With a silent sigh of relief, he watched them continue down the street without glancing back at him. Cautiously, he began moving again. He felt a tug from the stone in his hand and changed his direction accordingly. This had been his problem for the past two days. Charm never seemed to rest. He always moved before Shade could close in and it was turning into an endless game of hide and seek. Unfortunately, from what the Fionaveir had told him of Charm, the rogue definitely had the upper hand at hiding.
He really only had two options that he could see. Either abandon caution and move swiftly or try to anticipate where Charm would move next and cut him off. Neither option was a good one. The city was crawling with Blights. Abandoning caution would likely get him killed, and anticipating Charm’s movements, from what he had seen so far, would be like guessing where a rain drop would fall. Muffling another curse, Shade scanned the horizon and tried to make a guess. At worst, he would be following a greater distance. At best, he would finally catch up with the rogue. From the direction the stone pulled him, Charm was either moving directly toward the fortress or into the noble district. Shade nearly groaned at the thought of trying to locate a master of stealth among the labyrinth of gardens in the noble district. The thought of trying to find him in an impregnable fortress filled with monsters was even less appealing, though. He idly tossed the idea of shifting to a bird around in his mind but dismissed it quickly. From what he had seen of the city, the Blights killed animals as freely as they did humans. He had yet to even see a rat in the city, which meant the scavenger work on the bodies in the city below had been done by the Blights themselves.
Shifting his feet slightly, he turned his gaze from the noble’s grand houses to the fortress and back again. Had he been Charm, the fortress was the last place he would want to be. Hell, for that matter, Eldagar was the last place he wanted to be. He hadn’t realized there was a threat, let alone a threat of this magnitude, before joining the Fionaveir. From what they had told him of the Blights, it was the whole of Sanctuary in danger.
“OK, then,” he whispered and pulled a gold coin from his pocket. “Let’s see if your god really listens, Jala,” He spoke out of habit. He knew better, but going from living in Sanctuary to being utterly alone in a city filled with hostile creatures was a harsh change. Right now he needed to hear another voice, even if it was his own. “Crowns, I go to the Fortress; phoenix, I go to the noble’s.” He mouthed the words more than spoke them, not letting a hint of noise carry on the wind. Flipping his hand quickly he let the coin rise a few inches and caught it flipping it back onto his other hand. He held it in place on the back of his hand, not wanting to know the results. Swallowing deeply, he slowly slid his hand back and stared down at the revealed crown. Well, either Charm is heading toward the fortress or Fortune wants me dead, he decided and slipped the coin back into his pocket.
He gazed in the direction the stone told him Charm was and then to the Fortress. If he moved quickly he could get there first. Leaning over the edge slightly he checked the street below and then stood slowly. It was empty for now. His eyes roved over the rooftops taking in low ledges and overhangings and mentally forming a map. With another quick nod he began moving, faster than before but not too fast to watch for danger. Thanks to his many excursions in Sanctuary as the commoner rogue, Chris, this was child’s play. The rooftops were relatively close together, making travel easy for now. As he grew closer to the fortress he would have to travel on the streets below, but for now he was fairly safe.
*
Charm was closing on the fortress quickly by the time Shade arrived. Shade kept one hand wrapped around the stone in his pocket and kept his senses on the rogue’s movements. He hadn’t crossed over the wall yet. He wanted to catch Charm on this side of it if he could. The rogue’s path shifted again and Shade once again changed his hiding location to intercept. This was the fourth time he had moved now and he was beginning to wonder if Charm was being chased. The rogue was moving much faster than he had expected him to and the changing path suggested he was trying to lose pursuers. His hand dropped reflexively to his side, ensuring his dagger was still there. While not as effective as a sword it was a cruel piece of steel. Besides, roof work and sneaking with a sword took more effort than it was generally worth. If you had stealth on your side, a dagger was more than enough to kill the average man. Of course these were Blights, not average men.
The path changed again and Shade moved quickly. Charm was close now. If he hesitated at all, the rogue would be over the wall before he could stop him. A flicker in a shadow ahead of him urged him to more speed. He was nearly to the rogue when a weight hit him heavy in the side, dropping him to one knee. Pain lanced through his ribs and he felt the gush of warm blood.
“Run, Charm, I’ll handle this one,” a girl’s voice hissed as pain tore through him again. Teeth sank deep into his shoulder and he tried to pull free.
“Wait, Charm, Lutheron sent me,” Shade gasped as he twisted, trying to get the child off of him. He tried to stand and his throbbing knee protested. The child’s claws tore through him again and fresh pain blossomed. He couldn’t see where she was. He could feel the agony she inflicted and knew by the weight she wasn’t large, but he couldn’t actually see her. It was like fighting a ghost, a ghost with very sharp claws and teeth. He wasn’t sure if the rogue had heard him but he didn’t dare yell. Already he was terrified the scent of his blood would draw more Blights. Twisting once again, he managed to pull away from the tearing ball of fury that was trying her best to kill him.
“Please, if you are protecting him, I’m here to help him,” he whispered quickly, hoping the Blight would listen. He couldn’t fathom why a Blight would be helping Charm but didn’t have the time to ponder it just now.
“Emily wait, look at his arm. He is Fionaveir.” The voice was male and sounded exhausted.