There's a sharp bite to the night air. Shadows dance across the pavement of the narrow alley. Casting an opalescent glow against the high walls of the crumbling building, the street lanterns provide much more light than those in the forge, or even Veymaw.

The comparisons paint themselves in my mind no matter how much I try to focus on the given task. Where the forge is all shadows and fog, Portson is all lights. Compared to unpaved streets and trodden paths in Veymaw, Portson streets look recently paved, pressed to perfection.

I look down at myself. The blue smock Lei nicked from their earlier escapades fits in a lumpy fashion, my weapons belt creating bulk around my midsection. It reminds me of the dresses Cadence used to wear when we were younger. And, despite the fact that I grew up in dresses, after wearing trousers for so long it feels strange to have the material swish at my ankles. Restricting, even.

But I have no choice. In Portson, black clothes concealing my face won't help me to blend in and keep my identity hidden like they did in the forge. They would make me stick out.

That makes what we're doing even more difficult.

The seaside town is anything but sleepy, even after the sun has descended. Signs of the cloud that ravaged the town and wiped out the deserters less than a year ago are no longer visible. Do the inhabitants know what it truly was that cursed their town? Or do they believe it to be a simple storm, like we did in Veymaw?

The streets bustle, storefronts remain open, workers hollering at passerbys as they move through the street. Every step seems purposeful. Fliers stamped to signposts signalling the evenings celebration festival are to be blamed for the business, I assume. But there's no time to stop and read the fine details. The celebration parade is a blessing and a curse.

On one hand, everybody is too busy to notice the two strangers sneaking through the crowds. On the other, security is at an all time high.

I keep my head trained to the ground, only glancing up every couple of seconds to keep sight of Killian moving through the crowd. He isn't hard to spot. Even in his commoner clothing, he sticks out like a sore thumb. Taller than most of the crowd, his angular features attract they eyes of many passerbys.

Good. It means they aren't looking at me.

There's no way of knowing if news of me has reached all the way to Portson yet. Cadence mentioned there was a bounty on me, but Ereon expected I'd return to Veymaw. He'd have no reason to believe I'd go anywhere near Portson. There'd be no need to send word for me here, and so far, nobody has taken a second glance.

I cast my eyes above the heads of the crowd, searching for Lei and Casimir atop the rooves. Only the billowing smoke puffing from chimneys fills the night air. But I don't dare let that fool me. They're out there, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, watching over us as we move through the crowd like the current of a quick flowing mirror.

The knowledge comforts me.

Ereon may have eyes on the streets but we have eyes from above. If something is wrong, if we're walking into a trap, they'll know. And soon after, Killian will too. He hasn't stopped moving yet, which means all is clear.

Our target looms ahead--the town hall Casimir and I spied earlier, heavily guarded. And for one reason--it's home to weapons. Guns. Those that Ereon outlawed years ago when they were laced with silver. But if we're going up against hundreds of shifters infected with the evocian, we're going to need every bit of help we can get.

The building towers over the rest of the town, the townhall decorated with a large, metal sculpture of a closed eye attached to the turret. It's a vision of deceit. They're watching. They always are. On the doorstep, a woman loiters, clothed in a maroon smock, her hand seemingly casually resting against her side. But her watchful gaze over the crowd gives her away.

She is no commoner.

As her eyes gaze over the crowd once more, I cast mine down. Something tugs on my arm. I jolt, continuing forward, but it halts me. I glance down. A little boy has got a hold of my sleeve. His eyes are rimmed red, clothes dirtied as he pouts at me, holding out a flag.

"Flag, miss?" His accent makes the s's sound more pronounced.

I force a smile, trying to brush him off. "No thanks," I say, trying to mimic the sound.

He doesn't let go of my sleeve. The crowd bumps us from all directions as we disrupt the flow of movement. "Only one silver," he says, begging now. "You'll surely want something to fly when the King comes through soon."

"I don't have any--" My sentence cuts off halfway as his words register. "Did you say the King?"

The boy nods, a small frown settling on his face. "I'll give you two for the price of one."

His words barely make a noise. The screaming in my head is too overpowering. The King. Here. In Portson. "Excuse me." I brush him off, tugging my hand from his grip and shoving faster through the crowd, trying to catch up to Killian. The villagers scowl at me and I slow my movement, taking a deep breath to calm my racing heart.

I can't panic. I can't draw more attention to myself.

We're only metres from the townhall when I reach Killian, falling into step beside him. He doesn't turn to look at me.

"You're supposed to stay behind me," he says, voice a mere whisper. If I hadn't known he was talking to me, I would barely notice.

