Dahlia

  It was too easy to take Hawthorne’s keys when he finally drifted to sleep sometime after midnight, but it had been hard to stay awake in his warm embrace.

  Still, my determination to save Erich kept me alert. I thought only of him as I carefully slipped out of bed and slipped on a pair of trousers and a loose shirt—eyes glued to the sleeping Imm. I thought only of him as I quietly pulled the key ring from Hawthorne’s pocket in the trousers he’d abandoned across the room from my bed. I thought only of him as I climbed out into the night through the open window in my kitchen, below which I’d staged my swords and two daggers before Hawthorne’s arrival that night.

  I didn't look back—didn't let myself worry that Hawthorne had woken up.

  But as I jogged up the street, up the hill towards Calo Castle, I couldn’t help but think of him and the way his heart sounded as I rested on his chest.

  And something like guilt crept into my throat for what I'd done to fool Hawthorne. Perhaps I deserved whatever punishment was sure to come when Erich was finally free.

  If he was freed.

  I didn’t know with any certainty that the key to my childhood friend’s shackles was even on Hawthorne’s key ring.

  This had been a dangerous gamble, and if the key wasn’t on the ring, Erich and I might both be doomed. There was nothing I could do about his bindings—no other viable way to free him. Not even the strongest Imm had the strength to break evemant. And I could try to pick the lock—a skill I had used in the past, but I had no doubt that the Imms had built these shackles with some sort of measure to prevent lockpicking.

  So, it all came down to the keys.

  When I approached Calo Castle, I saw two guards roaming the courtyard wall, high above. This wasn’t unusual. I couldn’t remember a time that the Calos left the castle unguarded. But their eyes were set beyond the tall wall that surrounded the castle—not on the courtyard within.

  For several minutes, I watched the guards from the shadow of a nearby home. I hardly needed the Sight to see tonight. The moon was full, casting its light across Firen and beyond as if it were daylight. The moon’s brightness negated any advantage I might have over the Imms tonight.

  But the wind howled across Firen, pushing small clouds quickly across the sky and providing some cover for any noise I might make.

  When I finally understood the pattern the guards followed as they patrolled the castle wall, I waited for the perfect moment and, without giving myself time to second-guess my plan, I darted across the street with Imm-like speed, continuing over the full length of the empty square just outside the castle gates. I kept my footsteps light to avoid making a sound, giving up speed for stealth—a necessary sacrifice tonight.

  Finally reaching the front of the gates, I leaned back into the castle shadows, heart racing, and listened for any sign that the guards had detected me.

  I heard nothing but the wind, trusting that my mad dash had gone undetected.

  And I had little time to waste. At any moment, Hawthorne could discover my deception and come to stop me.

  Emboldened by this thought, I turned to the gate and pulled the key ring from my pocket, holding it tight in my hand to prevent the keys from jangling freely and making a sound.

  With my Sight, it was easy to identify the unique pattern in the key that Hawthorne had used before to open the gate. So, with gentle hands, I slipped the key into the lock and turned it. It unlocked with an audible, but faint click that made me stiffen.

  But there was little chance that the guards heard the sound over the roaring wind.

  Pushing the gate open into the courtyard, just enough to slip through, I stepped beyond the thick wall with a soft inhale, preparing myself for anything. But there were no guards in the courtyard—no defenses to keep Erich secured beyond his bindings.

  No, the Imms were confident that their usual guards and evemant binding would keep him in place.

  But they hadn’t counted on a second Red Halfling in their calculations.

  From here in the courtyard, unless the guards stepped up to the edge of the wall and leaned down to look into the courtyard, they had no way of seeing within. I saw little more than the top of one of the guard’s heads from my place here.

  Relieved, I strode across the courtyard on quick, but silent steps to Erich, where he was still chained to the evemant post. After looking up at the dark castle where it loomed behind him and seeing no onlookers in the windows, I finally allowed myself to look at Erich—to take in the state of him.

  And he was worse than before.

  My stomach threatened to turn against me at the sight of the small, finger-length blades stuck into Erich’s flesh in places. They’d stabbed him through his arms, thighs, and even his shoulders, leaving the blades behind. It took me a moment to understand why, but when I saw that his flower-marked chest was littered with healing scars—scars that looked to be months-old—I realized they hadn’t been there the last time I saw him.

  He could regenerate.

  And to make him suffer and prevent healing, they kept the blades embedded in his flesh.

  It was sick—inhumane—but it was exactly what I’d expect from the Imms.

  Wiping away tears, I stepped forward, letting instinct draw me towards my friend. I didn’t dare speak a word as I stepped into his shadow and pressed a gentle finger to his lips. He started, eyes flicking open in an instant to meet my own. His eyes spoke of unbearable pain, but he didn’t even whisper in response to my sudden appearance.

