By the Skin of Our Teeth

[skyler manfield]

Sometime during the lullaby, Cael had reached up and taken her hand, gripping it so tightly it almost hurt. She didn’t pull away though, he was clinging to the only comfort offered, and she knew that lifeline probably seemed as fine as spider silk and just as tentative at the moment. Instead, she placed her other hand over his, covering the ugly scarred brand on the back of his hand, as if hiding the horror of his experience, although she knew it was impossible to conceal the ugliness of what Reznik had done.

His eyes were closed, his voice smooth though hushed when he finally spoke. Somehow he had known the song - Skyler had no idea when she chose it, it was the only lullaby she knew, the most soothing tune she could think of. But he had heard it as a child - before she was even a squalling reminder of her mother’s negligence. She’d no idea it was a Salvic lullaby - none of the whores at the brothel had been Salvic, most had never even been out of Radasanth, much less Corone. That left only one person who could have sang it to her.

“Hawk,� she replied, more in response to her own thoughts than to Cael’s question, “He must have sang it to me when I was little. I suppose he translated it for me so I’d know the words. They used to scare me a little.�

Lifting her hand from the back of his, she absently traced the edges of his pale brows, then down over his eyelids - his skin was almost translucent, and the circles under his eyes were so dark it could have been from being hit, but it was more likely just poor nutrition and poor sleep. Her grey gaze surveyed his face, then flitted up to the wall next to the cot at the corner of the cell - there were tally marks scratched into the grime that coated the stone, and she grimaced at how many there were. He’d probably stopped long before now. One could only count so many days in the dark.

“It’s strange, because I never remembered that until now,� she admitted softly, bringing her mind back to his question - he wouldn’t want to talk about how long he’d been here, and she didn’t want to think of how many times Reznik had visited in the duration, “I’d never thought of Hawk that way before. He was never the lullabies and cuddles type. But now I wonder… he sang that song to me like… I was his child.�

The memory was more clear now, it was not long after he’d found her in the council room and taken her under his wing. She’d been a tough kid, not one for tears or tantrums. By that time she’d already killed two men, and Deacon had more than once partaken of what he felt was rightfully his. Perhaps it was after one of those nights, when she’d wandered back to her room like a ghost, and Hawk hadn’t been able to figure out why she wouldn’t speak to him. That part of the memory would likely always stay just out of reach. But she did remember him pulling her into his lap, much as she’d done with Cael, and singing to her. His voice had been much more melodic, deep and resonant, his native accent emerging as the words left his lips. He’d rubbed her back like the child she was, and Skyler had simply lain there, curled around herself in silence, absorbing the song as she tried to forget her own personal nightmares.

“You should eat again - if you can,� she recommended, changing the subject, “I know I need to.�

Without shifting him out of her lap, Skyler was able to reach the backpack and began pulling supplies out. Setting two apples, and the chunk of cheese on the cot beside her first, she then pulled the flask of whiskey from her pack as well. Her stomach rumbled loudly as if in response to the sight of food, however simple, and she looked down at Cael with a soft giggle, although she wasn’t sure why she thought it funny.

“I think your stomach could use some real food, and your mind could use some real drink,� she recommended as though it were her professional medical opinion, “The apples are perfect, and this cheese is sublime. Besides, they’ll go bad if we don’t eat them soon.�

With a tilt of her head and a twinkle in her eye, she dangled the flask in front of his face. Skyler was sure they both remembered what had happened the last time he drank from one of her flasks, and she was sure even he could see the humor in it now.

“Don’t choke on it this time, okay?�

[Inkfinger]

The more I hear about this Hawk, the more I want to meet him. Cael decided, drifting in and out of listening far more than he was used to. Skyler's hands were soothing as they stroked, feather-light, across his face. Whether or not the man had helped turn Skyler into an assassin, he had saved her from gods only knew what else. And he, somehow, knew Ludvik.

Who didn’t forget about me. The thought brought a rush of giddy, irrational relief that still filled him with guilt. His brother wasn’t disloyal. How could he have ever thought…

“-choke on it this time, okay?”

It took him a moment for him to realize her words and tone had changed, and another moment for his eyes to focus on the flask she waved before them, but when they did he managed a weak grin.

“Don’t think I’ve the strength t’ choke. It’d take too much effort.” He pushed himself upright nonetheless, hissing in a breath that threatened to turn into a whimper at the pain the simple movement sent lancing through him. He took the flask and knocked back a quick mouthful, carefully; letting the liquid sluice through his teeth.

He was expecting it this time; and this time it simply felt like a clean warmth sliding down the inside of his throat. He leaned back against the wall, rolling the flask’s cap between long, grimy fingers. He watched as Skyler pulled a small paring knife from somewhere in the depths of her pack. She sat efficiently carving one of the apples into smaller chunks, cutting most of the core in the process, dropping the seeds back in her bag.

Less waste that way…though I’d probably even eat the seeds right now… The whiskey had loosened his sinuses, some, but he could barely smell through the pressure in his nose. What he could smell, though, was enough to make his mouth water and his sore stomach rumble.

And about then she noticed him watching, raising one slender eyebrow.

“Alright, so you’ve proven you can drink alone…” She teased, but her light tone couldn’t entirely remove the haunted worry from her seastorm eyes. “Do you think you can handle feeding yourself?”

He just gave her a sideways look, surprised by how much annoyance he managed to put in that glare. “I’m not a…” He trailed off, realizing just how silly protesting would be under the circumstances. She’d already sung him a lullaby. She’d already had him in her lap. “…not a babe in arms,” he finished lamely, rubbing his eyes to cover the embarrassment that, for once, had nothing to do with visiting guards. “I can handle feeding myself. I think.”

“…right.” Skyler rolled her eyes, holding out more than half of the apple, neatly sliced. Cael reached out to take it, but pulled his hands back before she could drop it. The assassin frowned, still offering the apple. “What?”

Cael shook his head. “I don't need-" oh, but yes, you do. You need about a bushel of them. "All of it, what about you?” She’d been here less time, yes, but her stomach was growling too, wasn’t it? He’d heard it, though not too clearly, he’d been in and out and…and Skyler was still staring at him, in that amused-bemused way she had when he’d been babbling about dreams the other day.

That was a day ago already?

“There’s another apple, Cael, and the cheese...” she said, holding the fruit in question in her other hand, the knife already sticking out of its side. “I’m not going to starve myself nobly, if that’s what you’re worried about…”

...she did say apples, didn't she?

It was almost rude how quick he snatched the apple slices after that, but much less rude than how fast he managed to devour - or maybe inhale would be the better word - them. He'd been the youngest of four boys (and one girl, but Ida rarely made off with her brothers' meals). He'd learned, out of necessity, how to eat fast; a lesson he'd re-learned in the week he'd been kept with the other prisoners, before Kamen had been killed-

At least he died before they thought to -

"Cael! Slow down, I told you no choking!"

The words yanked his mind forcibly back to the situation at hand, out of the stuff of memory and nightmare. He swallowed a mouthful of apple - relieving himself from his unconscious chipmunk-with-stuffed-cheeks impression in the process - and smiled apologetically at Skyler.

"Sorry, sorry, must've lost my manners..."

