Aven darted around the corner of a shelf and pressed his back flat against the wood, ushering Ji to do the same. He barely had a chance to breathe before he heard more voices coming from the center of the warehouse.

"You were right!" a man's voice called out, clearly holding back a gag. "There's two of them!"

A woman's voice answered. "I knew it," she said, triumph in her crisp voice. "When did they notice the smell?"

"It wasn't the smell," said the man. "One of my men caught sight of the flies and took a closer look. That's when he noticed the smell. Not much past noon."

Aven frowned, trying to hear their conversation over the blood pounding in his ears. Who were these people? He motioned for Ji to stay still and stay pressed up against the shelf. There was no easy way out now.

"Flies work fast," the woman said. "Rats too. These bodies are still mostly intact. They must have been killed either this morning or last night. Do you know who they are?"

"We're trying to figure out who owns the warehouse," said the man. "The headless one looks like a local, but the other one doesn't."

The sound of ruffling was quickly followed by the woman gasping. "Look. Summoning dolls. This man was a Vao. See if the other one has any."

"Nothing," the man answered. "Except for a few coins. What IS this place? This desk is better than some I've seen in merchant houses."

"My first guess is an illegal surgery," said the woman. "The Batore have been pushing all the local surgeons to report suspicious injuries to the guards. Hidden location, nice desk, operating table."

Aven listened, barely hearing the squeak of drawers over the buzzing of the flies.

"There's even some medical gear in here," said the woman. "But if that's all it is, why keep a Vao around? I doubt an illegal surgery makes enough to hire one of them."

"Could be he was looking for treatment for that mangled hand," the man reasoned. "Came here to get his hand fixed, and whatever or whoever injured it followed him and finished the job. That would make the other one the surgeon?"

"If that were true it would be bandaged," the woman answered. "I think he was going for his dolls and something managed to latch onto his hand. Maybe he managed to summon something before he got bit. See if you can find anything odd or out of place. That could help tell us if he put up a fight."

Aven bit back on a swear as the man called out for others to join him. If they went out the back there was nowhere to go but the sea. There wasn't enough time to untie the skiff and make a clean getaway. Going out the front door meant running past the crowd of people storming in. There was only one way to go.

Reaching up, Aven grabbed the shelves and started to climb upwards, hoping that they could hold his weight as well as the wood. Most people didn't look up, and the top shelf was wide enough for them to lie down. It might take a while, but they could hide and listen while they waited for the right time to escape."Follow me," he whispered as the boots marched closer.

Ji seemed not to hear him, standing in a crouch, eyes narrowed with intense focus at the end of the aisle.

"Come on," Aven hissed as loudly as he dared, still climbing as quickly as he could.

One of the guards rounded the corner, orange jacket and shiny helmet glaringly bright in the gloom. By the time he realized Ji was there she was already on him, her fist slamming into his face. The other guard had just enough time to shout a warning before a sharp kick to his stomach drove the air out of his lungs and sent him collapsing to the floor.

Aven dropped off the shelf, landing just as two other guards darted around the opposite corner, wooden staves raised. He rushed forward, closing in as the guard in front got his staff snagged on a bundle of wood. With a hard shove, he pushed the man off balance, sending him crashing into his partner. As they struggled to get to their feet Aven turned and ran, stumbling when he realized Ji was nowhere to be seen.

His hopes that she had run for the door were dashed when he heard her battle cry from the center of the warehouse. Jumping over the groaning bodies of the men she dropped, he raced to her side.

Ji leaped over the bloodstained table, closing distance on a man with a close-shaven gray beard and bronze insignia pinned to his orange coat. He rushed towards her with a series of lighting jabs that she barely avoided. She danced around him, circling closer as she sought an opening.

There were confused bellows coming from inside with multiple people shouting orders and questions. The chaos wouldn't last long, they had to take advantage of it now. Aven unsheathed his knife and charged the man with the beard, launching a wild lunge at him.

