Xanthy glanced at Nyxis every now and then. Her heart twinged with that scowl etched on his face that she wasn't sure how to erase. Should she comment on how ugly he looked with that expression? She clenched her jaw. No. That would make him yammer on. That's something they couldn't afford now.

They stepped off the house, throwing Xanthy into the haze of how security lockdowns in Lanteglos looked like. Red coats, a characteristic of every Imperial soldier, zipped here and there, marching in platoons of twenty or more. Each bore either swords, spears, staffs, or portable crossbows that glinted against the afternoon sun. Then, with a grunt from Nyxis, they set off into the cobbled streets, aiming east for Ansevir, the first city in Dwanzeig that connected to Nanvera.

An hour later, Xanthy yanked her hood lower for the fifth time. Better be safe than sorry. Just a few distances more. She wrinkled her nose at the flowery smell the cloak clasped around her neck had. Wherever Nyxis procured these garments was another mystery she didn't want to know.

Xanthy trained her gaze at Nyxis's back as he led her past Nanvera's vast galleries and closed shops for trinkets and textiles. A similar cloak sat upon Nyxis's shoulders with its hood thrown up to cover his face as well. It showed off the human's strong shoulders. Blood rushed to Xanthy's cheeks. She shouldn't even be thinking of that at this moment and at this point in her life.

This part of Nanvera was more crowded with residential houses where the workers from the galleries and other shop owners lived. That also meant more red coats at every turn and alley. Still, it was better than the open squares in central Nanvera.

Xanthy fixed the arm that snaked around June's waist as she helped him hobble across the roads. Whatever Nyxis fed him earlier was enough to get him to his feet but not to have him running. June's breath tickled Xanthy's ear as she half-dragged, half-carried him across the street to follow Nyxis. He gave her a weak smile that immediately turned into a wince.

That became their pattern for a while—running, hiding, looking over corners, signaling each other to stop or go on ahead. Xanthy cursed. With her lugging June around, they moved like an old man. Her eyes widened as a real old man overtook them in one of the alleys they traversed, muttering about how slow Xanthy was.

Xanthy swallowed her sentiments against the old man. Yelling wouldn't help their cause. In fact, it would make things harder for them.

Nyxis's dark cloak swayed with the humid breeze as he tore through a narrow alley free of red coats. The musky air and the dust being stirred by the passing wind reminded Xanthy of the Commons all too well. It was neither a pleasant place nor a good memory.

At least then June was active enough to run on his own.

Xanthy got to where Nyxis was when the human's arm shot forward and flattened Xanthy against an ocher wall. The sound of boots hitting cobblestones and metal weapons clanking resounded from beyond the corner. Xanthy strained her ears as the voices floated and mixed with the wind.

"Ugh," one grunted. Male. "I can't believe I had to loan Adria my boot."

Xanthy inched past Nyxis and peered over the corner, herself. Five red coats. One slapped his companion on the back. "You'll get it back," he said to his comrade. A bar of white teeth flashed against the blackness of his helmet.

"If we emerge from this shift alive," the third red coat scratched a white-gloved hand against his neck. "Ashkov's going to have our heads if we don't produce anyone who might have killed the High Queen."

As if having one mind, all five shuddered. Xanthy almost joined them. The patrol's conversations faded into the distance as they disappeared deeper into another alley. Xanthy and Nyxis didn't move until the last traces of bright red coats disappeared completely.

Xanthy loosed a breath she didn't know she held. Nyxis peeked over their alley's corner and jerked his head at her. All clear. Xanthy grunted as she hefted June upright again. He groaned. Sweat already beaded on his brow. Queen's breeches. They didn't have much time and they still have a lot of ground to cover.

An hour. That's how long they have been weaving past red coats, darting through streets like a wild kephras. Xanthy glanced at June and noticed his eyes started drooping. He's close to passing out. Nyxis miscalculated. The human claimed that the effect of whatever potion he poured down June's throat lasted two hours.

