I stopped trying to break out of Monaco’s grip after a couple of blocks. It was a pointless waste of my energy, which was better served taking note of my surroundings as she half-pulled, half-dragged me through a back alley towards wherever she was taking me.

She obviously didn’t intend to bring me along, otherwise I’d have a bag over my head. The decision to take me prisoner had to be spur of the moment. Monaco might be good at acting on the fly when her plans don’t go exactly the way she expects them to, but that doesn’t mean she’s able to course-correct back to her original goal.

Drawing a mental map of the area wasn’t really my forte. I knew that I had started in a residential district called the Wolf’s Clearing, where housing belonging to members of the Noble Wolves guild and their families had been built. Yuzuruha said that the Clearing was on the west side of the city more or less. So wherever I end up, it’s just a matter of orienting myself to that location and making a reasonable guess.

At some point, Monaco was forced to leave the back alley due to a dead end. The familiar feel of something sharp pushed against my back made me well aware of what she expected of me. I’m still willing to bet she’s not going to risk my life just yet. But there’s no need to tempt her either. I’ll play along for now. While she’s distracted with keeping a low profile, I’ll see what landmarks I can identify.

I was in luck. Across the street from where we’d exited the alley, there was a fiendishly gaudy building with red curtain windows and a giant cat statue with looming amber eyes dressed in a red and golden robe, its left paw waving in a repetitive back and forth rocking motion. The building was a bank, the Fortunate Feline, and a nearby sign bragged that it was the largest and most reliable banking institution in Blossom City.

Okay. So, I guess the Feline is going to have to help me figure out where I’m being taken. I doubt Monaco is going to circle back around, so that means her hideout has to be in the direction we’re headed. Question is, are we going north, east, or south?

Before I could think anything else, she pulled me down the street, her right arm draping my own over her shoulder. With a quick motion, she kicked me in the back of my leg, causing me to yelp in pain. “Stumble a little bit. Act like you’re drunk. We’re just out for a stroll and you had too much to drink,” she hissed in my ear. Her left arm was still against my back, hidden from view, and she still had that spring-loaded contraption in her sleeve.

“I get it, I get it. You didn’t have to kick me so hard.” I growled. I walked with my fake limp, doing my best to sell the bit without slowing us down. Without turning my head, I tried to take in as many sights as I could to get my bearings.

It had been a few years since Alverd and I had been in Blossom City. Although the city’s layout had obviously not changed in such a short time, there were bound to be places I would and wouldn’t recognize; brand new food stalls, closed businesses, ramshackle housing. Nothing really stood out to me after the bank, but even that told me something.

Monaco might be leading me to the Broken Mirror district. There’s nothing but ruined warehouses and nests of criminals over there. If memory serves, it should be on the southwest part of the city too, so we might not be that far from the Clearing. Plus, it makes sense that she’d go find a bunch of ne'er do-wells to hide out with.

After about ten minutes of walking on the street, she found another alley for us to duck into. The street decorations here were more sparse, and there were signs the windows had been replaced several times on the buildings with some featuring parchment paper that had been stitched together crudely with strings. The people nearby had simpler clothing that looked ill maintained or made of common materials as opposed to the cleaner threads I’d seen near the entry gate.

After hooking around two corners and emerging onto a street that was even dingier than the one we’d just left, Monaco paused to catch her breath. “Finally. I don’t think your friends are fast enough to keep up with me, even with you slowing me down.” She looked around. “Once I get my bearings, we’re moving. Don’t get comfortable.”

I tried to crane my head to see behind me, but couldn’t turn far enough. I didn’t want to chance a full turn, as it would let Monaco know I was trying to see if anyone was following us. Alas, with me being shorter than her and being held tight, I wasn’t able to do much. It does not pay to be short sometimes. If I was six inches taller this would not be happening right now.

