As he pressed his hands against the walls to slow himself, he noticed they had a lumpy consistency. He tried not to think about what he was touching as he flew down the hole. Suddenly he hit a slope and winced as pain shot through his butt. Next, his boots squished into a lump of putrid matter. Eren shot up to avoid resting in that pile of filth any longer. His eyes were met with complete darkness.

Shaking off the liquid on each of his appendages he sloshed forward. “Did no one think to bring a lamp?”

“It was your idea. Why didn’t. . .” Ahri paused to gag. “You think too.”

A voice came from further ahead. It was Lilith. How did she already get that far, Eren thought as he wiggled his boots further into the tunnel. She called out again. “Just follow my voice there should be some metal grates further ahead that should let some light in.”

“I hope so,” Eren grumbled. As he took a few more steps, he bumped into another figure. “Ahri is that you?” She gave a barely audible response. He could tell she was struggling. “Come on, we’ll be out of here before you know it.”

With each step, he felt like his boots would sink into the sewage, never to be seen again. He gritted his teeth and pulled his feet out, trying to keep in earshot of Lilith’s voice. Tempted to take a deep breath, he quickly stopped once his nostrils filled with rotting air. Ahri’s shoulder would brush up against his, and whenever he no longer felt her touch he gave a tug behind himself to keep her going.

“Just a bit further.” Lilith’s voice echoed off of the stone walls.

After a few more minutes, Eren saw a ray of light shining down into the brown water. The orange beam shimmered like the light from an angle, one that would swoop down and save them from despair. He tugged at Ahri’s cloak again to get her to look at the light. Lilith stood there proudly. The smile on her face contrasted with her stained cloak and dress.

“We should be outside the palace.”

They looked up into the light and tried to get a glimpse into the outside world. A few footsteps drummed on the cobblestone pavement. A wooden cart rattled across the uneven road and bounced; as it passed over the metal bars.

Eren broke the partial silence. “We’re still too close to the center of the city. Let's surface once we get further.” Ahri and Lilith nodded in agreement.

Reluctantly they pulled away from the light and plunged back into the darkness. Soon after the light behind them disappeared, they saw another beam in the distance. Eren couldn’t decide whether seeing the filth around him or being blind to it was better. Either way, Ahri seemed to appreciate the light. Her gaze was fixed upon it, and she seemed to have relaxed a bit. Lilith continued past the light ahead of them, as the foot traffic above still hadn’t decreased. As Eren and Ahri approached the light Lilith was already shrouded in darkness. Her white hair got smaller and smaller until it seemed like a distant speck.

Eren waited with Ahri for a moment. She straightened herself and stretched toward the sunlight as if she was trying to grasp a particle of fresh air. Eren gazed off into the darkness. He squinted at Lilith’s figure. She was getting bigger. Why is she coming back? As she got closer, he could see a frustrated look on her face.

“It’s blocked,” she said before Eren could ask.

“How,” Eren responded in an unsteady tone.

“The king had a crap bigger than his ego. I don’t know. We have to figure something else out.”

Eren glanced back up at the metal grate. “That’s the only way out right now. We’ll have to make the rest of the trip on the surface.”

Ahri failed to hide her excitement as she nodded in agreement. Of course, she’s glad to be out of here. “Alright, everyone, make sure to keep your hoods up. Under no circumstances should anyone see your hair. Lilith, I’ll lift you.”

She stepped in his cupped hands and steadied herself on his shoulders. Eren took a deep breath that he immediately wanted to throw back up. He slowly raised her until her slender fingers had a grip on the metal bars. With a muffled grunt, she pushed up on the grate until it clicked open. Lilith peeked slightly above the stone pavement and quickly observed her surroundings. Pale gray houses with slanted roofs lined the sides of the road. The overcast sky gave the district a sad glow. There were still a few people wandering the sides of the road, but the foot traffic near the palace had died down significantly. They paid no attention to Lilith’s prying eyes.

“Is it safe up there,” Eren asked in a dry whisper.

