“Why do ya ‘ave ta go?” Azra clung to Dani’s legs, holding her in a vice-like grip as tears ran down her face.

Dani had hoped that she wouldn’t be home still. Normally Azra could be found at the bakery with Therija, but this was one of the rare days when she had stayed home with Raycor. She had caught the sniffles, and Therjia hadn’t want her sneezing all over the baked goods. Dani ran a hand over Azra’s curls, tears pricking at her own eyes. How the hell could she answer that when she didn’t understand herself?

“It ain’t safe fer us ta stay right now. Folks’ll be lookin’ fer Dani, an’ we don’t want ‘em ta find her.” Reshi knelt down to look Azra in the eyes sternly. “An’ we don’t want ‘em comin’ after all of ya ta get to her.”

“Who’s gonna be lookin’ fer her? We can hide her! She can hide under the bed!”

Dani glanced at the bed, the corner of her mouth quirking up. “I’m not sure I’d fit.”

“Sure ya would!” Azra pulled away from Dani and rushed over to the bed. She pulled back the colorful bedspread that Najia had made once upon a time, and the thread-worn sheets, thin mattress and simple wooden slats until she revealed the space beneath the bed. But she didn’t stop there, climbing between the remaining slats and starting to pull away the floorboards.

“Azra? What are you doing?” Dani stepped closer, watching in curiosity as the floorboards pulled away to reveal a set of stairs.

“Ya can hide down ‘ere!” Azra stacked the floorboards aside, taking a moment to wipe her nose on her sleeve. She picked up a rock from the top stair, and held it out to Dani. “Here, I’ll show ya!”

Dani looked at Reshi and shrugged slightly. It wouldn’t hurt to look, and she wanted to know what was beneath their home. She wasn’t surprised that there was something beneath them, they were high enough up in the Rats Nest that their house was in the upper floor of one of the old buildings. But she was surprised that she had never found it herself.

Reshi glanced out the window at the brightening city and lightly touched the hunting knife at his side. “Azra....”

“I’ll show ya!” Azra reached over to grab Reshi’s hand, her eyes pleading, her lower lip trembling. “Please Reshi!”

He let out a sigh. “Fine. But best be quick.”

Azra brightened, and she turned her expectant gaze on Dani.

“Alright, let’s see what’s beneath our little home.” Dani focused on the rock in her hand, staring at it as she pictured her energy flowing into it, filling it from the inside out until the opaque stone could no longer hold the light of her magic and it spilled out into the room around them. A wave of dizziness washed over her, a faint headache forming just behind her eyes. She really needed to get something other than rocks to light up, they took so much energy that it was exhausting. Or maybe she was just weak.

Dani pushed aside that last thought and offered a smile to Azra. “There, lead the way. But be careful.”

Azra took the glowing stone, starting down the spiraling stone stairs and into the gloom below. Dani stepped over the bedframe, following her down beneath their home, Reshi at her back.

The stairs spiraled tightly around a simple stone pillar, and Dani could see where Azra had pushed aside debris here and there. The remnants of deep red carpeting edged with gold still lined the stairs, nibbled at here and there by critters in the dark.

A few turns down a skeleton lay along the edge of the steps, its ribcage crushed from falling debris. A few stones still lay on it, and someone, probably Azra, had placed some wilted flowers on it. Azra paused, looking seriously up at Reshi and Dani. “This is Flora. She guards the stairs. Ya gotta offer her somethin’ or she won’t like ya.”

Dani looked at the skeleton with a frown. It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen plenty of skeletons, but her last experience with them made her hesitate before dismissing Azra’s claim. The skeletons clothes were nearly all rotted away, but there were still remnants of a dress and strands of long black hair. Dani fished in her pocket until she pulled out a simple little fabric flower she had made. One of hundreds that were going to adorn a dress for the ball in a few weeks. She had forgotten it and a few others in her pocket yesterday, but it seemed fitting for this particular skeleton. She set it down on the wilting flowers, and then added a second one to the pile. “For me and Reshi. I don’t think he’s got anything that Flora would like.”

Reshi let out a snort and crossed his large arms across his chest. “Not likely, no.”

Azra gave a nod of approval and continued down the stairs. Dani glanced back at Reshi, whispering softly. “Did you know this was down here?”

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“Aye. But we ain’t ever explored it. Seemed safer with Therija an’ ya bein’ so small ta just board it up an’ forget ‘bout it.”

Dani nodded. She supposed she could see that, but quite frankly if there was enough room down here for a bed, she would have enjoyed not getting kicked so much.

The stairs ended in a small landing, rubble filling the hallway in front of them. Azra had been industrious though. She had dug through the rubble to what remained of a large tree, and then beneath that tree to make a small cubby she had filled with rough sacks stolen from who only knew where. It was small and cramped, and the air was stale and unmoving. This wasn’t one of the parts of the underground that connected to others, not yet at least. Perhaps if she kept digging it would join up with the other tunnels someday. But Dani didn’t like how loose the dirt looked around the tree.

“See? Ya can hide here! An’ no one’ll know yer down here.” Azra reached up to grab Dani’s hand, looking up at her with those pleading eyes. “An’ Flora will make sure no one comes an’ gets ya.”

