Tanzik’s fists clenched tighter and he tried to control his breathing. The woman on the gallows was his older sister who left home when he was young. After the sacking of Makan, she was the only family he had left, though he hadn’t heard from her since.

The executioner pulled at the lever to release the trap door she was standing on, but it wouldn’t budge. Tanzik glanced over at Allena with a desperate look in his eyes. A silvery wisp of magic flowed between her fingers as she angled her hand behind her cloak to hide it.

“I’ll stop him from pulling it,” she said, “but what’s the plan?”

Sweat crept down his back as he stood frozen in place. The executioner waved someone up to help look for a jam in the mechanism. The crowd began to murmur. Tihara stood stoically, looking straight ahead as if nothing had changed.

“Tanzik, the crowd’s shifting,” Lura said. “We need to get out of here.”

“It’s his sister, Lura,” Allena said.

“I know that. But we make a move for her, we’re dead.” She turned away in thought.

“She’s your sister Tanzik, it’s your call.”

Lura sighed. “Sure, just… end of the world, remember? Big mystery to solve, answers are in Katavysia? Which requires us to be alive and not in jail?”

Tanzik’s heart was racing and he felt a lump in his throat. He was shaking, not able to move. Suddenly he felt a warmth radiate through his body from Allena’s hand.

“Hey, soldier,” she said. “We’re with you. Make the call.”

“We have to save her. I just… don’t know how.” His breathing grew more erratic. “How do we stop this?”

“Let her drop,” Lura said.

Tanzik looked at her, eyes wide and mouth agape in disgust.

“Then cut the rope! Gods, I’m not that cold. Allena can break the rope with magic, make it look like an accident. Give her a little time to run.”

“Then what?” Tanzik asked.

“Easy, we chase after her and say we’re trying to help. Pretend to be good law abiding citizens.”

“Some of us don’t have to pretend,” Allena said.

“I like to think of myself as lending a rare expertise,” Lura said with a frown.

“We’d need a distraction,” Tanzik said.

“Oh, and look who happens to be good at that!” She put her hood up and ran off.

A couple guards moved toward the gallows to join in inspecting the lever. Off to the side, they saw smoke as Lura had knocked over a lantern to set fire to a cart full of hay next to a merchant’s stall.

“Thief!” They heard someone shout. The guards split off and some ran to address the fire and some to chase after Lura, who was sprinting down a side street.

“Fire, fire! Everybody run!” Lura shouted. People began to grow uneasy, and some listened to Lura and began running away.

“Got to admit, she is good at this,” Allena said. “You ready?”

Tanzik nodded nervously. “I’ll move up. Follow when you can.” He moved his way through the crowd as the commotion increased. Guards began to leave their posts to try to calm the crowd.

Allena released her magical hold on the lever and it snapped into an open position. The force of movement knocked the guards off their feet since they were pushing as hard as they could. Tahari dropped through the trap door, but Allena snapped the rope near Tahari’s head as she dropped. Instead of stopping a few feet above the ground with the noose around her neck, she dropped all the way to the floor and crumpled into a heap.

The guards turned around, but by then the crowd was unmanageable. One of them was shouting orders, but could barely be heard in the chaos. Tahari got up and began to run away. Tanzik burst through the crowd. “I’m an Imperial soldier! I’ll bring her back, you get this situation in hand!”

“Yes, sir,” the guard said in response. He offered no protest, looking relieved that someone was taking charge. Tanzik ran after his sister while Allena slipped through the crowd to follow. Lura could take care of herself, she thought.

Tahari was injured from the fall, but still faster than Tanzik. As he chased, she turned left at a fork in the road. Tanzik remembered playing in these streets, and he knew the road his sister was on curved around a large building. He and his friends had found a shortcut that cut through if you ran across a couple of roofs, so he climbed up and ran through the old familiar path.

He eased himself off the roof of the last building, not able to jump nimbly to the fence like he could when he was a kid. He ran out in the street as his sister was running toward him and he held out his hands.

“Tahari, stop!” Her eyes darted toward a nearby alley and she moved to avoid him. He ran after her as she sprinted down the alley. “It’s me, your brother!”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

She stopped and turned around and looked at him suspiciously. Her eyes were a similar grey color to his, but they were lined with creases that showed a lot of care and sorrow.

“It’s Tanzik,” he said quieter, glancing around to make sure no one else could hear him. “My friends helped you to escape, that’s why I’m here.”

“Rot in the Void, wretch.”

“I…” He was taken aback. He wasn’t expecting a warm reception, but wasn’t expecting the cold shoulder either. “Tahari, I was a child when…” He trailed off. “I tried to find you.”

She kept her distance, examining his face. “My brother died. Whatever trick this is, it’s sick. If you’re here to arrest me, just do it, but you’ll have to catch me first.” She turned to run again.

“A couple years before you left, when you were old enough for our parents to let you have wine, I snuck into your room to take some. It was watered down, and I didn’t have much, but it still made me sick.” She turned around, tears welling in incredulous eyes. “Father was going to discipline me, but you said it was your fault. That you gave me a taste. He made you clean the stable by yourself for a month. You were always there for me, looking out for me.”

She moved toward him and examined his face. Suddenly she threw her arms around him and he hugged her back. She ended the embrace after a moment and punched his shoulder. “I thought you were dead.”

***

Lura was far ahead of the guards, who were thankfully all slowed down by their heavy plate armor. Alarm horns began to sound and other guards were alerted. She knew she couldn’t outrun every guard in the city, so she took off her cloak and threw it aside, then doubled back and went the opposite direction to throw off pursuit.