[skyler manfield]

“Manners are for when you aren’t in prison,� Skyler laughed, a little louder than she meant to (her laugh sounded a little like the child she‘d never been, its carefree sound belying the gravity of their situation), drawing the attention of the guard who stood and glared into the cell. She quickly gathered everything into her lap and sat very still. How stupid could she really be? They’d never get out alive if she was so careless.

“I suppose a little discretion couldn’t hurt though,� she admitted much more quietly a couple of minutes after the guard returned to his stool, “It would be pretty stupid to get us killed now that we’re only a couple of days away from getting you out of here.�

She wasn’t really sure what to say to him, although she felt like if she knew him better she could bring up what had happened with Reznik. If it was her, she knew that even if she didn’t want to, she would need to talk about it. Instead, though, she just sliced off some of the cheese, and laid it on the apple slice, shoving the whole thing in her mouth to keep herself from saying something she shouldn’t.

But then, what was “knowing someone well enough�? Hells, they’d slept in the same bed, held each other through some of their worst nightmares, and the amount of trust they had to have in one another was probably more than most people would ever experience in their whole life with another human being. She looked over at Cael, handing him the rest of the cheese.

“Do you wanna talk about it?� she asked around a bite of apple, “I mean… you don’t have to. But, I mean, if it were me, I’d want to …�

She’d want to what? Cry on someone’s shoulder like some little child? Whine about how terrible life was to her mum? Recount every terrible moment of the worst event in her life - which event would she even choose? Gods, she might as well just shove both feet in her mouth. What was she thinking? He might trust her with his life, but that was only out of necessity. And it wasn’t like he had much of a choice about letting her sleep on the cot with him - it was that or she had to leave. And obviously he hadn’t wanted her to see…

Skyler stood up and shook her head, “I’m sorry, never mind, obviously I’m just … an idiot. Forget it.�

The floor was slick with mold in the corners, and Skyler rubbed her foot across it, her back turned to Cael. The whole personal relationship thing was beyond her. She’d have done better just to come in, feed the man, and get him the hell out of this place - that was all she was supposed to do. So why was she worried about whether he was alright emotionally - that wasn’t supposed to be her problem.

Unsure of what to do, Skyler leaned against the wall in the corner of the cell, sliding down it into a crouching position. It smelled terrible, and there was a hole next to her with chittering sounds coming from within - probably the resident rat family. She had yet to give Cael the note his brother had sent, it still rested in a pocket at her side, and she pulled it out now, turning the thin parchment in her hands.

“Your brother sent a note for you,� she would have tossed it to the prisoner from where she sat, but the movement might have caught the guard’s attention, or it might have dropped on the floor and gotten wet or soiled. With a reluctant sigh, she crossed back over to Cael, and knelt before him, holding the small packet out to him like a peace offering.

[Inkfinger]

He set the block of cheese down and stared at the envelope for a moment, mind turning her suggestions over and over again. Did he want to talk. No, no he didn’t, he wanted to forget about it. Shove it in some corner of his brain where it could, and would, never be touched again. But her words…

Ludvik sent a note.

He couldn’t talk to Ludvik about this. Not ever. His older brother would never look at him the same again, every time they spoke there would be pity in those violet-blue eyes. The older man had never been able to keep a secret from the rest of the family - if he told Ludvik, eventually they’d all find out.

“I don’t know,” he said softly, reaching out to take the envelope, “how much Ludvik told you, when you were with Hawk.” Her hands were still warm, and his hands practically engulfed hers. He didn’t take the letter just yet, simply holding on, almost as tight as he had before. “But…we were just trying to feed people, Skyler…” The months of traveling through the snow, of his friendships and the constant, mind-numbing stress, rolled through his memories. “We weren’t trying to collapse the government, weren’t taking sides…” He shivered, once, and thought of his men; his friends.

“It was just the four of us in my group…” He pulled on her hand, ever so gently, tugging her back up to sit beside him again, with his boney form between her and the door, knees up to make the blanket even more wrinkled. “Not one of ‘em is a…” He paused on the verge of simply saying ‘around’, but denying the truth hadn’t gone so wonderfully for him lately, had it? “…a-alive anymore. Damyan got himself shot in the back,” took the shot that was meant for me. “I…held him as he died.” He swallowed, suddenly jittery again. The big wyrmfolk had been the closest thing he’d had to a friend in the whole mess. The paper crackled between his fingers as he worried at it, simply for something to do.

“I killed F’bael myself. He was…he sold us out to the church, was gonna go after Ludvik…” He could still remember, far too vividly, the play of the naginata’s shaft in his hand, the hot, copper-sweet scent of F’bael’s blood on the snow. “I kept him from getting Ludvik, but I…couldn’t save Kamen. He got caught right before I did. Th-they hanged him a week later, made me watch…” Saying it all aloud hurt with a fire that had nothing to do with scar tissue and bruises. “They hadn’t even taken him off the gallows before Re-the captain….”

He should have seen it coming, even back then. The week between their capture and Kamen’s execution had been spent in interrogations, each witnessed by some high ranking Church member or other. The captain hadn’t acted on any of the ugly intentions he’d seen lurking in his green eyes, but they had been there all along. He fumbled with the envelope, taking an inordinate amount of care in opening it, praying the paper wouldn’t make too much noise as it tore.

“He…” Cael glanced up, caught that stormy gaze again, and abruptly looked away, speaking low and hoarse and rapid; knowing he had to say something if he ever wanted to truly recover. It didn’t stop him from wishing saying the words would erase the past. “T-took me… fucked me on those gallows, in front of half a dozen bloody guards, r-right under Kamen’s body.” The envelope tore in jagged halves, but he paid no mind to the fact that he was crumpling the paper within. “Told me it was over, s-said I was his bitch, and I m-might as well start acting like it, an’…th-that’s about where we’ve been since then.” He waved the torn envelope at the wall of tally-marks. “At least once a week, if not more…”

He stared at the torn and wrinkled envelope without really seeing it, feeling the heat returning to his ears. Skyler tugged it away, slid the folded letter free, and handed it back without saying a word. Cael took it, equally silent, though Skyler caught his hand before he could pull it back. Startled, he looked at her. Her face was inches from his, and the torchlight caught and pooled in her grey eyes, melting them to an ethereal glow; almost how he imagined an angel’s face would appear – fierce and wild and strong, and yet so very human…he reached up, fingers trembling, to brush her hair back from her face, tucking it behind her ear.

Her lips look very soft... He had the briefest mental image of reversing their earlier positions, of pulling her into his lap and seeing if they were as soft as they looked…He coughed, abruptly, flinching back as if he’d been burned. Skyler sat upright at the same time, stammering apologies without really saying anything.

What the hell is wrong with you? One moment you’re dumping the captain and his…well. Just. The captain on her shoulders; the next…you cannot think about her like that. Not now. Maybe once you’re actually out of this pit. He tried to cover the awkward silence in the cell by unfolding the note. His brother's thick, slightly clumsy letters stared up at him, stark black against the white.