He took the bait and bashed Aven's wrist with the butt of his stave, forcing him to drop it.

Ji took quick advantage of the opening and surged forward with a vicious straight punch to his kidney. He spasmed with pain as Ji rained blows on him until he slumped to the floor.

"We have to go," Aven gasped as pain radiated out from his wrist. He snagged his knife off the floor with his good hand, waving her to the back.

"No!" Ji snarled, stalking towards the front doors. "I won't run from another fight!"

Aven looked over his shoulder. The guards he tripped up would be on their feet by now and it wouldn't be long before more made their way inside. Even if they COULD beat them all down, even more would come. The window to escape was closing fast, and each step Ji took closed it faster. A cold voice inside Aven demanded he leave her behind. Her brawl in the front would draw all eyes, giving him a better chance to escape unnoticed. Now that she had been seen the guards would be on the lookout for a woman with a tail. It would be almost impossible to walk the streets openly anymore. The smart thing to do was run.

"You already won a great victory!" Aven cried, awkwardly sheathing his knife as he rushed to her side. He bent down, ripped the badge off the guard's coat, and shoved it in her face. "Look!"

Ji stopped and squinted at the battered piece of bronze. "What is it?" she demanded.

"A mark of great strength," Aven lied, wincing as he pointed at the groaning guard. "They only grant these finest martial artists in the Hilt City Guard! No one has ever taken one by force."

"Really?" said Ji, eyes shining as she plucked it out of Aven's hands and held it skyward, shouting in her native language.

Aven caught sight of one of the guards peering around the corner of a shelf. The tumult outside was quieting. It was now or never. "Which is why we have to go now!" he pleaded. "They're going to swarm us and take it from you! They'll lie about you beating him if we don't go."

Ji barked out a laugh and jammed the badge pin into her belt. "Let them come! I'll strike down-!"

A deafening crack split the air, and a blazing pain seared into Aven's side. He smelled gunpowder and tried to catch himself as he fell, gasping as he landed on his bad wrist. The room swam around him, his hazy sight drifting from a woman with a smoking pistol, to two guards rushing forward, to Ji's tearful face. "Run to the back door," he wheezed, struggling to speak. "Run on the side of the pier past the barrels. Run...until...you can hide."

Another wave of pain washed over him as something pressed onto his wounded side. Then he was moving, through darkness, then light, then through the air and a cloud of noise that grew fainter and fainter as he tried to stay awake.

-

The chirping of songbirds outside her window finally compelled Yazwa to open her eyes. With a yawn, she sat up in bed and let the silk sheet tumble off her body. Her room at the ambassador's house was small but had the most comfortable bed she had slept in since leaving home all those months ago. Sunlight shone around cracks in the curtain of her circular window as she grabbed her dress off the rack and pulled it on over her head. She flinched as she pulled the curtain aside, taking a moment to adjust to the morning light.

Her room overlooked the northern end of the embassy grounds, with its sculpted gardens and towering trees. From the length of the shadows, Yazwa could tell she had slept halfway through the morning. Through the branches of the trees, she could barely see the sprawl of Hilt. She hoped that Aven and Ji were safe, wherever they were.

Stepping away from the window, she slid on her sandals and grabbed her staff, making her way out into the hallway and down the stairs. Figuring she was too late for breakfast, she made her way to the kitchens to see what she could get for food.

A helpful kitchen boy fetched her some cut fruits and a flat crispy piece of bread she could not pronounce. "Thank you, wait," she said as he started to scurry away. "Do you know where I can find Emissary Enaoshi?"

The boy stared at her, and Yazwa realized she had forgotten to use Saiyun's alias. "I mean Emissary Taoshi," she corrected herself with a smile. "Where is Emissary Taoshi now? Do you know?"

"Eat with Ambassador," the boy replied in broken Gray. "On big table. Left went gardens."

"The gardens. Thank you," she said, waving the boy away and turning on her heel. She popped a slice of apple into her mouth and hurried back the way she came.

