“Run!” Sam called out.

They broke into a run down the housing street, seeing there was nowhere else to go for a good hundred feet or so. The Lawcraft soon hovered near them with sirens blazing.

“James,” Sam said between breaths. “You know your way back to the Camembough site? Toward the Oldsway underpass?”

James thought quickly. “Yeah.”

The Lawcraft shot over them and positioned itself ahead, turning sideways and readying itself to land in their path. James startled with he saw that Evan had his sword drawn. The Voarn was actually planning on fighting the Lawmen.

Sam said, “I’ll meet you both at the water tower in Oldsway.”

James realised what Sam was saying as he saw his colleague speed ahead of them. Before James could voice any protests, Sam jumped up, darting into the air with a surprising force and landing on the roof of the Lawcraft.

The craft veered, for a moment losing control, before it turned and attempted to throw Sam off. His legs flailed in the air as he struggled to maintain his grasp on the sleek craft.

James was unable to see more as he and Evan ran under the vehicle, shifting his focus to their situation.

“I can help him,” Evan said, slowing.

“No,” James shot back. “Sam can take care of himself. He told us where to find him.” He could tell Evan meant to say more. “We can’t split up any more,” James added sternly, as if that settled the matter.

The Lawcraft’s engines whirled as the craft spun, rising and careening over the line of houses. James turned back in time to see Sam, having regained his footing and now standing on the craft, before it was lost to sight.

James traced the directions to the water tower in his head, attempting to picture the streets and the turnings ahead of them. He considered the idea of getting a shuttle pod, but wasn’t sure where the nearest station was, and guessed that trapping themselves in a confined space wasn’t the best idea. He thought there was a station near the water tower, however.

They crossed the main road as fast as their tired legs allowed them and entered the adjoining road, also lined with similar looking houses. Despite Evan’s injuries and the fatigue lining his face, he ran strong, with a depth of endurance that impressed James.

The drum sounds continued to beat somewhere far off. The repeating ba-dum, ba-ba ba-dum followed them all around.

James found himself fearing for Sam, wondering if he’d been captured by the Lawmen. Maybe he and Evan were on their own now.

If he recalled correctly, they’d come across an old park ahead. Soon enough he saw the large rusted gate and weedy grass around the next corner. Office buildings surrounded the park on all sides, with two exits leading to alleyways at the far corners. Children of mixed species played on one of the weathered structures by a gnarled tree.

As they crossed the park, two Lawmen appeared from the right-side alley. The guards called out and reached for their rifles as they broke into a run. James ushered Evan into the opposite alley, sprinting away from the Lawmen. His pulse quickened even more when he thought he could hear the engines of a Lawcraft from behind one of the office buildings.

The drums continued to follow them, ba-dum, ba-ba ba-dum.

“Over here.” James inadvertently shoved Evan as he turned them into an alley.

A group of Canarrian children sat on stacked crates and looked up as they passed. The stomping footsteps of the pursuing Lawmen now echoed through the narrow path.

James focused on running as fast as he could and planning their route when he heard shouts from behind; but from the children rather than the guards. He looked back to see the children throwing objects at the two Lawmen. Some of the larger projectiles caused a guard to stagger and duck, while the other man fell from objects thrown at his feet. The children yelled and laughed as they antagonised the Lawmen, but soon scattered once they’d run out of things to throw.

James was glad for the diversion, but his heart still raced uncontrollably. Sweat dripped down his face and he ached all over. What was he doing? He was being chased through the streets by Lawmen, with a strange Voarn, trying to find an Oneron soldier. How had he got himself into this situation? His first thought was to ask Tam for help, but he knew it was different now. Looking desperately up and down the streets, trying to find his way, he longed to get back to his simple, ignorant life.

The drum’s tempo continued to increase, carrying in the wind. Ba-dum, ba-ba ba-dum.

They ran under a bridge that held shuttle pod tracks, and when they joined the wide street beyond, someone large ran full-bodied into Evan. James spun to see a long-haired Lawman grappling with the Voarn.

Without knowing what else to do, James charged and wrapped his arms around the guard’s waist, dragging him up off Evan. His head spun with adrenaline, and he tried to make his actions count, willing himself to be strong. He lifted the guard off his feet, spinning and throwing him against the wall. The Lawman’s upper armour clanged when he hit the wall, but he kept his footing and managed to swing his rifle around and raise it.