Xanthy wiped against the sweat dripping from her own face. Dwanzeig. They only have to make it to Dwanzeig. She shook her head. Think about other things later. She whispered words of encouragement to June to keep moving. The half-blood answered in weak nods and half-hearted steps. She doubted he even knew what was going on.

Only a few people milled about in the streets, dressed in their strange uniforms dictated by the galleries they work in. Tourism never rests—that much Xanthy was sure of. There weren't going to be any tourists in the Imperial City after the High Queen's death, now, were there?

The one who did the act was the half-blood panting beside her.

Nyxis disappeared into a corner where a cart filled with stale bread was parked. Xanthy propped June against one strained shoulder and pocketed two or three loaves. Food for later! She patted Nyxis's shoulder when she caught up to him, ignoring the sharp glare he shot to the back of her head. Her eyes trained on a line where cobblestones met moist soil.

Her heart jumped at the sight of the mass of multicolored leaves and at the shadows of wild animals darting inside the forest. Dwanzeig. They're going to make it. They're—

"Halt!"

Xanthy froze at the command with one foot poised forward to take another step. Maybe the last one she needed to make it out of Lanteglos. She cast her gaze on Nyxis's form a few steps ahead. Rudik's buttcheeks. Must they be caught now?

"Turn around!" a deep masculine voice yelled.

Xanthy obeyed, slowly, as if doing so would actually save them. Her eyes landed on a mass of soldiers in red coats blocking any way of escape from where they came from. She gripped June closer to her. He was wise enough to not make any sound and just rested his head on her shoulder.

"State your business in crossing the border!" the one in the middle front of the horde yelled.

Xanthy pulled June's hood lower, hiding any sign of white hair from peeking out. It's a good thing they managed to save his cloak from when they fled the Imperial Palace. She cleared her dry, scratchy throat. "We're travelers, hoping to make it back to our cousins in Dwanzeig."

"Why are you wearing hoods?" another asked. Xanthy knitted her eyebrows. Where in this red sea of coats did that voice come from?

Xanthy cursed, keeping it under her breath. She lowered her own hood and angled her face away. "We are no one, sir," she said. "Let us pass."

Weapons clinked lightly. "You say you have family in Dwanzeig," the first soldier that spoke continued. "Prove it. Summon an animal or grow a plant or whatever."

Xanthy stiffened. A hand gripped her elbow and she felt Nyxis's presence by her shoulder. Don't do anything stupid was what Nyxis's posture seemed to be telling her. She rolled her eyes. Like she's ever going to. Of all the people in this alley, it's her who wanted to go to Dwanzeig badly.

"Must you need proof, sir?" Nyxis called to the assembled red coats. "Must you not believe in our word?"

"We must not," the soldier replied. "Especially when one of you spoke in Keijula and the other in Ylanenla. What kind of family teaches one tongue to another and a different one to the other?"

The man in the front who seemed to be the leader turned to his men. "Soldiers, we have ourselves a suspect!"

As one, the soldiers cheered and lunged.

Xanthy whirled to Nyxis as both of them turned and started running. "Can you cast that blind spell again?"

A string of colorful curses bled out of Nyxis's mouth as he raised a shield behind them. He rummaged inside his satchel just as the first spells slammed into his shield. "They have helmets, genius," he huffed. "Besides, I ran out of erphine. That is my last dose."

Xanthy blew the hair scattered in her face that obstructed her vision. "We do it the old-fashioned way, then."

Nyxis's eyes widened. "No, Xanthy—"

Too late. Xanthy summoned her magic to the surface. She raised her eyebrows at the warmth blazing in her veins as her magic answered her call. She disabled Nyxis's shield and fired the first spell that came to mind.

The earth cracked and shook. Xanthy almost lost her hold of June. Nyxis cursed audibly. The soldiers yelped and flailed as the surface they're standing on buckled and danced. Some fell face forward or stumbled into their comrades. That should keep them busy.

"Come on!" Xanthy turned back to Nyxis whose mouth opened and closed like a fish out of the water. "We will be safe at the border."

Nyxis only nodded at her with his lips pressed into a thin line. Together, they turned and ran for the forest as their only salvation.