Dearest brother, it read, I can't help but think this information is coming too late to be any help. The rest of the plague rats- his lips twitched ever so slightly at the name. He'd meant it as a self-insult at the time, on that last day he'd seen his brother. Ludvik, as usual, had turned it into a joke - have found new homes. If our mutual friends- he probably meant the Church, in general; the older man had worked for them for years, training the drakes they used to travel in the winter- ask again, tell them rats fly south like birds. They have need of new rat-catchers in the Illamund fiefdoms, I hear. Keep yourself safe, keep your cards close to your chest, I hope to see you soon.

There was no signature. The ink smears and blots were enough - Ludvik had never been comfortable with a pen. Skyler peered over at the note.

"Anything helpful?"

"I...can't tell," Cael admitted. "If Rezník asks again, maybe, but..." he flushed, tapping the card against his fingertips. "I...after tonight, I do not think he will bother asking again." He cleared his throat, looking at her again. "Thank you, though, whether or not it turns out to be useful."

[skyler manfield]

His hands were cool as they surrounded hers, which were much smaller than his. Why he would even want to speak to her now, she couldn’t imagine. She could hardly meet his gaze, pale blue and full of pain. But he was close, and his voice demanded eye contact, as though to share his secrets beyond what words could say.

“I didn’t really ask, or assume what was happening,� she admitted, “I make it a practice to keep my nose out of the particulars of why I’m doing what I’m asked - but I knew that Hawk wouldn’t typically meddle in a war, it was too risky. There had to be a good reason.�

The young assassin allowed him to pull her back onto the cot. He sat between her and the door, she noticed, as though somehow placing himself between her and danger. And she found that even though she knew how weakened he was after months of imprisonment, she felt safe with him. It was a strange feeling, since the only person she had ever thought herself stupid enough to trust was Hawk - but this didn’t feel stupid.

Cael’s voice wavered a bit as he recounted the days leading up to his imprisonment, and almost broke a few times when he spoke of Kamen’s death and the horrors that followed. Most people would have looked on Cael with pity - most would have looked on Skyler with pity too, but this wasn’t an emotion Skyler thought she was even capable of. Instead, her fists clenched once more in rage, her eyes hard with anger. The captain had stolen more from Cael than should have been possible, and all under the watchful eyes of the Church.

He was fidgety, and would tear the precious letter if he continued, his hands worrying the envelope so much. Skyler gently pried the note from his hands, pulling the parchment from the battered envelope and placing it into Cael’s hands. But she couldn’t just let what he had said lay there between them, filled with pain and regret - her hand closed on his, and she met his gaze, their faces very close. The personal space she always fought hard to maintain was dissolved, the inches between them filled with almost visible static electricity.

It was as though the world held them there, locked together in that cell, not by chains or bars, but something else more substantial - perhaps their shared experience, or maybe their knowledge of each other’s deepest secrets. Her eyes shifted from his, focused on his mouth for a moment - it was crazy, but somewhere in the back of her mind a little voice was begging him to kiss her.

He coughed, shattering the spell that had locked them together for that moment, and Skyler pulled away, her face flushed - she wasn’t sure if it was from embarrassment of her hope that he would kiss her (she hated and distrusted men, they were disgusting and lecherous and deceitful, why did she want to be kissed by one?), or if it was because he hadn’t kissed her and she still wanted him to.

“I didn’t mean… I just… don’t think that… but I really… I’m sorry, I thought…� her words came out in a confused jumble, her heart racing as fast as her thoughts. She turned her face away, and wished he hadn’t let go of her hand yet, wondering if she’d read the tension between them wrong. Hawk would be laughing at her right now. Skyler really wasn’t very good at the whole people thing - she was much better at making them die.

They sat there in silence for a long while, and when she looked over, Cael was looking at the note, reading the jumbled text his brother had written. She refrained from looking over his shoulder and reading the very private words. If he wanted to share then he would - she’d already invaded his space enough for the day, she supposed.

When he looked up from the letter, she felt safe to ask if it was helpful - she wasn’t sure if it had the misinformation Hawk had promised it would, or if it was just reassuring or apologetic. She wasn’t quite sure how letters between siblings, one of which was imprisoned because of the other, usually went. He didn’t seem sure what to think of the letter though, and when he brought up Reznik again, she sighed.

“It’s just a note, Cael,� she replied, pushing away his gratitude with a bit of humor, still feeling a bit awkward from the preceding moments, “I figured I was coming in here anyway, I could be a messenger.�

Her heart still fluttered in her chest, and she lifted her hand to her breast as though to make it slow to a more normal pace, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. It didn’t work, so she moved on and tried to ignore it.

“We need to plan,� she started speaking, less deliberately than normal, “I mean, we can’t just get up and leave without a plan. We should have a schedule or something, except we don’t really have anything to go by except the changing of the guard, and the torches. I think that you should eat every time the guard changes, and sleep right after that. We’re probably safe to sleep at the same time - which we should probably do soon. I think we’ve got about twenty minutes before the guard changes, and we can sleep then.�

She was rambling a bit, her mind racing through all the preparation. What if he wasn’t strong enough? Could she manage to support his weight enough to get him out of the prison? She hadn’t tested the mirror chain - would it actually work? She couldn’t likely get out the same way she’d come in, he’d never get back up through the hole she’d dropped through to get to his cell.

“I have to figure a way out of here, besides how I came in,� the assassin admitted slowly, “I have blueprints… but I can’t read them, not really.�

Skyler looked up at him, and swallowed around the lump in her throat, grabbing the flask of whiskey that sat between them and taking a long drag of it, letting the warmth slide down into the pit of her stomach, hoping it would lessen the knot that sat heavy there.

“Cael?� she wasn’t sure what she wanted to say, but there was something beyond all the plans that had to be said, “I’m sorry.�

He frowned as if he wasn’t sure what for, and she shrugged, not quite certain how to continue. Very slowly, she reached over and took his hand again, timidly lacing her fingers through his. Pulling her bottom lip into her mouth, she looked up into the darkness which hid the ceiling, and then out at the flickering torch before looking back at him again.

“I’m sorry - I should have been here so much sooner. I’ve been putting Hawk off for… weeks now,� her voice cracked, and tears stung her eyes, the lump in her throat almost too much to talk around, “I could have gotten you out of here so long ago, but I was afraid to come here again. But… it’s my fault you had to … my fault Reznik came so many times.�

A tear escaped, and she squeezed her eyes shut, willing her tears to go away, but it just forced more to come. Roughly, she wiped them from her face with her sleeve. Why the hell was she crying? How stupid. She’d cried more since she’d snuck into this cell than she had in the whole rest of her life combined.

“Sorry…� she whispered again, pulling her hand away and leaning back against the cool wall, closing her eyes and taking a rather uneven breath, “Sorry…�

[Inkfinger]

There was a moment, a short, here-and-gone, flash-in-the-pan moment where he had to stare at the note, rather than at Skyler. If he’d stared at her, she’d have seen the conflict raging behind his eyes.

I…could have been out sooner. He thought back over the weeks before she’d come – not just the days when the captain had demanded his attention, but the days he’d spent alone, unfed, wishing that someone, anyone, would talk to him, just so he’d know the other ear hadn’t gone bad; just so he’d know there was someone else alive.

She didn’t know. The larger section of his mind argued back, almost growling.