  Removing my finger, I pressed it to my own lips to urge him to stay silent, and he nodded once to signify his understanding.

  Shifting my focus, I kneeled by his bloody feet where two shackles locked him into place at the base of the post and looked down at the key ring in my hands. I took the first of several evemant keys and tried to slip it into the lock, but the key was too large. Abandoning it, I moved on to the next and then the next until finally, the fourth key slipped into the lock with a soft click.

  Relief flooded me as I turned the key and the shackle slipped open. I caught it before it struck the ground and set it down quietly, then moved to the next ankle. Using the same key, the shackle again opened, and Erich’s bare feet were free.

  I set the second shackle to the ground and stood to look up at the ones at his wrists—the ones bearing the brunt of his weight and tearing at his flesh there, leaving his arms bloody.

  But Erich was too tall. I couldn’t reach the shackles from the ground. I could climb the post, but it would be difficult to perch there while unlocking the shackles, especially without making a sound.

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  As if noticing this, Erich raised a leg, making a platform with his bloody thigh. I hesitated to step onto his leg when he had three knives still embedded in the flesh there, until I locked eyes with Erich, and he nodded in encouragement.

  With a soft exhale, I stepped onto his thigh, careful to avoid the blades, and wincing when I saw them shift in his flesh, causing more damage.

  He tensed as I rose to my full height, placing all of my weight on his leg, but he didn’t make a sound beyond a low, almost inaudible grunt.

  I worked quickly. The shackles at his wrists took a different key, but it was easy to find—it was the one most similar to the first. So with quick fingers, I unlocked the shackles, releasing him.

  He tipped forward, and I felt panic course through me as we both started to fall. But Erich managed to keep his footing on the stone ground, gripping me tightly in his now-freed arms despite the blades embedded in them.

  And the only sign of his pain was the sharp intake of breath as he placed me on the ground.

  My eyes went to the top of the wall, but the guards were blissfully unaware of what was happening within the courtyard. I exhaled the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding, and took Erich’s hand, forcing him to follow me despite his injuries.

  To Erich’s credit, he moved in total silence despite his obvious agony. I glanced up at him, noting his face twisting in pain, but beneath that pain was only determination. He wanted his freedom, and he would endure anything to achieve that goal.

  When we reached the gate, I paused. From here, I could still see the top of one of the guard’s heads, but there was no way of knowing where the second guard was.

  We were about to take a major risk.

  Remembering the marching pattern from before and praying the guards didn’t deviate from it in the time I’d taken to free Erich, I waited until the visible guard was in the right position and stepped forward into the square without bothering to close the gate behind us.

  I pulled Erich along at what I knew was an agonizing pace, but speed was necessary now. We had only seconds—perhaps less—to cover the distance from the gate to safety. But he continued forward on soft steps, matching my pace until I forced him forward into the safety of the shadows of the same home I’d used for cover before.

  But I didn’t stop there. I heard no indication that the guards had heard us, but I wasn’t about to risk waiting. I pulled Erich around the corner of the home and into a desolate alley, forcing him to keep moving for several blocks before slipping into yet another alley and pulling him to hide behind an old cart.

  Here, I finally let him rest as I waited for signs of pursuit and, hearing none, I turned to him to speak at last.

  “We need to get you out of Firen before they realize you’re missing,” I urged, looking over the blades embedded in his flesh before giving him an apologetic look and yanking three free in rapid succession.

  He gasped and swayed a little on his feet, but snarled, “Take them all—quickly.”

  So, I did.

  With quick movements, I pulled the remaining eleven blades free of his flesh and left them in a pile on the ground beneath the cart. I had been concerned about blood loss, but Erich’s healing was a remarkable thing. By the time all the blades were free, his bleeding had already started to slow.

  “You came for me,” he gasped, raising a bloody hand to my face as if to confirm I was really there, “ I can’t believe you actually came for me.”

  I pressed his hand more firmly into my cheek. “I would never leave you to that fate, Erich.”

  He exhaled and chuckled softly, “Sure had me fooled. I really thought…”

  “I know,” I interrupted, feeling sick with guilt.

  And I did know. He believed I’d abandoned him.

  But Erich had something else on his mind now.

  “That Imm—you fucked him,” Erich seemed to growl the words, “I can smell...”

  Hawthorne’s scent was evidence of what I’d done to steal his keys to free Erich. Was I ashamed? Sure. Part of me knew what I’d done wasn’t virtuous. But most of me had decided that it was a necessary wrong. There was no other feasible way for me to get Hawthorne’s guard down.

  “It doesn’t matter—not right now,” I managed as I took his hand and started to pull him along again, “Right now, we need to give you a good head start—get you out of Firen.”

  Erich let me lead him down the alley towards the main street as he grumbled something about Hawthorne being a bastard, along with some other colorful words, but I ignored him. His grumblings didn’t last long before they turned into curses directed at his pain.