Shaoten had sent the letter explaining their plight to Senior Batore Wabaro the night before and said she would likely read it in the morning. There was a chance the reply had already come.

She quickened her pace and ran as fast as she could, scandalizing a few servants as she raced for the gardens.

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"Yazwa!" Saiyun shouted from a stairway behind her.

A coughing fit overtook her as a chunk of bread tried to lodge itself in her throat. "Saiyun," she wheezed. "What did Wabaro say?"

"Nothing yet," Saiyun said, walking down the stairs and politely ignoring her distress. The badge on his robes was made of silver with a red hanging tassel. It marked him as not simply a guest, but as a representative of the Emperor himself. "Shaoten says she will probably take time to discuss it with her advisors and the other Batore. "We may hear nothing until nightfall or even the next day."

"Too bad," Yazwa said, clearing her throat. "I was hoping we could see Bill today. If anyone would know where to look for Aven and Ji, it's him."

Saiyun's face turned grim. "That's what I came to talk to you about. I heard a rumor that there was a murder in a warehouse on the far side of the harbor. Word is the killer is a woman with a tail."

Yazwa's heart skipped a beat, and she glanced over her shoulder to make sure they were alone. "Has she been arrested?"

"No," said Saiyun, shaking his head. "She fled the scene along with a man. I think we should go take a look around and ask some questions. Maybe we can find out where they're going next."

Anything was better than nothing, which was all they had now. "Let's go," said Yazwa.

Thanks to a generous allowance from Shaoten, they had more than enough money to hire a wagon. Even though Yazwa had to hang on for dear life as the driver weaved through traffic at a breakneck speed, it was better than losing the rest of the day walking. After they got out and she found her feet they set off. "Where is this place anyway?" She asked, sticking close to Saiyun in the crowded street.

"No one knew the address," Saiyun said, stepping aside to allow two burly men carrying a crate to pass by. "Just the neighborhood. It shouldn't be too hard to spot."

After a few minutes of weaving through the throng, Saiyun was proved right. All the piers were bustling with activity save one. It was empty, save for a pair of orange-clad guards standing watch. "That must be it," she said. Even from a distance the pier looked rickety and run down. What could have drawn Aven and Ji to this place? "What do we do now? It's not like we can just start demanding answers."

"Yes we can," Saiyun said, idly tapping his silver badge. "I'm an Emissary of the Haogon Emperor, and you're a guest of his embassy. We heard rumors about a person that is similar to one of a pair of thieves that stole a precious tapestry sacred to your people. It's only natural that we would want to ask questions."

A smile slowly spread across Yazwa's face. "That is brilliant. What should I say?"

"Let me do most of the talking," Saiyun said, reaching up to make sure his hair was in order. "Describe the tapestry if they ask about it. Do you remember what it looks like?"

Yazwa took a moment to think, as so much had happened in Channan Harbor that a little detail like the tapestry that had almost gotten them all killed wasn't at the forefront of her memory. "Yeah, I remember it. I even remember the box it was locked up in."

"Good," said Saiyun, setting off at a brisk pace toward the guards. "Follow my lead."

As they approached the doors, the two guards crossed their staves to block their entry. "Gan," one said sharply.

"Do either of you speak Gray?" Saiyun asked sharply, puffing out his chest. "If you don't, find someone who does. I'm in a hurry."

The two guards shared a look and slowly lowered their staves. "Some," said the guard on the left.

"I need to speak with your officer," Saiyun said quickly. "I have heard rumors about a murder that may involve a subject of the Haogon Emperor. I have a right to be told all pertinent information on this investigation thanks to the treaty between the True Hangzai Dynasty and the City of Hilt."

The guards stared and Yazwa had to stifle a laugh at their confused expressions. "More?" the guard on the left said.