His thoughts snarled right back, hissing venomously, using the tone he’d used to take against his brothers when they had all ganged up on him. I didn’t have to go through all th-

She.Didn’t.Know. It was good to know that the larger part of his mind was rational. The note was shaking before his eyes. If he stared any longer, the words would probably be seared into his mind for the rest of his life, like these events already would be: torchlight and the smell of fear and worry and violation; the rough blanket on his skin, and her warm, strong, small hand clinging to his…

But- The rebellious thoughts were whining now, like a child denied a toy. Cael stole a glance out of the cell. The guard was still out of sight. He breathed a sigh of relief and set the wrinkled note down next to the discarded block of cheese, taking the block and knife in the note’s stead.

But nothing. He kept his eyes on the sunny yellow-orange as he began carving off slices. She’s not responsible for this any more than you’re responsible for what they’ve done.

But-

And you need to say something before she thinks you hate her. He focused on carving curlicues into the cheese, wishing –in some small way that still horrified him- that the neat roses of slashes were in the captain’s skin. She’s putting a lot on the line for you. She’s hurting. You’re hurting. Shared hurt is halved.

“It’s…� he finally spoke, his shaking hands fumbling with the knife and cheese for a moment, before he finally just set them back down, on top of the note. He took the envelope in his hands instead, the clumsy seams where it was glued together coming apart – somewhat like the edges of his mind, unfolding in ways they hadn’t before. “It’s n-not your fault, Skyler.� He smoothed the wrinkled paper, swallowing.

“You didn’t put them in power, you didn’t put me in here, you…â€� You didn’t send ReznÃ*k. He left the thought unspoken. He’d had more than enough of the captain to last him the rest of his life. “I…â€� Have no idea what I’m saying. As usual. He started folding the paper. A small, familiar sound, a combination of a sniffle and a gulp, drew his focus back to reality - when he looked up again, Skyler was still crying, tears staining glistening trails down her cheeks.

“Oh. Oh-oh, don’t…� He reached out, then, and pulled her closer, draping his arm over her shoulders. The motion reminded him of a mother bird, and he almost snorted at the mental image. “Don’t cry, Skyler…� He leaned over to plant a kiss on the top of her head, the only place he could think of that wouldn’t make him feel as if he was sullying something he had no right to touch…

No, see. That’s you thinking like they’ve made you think, like it’s your fault that they’re sick bastards. She held you. She doesn’t think you’re a filthy pervert… He blinked at that clear thought, and finally gave into the urge to pull her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her, trying his absolute best to ignore the instincts screaming no, no, nonono at the heat of another body so close. “Please, Skyler.�

Don’t cry over me. It’ll all work out.

He began talking, hoping to distract her from her conscience and her undeserved guilt and him from his own jackrabbit heartbeat as his hands worked with the scraps of envelope.

“If you can get us out of this cell,� he said softly, “and up…� he paused for a long moment, thinking. Trying to recall the halls he’d been dragged down a month ago, before he’d been thrown in here. “Two floors, three halls over, that way,� he pointed in what felt like the right way, his breath mussing Skyler’s hair as he did. “I can get us out of the building.�

He let out a small chuckle, shaking his head, adding crease after sharp crease. The paper-folding was familiar, comforting in the same way that her presence was; something he could think about other than the few short days between him and what could have been –and could still be - the end. “I could get us out of the city, even, but…if your friend and Ludvik will be looking for us in Knife’s Edge I can’t see that being helpful.�

He made one final crease and opened his hands, displaying a tiny crane. He set it down on the blanket with a small, crooked smile. “We’re quite the pair, eh? Lying scribe who can’t do more than fold bits of paper, pretty girl assassin…sounds like one of those novels you get from Radasanth. ‘Together, they fight crime!’� He’d loved those when he was a younger…

Never thought I’d be living in one.

The shadows down the hall shifted again, the torch’s flames dancing high with the influx of fresh air. Cael sighed. “Looks like you were about right about the shift change…�

Skyler nodded - and then sat up straighter. "We have to put the backpack away." She slid off his lap, and out from beneath the blanket. Cael couldn't help but sag in a mixture of disappointment and relief, but he took the diminished block of cheese, carving one last slice and shoving it in his mouth before he joined Skyler.

She was repacking the flasks when he slipped the block of cheese into the open mouth of the bag. Something shifted inside, and he peered into the knapsack. "What was that?"

"Just...my pack. Nothing important." She shrugged, taking the knife from him gently. Cael watched her slide it into place, gracefully - he took that moment of distraction to reach into the pack, ignoring her quiet squawk of protest. "Hey!"

Smooth leather brushed his fingertips. He pulled his hand back out, unsnapping the first buckle his fingers encountered as he did. He found himself staring down at a small collection of multicolored vials sorted into a leather case. Some of the labels he couldn't read, half because they were faded, half because they were in Fallien. Those, though, he could recognize one word - the strange slashes meant poison. He'd had to learn that as a scribe - part of the list he'd been given so he'd know what type of things not to copy...

"Poisons?" He picked one of the vials up, turned it over in his hand, head tilted. Hemlock. He almost dropped the vial, catching it before it could crash into the others. He didn't know if that was important; but as such he didn't want to risk it. His chains jangled, but the guards were used to that.

"Yes, poisons." There was no room for apology in her voice. She took the vial away from him, set it in the pack carefully. "I am an assassin, Cael. I can't just tickle them to death." She sighed, shaking her head, as he tried to rearrange his mental schema. Knowing someone was an assassin and seeing the tools of the trade were two separate things. She smiled at him when she saw his stare, taking his hand again. "It's safe though. Mostly."

"Mostly," he repeated, shivering just a bit. He heard a voice echo down the hall and gave Skyler a gentle shove towards the cot. She was already moving, steps sure and quiet and covered by the sound of the chains. He followed after, watching the shadows dance until Skyler returned to her place, curled up next to the wall. He took the blanket, threw it over her, and then lay down himself, tugging the blanket into place just as the new guard marched past the bars.

"Yeah, he ain't really moved since the cap'n left," the old guard's voice echoed down the hall. "There's coffee 'round the corner if you get bored."

"Alright." The new guard was right outside the bars; Cael could feel his eyes through the blanket. He kept his eyes on Skyler, torn somewhere between terror and laughter. She was holding her breath, and his hands, and she didn't breath until the guard's booted footsteps sounded down the hall once again.

Cael breathed a sigh of relief, feeling his hands quiver. Skyler just grinned. "Get some sleep," she whispered, letting go of one hand to brush his lank hair out of his eyes. "We'll get out sooner that way. I promise."

"I'll try." He whispered back, already feeling his eyes flutter. He curled up as best he could, resting his head on his free arm, feeling the hard cot rubbing his hip and shoulder, but unable to be bothered by it right now. "G'night, Skyler..." he said, yawning as he finally let his eyes fall closed. "Sleep tight..."

He may have had no plans to sleep, but he soon drifted off anyways, into something deep and, as far as he remembered later, dreamless.

[skyler manfield]

Great, now he’s going to think I’m a baby for crying - like I even have a right to. He’s the one who deserves to be upset. But he didn’t even seem to notice. Skyler wondered if he was upset with her - she wouldn’t blame him at all if he was. She’d been a coward, afraid of the place, knowing how terrible it was and knowing that if she were caught she wouldn’t make it out alive this time. But what had it cost Cael? Entirely too much, and she would never forgive herself for it. It didn’t seem he would be able to either.

