A scream escaped my lips. There was no way Yalek could help me. I was already falling, and the first Phalean who had climbed through the window was blocking his way. It crouched on the platform with its large curved weapon now in both of its hands preparing to fight.

Momentum forced my body to continue over the edge. The Phalean released her hold as we fell, both of us hitting the tiles of the slanted roof at the same time. Twisting, I grappled for something to hold onto to stop me from falling off the edge of the roof and down to the ground below. Beside me, I sensed the Phalean doing the same.

Together we slid, closer and closer to the end of the sloped roof. The pockets of my vest dug into my chest. The sharp edges of the tiles tore at the material of my gloves. Gravity pulled me down, and I flailed, trying to gain purchase on the tiles. When I couldn’t gain a grip and I continued to fall, I screamed. There was nothing else I could do. Only death awaited me now.

I slid further. Finally, my fingers managed to clasp over the top of the tiles and my body slowed to a stop. My fingers screamed in pain as they took my entire weight. I closed my eyes, my face touching the brown tiles. I gasped in large breaths. My thoughts raced. On the one hand, I was thankful that I had stopped, but then on the other, I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do now.

A vice like grip wrapped around my ankle. My eyes flew open and I glanced down. The Phalean’s face peered back up at me, still snarling and grimacing in anger, her large hand clasped around my foot. Her weight was too much. My shoulder, the one I had hurt when I had fallen off mellow, screamed in pain. There was no way I could hold on to the tiles while she clung onto my leg.

A loud crack sounded as the two tiles I was holding on to snapped in half, and we started to slide down once again to the end of the slanted roof.

I screamed again and this time, fortunately, the Phalean let go, probably in an attempt to save herself and find something to grip onto. My legs flew straight over the edge of the roof, my hips went next and then my upper body with my breasts scraping uncomfortably over the gutters. In a last-ditch attempt to save myself, I tried to gain a hold once more. The dip of the gutter was deep enough and my hands managed to grab ahold. I was now hanging off the side of the temple, my legs swaying out of control into nothingness.

Less than a meter away from me, the Phalean also hung in the air holding on to the same gutter as me. To my horror, she released one of her hands on the grip that she had and moved it across the gutter towards me.

Either I was going to fall to my death when I lost my grip, or she was going to rip my hands from the roof and kill me instead. Looking up, I hoped Yalek might be able to come to my aid, but I was unable to see him. Clangs of metal could be heard over the night air, and I assumed they were in the middle of battle.

The ligaments in my shoulder felt as if they were being ripped into two. My fingers were starting to become numb, the metal digging into my flesh through my gloves. I didn’t know how long I was going to be able to hold on. I looked down and swore. The ground was too far away to make a safe jump, but I didn’t think I could hold on for much longer.

The Phalean female edged closer towards me again and deep from within, I swore she let out a sinister chuckle at my desperation.

A loud crack came from above. I gasped and looked up. The gutter I was holding onto had come loose and was pulling away from where it had been attached to the eaves. I looked around as best as I could in my position, knowing all too well that the female Phalean was only getting closer. To my left, about three meters away, I spied a drain attached to the side of the temple. It was my only chance.

I started inching over, releasing my hold with one hand for a fraction of a second to ensure I didn’t lose my grip completely. We were both now edging along. The shifting in our weight was not helping the gutter. It creaked more and more with each move I made. I was now only two meters away from the drain. I could make it. I was sure I could.

All of a sudden, the gutter snapped free and we started to freefall. I screamed once more, but instead of going straight down, I started to swing through the air, the wind gushing past my ears. A thud came from below me, and I closed my eyes not wanting to see what fate had befallen the female Phalean.

The gutter reached an abrupt stop, the force of the momentum causing my grip to slide along the gutter and my legs swing out away from my body. Before I could try to tighten my hold again, the gutter started to swing back in the opposite direction, still attached to another section somewhere further up.

My fingers slipped and I nearly lost my hold all together. After two more swings in both directions, the gutter came to a stop. I had slid down the gutter so that I was nearly at the end of the broken section. Warmth trickled down inside my gloves. I didn’t know if it was sweat or blood from holding on so tightly.

I glanced down again. In the corner of my eye, I could see the Phalean on the ground, unmoving. I quickly looked away and noted that I was now only about two meters from the ground. I could make this if I jumped.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. It was now or never. I was nearly out of gutter to hold onto anyway. I opened my eyes again, judged the distance once more and let go.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

The fall was short. I landed hard but on both feet. There was a twinge in my right ankle, but I was confident that I would be able to move at a pace. Turning, I risked a glance at the female Phalean. I didn’t want to believe what I was seeing. Yes, she had tried to kill me, but that was not part of my nature. Her body lay contorted, her face frozen in a painful death. A dark purplish liquid that I took as blood, seeped around her head. My stomach churned, and I nearly threw up right then and there.

A loud horn bellowed through the city night air. I jolted and turned, my boots scraping on the dusty ground. It was only a matter of time that more Phaleans came searching outside along the back of the temple. More shouts came. Not from above but near me on my right. I was correct. They were on their way.

There was no time to search for Rayon or for Yalek. It was imperative I found a hiding spot away from the Phaleans. Hopefully then, Rayon could use the tracker in my 4ST and come looking for me.

