Kildare shuffled his feet. He could smell rotting straw, although his cell seemed to be fairly clean. He glanced over at Snitch. The window was in the cell beyond Snitch, so that all he could see of his friend was a vague outline.

The thief slunk forward, leaning on the bars dividing their cells. Kildare stayed still, eyeing Snitch and trying to get a read off what little of the thief’s face he could see.

“Still got the collar, I see.” Snitch’s voice was full of bitterness. “Where were you? I’ve been sitting in this cell for two days and you just now show up? Were you put in another prison somewhere?”

Kildare shook his head."Taoh hijacked the cart Fir and I were in."

Snitch snorted. “Figures. Meanwhile, you left me here to rot.”

“I’m here now, aren’t I?”

“Why? I figured you wouldn’t bother.”

Kildare edged closer cautiously, watching Snitch’s hands. The thief could have managed to hide or fashion a weapon in two days—Snitch was resourceful. The last thing he wanted was to get within close range.

“Basalt still wants the puzzle box, so we’re going after Mock.”

“Really?” It sounded like Snitch was genuinely surprised. “I never expected you to turn on someone from your own team.”

“It’s...it’s complicated.”

Snitch stared at him for a moment, then a smirk curled one side of his mouth. “Oh. Of course. The shifter whore. Basalt threatened her, didn’t he?”

Kildare clenched his fists. “That’s my wife you’re talking about. Show some respect.”

“Like you showed us when you hid your bonding from us? Why should I bother?”

“Because that shifter whore currently has a knife aimed at your back,” Serene’s voice came from behind them.

Kildare straightened. Fir stood at the small window in the cell beyond Snitch, gently pressing the frame back into place. Serene stood next to the bars, a tiny throwing dagger between her fingers, her arm cocked back and ready to throw.

“L-look.” Snitch turned to fully face her, and Kildare caught a glimmer of something metallic in his hand. “You get it, right?”

“Whether I understand your anger or not, you’re not going to harangue my husband in that manner,” Serene replied coldly. “If you want out of here, I’d suggest you watch your words.”

“Fine.” Snitch gestured to the door of his cell. “Then let’s get moving.”

Serene pushed open the door to their cell, but instead of freeing Snitch, she came to Kildare’s cell first. It was the work of seconds for her to pop open the lock. As he stepped out, Kildare reached out and gently squeezed her hand.

“I take it that everything went smoothly?”

She glanced up, brushed a lock of hair away from his forehead and studied the bruise on his temple. “Thanks to you, you big idiot.”

He shrugged. “I trusted you two to not abandon me.”

“Yes, you’re adorable, now get me out,” Snitch snapped.

Serene rolled her eyes and walked over to his cell.

Kildare joined Fir at the window. The Alfaren still stood holding the window in place, the faint light from outside shining on his tense face.

Kildare placed a hand on his shoulder. “Did it go all right?”

Fir nodded. His eyes looked tired, and looking closer, Kildare realized that Fir’s hands trembled.

“Had to push it quickly,” Fir murmured. “I’ll be all right, but hopefully we can do without ley for a while.”

“I think so.” Kildare turned as hinges creaked, watching Snitch exit his cell. Serene walked behind him, her hand disappearing into the folds of her cloak—replacing, he knew, her lock picks, and probably putting her hands on her daggers.

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Kildare put a hand on Snitch’s chest before he got too close to Fir and the window. “You listen to me,” Kildare said, narrowing his eyes. “I know you’re mad at me, Snitch, and I’m sorry that I kept secrets from the team. But we’re going after Mock, and I swear if you try to betray us again and side with her—”

Snitch lifted the corner of his lip in a sneer. “Don’t worry. I’m done with that whore.”

“You need to find a different word for the women around you, friend,” Serene said softly from behind him.

Snitch’s shoulders hunched slightly, and he took a half-step sideways, turning so he could see Serene out of the corner of his eyes. Kildare tried not to chuckle. At least it was obvious who Snitch was afraid of, and he knew by Serene’s little half-smile that she wouldn’t be afraid to leverage that against the thief.

It also hurt a little, watching Snitch fold into himself a little, shoulders slumping. Kildare found himself wishing he’d done things differently. He should’ve told his team about Serene sooner. Maybe this would’ve changed how things had turned out.