He just sat there carving angry designs in the cheese, and Skyler tried to keep her face turned away from him, feeling as bad for crying as she did for what had happened to him while she whiled away the hours in a warm house with good food and the company of her most trusted friend. It hadn’t seemed like her problem at the time, but now it felt like the weight of it would crush her.

When he finally spoke, it wasn’t in anger, or to question how she could be so selfish, or to tell her what a terrible person she was and a coward. There was something akin to acceptance, forgiveness in his voice, and it somehow only spurred on more tears. How could he not hate her? Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to swallow a sob, and choked on it instead.

And then somehow his arm was around her, his lips on her head, and he was begging her not to cry as he pulled her into his lap. He was warm, and his rail thin body wrapped around hers almost protectively, his arms closed against her as she tried not to let the sobs shake her apart. Guilt was overwhelming and sorrow that she had let him down - if she’d have known him before, she would never have hesitated. She rested her head against his shoulder, her wet cheek against his neck, wishing that after they were free of this place, they could do this without the guilt and fear and pain that seemed to surround them just a little more every day they were in the cell. His tattered shirt was rough against her skin, and she could feel his heart trying to outpace her own racing beat; it all made the situation that much more real.

She was barely hearing him as he spoke about their escape, but she caught the directions, and that once to the certain floor and room, he could get them out - how she didn’t know, but obviously he had his own secrets hidden up those tattered sleeves. As he set the small crane down before her, she lifted her head from his shoulder, taking the tiny folded paper wonder in her hand and stared at it with something akin to amazement. She’d never seen anything like it before - it was so lovely and perfect. The tears were forgotten for the moment as she turned it in her hands, as though inspecting his handiwork.

Then they had to rush, because the shift change was upon them. She began to gather the food, the flask, and the knife, because even though she could make the guards ignore her, she was pretty sure they’d notice a hunk of cheese and leftover apple. Cael grabbed her backpack before she could, and pulled out the leather case that held her poisons, opening it even as she objected.

It wasn’t as if he didn’t know she was an assassin, but she felt the need to explain herself. He acted surprised though, and she cocked her head to one side, her eyebrows drawing together and a smile curling the edge of her mouth.

“Poisons?� he asked as if he didn’t believe the words etched on the bottles, almost dropping the bottle of Hemlock, causing her to flinch - if he got that much on his hands, it would be enough to kill him in just a few hours. She sighed, replacing the vial and carefully packing the case away into her bag.

“Yes, poisons,� Skyler replied, trying her best not to sound exasperated, “I am an assassin Cael, I can’t just tickle them to death. It’s safe though, mostly.�

That wasn’t very reassuring, she knew that, and he commented on it, but what was she supposed to do, lie to him? Some of those poisons were fatal, some just highly toxic but only to the point of major discomfort or hallucinations. Hawk’s buddy, Fox, had given her the vials as a means of disabling guards should she need to. She honestly hoped she didn’t have to, it wasn’t part of the mission, and she didn’t like leaving trails of bodies behind her - it made her feel like a cold-blooded murderer, rather than a highly trained assassin.

She jumped as the guards came closer, and Cael pushed her toward the cot, where she dumped the backpack and laid down quietly, Cael following right after her and throwing the blanket over them both. They needed sleep, and her eyes were gritty from crying and going so long without rest. Her mouth still tasted of the salt of tears.

They settled down, the guards barely even looking into the cell, and both of them, face to face, hands clasped together, fell asleep. She was warm, and her body relaxed, her forehead resting lightly against Cael’s shoulder as they curled against each other. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she didn’t have nightmares, and she didn’t even sleep with one ear open.

She would wish she had though.

A rough hand grabbed her by the hair, followed by another, snatching her up by the neck and dragging her over Cael and off the cot. As she started to struggle, crying out angrily, the sting of a blade found her throat, pushing hard enough against the softness beneath her jaw that she felt the hot stickiness of her own blood escape down her neck. Clenching her teeth, the assassin froze.

“Thought I didn’t know she was here didn’t you?� Skyler shuddered, realizing in horror that it was Reznik who held her, “How did you like the show yesterday, girl? Did it get you hot?�

Skyler didn’t deign to respond to the bastard, only stared at Cael as he sat up with a horrified yelp. She wasn’t really afraid, just completely enraged. At least not until she felt the hardness of the captain’s arousal pressing against her, and his one hand move down to grasp her inner thigh to pull her closer to him. He leaned down to breathe against her neck, his teeth bared and nipping almost playfully on the side opposite the blade that still pressed hard against it. She wanted to gag, she wanted to scream, but the way he held her, she would only cause herself more harm than good, and then she’d never get Cael out of there.

“You really are stupid,� Reznik laughed, a sound that was more lustful than amused “Oh, Cael, the look on your face as I fucked you right in front of her. That was better than the gallows. I just want to thank you for playing along, I love my little gift here. I bet you she’s a tiger in the sack.�

Thrusting his hips against hers, Skyler cringed away from him, elbowing him in the gut. Or at least trying to. Instead, he spun her around faster than she could even think, his leering grin entirely too close to her face. Her back was against the bars now, and the point of the knife was dangerously close to her jugular. She knew he wouldn’t kill her. But that wasn’t really a comforting thought. His hand closed roughly on her breast, and then wandered lower, as he slid the blade along her throat, leaving a stinging trail of beaded blood where it passed.

“Cael,� she whispered, not really knowing what to do, her hands pushing at the captain’s shoulders without really making much difference to him. He was not a small man, and his feet were planted, his knee pushing between her legs as she tried to shove him away from her.

“No, no,� Reznik growled, grabbing her wrist and slamming it to her side against the cold of the steel bars, “My name is Reznik. You should get used to screaming it out, because we’re going to have quite a bit of fun. And your friend is going to get to watch from a lovely cage.�

She spat in his face, her grey eyes almost glowing with hatred as he held her there. Her stiletto was in the leather band at her thigh, but she couldn’t get to it. The torch glinted in Reznik’s eyes, turning them from green to gold, more beast-like than human.

“Does your mother know you’re such a perve? Did you rape her too?� she growled at him, jerking her knee upward in an attempt to knee him in the crotch. This only left him laughing as he jerked her away from the bars and shoved her against the cot, her head laying close to Cael’s hip, and Reznik’s face leering over hers. Why didn’t Cael do something? Her ears rang from the impact her head made as it slammed against the hard wood of the cot, and she held her breath.

Look in my bag Cael, there’s a knife in there, you can stab him … or me. Just do something…

[Inkfinger]

Cael awoke what felt, simultaneously, like days and mere moments after he fell asleep at the sound of Reznik’s voice, his heart in his throat and the sick realization that one of them should have stayed awake to watch after all. Skyler’s eyes were wide and panicked, and Cael didn’t blame her for one moment. He’d look exactly like that if Reznik had yanked him out of bed…he probably had, even, on several occasions.

Don’t panic, don’t panic, don’t…

Reznik’s words had the sickness creeping back into his gut, oily and black and so thick he could almost taste it in his throat. He’d know. The bastard had known that Skyler was there – which meant there was same dark reason that he was back so soon. He barely heard Skyler’s whisper through the roar of overwhelming fear in his ears.