“For now, but we’ll have to quick.” Lilith pulled herself up.

This time Ahri needed no prodding. She stepped into Eren’s hands, and he hosted her up. After she had climbed out of the small hole, Lilith reached a hand down. Eren jumped up and grasped her wrist. With surprising strength, she yanked him up. As he gripped the rim of the hole, Lilith let go and fell back.

“Get out of the street,” Eren rasped as he exited the hole and began to replace the cover.

Lilith pulled Ahri along as they darted for the nearest alleyway. Eren was close behind them. Once out of the road, Eren whipped around, excepting a pursuer at any moment. Yet to his surprise, no one followed. The sullen shells of people continued about their daily lives. We got lucky, but this won’t last. I can’t let my guard down.

Eren pressed himself against the left wall and glanced at the road. The outer city wall was about twenty houses away. They could easily sprint for it, but there was no way they could get through the blockade. From what he could see he estimated about a dozen guards in total and those were just the visible ones. He pulled away from the roadside to think things over. Ahri seemed to have recovered and was standing.

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“So, how close are we,” Lilith asked.

“The outer wall isn’t far, and the port should be just beyond that.” Eren sighed and sat down on the cold pavement. He rested his chin on his knuckle as he mulled over their options. “But it won’t be easy to get past the outer wall.”

A cart drawn by two scrawny horses rumbled past. The horse's hooves clicked in rhythm with each other, and the cart driver seemed to be nodding off to the steady sounds. Ahri intently watched the cart pass and then tapped on Eren’s shoulder.

“What if we hide in something that's going through the gate?”

“What are you suggesting,” Eren said as he lifted his head at the intriguing thought.

“There’s a cart carrying hay that just passed.” She point to the tired man and his horses.

Eren paused to consider the option, but Lilith was already edging toward the entrance of the alleyway. “Just seize the opportunity. If I let you think any longer there won’t be any option to think about.” Eren perked up at Lilith's words and reached out a hand to stop her from running out of their hiding place. He rolled his eyes and gave a frustrated grunt as he pushed himself up.

Ahri got on as Eren increased his pace. Glancing to either side he carefully considered the quiet stares that could be coming from any angle. He gripped the back of the wagon and used his momentum to propel himself into the pile of hay.

“This is ridiculous,” Eren grumbled. Unconsciously he slid his hand to his side wishing for the dagger that was not there. A thought of Orion passed through his head before he buried it underneath anxiety for the present. The cart jolted and shook as it made its way toward the gate. Each of the Stellapuer steadied themselves the best they could below the loose hay. Yet with each movement of the cart, their heartbeats quickened as they wondered when they would pass through the gate. It seemed like an endless hourglass that let the sands of time flow for an eternity.

“Halt!” A voice commanded from Eren’s right. Metal rattled as the soldiers took their positions around the cart. The unaware coachman and what Eren could presume to be a guard spoke in hushed voices. Permit, count of materials, and mandatory search were the few words Eren could make out. Mandatory search, he mouthed to himself until the words struck reality. The fact that Orion had taken their only dagger made him clench his jaw.

I’m going to strangle that kid when I see him again.

Heavy footsteps approached the cart from either side. He could hear the wood creak as several people pulled themselves up into the bed of hay. Well, I guess we have to improvise. Eren shot up from the hay and spun around to briefly survey his surroundings. Two on the left and one on the right. Ahri and Lilith promptly followed suit. The shock of two other bodies emerging from the hay caused a brief hesitation, just enough time for Eren to make a decision. He lunged at the person on his right. They both tumbled off the cart. The soldier gave a sharp yelp as he hit the pavement below. Eren’s knee left a large dent in his chest plate as he landed on top of the helpless man. Several soldiers around him were already drawing their swords.

“Stellapuer,” one of them shouted with a hint of surprise.

