frown deepened. He headed for the cart.

“Wait!” Elsa held up her hands to stop him.

The guard’s eyes narrowed. He grabbed her wrist and pulled up her sleeve. “You’re Bad Seed!”

He shoved her out of the way and reached for the main compartment. The latch stuck.

Elsa felt for her knife and glanced over her shoulder. The others weren’t paying her any attention, each too busy revealing their hand. The grey-haired guard threw down his cards. “Read ‘em and weep you sons of Smokers!”

Elsa turned back to the lieutenant who was still fighting with the clasp. She grabbed the hilt of her knife, wavering between acting and waiting for the worst to happen. She needed to buy herself some time, enough for Noak to enact his promised diversion. Elsa started to draw the blade from its sheath…and stopped.

She couldn’t do it.

Elsa couldn’t hurt him, even to help herself.

Sick with fear, Elsa pushed the knife back into place and waited for him to find Finn.

A cry floated from the step-well.

The grey-haired guard paused in collecting his winnings.

“Do you hear that?” The lieutenant asked.

The dogs started barking in their kennels. The other men tensed. All eyes turned to centre of the plateau. A bell rang from one of the watchtowers and a few moments later the dome above brightened, turning evening back into day. In this dazzling light, a dozen ragged Smokers emerged from the step-well and shielded their eyes.

“Are those the prisoners from the Shower?” A guard asked.

The Smokers attacked the men in the courtyard, moving like a swarm of ants from one surprised guard to the next.

“They’re armed,” the lieutenant said. “How did they get weapons?”

There was no reply. Suddenly, the tattered group were rushing along the path towards the bridge. The lieutenant recovered from his shock first and yelled at the other men. “Pull back the platform!” He turned to Elsa. “Get behind your cart and stay down. I’ll deal with you later!”

A guard sprinted for the lever. He gave it a sharp tug and turned his back on the chasm to follow the unfolding chaos.

“Hold the bridge, men!” Lieutenant Emmett ordered. “Don’t let them pass.”

“Stuff that!” The grey-haired guard called. “There’s twelve of them and four of us. I’m not dying here.”

He jumped into the boxcar and started pulling the sliding door shut.

“They’ve got guns,” another guard said as he also scrambled into the wagon.

The metal door clanged shut, leaving behind the two remaining bridge guards and Elsa to face the prisoners. She prayed they were part of Noak’s diversion. Or she was in trouble.

The Smokers stopped before them. Several raised their guns. Elsa recognised the weapons from Melker’s chambers and wonder if they’d been able to locate his ammunition.

“Reverse that platform,” the ringleader ordered. “Quick!”

Lieutenant Emmet drew out his knife. “Stand fast. We just need to hold the bridge, until the others come.”

The ringleader shifted his aim from the lieutenant to the trembling guard on the lever. “Halt that bridge now!”

“Don’t listen to him,” Lieutenant Emmett shouted.

“Do it!” The Smoker said. “Or I’ll shoot you dead.”

The bridge guard shook his head. “I’m sorry, Lieutenant.” He tugged on the lever, stopping the platform in the middle of the bridge.”

“Now reverse it!” The ringleader cried.

“I can’t,” the bridge guard said, his voice shaking. “You need at least three people on the wheel.”

“You’re stuck here,” Lieutenant Emmett said. “Put down your weapons. You can’t escape.”

The Smoker shook his head. “I ain’t going back to that light-forsaken jail!” He turned to the others. “Get on that wheel and push like your lives depend on it.”

Elsa had been hiding behind her wagon. She peeked around the side and searched the Guardhouse for Noak. Several officers appeared from the Guardhouse building, guns slung over their shoulders. They released their hounds ahead of them. The animals raced across the plateau, sleek and silent.

“Watch out!” Elsa cried.

The Smokers saw the approaching pack and panicked, scattering in all directions.

Elsa glanced back towards the waterfall entrance, wondering if she should abandon the cart and make a run for it, too. As she watched, the smooth white cascade exploded. A tall figure sailed across the black void, his red hair shining in the light, and landed on the half-extended platform. He steadied himself and moved across the bridge in quick broad steps. He crouched beside Elsa and placed a finger on his lips, asking for her silence.

Elsa nodded.

In a flash, the tall man was behind the lever guard, choking him until he slumped to the ground. The young lieutenant pivoted, his eyes wide with surprise, his mouth slack, and raised his knife to attack. In the next instant he collapsed. A dark-haired woman leapt onto the plateau and crouched by the lieutenant to yank her knife from the man’s body.

“Where is he?” She asked her companion. “I can’t see him.”

The tall man approached the wheel. He closed his eyes and leant into the handle. To Elsa’s disbelief, the wheel turned faster than when the three guards had manned it. The platform reversed direction and the bridge was once more whole.

Get moving, girl! Her uncle’s voice chided. Don’t just stand there like a lump of rock. Act!

Elsa rallied her strength and pushed the cart along the bridge. She made the tunnel and hurried down the slope as a barrage of gunfire cracked behind her. At the exit into the Night Port, she found the sentry guard slumped against the wall, his hound nowhere in sight.

Elsa increased her speed. She dashed down the ramps with her cart, heading to the only place she thought she had a chance. The only place she could possibly be safe.

***

Something had happened. Elsa had been gone too long. Amos waited for her in the courtyard outside his workshop and cursed his idiotic plan. What a foolish, arrogant old man to think he knew best.

Amos collected his lantern from the ring of stones by the pool and limped towards his workshop. He would get his coat, he decided, and head down to the Guardhouse and find out what’d happened.

A rattle carried up Junker Lane.

Amos released the handle and turned, relief spreading through him. Elsa’s cart clattered into the cave and the tension returned to his limbs.

“Elsa! Are you alright?”

Shaking and pale, she clasped the pocket watch hanging around her neck and stuttered, “I-I think I’ve just done something very, very stupid.”