It took Skyler spitting in the captain’s face to snap him even partially out of it. Reznik simply wiped his face on his sleeve, still grinning broadly, though he spoke to Cael instead of answering Skyler’s defiant questions. “You sure know how to pick them, Cael. She’ll be a good replacement. Means I don’t have to go out hunting for a new whore once you’re all bled out and buried…�

There was something bone-chilling about seeing his situation from another point of view; something that left Cael shaking on the cot, the thin scratchy blanket clutched between his trembling hands. Reznik’s hands were wandering, just like always, but his tone was conversational, laced through and through with the desire that seemed to fuel his every move.

“Don’t know why you let him touch you,� he said to Skyler as his hand trailed back down her thigh. Cael tried to drag his eyes away, tried to move, but fear pinned him in place, an insect trapped in the amber of horrified terror. “Has he even told you all the things he’s done? Hell, he’s been ridden more than the village mule. I can’t even begin to tell you where all his mouth has been…�

He brushed his thumb over Skyler’s cheek, bending down to purr in her ear, though his jealousy-green eyes were fixed, mockingly, on Cael. “But I can tell you he’s damn good at what I make him do. Pity you won’t get a chance to try him out.� He stood a little straighter, the blade of his knife still tracing against her jaw, leaving delicate red lines in its wake. “He was more fun at the beginning, though. He used to howl so loud you’d’ve thought we were branding him. We weren’t, though. That came later…� His tongue crept out to brush her skin, laving the blood off her neck before he kissed the incision with all the delicacy of a true lover. “Bet you’ll howl all pretty for me, my tiger.�

Cael fianlly gathered the shattered remnants of his courage, glowering at their tormentor with all the rage he could muster. “G-get your fi-filthy hands off h-�

He didn’t even get a chance to finish his sentence before Reznik backhanded him, slamming his head into the stonework. Stars exploded behind his eyes, and he was helpless to resist as Reznik yanked him, one-handed, off the cot. The movement sent him sprawling in a pained tangle of limbs and chain, and he choked back a hoarse yell of desperate frustration. No one would come, if he yelled. They were used to him yelling, after all.

Reznik pinned Skyler to the bed with one knee in the small of her back, the knife still perilously close to her neck. He hooked one strong hand through the backpack’s straps, and flung it at Cael’s head. Cael barely ducked out of the way, catching the stinging slap of a buckle across his cheek in the process. Reznik let out a bark of laughter, turning back to his struggling quarry.

“You know the best thing, Ricci? I don’t have to account for her. The clergy, the church, they don’t know she’s down here. Unlike you, I don’t have to give them her body, or a record of her death…� The knife blade slid down across her shoulder, splitting the sleeve of her shirt. “I can do whatever the hells I feel like to her and no one is ever gonna know.�

Cael felt a rush of cold rage leak into his stomach, slowly creep up his spine. The captain meant every word he said, every hateful syllable. No one checked his quarters – Cael himself had spent a week in them, a week he’d be trying to forget for the rest of his life, and no one had noticed. No one had said anything. The captain could do whatever he wanted, and he’d get away with it. Every poisonous idea…

Wait. Poison. He said no one would know but me…he probably sent the other guard away, if he knew she was here…no one will find him…if…

Cael fought to shake off his dizziness, reaching out to pull the discarded pack to him, trying to be as silent as he could. Reznik was too busy gently cutting Skyler’s shirt to shreds that just about matched Cael’s to spare a glance for the inkmage. Cael prayed for him to remain distracted, digging through the pack wildly. The small case he’d just looked at was now buried in the rest of the bag’s contents, including the cheese knife. He grabbed the case, risking a glance at the one-sided fight on mere feet away.

Reznik was still taunting Skyler, his voice so low that Cael could barely hear it beneath the buzzing of his bad ear; but he could hear just enough to feel disproportionately relieved that he couldn’t hear the rest. The case snapped open in his hand, and he pulled the only poison he could recognize out of the neatly sorted vials. He unscrewed the cap, and took a deep breath, holding the vial carefully.

"I said get off!"

Reznik didn't even look his way when he answered, lazily, "No, Cael, see, that's what I'm aiming to do..." He laughed at his own joke. Cael almost gagged.

It took all his will power to lunge for his tormentor instead of -as he felt like doing- retreating, cringing, to the corner. He dropped the knife on the bed, sliding it as close to Skyler’s hand as he could manage – she would know how to use it far better than he would – and crashed into the guard’s side. It was not entirely unlike slamming into a brick wall – Reznik easily had several inches on Cael, and probably a good hundred pounds, all of it muscle. The captain let out a startled grunt, but spun to take a swing at his smaller attacker.

He got a fistful of chain and a faceful of powdered hemlock for his trouble. Cael almost would have laughed at the shock in the captain's eyes, if not for the rest of the powder cascading over Reznik’s shoulder and drifting, like malevolent snow, onto Skyler’s face. The assassin swiped at the powder with her ruined shirt sleeve, but didn’t seem to focus on it. She moved, instead, with all the grace of the tiger Reznik had named her, driving the dropped knife into Reznik’s lower back just as the captain freed himself from the tangle of his would-be victim’s chains. Her other hand held a stiletto – the thin blade soon joined the first.

The captain didn’t scream, didn’t yell. He simply let out a choked gasp of pain, one hand going for his back as his legs seemed to buckle. Cael ducked under the knife in his other hand, snatching one of the shreds of cloth left discarded on the cot and shoving it into Reznik’s mouth before he could scream. His ankle chain yanked Reznik’s feet out from under him as the guard staggered backwards; the motion almost dragged Cael back to the floor. His sore muscles, strained already, added a cacophony of pain, begging him to just collapse.

He couldn’t stop now.

He staggered, shaky-legged, to the pack, retrieving the water flask from within. He paused a moment, and grabbed the whiskey flask as well. He didn’t know, exactly, how strong the poison smudged over Skyler’s pale face was, and he had no desire to find out. She turned just as he splashed some of the water - letting the water drip onto the cot and the floor, but not onto her clothing. It collected in a small puddle on the cruddy stone, a miniature pond that spread towards Reznik with every drip. Cael extended a sleeve, offering her the worn cotton to dry herself off. She shoved his hand away, brusquely, but not unkindly.

"Don't touch me."

"Skyl-"

"No, you goof, it's not..." She gave another short, exasperated sigh. "I don't want you getting poisoned too." She scrubbed her face off, then took the flask, splashing her face with more of the clean liquid. "I'm just hoping..." She looked at him, a strained grin on her face. "I'm hoping we get out of here before either of us completely collapse. Now. Get moving!"

[skyler manfield]

Skyler made a concerted effort to ignore the lecherous words being whispered in her ear, concentrating on holding perfectly still and remaining as silent as possible, even as Reznik’s knee crushed into her spine, her ribs creaking against the cot under his weight. She absolutely refused to scream, cry out, or in any other way react to the captain’s disgusting ministrations. It would only increase his arousal, and that was the last thing she wanted. Biting her lip, she focused on the splintered wood beneath her cheek, the reflection of the torch’s glow on the glistening grime of the back wall of the cell.