Peering left and right, I appeared to be on a path that circled around the entire base of the back of the temple. Before me was a dark alleyway. I gave the fallen Phalean one last regretful glance and then darted forwards.

I ran, into the dark and alien city.

Only after I turned several corners and travelled down numerous alleyways did I consider what I had done. Sweat trickled down the side of my face, the dagger weighed heavily on my hip, and my fingers burned from where I had held onto the side of the temple. I came to a stop and pressed myself against one of the brick walls, trying to make myself invisible in the shadows. My chest heaved with deep breaths and I sucked in the air, trying to steady my racing heart. I wanted to be quiet, but I knew the noise of my breathing carried down both sides of the alleyway. Slowly, I slid down to my haunches.

I stared up. With night completely drawn in, the sky twinkled with stars terrifyingly foreign and unrecognizable. Tears filled my eyes. I was nowhere near home. Never before had I felt so lost and alone. I shifted my head and looked left and right, up and down the alley.

Fear started to build, the reality of my situation sinking in. I was on a whole new world. I was separated from the only people I knew and had no means to buy myself food or water. I didn’t even know if they used a form of money to gain items of worth. I breathed in deeply, evenly, steadying myself.

Where was Rayon and his men? Why hadn’t they come to help? Now that he had disappeared, could I really trust that he would help to save Shane and Nate?

If the Phalean caught me, they would surely take the dagger and I would be back at square one. Worse, they could possibly do what they had done to Shane and Nate. And then, who was that man that had tried to help me? Yalek, who had bowled me over when I had taken the dagger. Why did he think he could tell me what was really going on? Had he really wanted to give me assistance or was he also in this for his own greed?

My hand fell to the dagger, feeling its shape through the material of my clothes and gloves. Uncertainty swirled again. The dagger must either be very powerful, expensive or hold great cultural significance. But Rayon had said that the dagger had originally belonged to Queen Olesya. I had to find out who this dagger really belonged to. I had to find out who was telling the truth, but no matter what, I also had to help Shane and Nate.

My thoughts went back to my hands. Terrified that my fingers had been cut, I gently edge the glove covering my right hand down. It peeled off slowly. To my relief, my fingers were not bleeding. Instead, sweat had filled the insides and the skin was wrinkled. Although, from the marks on the inside of my hand, I could tell I would have quite significant bruising to contend with over the next couple of days. I checked my other hand to find the same. Satisfied, I pocketed the gloves to allow my skin to breathe and pulled down the sleeve on my left hand to ensure I covered as much of the vambrace as possible.

I had to keep moving no matter what fear I held. Closing my eyes, I could recall the outside of the building Rayon was based in. I had to be confident that I could find it again.

First though, I had to hide the Ruby Dagger until I knew who I could trust. I just had to find a perfect place to put it. A shout off in the distance startled me. The Phaleans were closing in? With their imminent threat, I couldn’t stay still in one spot for long.

I rose to my feet and took several steps forward, judging which way I should go. There was no way that I could go back the way I’d come. Maybe I could do a wide loop around the temple and slowly find my way back to Rayon.

To my left a warm glow of light emanated into the end of the alleyway. It looked warm and inviting as opposed to the dark and of the temple somewhere behind me. I set off at a steady pace, following the light. As I walked it became brighter and brighter and the noise of voices, many voices, started to reach my ears. They sounded happy and joyful, nothing like the noise of pursuit, attack or death.

Eventually, I reached an intersection. To my left, only a couple of meters away, I was greeted with a well-lit street filled with beings walking back and forth in a busy throng of a night market. I stepped out of the darkness and emersed myself into the crowd.

The smell of cooking meat wafted up my nose along with a mixture of spices, some familiar like cumin, while others I had never smelt before. It stirred up an unforgiveable hunger in my stomach. Other stalls held items that looked like fruit or vegetables. Children munched on purple cubes cut from what could have been a fruit. Women walked in pairs enjoying the atmosphere while others marched with their arms ladened with items, their pace filled with quick purpose and their destination unknown. Music, a fiddle possibly, carried on the night air. The atmosphere was jovial and happy, nothing like what I had endured half an hour earlier.

I stepped round a corner and a gasp of amazement slipped my lips. A large open dome building at least five stories high rested on one side of a large courtyard. Leading up to the dome were lane after lane of stalls. They were a vibrant mix of colours as they displayed anything from food, to crafts, clothing, rugs and weapons. As I walked towards the open dome, a crowd cheered on my left as two performers in colourful clothes danced and shouted high above the audience.

I tilted my head back and spun slowly taking in the artwork on the inside of the dome. An intricate mural had been painted on its surface; creatures and aliens fighting a battle against another group of individuals, human in appearance. They were within a desert landscape possibly depicting an ancient battle that had taken place amongst these lands.

A wave, a tremor of emotion, flooded through the crowd. All of a sudden, the jovial mood tilted. Sensing the shift in my core, I gazed around the crowd. The performers rushed off stage, the music stopped and shoppers dispersed heading for the nearest alleyways. Across the moving crowds, a good foot taller than most, I spied Phaleans combing through the throng of people.

Would they ever stop?