As I mumbled under my breath, I did manage to turn my head far enough to the left to see that there was a fox sitting on the sidewalk not four feet away from me. It was a very familiar looking fox with red fur who looked at me with inquisitive golden eyes. If I didn’t know better, I would have said the fox was glaring fiercely at Monaco.

“Deotra? Is that you?” I said in my mind. “She didn’t hurt you, did she?” Even in my head, I could hear the worry in her tone.

“No, I’m alright. For now I think she needs me in one piece.” Deotra didn’t come any closer, but she shook her head, making her cute, fuzzy ears twitch. “Say the word. There won’t be enough of her left to fill a clay urn.”

Before I could respond, Monaco turned around. “What? A fox? Where did that come from?”

I coughed tersely. “You’ve been in Kierhai how long and you don’t know? Foxes are sacred around here. They can wander freely. There are some pretty strict laws about harming them, too. So watch your step, because that one seems to have taken a liking to you.”

As if on cue, Deotra arched her back and bared her fangs at Monaco. The thief was less than impressed though. “You have an odd idea of what ‘liking’ looks like, Kuro. Try not to bother me, we’re almost where we need to go.” She yanked me along, although with less urgency than before. “Now, word of caution before we get there. Keep your mouth shut. These aren’t the types of people who want to have friendly chats with loners out after dark. So let’s not draw attention to ourselves.”

I agree. Broken Mirror is the entrance to the criminal underworld of Blossom City. One can get lost down there and never be seen again. As Monaco pointed out, we might not even get to where we need to go without getting accosted. Sheseemed extra fidgety, her right foot tapping impatiently on the ground in a clear nervous tic.

“Where the hell are Merond and Calgris?” She said. “They should’ve given your friends the slip by now.” The tapping sped up as her tail swished back and forth irritably. “Typical. I ask the Guildmaster for one little favor and it goes sideways in five minutes. If they’re not here in two minutes, I’m taking my chances.”

Maybe I can convince Monaco to spill some of the beans on what she was hired to do. I still have no idea how I’m gonna get away from her, but while she’s distracted thinking about the current state of affairs I might be able to get some answers.

“Seems kind of risky bringing newbies into a high stakes heist like this.” She swirled her head around and down to face me. “If you’re desperate enough to try and rope Alverd and I into helping you, then you know you’re punching way above your weight class on this one. We both know you brought me along to help you plan the heist, so why don’t you tell me what you’re after?”

Her eyes flicked back in the direction of the street, then back to me, before looking back at the street again. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Kuro. It’s not nice to interrupt a girl while she’s thinking.” The brown eyes of the beastwoman narrowed as she weighed her options.

“I can practically hear the gears grinding in your head, Monaco.” I taunted her. My eyes, however, were focused on Deotra. “You’ll never get what you came here for. You’re a mess. You’re wound like a top and it’s starting to show.” She tightened her grip on my shoulder.

“Be quiet. Your prattling is distracting me.”

I pressed my attack. “Any smart thief would’ve considered cutting and running by now. I’ll bet good money that your goons got caught by Alverd and the rest. If so, it’s only a matter of time and some broken bones before they track you here. Also, I’m your only bargaining chip, yet I’m also an iron weight wrapped around your ankle. I’m slowing you down every step of the way, but if my friends catch up to you you need me to reason with them.”

Something sharp pushed against my back and I nearly yelped as it pressed into my skin. “I said shut up. Any more out of you and I’ll knock you out and drag you.” There was a lot of barely restrained frustration in her voice, and I knew my tactic was working.

“Sounds like you needed to suck up to your Guildmaster for something, too. Now your emotions are getting the better of you. You sure you’re not in over your head?” I said with snark in my voice.

I wasn’t ready for what happened next. Her hand slid back from behind me and out in front of me, and I felt cold steel press against my neck. “I can’t kill you but I can definitely hurt you, Kuro. Alverd will take you back even if you’ve got a few scratches in some unpleasant places. Remember that.”