In a flash, Evan released his sword and swung it down, cutting across the rifle in one motion. The smoking rifle end dropped to the ground. Heavy boots thudded further down the street; a second Lawman was running toward them, his desert scarf wavering behind him.

A hand grabbed James’s wrist, and the guard beside him pulled him closer, attempting to hold him until the second guard arrived. James grappled with the guard, shoving him with a shoulder and pulling away, but was unable to release his hold. He tried not to think of the absurdity of fighting with a Lawman and moved on instinct.

James managed to bring the guard in front of him while Evan readied his sword, and realised that Evan meant to swing at them both. He squeezed his eyes shut and ducked as the great sword caught the guard in his padded chest plate and sent him stumbling backward. James turned to see the guard lying further away, with strained movements as if stunned.

The second Lawman was nearly upon them.

“Let’s go,” James shouted.

They took off down the street, in the opposite direction of the approaching Lawman. Several people watched them with shocked faces as they passed, some calling out in foreign languages or yelling from windows. James struggled to find his bearing again, looking for a landmark to help guide him.

Ba-dum, ba-ba ba-dum, the drums continued, louder than ever.

His heart jumped when two more Lawmen rounded the corner ahead. He staggered to an abrupt stop, holding an arm out to keep Evan back. They turned and headed back toward the scarfed Lawman, who was raising his rifle.

“This one.” James turned them into a narrow alley.

The roar of people surrounded them when they approached the end of the alley. Beyond were dozens of people, all walking in the same direction. It wasn’t until they cleared the alley that James made sense of it all.

They had joined a large parade of some kind; the source of the pounding drums. Hundreds of people proceeded through the wide street, waving pointed blue flags, with some carrying long ornamented staffs. Most appeared to be Canarrians and Canthians, though others, particularly the short statured Sebs, were among the crowd. Though the day had dimmed in the early evening, many hover lamps washed the road in a bright light.

James became swept up in the flow of the crowd before he could help otherwise. Once he was able to turn around, he saw that he’d lost Evan. He looked around frantically, but was unable to see the Voarn through the crowds.

Ba-dum, ba-ba ba-dum, the drums boomed from all around, shaking James’s skull.

A tall woman with dark-blue skin pushed passed him, and a quick side step was needed to dodge an elderly Seb. James was now at least six people deep; the edge of the road could hardly be seen, and neither could their pursuers.

Several blue robed figures caught James’s attention. Four of them, their hoods drawn low, pushed through the crowd with a great intent, heading toward him. Two more blue robed figures further ahead turned toward him, their faces obscured by the heavy hoods. James spun, desperately searching for Evan, sweat pouring down his face. He didn’t know who the hooded men were but he knew he didn’t want to be caught by them.

Ba-dum, ba-ba ba-dum.

James cursed himself for ending up in this situation.

A bare-chested Canarrian pushed by him, knocking him into a long-haired man holding up a golden staff. Two children ran by his legs, making their own way through the crowd with excited laughs.

He let himself be swept along while keeping check of the blue robed people both behind and in front of him. The ones in front were no longer looking at him, at least, but the four behind had gained ground and continued to wade through the people. James thought about calling out Evan’s name, but didn’t want to draw attention.

Ba-dum, ba-ba ba-dum.

A hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. James tensed, ready to resist, but then saw the familiar red jacket and realised he was facing Sam. His shoulders sagged with relief. There was little use in trying to talk over the crowd, so he let Sam usher him out of the parade. James checked back to see the blue robed figures continuing their approach.

When he and Sam breached the crowd, James was surprised to see Evan by Sam’s side. The Voarn was red-faced and appeared flustered, keeping a hand by the scabbard on his back. The roar of the crowd pounded over the them incessantly, boring into James’s skull. Threats and pursuers seemed to be all around them.

As they sidestepped several people along the edge of the crowd, Sam turned up a couple of steps and pulled open a screen door, ushering them into a building. They found themselves in the long hallway of an apartment block, with several numbered doors on either side and doors leading to staircases. The glass door at the far end showed the next street.

James breathed a heavy sigh of relief, thankful that the quiet hallway had muffled the thunderous crowd and drums. “Sam. What happened to you? How did you get away? How did you find us?”

“Not much time to explain, but I saw you enter the parade from the roof tops. Come on, this way.”

While Sam surveyed the street beyond the glass door, James regarded Evan. The young Voarn appeared to be coping well, despite the ordeal he’d been through—they’d all been through. Evan was studying the floor, and James wondered if he was purposefully avoiding his gaze.