"Oh for heaven's sake," Saiyun huffed, tapping the silver badge off his shirt and speaking slowly. "I am an Imperial Ambassdor. Let me speak to your leader!"

The left guard shrugged and looked over his shoulder. "Batol!" he called.

Yazwa wiped her sweaty palms on her dress as a woman strode out of the pier looking quite annoyed. She was short, with bright red hair tied in a neat bun with three sticks through it. She wore a loose blouse and pants held up by a belt with many pouches hanging off it. After a short conversation with the guards, she stepped up and made a short bow. "My apologies Emissary. These are humble guardsmen who know little of manners. I am Deputy Inspector Batol of the Yabaram Garrison."

"I am Emissary Taoshi of the Haogon Emperor," Saiyun said with a curt bow. "This is my compatriot Yazwa. We need to know what happened here."

"Right now," Yazwa added, trying to match Saiyun's tone.

Batol's eyes dropped to their badges for a moment and she crossed her arms over her chest. "I respect your interest, but we have not managed to identify the murder victims yet. If either of them is subjects of your Empire we will notify your embassy immediately. Unless...are you telling me you know who they are?"

"I am more interested in the perpetrators," said Saiyun, adjusting the sleeves of his robe. "Rumors have reached my ears that sound like a pair of thieves that stole a precious tapestry we were keeping safe for the state of Nagiindo. Has it been found?"

"It's a masterpiece, carried in an iron box about this big," Yazwa said, holding out her hands to show the size. "One of the few works of Gataar that have endured through time. The weaving is unparalleled and depicts scenes of-"

"I am sure it is beautiful," Batol said, cutting her off as politely as possible. "But we have found nothing like that in this warehouse."

Saiyun sighed, rocking back on his heels. "Then what HAVE you found? I do not wish my Emperor to be entangled in some dockside fracas half a world away."

Batol smiled thinly, and Yazwa couldn't help but admire her restraint. "With respect, Emissary, we do not share details of murders with anyone who asks. If you could tell me why you think these two thieves were involved, I might be able to help."

"The woman is a Kavanal with black braided hair. She is an acolyte of En Chitei and frighteningly skilled in hand-to-hand combat," Saiyun said, clearing his throat before continuing. "The man would be forgettable. Shaven head, tanned complexion, dull eyes, armed with a long knife. He would be giving the orders. Does that sound like the two people who fled from you?"

Yazwa's stomach flipped as Batol's eyes grew wider and wider. Aven and Ji had been there and made their escape unscathed. At least now she knew they were both unhurt as of yesterday. But where were they now? Had they managed to track down one of the Blood Achali here? She did her best to bite down on the questions, squeezing her staff as she waited for Batol's answer.

Batol swallowed and cleared her throat, taking a small book and pen out of her belt. "Well...that sounds like a perfect match in more ways than one. What are their names?"

"They have many aliases," Saiyun said, making a show of thinking. "Last we know of, the man went by Adaro and the woman by Ran. But they could easily be going by something else now."

After a moment of furious scribbling Batol looked up. "And they came to Hilt to sell a stolen tapestry?"

"Yes, yes," huffed Saiyun. "What about this murder? Who was killed? Were they involved in smuggling?"

Silence reigned for a moment as Batol stared at her notebook. She turned and said something softly to the guards, who quickly marched away. "Do they have any known associates in Hilt? Especially known Vao or Achali?"

A tingle went up Yazwa's spine. Did she know who they were? She shot a nervous glance over her shoulder at the guards, but they were just making idle chatter out of earshot.

"I do not know," Saiyun said. "They were associated with some pirates in Hangzai, but that's as much as I know. If they're seeking to sell the tapestry, then it would make sense to reach out to an Achali, yes? Especially one of ill repute."

Leaning in close, Batol lowered her voice to a whisper. "There has been a recent series of strange murders. All violent and sudden, all behind locked doors, all Atemzlites, and all involving savage bites to one or more of the victims. Is it normal for Acolytes to bite?"