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Despite having been shown the consequences of my actions, I did what any self-respecting adventurer would do and learned nothing from them. “Now I know this is personal for you. Thieves don’t resort to violence so easily. It’s not in the playbook to cause unnecessary trouble for yourselves like that. This isn’t just any heist for you. You’re desperate.” I expected a strike, but instead Monaco let go of me. I turned around and looked at her. Her right hand was opening and closing, fingers curled like claws, but the knife in her sleeve was nowhere to be seen. “Listen. Alverd may not be willing to help you steal, but he won’t turn a blind eye to someone in need, even you. Tell me what’s going on.”

She clenched her teeth, growled, then let out her breath in a hiss. “Fine. I need the Hand of the Usurper. This isn’t a typical job. The client went through the Guildmaster direct, and when I told her I needed a favor she hooked me into this. Told me that the job was completely off the books, and she’d give me a handpicked crew. Turns out they’re all her men, not people I normally work with.”

I cocked my head. “Anything unusual about that? You don’t sound like you have a lot of trust in your Guildmaster.” She shook her head. “You don’t get to be the head of a thieves’ guild by being friendly and trustworthy, Kuro. Her policy has always been one hand out front for shaking, one hand behind her back with a knife just in case. Every job that goes through our guild has to be vetted and put on the records. For her to take a job that doesn’t stinks to high heaven.”

“So why take the gig, then?” I asked. She shifted weight from her right to her left leg. Then she fished something out of one of the leather pouches on her belt. She tossed it to me, and I caught it in both hands. It was a small blue bottle able to fit in my palm with a gold seal and no cork. A label proclaimed it to have once contained “Seraph’s Mercy”. It was empty.

“Are you kidding me? This is, I mean was, a bottle of Seraph’s Mercy. This is practically miracle medicine. Cures infections, lowers fevers, quiets coughing fits. I hear it even treats stuff like diphtheria and tuberculosis. A bottle of this stuff can easily cost more than ten thousand gold.” I was practically holding the holy grail of all medical remedies, and my fingers trembled.

Monaco strode forward and plucked the bottle from my hands. “Yes, and it’s the only thing keeping my father stable. He’s been sick for months. No other medicine or treatment seems to work on him. My mother and I have been draining the personal savings my father and I put aside from our guild work to pay for these. And the Guildmaster promised me an entire crate if I bring her the Hand of the Usurper.”

I gawked. “That doesn’t make any sense. Mercy is curative, after enough doses your father should’ve recovered.” She shook her head.

“We thought that too. He got better, then two weeks after he ‘recovered’ he started coughing up blood during a meal. He’s been bedridden for the last two months. My mother fears that if we stop the dosages he might die. I’ve talked to every doctor in Dawnbreeze City and none of them have any idea what’s wrong with him.”

“That can’t be possible. How can multiple trained doctors not have any clue how to treat a man?”

Monaco’s expression darkened. “I know. Something is fishy. Once I get back to Margloom with the Hand, I’m going to file for leave from the guild so I can look into it. Getting that medicine is my top priority though. So that’s why I was willing to consider asking for your help.”

I cocked my eyebrow. “So why didn’t you mention any of this to Alverd? Why not come to us with this instead of taking a man hostage?” She returned my gaze sternly.

“You two have only crossed my path once. We met only briefly, and in that time you saw how cunning and manipulative I can be. If that’s all you know of me, would you give me the benefit of the doubt?”

I chuckled. “Absolutely not.”

She nodded. “Exactly. Better I lean into the expectation you already have of me and force you to work with me, albeit begrudgingly, rather than try to buy your loyalty with pity while making you expect a knife in your back. Besides, the fewer people know about my family’s circumstances the better.”

Deotra’s voice sounded in my mind. “A likely story. She could’ve stolen that bottle and made up that story while she had a knife against that man’s back. I know her type.” A choking wave of intense anger accompanied her words. I shook them off as I replied.