She stopped to catch her breath, then began to walk casually back to the gallows to meet up with Allena and Tanzik. She saw a pair of guards run down the street near her. “If you’re looking for that runner, I saw someone go that way!” She pointed toward the road where she ditched her cloak. They rushed past her and down the street. Lura smirked and began whistling as she walked away.

By the time she returned the the gallows, the area was locked down and guarded. The area was empty except for a the guards and a pair of investigators examining the scene.

“All citizens are advised to return home,” one of the guards said to her.

“Oh, sorry. Not actually a citizen, so I don’t have a home to return to.”

“Then what’s your business here?”

“Trade, mostly. The silks here are lovely, I was hoping to pick up a dress or two before heading back home in to Nhema.”

“Never heard of it.”

“Small border town in Gazikar, not many people know of it.”

“You don’t sound Gazikaran,” the guard said suspiciously.

Lura fought the urge to roll her eyes. “Good catch!” She smiled warmly. “I’m from Serevar originally. Moved south when I was old enough, wanted to live somewhere part of the Empire.”

The guard visibly relaxed, convinced by Lura’s lie. “Didn’t think to settle here?”

“I was tempted! But I have family in Gazikar, some aunts and uncles on my father’s side. I wanted to be closer to them.”

The guard nodded. “There’s an inn down the street. It’s not expensive, you can drop a couple coins to spend the evening there if you’d like to.”

“Thank you!” She smiled and waved as she walked away. The smile dropped from her mouth and eyes immediately as she turned around.

She found the inn and had a quick drink. There was a map of the city posted on the far wall and she looked it over. She found where the gallows was set up and saw the street Tanzik took. She assumed Allena went the same way. If she was on the run, she would’ve kept toward the side-alleys, so she followed the closest one with her finger.

“Now where would they run off to?” Most of the buildings weren’t labeled, but she found an inconspicuous looking area labeled with a tree that appeared to be a park. It was public enough to hide in plain sight, but out of the way enough that guards would be prioritizing more public buildings first. She figured Tanzik wasn’t smart enough to pick it, but his sister probably would be since she was a local.

She left and ran toward the park. As she approached, she saw Allena slowing meandering down an alley. “Adhma,” she whispered, using the fake name Allena had decided on. “I wouldn’t say I’m glad to find you, but it’s good you’re not lost.”

“I’m looking for footprints. Our mutual friends ran down this way.”

“Great job, inquisitor, I already figured it out. There’s a park a mile down that way, it’s probably where they went.”

Allena forced a smile. “Lead the way, then, Hab.”

“Don’t know how you can find any footprints here, it’s all cobblestone and moss.”

“I have good eyesight.”

“Some magic nonsense, I bet.”

“This magic nonsense has saved your life more than once.”

“Oh, we’re keeping track? Because I’m pretty sure you stabbing me and leaving me for dead cancels some of that out.”

“If you were in my shoes, you’d—”

“Shut up. I’m doing my best to keep the peace, but don’t push me. I’ll play nice and work with you, but stop trying to justify this.”

“I’m sorry. For whatever that’s worth.”

“Not bloody much. Just keep up.” She picked up the pace and moved quicker through the alley. They weren’t as winding and hard to navigate as the alleys in Stormhall. It was likely the city had been planned a little better than being built naturally after it was sacked. The homes looked newer in this area and there were clear signs of rebuilding on top of older parts of buildings.

Eventually they arrived at the park and found that Lura was correct. Tahari had Tanzik’s cloak on with the hood up to hide her face. Tanzik sat next to her, looking nervous with his face exposed. They were both talking excitedly. Allena smiled as she saw Tanzik looking joyful for the first time since they had met.

“Keep your face covered, Forn,” Lura said as she tossed her cloak to him. “I’d hate to have this reunion cut short.”

“Who’s this?” Tahari asked, wrinkling her nose in suspicion.

“These are the friends I told you about.”

“Oh gods, how much did you tell her?” Lura asked.

“Not enough to worry you,” he said as he put on the cloak and pulled the hood over his face.

“So it’s true,” Tahari said. “You’re wanted.”

“You haven’t seen the posters?” Lura asked.

“No, they must be new. I’ve been in prison for a while, awaiting the execution.”

“Yeah,” Tanzik said sheepishly. “It’s all lies, though, I didn’t kill anyone.”

“I believe you. But it’s not safe for you here.”

“It’s not safe for you either.”

“I don’t care. I still have work to do.”

“May I ask what happened?” Allena asked.

“Sedition and rebellion,” she said with a scoff. “Guess it runs in the family.” She elbowed Tanzik.

“Funny,” he said dryly.

“I spoke out against Alqan Khayin, the lord of the city. Pretty publicly. And loudly. And often.”

“Lords never take criticism well,” Lura said with a shrug.

“No, but you don’t understand. This wasn’t criticism or some political issue I had with him. He betrayed our people.”

“That’s what I’ve heard,” Tanzik said, “but I thought it was common knowledge. I thought everyone knew he was behind the sacking of Makan.”

Tahari looked around to make sure no one could hear her. “It’s more than that. That’s what I thought for years, that he led his army against the city and Monscal surrendered to the Empire for stability. But then I found out the truth. It was the Empire the whole time. They planned the whole thing. The sacking of Makan was an Imperial plot to twist Monscal’s arm into surrender.”

Tanzik’s jaw dropped in surprise. “No…”

“Yes. And that’s why I have to kill him.”