"No," Yazwa said by reflex. "I mean, not that I know of. I'm...you know...I'm not an expert but-"

"Followers of En Chitei prefer fists and feet to teeth," Saiyun cut in. "I doubt she is the one doing the biting."

"I wouldn't," replied Batol. "She was acting half-feral. She even took Sargent Rolar's badge as a trophy. All those killed up until now were Atemzlites, but a Vao was killed here too. The tapestry might be what links them all together. They could be killing people associated with it. If word got to the victim here, he may have hired a Vao for protection, for all the good it did them."

Yazwa nodded in silent agreement, trying to wrap her head around what Batol had told them. Ji was taking trophies? Maybe even biting people? It didn't sound like her at all, but she couldn't help but remember the crazed look in her eye before they split up. No. Not Ji. But with how off she had been acting since their escape from the Golden Colossus. Was it possible?

"They may have gotten away in the mist, but it won't be too long before we track them down," said Batol, glancing over her shoulder at the warehouse. "I managed to shoot one."

"What?!" Yazwa gasped, earning herself an elbow in the side from Saiyun. She looked down at the ground, trying to get her expression under control.

"And yet they still managed to get away?" Saiyun said dryly. "Must not have been a very good shot.

Batol glared at him, keeping quiet for a moment before she spoke again. "She had to carry him out on her shoulders, so the shot was good enough. We have guards making the rounds to local surgeons. He'll have to get it looked at eventually, and that's when we'll get him."

With tremendous effort, Yazwa managed to keep a smile on her face. "Good. You will tell us as soon as you know something, right?"

"The quicker this matter is resolved, the better," added Saiyun.

"Yes, yes, I know where to find you," said Batol, taking a small step backward. "If there's nothing else, I need to get back to work."

Saiyun made a shallow bow. "Thank you for your time."

"Most appreciated," Yazwa said as she spun on her heel. She only managed to go a few steps away before she leaned over to whisper to Saiyun. "We have to find them. If Ji had to carry Aven out that means-"

"I know, I know," whispered Saiyun, glancing over his shoulder, holding his tongue until they got to the crowded street again. "If they haven't found a body, that means he's probably still alive and awake enough to patch himself up. Maybe. But where would we even start looking?"

The image of Aven bleeding out in an alleyway while Ji lay next to him took some time for Yazwa to force out of her mind. Where should they start looking? Surgeons were the obvious choice, but she felt Aven would be smart enough to stay away from them. If he was unconscious and Ji was panicking, she would have brought him to one already and been found out. Back home, there were always stories of priests and Achali giving shelter to wrongly accused criminals, so maybe that was a place to start. "We could look in the Atemzl Temples," Yazwa offered, raising her voice to be heard over the din of the crowd. "They're not supposed to turn away anyone who needs help. Could be a good place to start."

Saiyun frowned. "I suppose, but I imagine that would make it one of the first places the guards would look. Aven would avoid it. The trouble is we don't know who HE knows. I'm sure he must have some trusted contacts in Hilt that he would go to. And that's if he's lucid. Heaven knows what Ji would do alone with an injured Aven."

"Are there shrines or Temples to En Chitei on Hilt? Since she's an acolyte, maybe they would give them shel-" Yazwa froze as the answer burst into her head. She reached out and seized Saiyun's shoulder tight. "I know where they went."

Saiyun winced, trying to pry Yazwa's hand off his shoulder. "Then tell me."

"Someone Aven knows that Ji knows he knows," Yazwa said, gently shaking him. "Who here would keep him safe, patch him up no questions asked, AND be able to tell the guards to get lost if they came looking?"

A moment of silence passed before Saiyun's eyes widened. "The Vathlanri."

"The Tavada," Yazwa answered, letting him go. "Their leader asked about him and Bill, so she definitely knows who he is. That's where Aven would go, and I bet Ji could figure it out even if..."

"Even if she's not thinking clearly," Saiyun finished, hurrying off.