Without hesitation, I turned and dove into the nearest crowd heading for one of the alleyways. An urgent yell came from behind but no one stopped. I glanced at the faces around me. Tense and pensive, their heads were down with worry.

The crowd pushed and shoved, jostling as it went, the press of it dangerous. Surprisingly, I noted that it wasn’t just human and other beings that were in the crowd. There was also Phaleans. Phaleans dressed in clothes similar to the other people and beings around me. Neither did they have weapons. From all appearances, they had also been enjoying the markets. The Phaleans in pursuit who were searching through the crowd, were taller, armed and menacing. Immediate questions of this world’s social structure filled my head.

To my left, I saw an opening in the alleyway and pushed towards it unforgivingly, shoving past individuals. I didn’t want to stay trapped in this crowd as they tried to surge down the road.

I stepped into the alleyway. It was dark. Blindly, I turned left and right, hoping that I would suddenly come out upon another open lit street without such a large number of people.

I turned again and again, winding further and further, deeper and deeper, until my path was blocked. Before me, a wooden gate towered high. Placing my hands upon it surface, I pushed gently and to my surprise, it creaked open.

I paused, waiting, hoping that nothing untoward was going to come rushing out. I glanced over my shoulder. The Phaleans were still in pursuit. It was clear they were not going to stop until they had retrieved the dagger.

Heart pounding, I stepped forward. Even in the darkness, the sudden presence of the wispy trees and potted plants came as a surprise against the brown of the desert city, and I had only been within it for a short time. It was a small courtyard, and in the center, a fountain sat with a female stone statue pouring water into the large circular basin easily six meters across. It looked deep as well. Really, it was more like a pool than a fountain.

Confounded, I took in the luxurious hidden spot. It was so out of place to the rest of the city that I had seen so far. And so much water, I realized. I rushed forward and placed both of my hands inside, the cement looking side of the fountain coming up to my waist. Cupping my hands, I gulped up some water into my mouth. It tasted fresh, although it had a slightly different flavour. I chose to risk it and gulped it down. The coolness of the water travelled down my throat. I hadn’t realized just how thirsty I was. Quickly, I scooped up more.

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Rushed footsteps reached my ears from the other side of the gate I had just used. They kept going but then, another set of footsteps, heavier and with confidence sounded over the dusty ground. Without hesitation, I turned back to the fountain and swung both legs over so I was sitting on the rim. The footsteps were coming closer. With a large breath, I lowered myself into the water and gasped as it encircled around my waist.

My body would have to adjust to it quickly. Moving swiftly, I waded to the other side of the fountain behind the statue, stopping in its shadows. My hands gripped the edge of the platform where the statue stood, a ridge encircling around it and making it easy for me to hold onto. Keeping as close as I could to the base of the statue, I lowered myself down until only my mouth and nose were above the water. All I could do now was wait and hope that if they were Phaleans, they would not see me.

Mumbles of voices reached my ears. Slowly, I lifted my head a fraction above the water and opened my eyes. Three Phaleans had entered through the gate. Two were walking around the courtyard, knocking over pot plants and searching behind taller shrubs. Pottery clattered and shattered on the ground. They obviously didn’t fear any retribution for their actions. The third Phalean was standing right beside the fountain, his nose tilted to the sky as if he was sniffing.

Fear pounded in my chest. My fingers gripped onto the edge of the platform, and I lowered myself down further hoping, just hoping, the dark shadows would keep me hidden.

It felt like an eternity. The Phalean standing beside the fountain turned and faced the water. Slowly, he put his hand out, but he didn’t touch its surface. Instead, his hand lingered, poised over the top. He remained still, sniffing the air. I clung on to the edge of the fountain, my entire focus on keeping my body as still as possible and submerged. Water lapped around my face and over my mouth. I breathed slowly, trying to be as quiet as possible. I couldn’t believe the Phalean could sense or hear me. Was the water preventing him from doing so?

Muffled sounds came from the Phaleans as if they were conversing with each other. They faced one another and then turned towards the entrance of the courtyard moving out of my immediate view. I remained where I was, hoping they would leave me once more. Unable to see from where I was, I waited, not moving in case they were still in the courtyard waiting to trick me.

I counted in my head, trying to keep myself calm and also to judge a reasonable length of time to stay hidden. After what I believed to be about ten minutes, I slowly edged up and allowed my whole head to break through the water’s surface. The shadows kept me hidden as I surveyed the courtyard. My breath was hard and my mind raced. Still my fingers held onto the edge of the platform until my right hand slipped and went underneath. Under the platform, a bubble of warm air surrounded my skin. It was then that an idea sprung to mind.