They were led out to the next street; a gravelly pathway with only a few people mingling, the roar of the parade reaching them over the building.

“What in the Abyss was all that?” James eventually asked.

“Luck, I’d call it.” Sam’s eyes constantly moved over the street. “You didn’t know of the festival?”

“I guess I do now,” James said, still bewildered.

An elderly Rondo, bent with age and supporting himself on a crooked staff, stopped to watch them pass. His hooked nose creased his grey, cracked skin, and his wide protruding eyes followed them.

“We were briefly fortunate enough to be a part of the Festival of Serne Soltice,” Sam said when they rounded a corner. “A festival of re-birth, the Canarrians call it.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” James admitted, still feeling flustered.

“You wouldn’t normally. The festival takes place every hundred years. It’s a grand event for the locals. How did you not know of it before?”

James wondered if he’d ever heard of such a festival, or read anything about it, but he was too preoccupied by their situation to think about anything else. “Who were those men following me?”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “The Lawmen?”

“No, those men in the blue robes.”

“The Cil’gav-annyi. They wear Canarrian holy robes. Replicas of the robes of the Blessed Ones. They were following you?”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“I… I thought so.” James now wondered if he’d misinterpreted their actions.

They crossed a grassy area dotted with various junk and a decaying jet bike stripped of most of its parts. Long weeds and red grass spread around most of the debris, swaying lazily in the warm breeze. James was thankful that the worst of the day’s heat was over as nightfall slowly approached.

Beyond the field they entered a curving alley between two tall buildings. Here Sam stopped, placing his hands on his hips and looking around in thought. James rubbed his knee, trying to calm the throbbing pain that had returned.

Sam said. “You know, we’re right by Captain Down.”

“You mean we’re near Rolan,” James said wearily. “And his gang.”

“Right. We could lose the rest of the Lawmen, and any other craft, within the ruins of the Captain Down site.”

James meant to voice his reservations, but Evan spoke first.

“Are we close?”

“I think so,” Sam told Evan. “I… I think so.” He gazed around them and then upwards. “Wait here a moment. I’ll get a better view.”

With that, Sam bent and shot up into the air. He pushed off a window ledge and rocketed up to the building’s roof.

James stared up in disbelief for a long while after. Sam had flown up, as if shot from a cannon, what must have been at least eight floors. It was impressive when Sam had jumped onto the Lawcraft, but this was something else. James wondered if it’d been a magically enhanced jump, or some other trick from the increasingly mysterious Sam.

He waited with Evan in silence, standing alert, expecting more Lawmen to appear at any moment. He considered saying something to Evan; to ask how he was doing, but was still unsure of how to speak with him, or how much Evan wanted to speak to him anymore. Evan had been less direct with him since they’d left Den’s house. James talked himself out of saying something, deciding it better to allow Evan time to himself. It would be better if he let him make the first move.

The drums carried in the wind. Ba-dum, ba-ba ba-dum.

The air shifted above them and Sam dropped into view, landing lightly between them.

“Not far at all,” Sam said as he rose.

“Really?” James said. “Why don’t you just fly us there?” He wondered if that were possible, even if it was said in jest.

Sam laughed through a long breath. “If only.” He smiled to himself. “This way.”

The alley curved to an open area that served as a parking station, where they weaved through the few vehicles at a fast walk. They broke into a steady jog and crossed onto a dirt path lined with what appeared to be abandoned buildings, with broken windows and doors half off the hinges. They were definitely entering the run-down areas of the northern district.

James wondered how Sam knew the area so well. It didn’t seem like an area he would’ve likely spent much time in. But he understood that he didn’t know Sam well at all.

The ground rose ahead and they crested a hill to find themselves in a wide-open field that stretched ahead and to the sides. James recognised their location and looked right to see the top of a shuttle pod station behind a low building. The same station they’d alighted to get to the abandoned construction site earlier. He marvelled at the distance they’d covered since their first run-in with the Lawmen. At least they were getting closer to the edge of the city.

The darkening purple sky cast ominous shadows over the coarse land as they jogged again. The hover lamp stationed for this co-ordinate lay half opened on the ground among the long weeds.

Ahead, a large mound of debris and junk lay by a collection of barrels and crates, most of which were damaged or broken open. As they approached, two figures rounded the piles and approached them. The broad shoulder pads and flowing shirts of the Lawmen came into focus as the guards ran to them, raising their rifles.