Ahri and Lilith lept down from the cart, and Eren stepped off the fallen guard. Ahri’s face was as pale as the desert sun. Though, it had been a long time since he had seen the desert. It never was comfortable reaching back into his memories. It always felt like something deeper was missing. Eren pulled himself back into the moment and held back from laughing. The girl was scared out of her wits, yet she was still going along with this ridiculous escape attempt of his. He faced the last line of defense that was keeping him from freedom and seeing his exiled savior.

“Do you have any idea how much this means to us?” The guards in front of him steadied their stance at his exclamation. “I suppose you don’t.” If I’m a Stellapuer, why not use that fact to my advantage? He clenched his fist and swung at the head of the nearest soldier with the force of his entire will behind the punch. The cold metal made contact with his fist and then crumpled upon impact. A punch like that would normally break someone’s hand, but the tough skin of a Stellapuer cushioned his blow.

“Blinding wretch that hurt.” He shook his hand and let the pain slide off his knuckles.

Without another moment of hesitation, he grabbed the sword from the unconscious man’s hands. The next guard seemed unphased by what had just happened. He swung with trained precision at Eren’s waist. Eren narrowly repelled the attack and forced the sword between the two of them. He could feel the other man’s blade slipping from his and tried to regain control. After all, Eren knew that compared to this man, he wasn’t near the level of a trained swordsman. The steel slid from the deadlock leaving a faint trail of sparks that dissipated into thin air. Eren tried to back away, but it was too late. His opponent’s sword swung down and left a wound on his forearm. Golden blood dripped from the gash and stained the ground. Taking the opening, from what was meant to be a killing blow, he thrust his sword into a gap in the man’s breastplate. His opponent cried out in pain as Eren drew his blood-stained sword.

“Run now!” Eren’s hoarse voice reverberated throughout the gate.

Lilith dashed ahead of him with Ahri in tow. Their hoods flew back, revealing their flowing white hair. Eren gritted his teeth and gripped his forearm. The pain made him want to freeze in place, and his blood rushing to the wound felt like rivers of ice. Pulling the last of his adrenaline from within, he burst out of the group of guards. Lilith had pulled Ahri into a gap between two buildings. Briefly, he glanced behind at those who gave chase and followed the two girls. When he got to the alleyway he saw both hunched over and gasping for breath.

“We haven’t gotten them off our trail yet,” Eren blurted out before filling his lungs with more air.

Lilith nodded and patted Ahri on the back. They took off again, darting between buildings and heading away from the outer wall. As they got further, the shouts of guards lessened but never seemed to entirely go away. The wound on Eren’s forearm ached with each step. As they continued, the sounds of the sea grew louder. After a few more minutes, they saw the source of the sound. Hiding in the shadows of the city they gazed out into the busy port. Sailors and ship hands were occupied with loading cargo onto one of the three vessels currently docked. A white tent was closer to the city and had a slopped roof with a hole in the top. Smoke billowed out from the hole. Likely a temporary blacksmith’s tent. The front of the tent was open and faced a walkway that lead to where the ships were docked. Despite the distance they had traveled the guards were still making the commotion.

“Wouldn’t be surprised if we’ve alerted the whole capital,” Lilith poked her head out of the small crevasse to get a better look.

Eren frowned at her remark, not because she had said anything wrong but because he knew she was right. He took a closer look at the ship that was being loaded. It was much larger than the other two in the dock. Likely it was meant for a long journey. The beak of the ship was made of dark wood with a silver finish lining the sides like frozen lightning. That must be the ship Calder is on, Eren guessed. Yet there were too many people around it to find any way on. A dog barked and ran across the center walkway. It lept playfully on one of the sailors carrying cargo. He shooed the dog away and regained his grip. Eren’s eyes followed it as he considered their options for getting on the ship. It served as a nice distraction from the pain in his right arm. He raised his hand covering the wound and saw it soaked with golden blood. Sounds of guards continued to get closer, pressuring him to find a solution. Considering the whole scene before him, a plan formed.

He sighed and leaned back against the wall. “I know how we’re going to get on that ship.”

“Tell us,” Ahri said in a low whisper.

“It's a long shot, and you're not going to like it, but it's our only option.”