  Erich struggled to maintain the pace as we jogged towards the eastern side of Firen. I was forced to pull him along, over and over again, as his pace slowed. And we made it all the way to the charred ruins of East Firen when he stopped me, “Wait, Dahlia. I don’t know what you think you have planned, but you can’t come where I’m going—it isn’t safe for you.”

  He believed that. I could sense something like panic in his voice.

  “I—” I nodded in understanding, “It’s okay, Erich. You can go alone from here.”

  This had been my plan all along. I'd never intended to go with him. Erich needed a head start, and I would do everything within my power to ensure he made it to safety. He’d left a long trail of blood behind in our flight—one that would be easy for the Imms to follow, especially when he was too weak to run at his full speed. The ash and smoke could obscure him, but it wouldn't provide perfect coverage.

  If the Imms started their chase, and he didn’t have a long enough head start, they’d catch him in this state. I would need to delay them.

  But Erich didn’t need to know I intended to slow down the Imms when they came.

  “Go home, Dahlia—hole up there for the rest of the night,” Erich ordered in a firm tone that reminded me of the way he spoke to me as Reaper—like he had authority, “They can’t see you out here tonight—can't suspect you.”

  “I know,” I agreed, not trusting my voice at any volume beyond the barest of whispers.

  Erich nodded as if we’d come to some sort of understanding, but as he turned towards the ruins, I found strength in my voice to urge, “You can’t come back Erich—never again. You’ve done more harm than good here, and the Imms will never leave until you’re taken down. It will be better for everyone if you stay away.”

  His eyes widened, “Wh—”

  “Swear it,” I hissed, my heart racing now, “I may have saved you tonight, but I won’t do it again. If you come back here, I won’t put myself at risk like this again. I know you were trying to do good here—trying to help—but I don’t think you understand just how much harm you’ve caused. And you killed those councilmembers—murdered them! There were better ways—”

  “Dahlia,” Erich interrupted, expression pained, “You can’t really—”

  I couldn’t let him speak—let him weaken my resolve.

  “Goddamn it, Erich!” I snapped, “I don’t want you here! Innocent people died because of you!”

  I don't want you here—the lie tasted like ash on my tongue. But I couldn't stop now.

  Erich looked stricken as I gestured towards the charred remains of East Firen and hissed, “This was your fault! You pissed off the wrong people, and they punished Firen in retaliation! Hundreds of people died because of you!”

  Erich looked out at the ruins, face paling as he took in the destruction. “But the chil—”

  “I don’t want to hear about them,” I closed my eyes to avoid looking at the pain in his eyes.

  He knew this had been his fault. He'd known all along.

  By pointing it out, I’d just pushed the knife of guilt in his chest deeper—causing more pain.

  And Erich reacted the only way he knew how.

  “You’d really give me up—just like that?” His voice was dark now. “You’d let those children die? You’d still stand by like a goddamned coward—after everything I told you about the intruders and what they do to them?”

  I wouldn’t—I knew I couldn’t just stand by anymore—but there was a good chance I wouldn’t be here to defend them. And there was also a good chance I wouldn’t be here to save Erich the next time the Imms captured him.

  And Hawthorne and Bennett would, undoubtedly, capture him again if he returned. It was only a matter of time.

  In Erich’s eyes, I could see only loathing now. I’d given him no reason to doubt my words—to believe I was anything but selfish and cowardly.

  But I didn’t care if Erich thought the worst of me, as long as it meant he was safe.

  “Swear it,” was all I could say.

  Erich looked at me like I was a stranger.

  No. He looked at me like he was mourning someone he used to know, and in their place stood some sort of monster.

  With a furious scowl, he spat out, “Fuck you, fuck the Imms, and fuck Firen! The blood of those children will be on your hands, Dahlia. Remember that every time they disappear at night—remember that by doing nothing, you own some of the blame when they’re gone.”

  His words made me sick, but I didn't react. I held firm in my plan.

  It didn’t matter. He didn’t wait for my response. Instead, he turned and ran off into the charred ruins, leaving me to watch until he disappeared into the edge of the forest beyond the city. He ran faster than before, as if the pain was tolerable, to more quickly put distance between us—as if rage fueled him.

  I watched and waited for several minutes, part of me worrying that he would return, but more than anything, I was relieved to see him go.

  That relief was fleeting.

  I whirled when I heard the unmistakable sounds of footsteps behind me—three sets of footsteps running at an Imm-like pace from the direction of Calo castle.

  My heart sank. Erich needed more time.

  Digging into my resolve, I prepared myself to confront the Imms by standing directly on Erich’s trail and adopting a relaxed demeanor despite my racing heart. The time I’d been dreading had finally come.

  The Imms had finally come for the Reaper.

  But I’d die before I let them catch up to him.