James heard the familiar swish of Evan unsheathing his mighty sword, and he was surprised to see that the knife was already in his own hand.

Footsteps and shifting armour came from behind as three more Lawmen closed in. Their brown chest and shoulder armour gleamed dully in the dying light. While Sam held back, Evan had assumed his fighting stance. With a wave of his arm, Evan sent out a gust of wind that knocked two Lawmen off their feet. Surprise mixed with dread when James saw Evan readying his sword, actually intending on fighting the Lawmen. As Evan charged at another man, a Lawman nearest James raised his rifle and aimed at Evan.

“Evan look out!” James cried as he charged at the Lawman and pushed the rifle away just as it fired into the sky.

Evan staggered to a stop, mid-swing, and looked around at all the rifles aimed at him.

“That’s enough,” one Lawman called out to them. A roughly spun scarf covered his head, showing a sunburnt face and bright grey eyes below. His chest and shoulder armour looked more polished and well-kept than most of the Lawmen James had seen.

The other three Lawmen surrounded them, forming a circle of raised rifles. James looked to Sam, hoping for a sign of a way out. He still couldn’t believe Evan had intended on taking down these men.

The Lawman who’d spoken stepped forward. “On behalf of the High Judge of Tyken Town and in accordance with the Unified Treaty, you are all detained for multiple crimes including the destruction of public property, abduction, and resisting arrest. You are ordered to stand down.”

Before anyone could respond, something struck the ground between them. Bright sparks blew out and showered the area in a bubble of fizzing electricity. Two of the Lawmen were caught in the radius, electric tendrils enveloping them, and they dropped to the ground, convulsing as the energy dissipated. The head scarf-wearing Lawman grunted and fell with a metal spear protruding from his chest armour.

Several more men appeared and surrounded them all. Though rather than brown armour, the newcomers were clothed in worn shirts and rough rags. The remaining two Lawmen were soon dispatched by a succession of staff blows and a thrown knife.

The circle of Lawmen became a circle of gang members.

James recognised one of the men from Rolan’s gang, and thought he knew two more faces from their time with the group earlier. They all paused, exchanging looks, until some of the men separated, making way for another.

The spiked boots of Rolan crunched on the gravelly terrain; a slanted grin across his broad face.

He now wore a thin blue shirt, hiding the chest wound Evan had inflicted. Rather than showing signs of pain or discomfort, he appeared in good spirits.

“Ho, chaps,” he drawled. “What’s going on here, then?”

“I never thought I’d be happy to see you, Rolan,” Sam told the Canarrian gang leader.

Rolan swung his head back and barked a laugh. “Always happy to see you, fella.” He gazed upon the fallen Lawmen. “Rather a spot of bother you got yourselves in, looks like.”

“Aye,” James said, uncertain of the gang leader’s intentions. “Thanks for your… assistance.”

Rolan turned to him, blinking. “Look at that. Didn’t see you there, hero. No worries. Our pleasure, in fact. Looks like I owed you one, anyhow.”

This took James aback, until he remembered the storyteller that had withheld valuable stolen items from Rolan. This reminded him of the man dressed in black, and that smug sneer of his.

“That guy… Troy, was it?” he asked, unsure of how to word his question.

“Yep, that guy. I wouldn’t worry about him.” Rolan’s eyes flashed as he grinned, accentuating his broad chin. “Much appreciated, your candour was.”

James held back a shudder. He wasn’t sure if he was comfortable with a man like Rolan being indebted to them, although it seemed that the Canarrian now considered them even. Which was a relief, at least.

Rolan nodded a greeting to Evan, who stood further back with both hands still tight on his drawn sword. “Ho, there, little fella. How’s my sword treating you?” He chuckled heartily at Evan’s eye twitch.

A fizzing sound cut through the air and a bright ball of neon light burst in the sky over a row of buildings. A second firework followed, lighting the surrounding area in a kaleidoscope of blues and reds. The drums continued to echo somewhere far off.

“We appreciate the assistance, boys,” Sam said. “Though we’ve got to get going.”

Rolan considered this. “Right, right. The chasing and the lawfilth and all that. I gotcha. Don’t wanna keep you. Looking for a nice dim hiding place, no doubt.”

“Fleeing, actually. We’re on our way out the city.”

James tensed beside Sam, wondering why he was revealing so much information to the gang leader.