“How can you be so sure?” Another wave of hate preceded her response.

“She uses her family as a prop. Even if she was telling the truth, she’s relying on your emotions to overcome your good judgment.”

“Even so, just knowing she could be playing us might work in our favor. We know to stay on our guard, so what’s the best way to keep an eye on a shifty wolf? You keep it in sight at all times. Which will be a lot easier when you have a shrewd fox to watch the wolf where she can’t see them.”

There was a hint of confusion in Deotra’s response. “Are… are you complimenting me?”

“Yes? I meant it that way, at least.” A flood of warmth made its way from my head down to my heart as I felt a mix of pride, embarrassment, and resolve twist through the fiber of my being.

“Um… okay. I’ll make sure she doesn’t try anything stupid. In the meantime, I trust that you know what you’re doing.” She ambled over to me and started pawing at my leg. I leaned down and extended my arm, and she climbed up and onto my shoulder.

“Huh,” said Monaco. “Well don’t you have a way with animals. Didn’t take you for an animal lover.”

I gave her a toothy smile. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me either. Remember that I almost caught onto what you were doing the last time we crossed paths. So maybe don’t underestimate me.” I crossed my arms and tried to puff out my chest.

“Well without your staff I doubt there’s a whole lot you can do. Smart or not, no staff means no magic.” Her eyes fixated on something behind me. “Which we might need in a few moments.” As I turned to look where she was looking, she rushed up to me and pressed something into my hand, which she pulled behind my back and out of view. It was thin and made of wood, smooth as if made by a craftsman’s hand. A wand, for spellcasters trying to conceal a weapon on their body.

In front of us, a small crowd of locals was walking up to us. They were festooned in colorful tattoos, some vicious looking animals and others with runic script I couldn’t read. They had tattered clothes with only bits and pieces of actual leather armor strapped to arms and legs, as well as knives and short swords that had definitely seen better days. In total, six thugs were coming out of the shadows of nearby alleys and darkened doorsteps to confront us.

Two of them were taller than the rest with lithe builds and a scaly green sheen to parts of their skin. They had yellow eyes with black vertical slits above angular mouths, marking them as snake beastmen. The three in front of them were humans, clad in moldering black cloaks that did little to hide their muscular frames. The one in front was a short elf with tufts of blonde hair protruding from under a sweat-soaked headband. She glared at us with her granite blue eyes, seizing us both up, her hand on her hip and close to a scimitar.

“My friend and I want no trouble. But if you’re looking for it, you found it.” Monaco put some fire in her voice, the rumble of a growl echoing in her throat just above me. The elf woman snorted.

“Look bitch, if you had any bite you’d have had ‘yer fangs out already. This doesn’t have to get ugly if ya don’t want it to.” She smirked and looked around in an exaggerated way. “Me ‘n my boys here have been lookin’ ‘fer a girl what fits yer description. I was told ‘ya had somethin’ I wanted. Hand it over and you and yer boyfriend can walk away.” The scimitar slid free of its sheath and was pointed at us, its chipped blade covered in nicks and scratches. Knives came out of cloaks and the goons closed in.

Monaco pulled me back. “You say that but you bared your fangs first.” She was guiding me back toward the streets we’d come from, but those were far enough now that we’d never make it. I grimaced, shuffling my feet and determining who was going to get blasted in the face first. This is the problem with wolves. They bite off more than they can chew, mainly because they can’t chew in the first place. She made a rookie mistake taking that job. She tried to rope Alverd and I into it. I shouldn’t be offering her help, especially after what she just pulled. But what that ruffian said concerns me. Matching a description? Waiting near the entrance to the Broken Mirror District? If it looks like a setup, smells like a setup, and has six hooligans ready to ambush one person, then it is what it is.