Great. A cozy little tomb guarded by a skeleton.

But there was no way Dani was going to say that to Azra. Instead, she knelt down and smiled to the girl she considered a little sister. “You’re very clever to have found this place, but Azra, what if the people that want to hurt me, hurt you because they can’t find me? I’m not going to hide and let them do that. If I go away, then those people won’t come hurt you. If that’s what it takes to keep you safe...”

“No!” Azra stomped her foot, tears welling up in her eyes again. “I won’t let ya go! I won’t!” She threw herself at Dani, her scrawny body shaking with sobs.

Dani wrapped her arms tightly around Azra, trying to hold back her own tears. She didn’t want to go either. She didn’t want to leave her friends and family, she didn’t want to give up the chance to help the Rats Nest become safer and more comfortable for the people she loved. She looked up at Reshi, hot tears rolling down her own face. “Let me talk ta Reshi. We’ll- we’ll see what we can do. Why don’t we go put ya ta bed now? Yer runnin’ a fever.”

Dani lifted Azra awkwardly as she straightened, cursing silently to herself. She wished Wulfram were here, she’d give him a good firm kick for putting her in this position. All it had taken was one little phrase for this whole mess to start, and now she was responsible for who knew how many people.

That was, if she didn’t die before she could do anything. Or if she didn’t run away. She sighed, carrying Azra back up the stairs, comforted by Reshi’s presence at her back. If she could convince him that it was safe enough to stay, she could really do some good. Maybe if she told him about her friends plans? How they were watching over her? And then there was the room at the palace that she had been offered. If she were to stay there, then no one would come after Azra and the others.

Right?

They climbed into the bright light of the room Therija, Azra and Dani shared, and Dani set Azra down. They replaced the floorboards in silence, and Dani made the bed back up. She tucked Azra in and kissed her on the forehead. “Get some sleep. I’ll still be here when you wake up.”

“Promise?” Azra sniffled.

“I promise.” Dani said, ignoring the hard stare that Reshi was leveling at her. What was she going to do? Tell Azra that no, she’d be gone by the time she woke up? Like that would work!

Azra smiled a little, and nestled down into the bed, closing her eyes. Dani watched for a moment until she was sure Azra had fallen asleep, before standing up and heading into the main room.

She froze just a couple steps in, immediately noticing the wrongness.

Alodia sat comfortably in one of the chairs, Gull at her back with a somewhat sheepish expression on her face.

“Reshi, Lady Daniella.” Alodia smiled like a snake and rested her hands on the table. “I was worried when I didn’t find you at Mrs. Haversaun’s, not sick, are you?”

Dani glanced at Reshi, her eyes widening slightly. “No, not sick. Azra caught a bit of a cold. Where’s Raycor?” He had just been up here, letting them talk with Azra before they left.

“Raycor went to get some meat from the market. He’ll be back shortly. He knows he can trust me, isn’t that right Reshi? Gull?”

“Aye, Madame Alodia.” Gull agreed quickly.

Reshi snorted. “As long as it benefits ya, yeah, ya can be trusted.” He reached above the cupboards and pulled down a dark amber bottle before taking a seat at the table. “What do ya want?”

Dani sat down next to Reshi, folding her own hands to keep from fidgeting. Could she trust Alodia? What did the woman want from her? Because she was damn sure that Alodia wasn’t here just to say hello and see why she wasn’t at work today.

“I think Lady Daniella knows what I want. Don’t you dear?” Alodia looked to Dani, her smile not faltering. “A safe and profitable Rats Nest. Or Tangle, whatever you’d like to call it. I suppose if we’re going to clean it up we can’t continue calling it the Rats Nest.”

Dani took the bottle Reshi offered her and took a swig to calm her nerves. She had no reason to be afraid. Reshi was here, Gull was here. Azra was in the other room. She handed the bottle back to Reshi, letting out a soft breath as the liquid burned its way down her throat. “I think we all want that. But why are you here? We were working on that stuff with the nobles and mages up at the palace yesterday. We’ve already got a plan in the works to make sure our own people don’t get stomped on and kicked out.”

“There are some things that we simply can’t discuss in front of the other nobles. Surely you know that.”

“It don’t matter.” Reshi said flatly, setting the bottle down on the table with a resounding thud. “She ain’t gonna be here ta play yer games Alodia. She can’t be. Ya know that.”

“Oh, I know that you don’t want her to be here to play the game. But she needs to be. This is a chance we can’t pass up, a noble lady raised up out of the Rats Nest itself? If you think anyone else would care about the people down here, you’re deluding yourself.” Alodia reached over and took the bottle from in front of Reshi, taking a drink herself. Her nose wrinkled and she set the bottle back down. “I won’t let this opporunity slip through our hands.”

“And I won’t let her become a target.” Reshi growled and leaned forward, lowering his voice. “Someone wanted her dead before she was old ‘nough ta tie her own shoes, an’ we don’t know if they was from here or Hesiodos. Ya want ta risk them findin’ her again?”

“I don’t think leaving the city behind will keep her from being found again. You and I both know who we think she is, and they’re looking for her again.” Alodia smiled at Reshi, steepling her fingers together. “It’s only a matter of time before they find her.”