“Is that right?” Rolan raised an eyebrow. “Seems like we could help you out there then.”

“That’s mighty… good, of you.” Sam nodded to the fallen Lawmen. “Though we’d prefer to keep the casualties down. If that’s all the same to you.”

“Oh, for sure, matey. For sure,” Rolan assured him with a mock serious face, his heavy brow nearly hiding his eyes. “We’ll take care of your law trouble, and I’ll even show you a way out, further up there.” He threw his head back behind him.

“High Mark doesn’t have an exit,” Sam said with some cautiousness colouring his voice.

“Not one guarded by border folk in a little booth, no. Though a way out, for sure.”

Sam seemed to consider this. The nearest exit that James knew of was still a good distance away, so if there was a way out right near them, they would have to go for that. He guessed that Sam had come to the same conclusion.

“Looks like our best chance right now,” Sam said.

While James agreed, he still wasn’t sure about accepting the gang leader’s help.

“Put it this way,” Rolan said as another firework lit the sky with a series of dazzling purple stars that grew inside the other as they expanded. “On a joyous night like tonight, me and the boys are gonna be out besides. Celebrating in our own way. I guess we could help you out at the same time. Such is a day to help our fellows, is it not?”

Sam’s eyes remained cautious but his voice was light. “We’d be honoured to be a part of the fun then.”

Another firework ignited the darkening sky in a brilliant orange, this one spiralling and giving the effect of a massive sinkhole in the sky. James would have enjoyed the sights in any other situation.

“Lovely.” Rolan turned to a stocky man at his side. “Bucky, take your three down by the old track stop. See if you can find any more filth nosing around.” He nodded to a taller man with a long red cloak over a ragged vest. “Cover the short tower for me, Matts. While I take care of our visitors. Shiny trinkets abound for anyone bringing back a rifle and gauntlet. Less shiny trinket for just the one.” At seeing Sam’s uncertain look, Rolan added to him, “Don’t worry, my boys know how to play nice.”

The first men addressed left the circle at a brisk pace, heading toward the shuttle pod station. The long cloak of the man named Matts whirled with his turn, and he gestured to the two remaining men. “With me,” he rasped, and they headed between the stacks of junk and crates. Leaving Rolan alone with James, Sam and Evan.

“Come on, boys. We gotta get you outta here. Dibs on any lawfilth we find.” Rolan flashed another grin and waved for them to follow him into the darkening field.

Several more fireworks erupted, flashing multi-coloured lights and shapes over the dead land. One of them, a striking succession of stars and circles that covered half the sky, was particularly spectacular. Evan’s curved, cat-like eyes shone in the darkness, reflecting the colourful lights.

James found himself wishing he was watching the show with Annabel at that moment. But then he realised that wasn’t entirely true. It was a reflexive thought of the man he used to be. The man he was only yesterday, in fact. Now… now he wasn’t sure who he was. He did feel, however, that he was becoming the truest version of himself he’d been in his known life so far. And that brought a smile to his face. He told himself he was okay with leaving his old life behind him.

Beyond a low building stood the outline of the skeletal tower where they’d first seen Rolan and his gang. James wondered where the bald woman was. Her striking features and gleaming golden eyes seemed burned into his mind, and he strangely found himself missing her. Or felt a longing sensation close to that.

Rolan said, “Quite a hot­-pot you folks must have got yourselves in. Don’t believe in coincidences, so I’d say it’s fate that’s landed you in my lap once again.”

“Must be our lucky day,” Sam said dryly.

“Well today’s a good day to be lucky.”

“I would’ve thought you’d be doing something a little more… traditional, tonight.”

Rolan shrugged. “Never one for tradition, me.”

Sam let a moment pass before saying, “So it’s just a coincidence you’re wearing blue?”

Flashing a crooked smile, Rolan gave him a sidelong look. “Told ya, I don’t believe in coincidences.”

James now recalled all the blue he’d been seeing throughout the day—the same shade of a deep royal blue—and remembered it was a popular colour among Canarrians.

They passed under the low beams of an old structure, possibly an extension of the abandoned site, made up of what appeared to be four large rooms. Unseen insects chirped and croaked around them in the silent air, with their footsteps crunching on the red grass.

Evan exchanged a brief look with Rolan. “I wanted to apologise for striking you.”

Rolan tilted his head. “Think nothing of it. You won fair and square; I suppose.”

