Aven held his breath as the trio of guards marched by the hedge he was hiding under. It was the eighth time they'd passed him, and he was certain he knew their rhythm now. Off on the far end of the manor's courtyard, another group marched past the stables. In a few moments, a guard would poke his head out of a third-floor window to check up on the outside. After he did, there would be a brief gap in coverage of the manor's west side. After the guard withdrew into the window Aven counted to five and made his move. He dashed across open ground to the side of the manor, shooting up the wall using every handhold and foothold he could grasp. In seconds he was atop the roof, laying on his back and waiting for any sound of an alarm. None came as the three guards marched again past his former hiding place.

Allowing himself to breathe again, Aven lay motionless on the roof until night began to fall. He stepped carefully and slowly across the eaves so no one underneath him would even think they heard footsteps. Dusk was his ally. Most people never bothered to look up anyway, and the long shadow off the roof would hide his movements. Reaching an exposed corner of the roof, he dug into his pouch and pulled out a length of knotted cannon fuse. He carefully made a spark and stuffed the lit fuse under the roof's overhang. Moving quickly, he placed nine more in dry, dark places and crawled away to hide on the other side of the roof to wait. Smoke curled up into the twilight sky until tongues of fire burst out into the night.

"Fire!" came the call from below, followed by the ringing of bells and the shouting of orders. Servants and guests poured out of the smoky manor, carrying furniture and paperwork with them. Guards created a bucket line from the well in the courtyard, bringing water into the house to fight the fire. The Magistrate hurried about, ordering servants back in to retrieve more valuables before the smoke ruined them. All attention was on the west side of the manor. No one cared about the fireproof vault in the east basement.

Aven dropped back to the ground in the shadow of the manor and crouched next to the barred window. He carefully drew a familiar string of symbols on his forearm and took some deep breaths. The basement was dark and he couldn't tell if there were any guards left by the steel door. That was the only thing standing between him and the book. He pressed his hand against the bars, letting power flow through his arms. The iron bars separated from their wooden frame into the basement, falling to the ground with a clatter. Aven swung himself in, landing a split second after the bars did. He pulled out his knife and prepared to meet the two guards.

There was no one there. Aven waited, crouched low as his eyes accustomed to the darkness. No one stood watch and he couldn't even hear anyone walking around above him. The distraction of the fire had worked even better than he hoped. Without wasting another moment, he ran to the doors and slipped his lockpicks in. The smell of smoke drifted down from above as he slid the tumblers into place and pulled the heavy steel door open. The lanterns were in the same place as before, and he grabbed one, rushing to the bookshelf. In the flickering light, he quickly found the one the Magistrate had described, a bundle of wooden slats tied together with thick string, rolled up like a scroll. He grabbed it and ran a rope through the middle, tying it to his back. Instinct overwhelmed him and he stopped by the drawers on his way out, stuffing a handful of precious stones into his pouch before tying it shut. Nothing left to do now but make a run for it. Aven ran out into the basement but froze when he saw Yazwa waiting for him, wooden staff held in a ready position.

"I knew it was you," she said, squaring her feet. She wore the same white and green dress as before, but now she had a pack hanging off her shoulders. “When they told everyone to get out, I knew you set the fire as a distraction."

Aven grit his teeth and lowered his hand towards his dagger. "I know you feel bad about helping me steal from your host, but—"

"I'm coming with you," said Yazwa, cutting him off. "I won't go back home with nothing to show.”

"Fine," Aven hissed as the smell of smoke grew stronger. "Follow me."

"Wait, I left something behind. We have to go get it first," Yazwa said, looking over her shoulder up the stairs.

"What?!" Aven shouted, before biting back his volume. "We're stealing from a building that's on fire! There's no time!"

"There's no one left inside. There isn't even anyone guarding that door," she said, locking her eyes on Aven. "It's on the first floor. You come with me to get it or I'll stop you here."

"Go then!" Aven said, pointing up the stairs.

"You first," she said, gripping her staff. "It's down the hall two doors down from the rain shrine."

Aven grumbled as he ran up the stairs with Yazwa right behind. She had learned from their last encounter. He emerged into the empty hall, thick with smoke. He counted doors on his way down the hallway until he reached one that was locked. "I can pick this," he said, reaching into his pouch.

Yazwa came up behind him and kicked the door as hard as she could. The wood around the lock splintered and it swung open, slamming into the wall. "Saiyun!" she shouted as she ran inside.

Aven's heart skipped a beat as he followed her in. The room was small, with only enough room for a desk and a bed. The window on the far wall was blocked by iron bars. The floor was littered with empty bottles and jars and on the bed lay the clerk Menshi had blamed for the theft of the tapestry. "Oh no," he groaned.

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"Wake up!" Yazwa demanded, shaking him. "Wake up, we're getting you out of here!" He made no response, head jerking back and forth.

"He's drunk Yazwa," Aven said, glancing out the door into the hallway. He could see no one, but shouts for more water echoed down from the other side of the manor. "He can't crawl, much less walk."

"He's coming with us," Yazwa said, grabbing Saiyun and slinging his limp body over her shoulder. "Shut up!" she shouted when Aven tried to protest. "He signed a confession. They're going to have him executed, and it's our fault!"