Being so detached proved to be a mistake. She heard Cael yell at Reznik, but she was not expecting the shower of powdered Hemlock that dusted her face, and she gasped in surprise, coughing and rubbing her tattered sleeve over her face as Reznik staggered back. It would have to wait though, the poison wouldn’t affect her immediately, and that meant neither would it affect Reznik quickly either. With practiced ease, and the captain’s weight removed from her, she quickly spun, paring knife in one hand and stiletto in the other, driving one and then the other blade into Rez’s left kidney. Her smile was grim as she met his green eyes - he couldn’t even cry out, the powder that he’d inhaled leaving him coughing fitfully and gasping for breath.

Cael managed to get the man to the ground, and stuffed one of the strips of cloth Reznik had removed from her shirt into the captain’s mouth. Skyler stood, stiletto dripping blood - the paring knife still stuck out of Reznik’s back - and tried to stop herself from shaking, her mind still detached from the world around her. A splash of water in her face brought her to herself though, and as Cael reached forward to wipe the remains of the hemlock from her face, she shook her head violently and pushed him away, stepping back quickly.

“Don’t touch me!� her voice was urgent, and she was sure he thought it was a reaction to her close-call with Reznik, but she was already feeling light-headed, like the floor was about to drop out from under her - she didn’t need Cael to get the stuff all over him too. His face warped into a horrified grimace, and she sighed, shaking her head at him and rolling her eyes (bad idea, that made her extremely dizzy). “No you goof, I don’t want you getting poisoned too!�

Trying to do a thorough job of it, she splashed a bit more water on her face and scrubbed the remains of her sleeve over it again, hoping the rest was gone. The room spun a bit, and she quickly crouched to the ground, pulling out her lock pick and fumbling with Cael’s chains in an effort to cover her increasing vertigo. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, trying to still her shaking hands as she fiddled with the lock, finally clicking it open. She was able to open the others more quickly, and deliberately took the chains in her arms, dragging them over to Reznik who was writhing in pain. Skyler took great pleasure in fastening the manacles onto his wrists - what was even better was how tight they were, causing him to flinch and try to wriggle away as they pinched his skin. With a deceptive calm, Skyler leaned down, her lips very close to the captain’s ear.

“I want you to know, Lev Reznik,� she growled, “That not only are you dying for your sins, but your wife and children will soon join you in hell. Know that they will pay for what you have done here, and you will hear their screams as you burn.�

His eyes widened in disbelief, and the assassin smiled calmly at him as she rose, a rough laugh escaping her lips as his expression changed into one of horror at the realization that the girl was entirely serious. With a disgusted snort, she leveled a hard kick to his ribs, which sent him into another fit of coughing around the gag.

With a quick turn that left her head spinning, Skyler faced Cael and snatched her pack from his hands, grateful he’d packed it for her. Threading her arms through the straps, she settled it on her back, shrugging it into place. Glancing around the cell, she nodded, sure she had everything. She’d already slid the bloody stiletto into its home against her right thigh, and the paring knife still protruded from Reznik’s lower back.

The dancing of the torch against the stones of the small chamber outside the group of cells made Skyler want to vomit, but that was out of the question and the assassin gritted her teeth together in an effort to keep her rising gorge down. Lifting a finger to her lips, she nodded at Cael so he’d know he had to remain as quiet as possible. She hoped he was strong enough to make it out - for that matter, she hoped she was strong enough.

As they reached the doorway of the chamber, she grabbed what she assumed was Reznik’s coat from a hook next to the torch, and tossed it toward Cael, barely giving him a chance to get it on before she reached into the front of her shirt - which was rather worse for wear - pulling out the small packet that held the mirror chain. It was a much more delicate version of the heavy chain she’d just removed from Cael, and held a much more important purpose. She prayed it worked.

“Fox gave me this,� she murmured as she attached one end of the chain to her wrist, it’s glass encrusted steel links cool against her skin which was burning up and clammy with sweat, “It’s supposed to make it so that my ability is transferred to you - if I make myself so the guards can’t see me, they shouldn’t be able to see you either. It’s from Fallien.�

With a soft click, her shaking hands closed the other end around Cael’s thin wrist, and she rested her hand on his arm for a moment to steady herself. He frowned, looking at her with concern in his blue eyes, and she managed to smile at him.

“Let’s hope this works - if it doesn’t we’re in trouble,� she warned him, “Now let’s go before someone gets curious.�

Immersing herself into her ability, she took a deep breath and started up the stairway that lead to the outside world. It was much more difficult to maintain the illusion of invisibility with the hemlock in her system, and she had to concentrate very hard on what she was doing. Pausing on the first landing, she turned to Cael.

“I have to make sure I keep the guards from seeing or hearing us, and that’s going to take all my attention,� she explained in a low voice, hating to put more stress on him, but they’d never make it out if she didn’t, “You’ve got to keep an eye out and aim us in the right direction, I won’t be able to do it.�

She didn’t tell him it was because of the poison. It would just make him worry - let him think it was just a caveat of her skill, something that always happened when she tried to use her talent. Skyler didn’t have time for him to get all worried about her right now. She could get sick later. Cael nodded, and she turned away from him with an echoing nod, continuing up the stairs behind him now instead of in front of him, letting him lead the way out.

They went up three flights of stairs, and Skyler wanted to cry her body ached so bad. Her muscles kept spasming, and her skin was slick with sweat. With a light tug at Cael’s stolen coat, she motioned for him to wait as she turned and emptied her stomach onto the step below, hands braced on her knees as she violently retched. When she finally stood up, Cael’s eyes were filled with panic, and she shook her head, hoping he would just let it go.

“You alright?� he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. Skyler wiped her mouth, the bitter taste of hemlock and stomach acid burning her throat. She nodded and tried for a weak smile.

“I’m fine,� she lied, “It’s just my body getting rid of the poison. Keep going.�

She kept her eyes on his back, her right hand on the wall to keep herself upright, and her mind focused on making the two of them completely unremarkable. They passed by several guards, all heading downward toward the cell they’d just escaped, and each time they paused, pressing themselves into the wall and staring at each other as the guards moved by them without so much as a second glance. So far they had been very fortunate, and she hoped their luck would hold.

Finally, Cael paused, stepping into a small storeroom at the top of a set of stairs, and she followed him in. Her shirt was damp with sweat, and she leaned against the wall, closing her eyes. No longer was her heart racing. It had now slowed to a creeping pace and she felt like she was moving in slow motion through the world around her. It was becoming hard to breathe, each breath turning into something more like a gasp, wheezing loudly in her chest as she fought for air. She had no idea why they had stopped in this room, but she honestly didn’t care. Skyler was grateful for the chance to stop, her body slowly succumbing to the accidental poisoning. If she could just keep Cael hidden long enough to get him out of the prison, just keep breathing, keep walking, keep focusing enough to keep them from being noticed. She could just go to sleep after that, and maybe she’d be fine.

“Skyler!�

[Inkfinger]

Reznik’s greatcoat was too big, and almost too heavy, the rough wool abrading at the scabs and scars on his back. The coat’s skirt flapped around Cael’s shins, and the insignias gleamed in the torches’ light as they hurried past. It looked off, with dirty bare feet beneath, and Cael was infinitely glad for the mysterious chain shielding him from view.