The goons fanned out, stepping up their paces. “Wolves are pretty tough cookies. At least until they’re alone. Lone wolves don’t last out in the wild, for good reason.” The elf licked her lips as she ran her gloved finger along the length of her scimitar. “Last chance. I want the knife, and I’ll gut you if it ain’t in me hands in the next three seconds.”

Behind the elf, no longer obscured by her much taller compatriots, a familiar fox was padding along at an even tilt. Her eyes were glowing, twin beacons of gold in the darkness. “When I say run, run, Kuro. Don’t stop for Monaco, don’t stop for anyone. I’ll catch up to you.” Deotra’s voice said, full of steely resolve.

I shook my head instinctively. “No. I’m not leaving you behind.”

“I’m glad you’re worried about me, but you needn’t be. I’ll be right behind you.” Blue fire emanated from the fox’s paws, and she began to swell in size as the fire grew in intensity. “I’d rather you not have to see this.” The light from the fire drew the attention of the ruffians, and they turned to see where it was coming from. Babbling gasps fell from their mouths as they beheld the majesty of an eight foot tall red fox blazing with blue ghost fire, looming over them like a vengeful specter.

With the goons distracted, I whipped my arm out from behind my back and pointed the wand at the ground behind them. The wand strained as it pulled power out of my body to create my spell, willing moisture from the air to coat the dirt and then supercool it into an icy surface. They didn’t even see the slick ground until they backpedaled onto it and fell, still cowering in Deotra’s radiant fury.

When Deotra pounced, I grabbed Monaco’s arm and bolted. I ran as fast as my tiny mage legs would take me, back towards the well lit streets that would have witnesses and guards. Behind me, screams of fear quickly became cries of pain and shrieks of terror. There was a sound like tearing flesh and I felt the bottom of my stomach threaten to rise up my throat and out my mouth. Keep running and don’t look back. That’s not something you need to see.

After a minute of running Monaco and I burst out of the decrepit back alley that had led us to the district and back into a more populated area. The street in question was dotted with a number of middle class citizens making their early evening rounds, seeking out places to dine or conduct business in the waning hours of the day. In the distance, across the dirt street, a pair of guards in turquoise splint mail were conversing with a street merchant.

I took one step in that direction before Monaco yanked me back into the shadow of the alley. “Hey! What’s the big idea?” She clapped her hand over my mouth.

“Did you forget the authorities have a bounty out for me? We have to get back to Alverd, before that damn monster eats us both. Or more of those stupid bastards catch us.”

She hooked her left arm under my arms and around my chest, pulling me up against her body and tucking me against her chest. Then she pulled something off her belt, bringing it up in front of my face as she examined it. It was some kind of weird gauntlet with a spring loaded mechanism attached to a length of coiled rope that ended in a metal hook. Sliding her arm into it, she pulled the straps tight with her teeth, flexing her fingers around a small trigger in her palm.

On the street, four more criminals dressed similarly to the ones who had accosted us earlier saw us skulking in the shadows. They pointed in our direction. One ran off in a different direction, but the remaining three booked it towards us. As they passed under a pair of street lamps, I saw something burned into the flesh on their forearms. It was a tattoo in the form of a sword wreathed in black fire, the same as the one on every warning poster plastered throughout Blossom City.

Monaco’s crew sold her out to the Divernian Swords. And if that crew answers to the Guildmaster, then that means the rot goes straight to her. The Swords are her client and they want the Hand of the Usurper. As the Swords charged towards us, Monaco took in a sharp breath, tightened her grip around me, and lifted her arm.

The hook shot up into the air, the rope spiraling off of her arm as it sailed up and up and away. Just when I thought it would disappear from view, it snagged on the top of a nearby building, the rope going taught. The Swords were only about ten feet away, and drawing blades from beneath their cloaks.“The thing about being a lone wolf,” Monaco said, “is that the whole bloody world is often against you. But silver lining? The world truly does love an underdog.”

Then we were catapulting up through the air, and the chase was on.