Aven stared at her through the hazy air. It would be easy to run, she couldn't keep up with him and carry Saiyun. All it would take was a quick sprint into the courtyard and he'd vanish over the wall into the night. Even if she ratted him out, she didn't know where he was going. There was no reason to bring him along. Bad things happened to people all the time. It wasn't his fault. "Not like that," he said, stripping the sheet off the bed. "Wrap him in these, we'll just look like we're carrying goods away from the flames."

"Thank you," she said, gently setting him down. With Saiyun wrapped up and hidden away, they both carried him out of the house into the courtyard. All eyes were on the flames leaping into the air to consume the roof and the billowing white smoke as the bucket brigade desperately fought to save the manor. No one gave any notice to two people hauling a bundle of cloth out of the gate into the street. "Where do we go now?" Yazwa asked, carefully holding up Saiyun's head.

"This way. Quickly, quickly," Aven said, shuffling down a side street and spotting Ji loitering by a hand-drawn wagon piled high with straw. "Open the back of the wagon!" he called, arms burning from carrying the weight of the unconscious man.

"Who are they?" Ji asked, dropping the back door of the wagon down.

"The less you know the better," Aven said, shoving Saiyun's legs into the hay. "Push him in all the way. No one can see him."

Yazwa pushed him under the straw until he disappeared. "Let me unwrap his head so he can breathe," she said, carefully unwinding the sheets the covered Saiyun's face. "Is he going to be alright?" she asked, pulling down straw to cover his head.

"It depends," Aven said, taking the book off his back and pushing it into the hay on top of Saiyun. "That was a lot of bottles. The alcohol could kill him before the night is out," he said, slamming the back of the wagon shut. "But there's nothing we can do about that except get out of here."

"Did you pick a fight with a drunken man?" Ji asked, sniffing the air around the hay.

"I wish," Aven grumbled. "Take the cart, Ji. When you start to get tired, we'll trade off. The faster we get out of Chanan Harbor the better."

Luck was with them for the journey back to the village. No one questioned who they were, and no pursuers came up behind them. They reached the ferry at first light, and the man running it let them pass without a word. The wheels of the cart rattled over uneven cobblestones at the dockyard when Saiyun started to moan.

Aven glanced around. Early morning deliveries were being hauled into warehouses and shops clustered around the open space near the docks. "Stop, pull him out," he said, reaching under the straw.

"What?" Saiyun mumbled, covering his eyes in the intense morning light. "Is this the way to the gallows?"

Yazwa pulled a water skin off her belt and thrust it into his hands. "Here, drink this."

Saiyun seized the water bottle with both hands and drained it in an instant. "What's happening? What's going on?" he said between gasping breaths.

"We rescued you!" Yazwa said, offering her hand. "They helped me get you out, you're safe now."

Aven grimaced and grabbed Saiyun's other hand, hauling him off the cart. "Against my better judgment, but you're free now."

"No," Saiyun said hoarsely, lurching on his feet. "You don't…you don't understand. It doesn't matter…matter who you are. He'll come after you. Let me go."

"Too late, it's done," said Aven, pulling Saiyun forward despite his struggles. "No going back now."

"Is he going to make it?" Yazwa asked, steadying the swaying, rambling Saiyun.

"Once the water hits his stomach he'll be fine," Aven said, wincing when he heard the cart's wheels hit the wood of the dock. The ship loomed large above and the crew called out their arrival. "But this is going to be bad. Ji, this will wipe out your debt. Leave while you still can."

"Your captain must release me first," Ji said, pulling the cart along.

"What do you mean bad?" Yazwa asked, reaching for her staff.

"Just stay out of it," Aven said, letting go of Saiyun's arm and pulling the manual out from under the hay. "I'm the only one here who should know better. Bill!"

Bill's head poked up over the edge of the boat and Aven flinched when he heard him swear. He stormed off the boat and towards Aven, his cheerful face a mask of fury. "You can't be this stupid," he snapped, eyes drifting over to the swaying Saiyun.

"I got the manual," Aven said, holding the book out.

"Cai!" Bill shouted, snatching it out of Aven's hands and turning it over to the first mate. "Bring this down to Tsen and make sure it's the right thing. Set lookouts and search for anything strange in the sky. Have everyone else get us ready to shove off."

"Got it," Cai said, hurrying back up the gangplank.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Aven said, raising his hands.

"It looks like you spirited away the Governor's scapegoat!" Bill shouted, stabbing a finger at Saiyun. "You were there! He said all he wanted was the situation tied up with a neat little bow. How can he do that without someone to pin the blame on?!"

Aven backed up. "It might not be a problem. I set fire to the manor as a distraction, and it looked pretty bad when I left. The whole place could have burned down. They might think he died."

"Might. Could," Bill growled. "You don't know, you can't know. What possessed you to rescue him in the first place?!"

"I forced him to!" Yazwa shouted from the back, making Saiyun flinch.

"I told you to stay out of this!" Aven snapped.

Bill stabbed his finger at Yazwa and glared at Aven. "I don't buy that for a second. Not from you! You've been in the game too long to be this stupid. This could get us all killed!"

"Captain!" Batro shouted from the ship, telescope pressed to his eye. "Something just came out of the woods!"