Poking his head out of his door for a moment, the man ensured their interrogators had indeed left. He then closed it tightly behind him and let out a deep breath. The predictable headache was already taking hold, but there was no time to spare. Whatever had caused the explosion, it had not been what the prowler sought. He would be back as soon as he came to that realization, and they needed to be long gone before that happened.
Nev had watched in bewilderment and horror as the prowler had questioned the man. She didn’t understand how she’d remained unseen. The prowler’s glare had seemed to stare right through her, and it had made her blood run cold. Yet, he’d somehow failed to realize that the person he sought was so near. While she was still trying to process what had occurred, the man began moving quickly through the apartment. She watched as he threw various items into a pack and muttered softly to himself.
Nev studied him curiously as he stopped for a moment to rub his forehead and temples before returning to his task. With the prowler and enforcer gone, the pain and exhaustion Nev had momentarily been able to subdue now came surging back. Her shoulder throbbed with deep, unyielding pain. The thought of never leaving the corner she was sitting in was beginning to take root in her mind. She’d started to accept her journey’s end when she felt the man reach down and pull her carefully, but quickly to her feet. Suddenly, she found herself standing again and blinked at him in surprise and confusion.
“Time to go,” he said, steadying her against him.
Nev shook her head in refusal.
He let out a small laugh and winced before adding, “Still thinking you can shake your head and get your way, I see. I did warn you I was stubborn.” Swiftly, he led her through the door and down an alley in the opposite direction of the explosion.
A few people had braved opening their doors to see what had caused the commotion. As the man and Nev made their way to the outskirts of the city, they heard a few citizens claim the explosion was caused by some badly beaten beggar igniting the lamp oil storeroom. Perhaps someone else had experienced their fill of prowlers and enforcers for today. Either way, the commotion granted them the opportunity they needed to make their escape.
Chapter 2
The man pushed Nev to keep moving deeper into the woods that partially bordered Serenity Falls. They walked until the settlement’s glow was utterly lost to distance. The only light for their path came from the wisps of moonlight that pushed through clouds and a steady drizzle of rain. His head was pounding at this point, and Nev was barely going through the motions of taking steps anymore. He spotted a small muddy embankment that had eroded partly under a massive set of tree roots. That would be their destination.
He sat Nev down on the bank and cleared back a few of the smaller roots. There was more room carved out than he expected, and the inside was dry, mostly. He tossed his pack down towards the back of the space and then very carefully pulled Nev inside. She could barely keep her eyes open and moaned softly in protest as he moved her. “Hang in there, alright?” he whispered.
Nev’s mind was heavy and sluggish from pain and exhaustion. A piece of her screamed to get up and keep running, but that thought was quickly drowned out by the realization that she simply couldn’t. She had neither the energy nor the strength to move from the spot she now found herself in. Instead, she would need to do something she hadn’t done in a very long time—trust someone. That thought bounced in her head until she fell into a deep sleep.
He pulled a candle from his pack and set it into the dirt before lighting it. Unclasping the woman’s cloak, he pulled it back from her shoulders. The left sleeve of her shirt had already been torn off and used as a rudimentary bandage around her injured shoulder. He pulled out a small knife from his pack and began to cut and peel back the shirt sleeve.
Nev’s breathing became more unsteady as he pulled the bandage off her wound. It had become encased in scabbing around her injury, and he now worked to remove it as gently as possible. As he removed the last of the shirt from her shoulder, she shot briefly awake. Her eyes flashed open as she took in a sharp breath. The man placed his hand on her forehead and smiled softly before saying, “Don’t worry, I mostly know what I’m doing.” He thought she had returned his smile for the briefest of moments before closing her eyes.
The man was a bit shocked at how heavily infected the wound was. He worked for several hours cleaning, closing, and bandaging her shoulder with the supplies he had brought from his apartment. By the end, the pounding in his head had become so intense he was having trouble forcing his eyes to focus. With her wound finally tended to and her sleeping seemingly somewhat soundly, he allowed himself to concentrate on his own discomfort. He produced a little round white pill from a small vial in his bag, swallowed it, and laid down next to her. Listening to her soft, steady breaths, the man finally fell asleep.
Chapter 3
The sun was barely up when he began to stir. He needed more sleep. His dreams, however, had been stressful and pushed him to consciousness earlier than he would have liked. Reflexively he rubbed his jaw where the enforcer had not-so-kindly reminded him to answer the prowler’s questions. He knew a sore jaw and a lasting headache were small consequences to pay for