“Your wound was not deep. Would you let me attempt to mend it? If you have not yet had a healer look at it.”

A quizzical gaze passed over Rolan before he shook his head. James guessed that the gang leader was unaccustomed to kind gestures. “Mighty good of you, little thing. Though no need. I’m a fast healer. Don’t have need of any other.” Within the dim light, James noted the soft smile that remained on Rolan’s face, which almost made him look warm and friendly.

They entered the far end room of the structure’s framework, which was filled with piles of wooden planks, crumbled rocks and the junk and debris that seemed a staple of the area.

“Normally you folk would be blindfolded, mind,” Rolan told them as he stepped to one of the piles. “But for you I’ll make an exception. Something tells me you won’t be in a hurry coming back to town, or interested in the affairs of my lowly gang.”

He found a hold near the bottom of the rubble and lifted. Wooden planks and boards fell away to reveal a large cardboard sheet under the debris that looked well-kept and sturdy. When he shoved the sheet away, they saw a metal hatch was in the ground. A circular handle studded with stumpy prongs was at the centre of the square hatch’s worn and eroded metal frame.

“Here we go.” Rolan grunt and hoisted the remaining camouflage to the side.

“It’s a hatch,” James said, raising his eyebrows at Rolan. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected.

“No fooling you, hero.” Rolan gripped the handled and twisted, struggling for a second before it turned with a loud echoing creak.

“Where does it go?” Sam asked.

“Out.” Rolan wiped his hands on his trousers as he rose. “To some old military station just outside the borderlands.”

“The old Avancheon garrison?” Sam asked.

“Couldn’t tell you. Never seen it used. Listen here, now. Down there you’ll find a tunnel. There’s one fork in the road, after a hundred paces or so. You’ll want to take the left path. That’ll see you to the end.”

James peered down the hatch, seeing the top of a metal ladder reaching down into darkness.

“You’ve helped us a great deal,” Sam told the gang leader. “More than we could’ve asked for at this time.”

Rolan shrugged dismissively and even seemed uncomfortable with the praise. “Just repaying a favour. Not me you should be thanking, anyhow. Our lady helped me see how much you’d helped us out.”

“The lady,” James said, a little too eagerly.

“Aye.” Rolan nodded with a knowing smile on his pressed lips.

There was a silence while James considered how to ask about her. Where she was. Who she was.

Rolan saved him the trouble. “Quite something, weren’t she?”

James responded with a non-committal look.

“More trouble than she’s worth, if you ask me.” Rolan sighed. “But a sight to behold, nonetheless.”

James nodded, knowing that Rolan would give no answers to any questions he could ask about her.

“Go on, now.” Rolan threw an arm out toward the hatch. “The night’s still young for me and mine.”

Sam announced he’d go first and asked Evan to take up the rear. He looked up as he stepped onto the first two rungs. “Rolan, stay out of trouble, now.”

Rolan answered with another of his crooked grins. His eyes gleamed with mischief within the sunken darkness under his brow.

Once Sam was a way down, James stepped to the edge of the hatch, his eyes falling on the gruesome severed finger under Rolan’s shirt collar. Only a few hours earlier this man had swung a sword at his neck, and now he was doing more for them than anyone else could, and James wasn’t sure how to feel about that. He gave the Canarrian a slight nod, though was unable to offer any words before descending the ladder.

“Good luck, hero,” Rolan called down to him.

James made his way down, but after a moment he paused and lingered in the darkness when he heard Rolan speaking to Evan.

“And you, little prince,” Rolan was saying.

“God’s favour on you, Rolan,” Evan replied sombrely as his silhouette appeared over the hatch.

“You watch our boys, now.” Rolan continued after a pause. “One more thing. From our lady.”

At this, Evan stopped and regarded the gang leader. A heavy tension seemed to have filled the air.

Rolan said, “She says… that thing. That thing you don’t talk about. It’s no good. And you wanna be rid of it the first chance you get. Sooner if you can.”

Evan remained frozen, seeming unable to speak.

“Now I don’t rightly know what she was meaning,” Rolan added. “But I do know I’ve never seen her quite so shaken, and serious, as when she spoke of you, and that whatever-it-is you got.”

Evan studied Rolan with a hardened face before stepping into the hatch. He left his other words unsaid and descended the ladder while the fireworks blazed furiously above, lighting the sky on fire.

James quickly continued down the ladder, unsure of what to make of what he’d heard.