Skyler was getting worse with almost every step. Cael could tell, for all she tried to hide it. She kept shivering and every time he looked back her skin gleamed, slick with a thin sheen of sweat. He only prayed that it would hold off long enough for him to get them out and get help. He couldn’t help but grimace at the entire situation: the fact that she was poisoned, the fact that Reznik had cut her shirt to ribbons, the fact that he had to wear Reznik’s coat now. It still smelled like the captain – cheap cigarettes, wine and animal confidence.

It was making him twitchy.

The itching tug of the portal wasn’t helping, either; sinking into his brain now that he was loose and could act on its impulses. It was calling him toward the room that held it, like a beacon or a lighthouse. Even now, three months after he’d had this unwanted ability foisted onto him, the sensation still felt alien.

But, on that note, I won’t question it now. So long as it gets us out, that’ll have to be enough.

He was drawn out of his thoughts when Skyler pulled him to a stop, losing the contents of her stomach. Cael winced in sympathy as he hugged the wall, feeling the vibrations of her heaving through the cool, smooth chain.

The poison wasn’t the best idea, his mind growled at him as he gently touched her shoulder. What else was I supposed to do? he shot back when she pushed away from the wall, calling on some reserve of strength that Cael was pretty sure he wouldn’t have if the tables were turned. Let Reznik molest her?

The voice went conspicuously silent.

Thought so.

He guided her into the storeroom, pretending not to notice the tremors for both their sakes, though he could hear her laboring for breath as if every inhalation hurt.

He’d been in this storeroom once before. It was little more than a glorified closet, the prisoners belongs kept together until they had served their time and were freed or, more often, executed. His leather knapsack hung in one far corner, next to his naginata and his ink-proof jacket. He reached out, carefully, the chain spreading as far as it could before he gently shifted his friend over. “Hang, on, just a tick….� He snagged the rough wood of the naginata, used it to drag the jacket and pack to him. “There we g-�

Skyler’s knees buckled as he turned back to her.

“Skyler!�

He dropped his burden, catching her half a second before she would have bashed her chin on the stone floor; though in her defense she was already starting to pick herself up by that time. “’m alright,� she mumbled, blinking at him. Cael hissed in a worried breath. Skyler’s eyes were fogged, unfocused. She looked at him for a second before she really looked at him. And the haze in them made his stomach clench again. He almost argued, almost insisted that no, she was most certainly not alright – but he shook his head at the last minute, holding out the jacket instead.

“Here. Put this on.�

She got it on, mostly, the chain gave them some difficulty when it came to the arm they were joined at. Cael simply draped the jacket over that shoulder, managing to cover the worst of her mangled shirt, and took her hand in his. Her skin was clammy and sweat-slicked, and he felt his own blood run cold.

Just hold on. We’re so close now.

“Only a few feet more, now. I promise.�

She didn’t really answer, but she straightened up through what looked like sheer force of will. Cael managed a small, proud smile despite their situation, though it faltered when he heard the panicked yell that rang up the stairs and leaked beneath the door.

“Damnit, I think they found the captain.�

Please let him be dead.

Skyler’s only response was an unintelligible mumble. Cael reached out and gently slapped her cheek with the backs of his fingers. Her eyes fluttered open, almost silver in the dimness. They tried to focus for a moment before fluttering closed again. “Stick with me,� he said quietly. She must have heard him, for she said something else in return, but it was too garbled and the yelling ate the words.

He took a deep breath, pulled the storeroom door back open again, and stepped out into the hall, half-dragging the assassin behind him. He could hear the calls and the pounding of feet on stone bouncing off the walls, but he forced himself not to pay any attention.

At least, now if they catch you, you’ll probably be shot where you stand…

The portal room was a mere ten feet down the hall, but it took what felt like an agonizing millennium to traverse the distance, Skyler rasping for breath with each step. He tried to keep his steps measured and slow, for her sake, but every instinct was yelling at him to run. He bit down on the urge, but kept his eyes on their goal, almost sobbing with relief when they finally reached the big wooden door.

It was unlocked, but it took all his strength to push it open with the one hand he had available. He almost lost his balance when the door finally gave, catching himself before he could drag Skyler off her shaky feet. He gave her a gentle shove into the room before he followed, pushing the door closed again. It closed easier than it had opened, leaving them in almost-darkness.

He fumbled in Reznik’s pocket for a moment, his sore fingers finally closing around a hard iron loop. The captain’s keyring. He pulled it out, shoved the key between his teeth, and felt around in his pack until he caught hold of a scrap of paper. He wrapped it around the key’s teeth, and slid both paper and key into the keyhole. The paper crinkled angrily as the key turned, but he could feel the hole jamming already.

He jerked the key from the lock, and glanced over at Skyler.

She was wavering so badly that he could see it even in the dimness, shaking and shivering with her head bowed. He fought the renewed urge to panic back into the shadowed recesses of his mind, slipping his arm beneath hers and heading for the portal.

“Almost there…�

The portal -half a ring of carved, milky white quartz, set here and there with clear stones that glittered like a dozen miniature stars - almost glowed in the dimness. Cael ignored the translucent light, reaching out to brush his fingers over the sigils etched on the outside, fighting the urge to hold his breath. Six seconds. That’s all he’d need. He brushed his hand against the coat, trying to scrub off some of the dirt.

“I’m hoping,� he said, forcing jocularity into his voice, “that this thing remembers me. Otherwise…� And, that simply, it wasn’t funny anymore. The portal had already let him down once before. If it happened again, they were both dead.

Skyler didn’t respond, listing against his side. There was something wrong with her heartbeat. The gentle thudding against his ribs was molasses slow, and as weak as a bird’s, and it shouldn’t feel like that, Cael knew. Not with all the stairs they’d gone up, not with everything that had gone on.

Something rattled the door knob, and his heart just about burst from his chest, clogging his throat. He took a deep gulp of air, and shoved his hand against the cold stone.

Six, five, four, three, two…

The portal flared to life the moment he hit one, white fire exploding to flicker and danced up and down the sigils carved in the stone, trailing between his fingers and up around his wrists, leaving an electric tingle behind. He almost laughed, but the doorknob rattled again. He simply grabbed Skyler’s shoulders and stepped into the fire, thinking hard as the universe seemed to blink out of existence around them.

Illamund fiefdoms, Cael thought in the place-between-times and the time-between-places, thinking of Ludvik's note. South, four days – or maybe five - Illamund fiefdoms… how far into the fiefdoms could they have got in four or five days... He tried to think of places with portals in that region, feeling every single gateway yelling at him. If he paid them too much mind, they’d never get out; if he picked the wrong one they could end up stranded hundreds of miles away from where he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, Ludvik and his friend would be.

Heivernok. The name came to him abruptly, and he thought it with all his strength, feeling that one location reach out and grab him-

-And, like that, they were out, standing outside a dull grey half-circle of stone, surrounded by charred wood and bent metal and the dark endless sky above. Heivernok’s ruined chapel. The place where it had all begun and ended, all those months ago.

Any other time, and he would have jumped right back into the portal. Any other time, he would have refused to stay in this place.

But any other time, he wouldn’t have had to deal with Skyler’s sudden dead weight pulling on his arm as the assassin collapsed face first onto the snow.