“I’ve been watching and timing them,” Fir said softly. “After they tossed you in here, they started doing a quicker circuit, so it’s only taking them about two minutes to walk around the building. We’ll have to go one at a time and be quick about it, all right?”

Kildare nodded. He reached back past Snitch and put his hand on Serene’s shoulder. “You first,” he whispered.

Snitch snorted.

Kildare turned and stepped up, poking the pickpocket’s chest hard with one finger. “Are you going to have an issue now every time I tell you to do something? We could’ve left you to rot here, Snitch.”

Serene rested her elbow on Kildare’s arm, glaring at Snitch. “Like it or not, he’s still the leader,” she hissed.

Snitch held his hands up. “But why her?” he demanded.

“Because,” Kildare said quickly, before Serene could make another threat. “Fir has to go last because he has to close the window back up. I’m not going to leave everyone in here, and I don’t trust you to not take off if I let you go first.”

Snitch shot him a pained look. “You know, at one point, Kildare, you trusted me.”

“And Aspects willing, I’ll trust you again,” he said. “Are we good?”

Snitch nodded.

“C’mon, they just came around again, we gotta move.” Fir relaxed his grip on the wooden window frame, lifting it from the hole where it had been set. As he lifted it, Kildare could see that the edges were rotten and eaten away, with strands of vines still clinging to them from the plant that had wrapped itself all around the little alcove outside the window.

Serene scrambled up into the alcove, took a quick look around, then dashed away. They waited in tense silence as the guards came around again. Snitch folded his long body through the window, then disappeared from view. Kildare clenched his hands, listening intently for a yell, the sound of fighting... but all he heard were the clomping of the guards’ armored boots on the cobblestones. He prayed that Serene could handle Snitch if the pickpocket got out of hand.

Fir turned and looked at him. “You have to go next,” he whispered.

“No. I’ll get the window back into place. You go next.”

Fir shook his head. “There’s no way the frame will support the window any more unless I use the vines to hold it in place, and you can’t do that.” He nodded at the window. “Go. I’ll be fine.”

Kildare’s chest tightened in protest, but he squirmed his way through the window and up out of the window well. The light of the torches flared in his eyes, but he squinted and dashed across the street, ducking around the corner of a building. As his eyes adjusted again to the darkness, and he blinked away flickers of phantom lights, he could see Snitch and Serene standing a bit further back in the alley between two rows of shops. Snitch crouched against a wall, arms hanging over folded knees. Serene stood beside him, tense, one hand gripping a dagger. She motioned Kildare to come back with her. He shook his head and stayed by the corner, watching the brightly lit street.

The guards came around the corner of the prison, and Kildare pressed his back against the building, hoping that the lights blinded them enough that they wouldn’t see him in the shadows.

They swung around the next corner and disappeared.

Kildare breathed out and glanced over at the window well.

Seconds ticked by. Stretched out. Kildare’s shoulders tightened. What was going on? Where was Fir?

He stood.

Behind him, Serene made a soft hissing noise. Warning him to stay back.

He glanced over his shoulder.

She shook her head.

Kildare gritted his teeth and looked back at the prison.

Finally, Fir’s head poked above the window well, just as the guards rounded the corner of the building again. Kildare’s heart leapt to his throat, and he motioned for his friend to duck, but Fir had already disappeared. Kildare waited, hoping that the guards wouldn’t turn their heads, hoping they hadn’t seen Fir.

The two guards walked past without incident. Kildare sagged against the building, trying to slow his heart rate as Fir scrambled from the window and ran across the street.

“You’re good, you’re good, they didn’t see you,” Kildare said as Fir stopped beside him and looked frantically over his shoulder.

Fir nodded.

“What took so long?” Snitch growled.

Fir glared at him. “The stupid window frame crumbled in one spot. I had to prop it back together so they wouldn’t spot it right away.”

Snitch rolled his eyes. “You all took a poxxing risk in coming after me. Should’ve just left me to rot in the cells.”

Kildare closed his hands into fists. “That’s the thanks we get for saving you?”

Before either of them could get in another word, Serene stepped between them, her back to Snitch, her palms pressing into Kildare’s chest. “Not here,” she whispered. “Now is not the time to start arguing. Save it until we’re safe.”

Kildare blew a breath out through his nostrils. She was right. He gently squeezed her wrist, then moved around Snitch and started walking back towards the Broken Chair.