"The parade," I breathe, my chest rising and falling. "It's for the King. He's here. In Portson."

Killian doesn't say anything. If this shocks him, he does not show it. His steps are calm and calculated, not rushed by panic nor fear like my own. I try to match his stride. "Well then," he says eventually, voice deathly calm. "I guess we'd better hurry."

We reach the rim of the fountain that leads to the staircase to the townhall. Turning to me, Killian's body shields me from view of the building. "Go wait in the alley, out of sight."

"What? That wasn't the plan--"

"Ereon being here wasn't the plan, either. If he's here, that means his guards are on the look out for you. Nobody can see you." He pauses, as if waiting for another protest. "Wait here. Lei and Casimir will keep an eye out from above."

"You can't go in there alone."

He meets my eye. "I need you to trust me. Just this once."

I look at him. Trust him. After everything he's done. But my body betrays me, because I nod before I can think twice. Killian puts a hand on my arm, squeezes, and in a blink, he's gone.

Before I can take a step, the crowd surges sideways, creating a clear path through the street. A trumpet call dances through the town. I continue to take small, inconspicuous steps backwards into the shadows of the alleyway leading off the townhall. Shrouded in shadows, I allow myself to peek over the heads.

My stomach tightens as a parade of Palace guards marches through the cleared pathway, their expression stoic and cold. The crowds bordering the edges of the street cheer despite the unfriendly manner. In their wake, a carriage rolls into sight in the distance.

The villagers, accordingly untainted by Ereon's cruelty, cheer louder, waving fliers and flags on the sides of the streets. The carriage inches closer, finally stopping at the foot of the fountain as a short haired woman steps out.

"Please kneel for your King."

The entire village kneels. My heart hammers as I stumble backwards into the alleway, trying to escape the view of the soldiers. Something, someone obstructs my path.

"Sorry," I mumble, righting myself and trying ot sidestep them. But they grab my arm, swinging me around.

"Watch your step." Our eyes meet, my heart skipping. It's the shifter guard disguised as a commoner.

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

I duck my head, trying to pull away. Her grip only tightens.

"Hey..." She tilts her head sideways, eyes pulling me apart. "Don't I know you--"

Her eyes roll to the back of her head, body falling limp at my feet. Behind her, Lei stands with a rock raised in the air. "We need to get out of here and to the boat. Now."

"But Killian--"

"Alice?" A man rounds the side of the building, halting almost immediately as his eyes rest of me and Lei. Then, they drop to the woman on the floor, back up to me. "Cloud Piercer."

Lei and I meet eyes for a split second before she tugs so forcefully on my arm the socket aches. I shove the pain away, tearing after Lei through the crowd, trying not to stumble on the trailing fabric around my ankles. The crowd shouts in our wake, the Palace guards catching on to the commotion. It doesn't matter. Being inconspicuous will pay us no advantage now. Now, speed is our best friend.

"It's her!" A voice calls. "The cloud piercer! She's here!"

My breath is ragged and raspy as we sprint through the streets, ducking under knocked over stalls and navigating through the thick cloud. I glance over my shoulder; it only propels me to go faster. The guards are right on our tail.

The ocean beckons us, rough waves smashing over the cobblestoned barrier and wooden pillars of the pier stretching out. It's the first time I catch sight of the ship we're expected to leave from, loosely attached to the dock.

Atop the deck, Juem waits, eyes widening as he sees us approaching, immediately moving to loosen the ropes.

"Stop them immediately!"

The voice chills me to the bone, the memory of it bringing me back to the Palace. Ereon. It propels me faster. Ahead of us, Casimir drops down from a roof to land on the pier, easily manouvering a guard blocking the path and swiping their legs from beneath them so they fall into the water below.

He leaps from the edge of the pier onto the hull of the ship, turning to face us, panic in his expression as he eyes the guards on our tail.

The sails ripple in the rising winds. The ship pushes off the pier, slowly drifting further away. Our feet pound against the ground as the earth transitions from stone to the wood of the pier.

"Jump!" Lei shouts at me. "We have to jump!"

"What?"

The ship is drifting further from the pier. Lei doesn't hesitate, running full speed right to the end of the pier before throwing her body across the gap. I skid to a stop, my heart pounding as she manages to latch onto the railing, Juem hauling her over.

Lei barely made the leap.

I stare at the gap between the boat and me, making eyes contact with Casimir. The waves slosh around the wooden legs of the pier. I've swum before, all summer in the lake, but never in tidal, rough conditions.

I glance over my shoulder. There's nowhere else to go. The guards have made their way to the end of the pier.

Taking a shaky breath, I take several steps backwards, giving myself enough room to run. Casimir meets my eyes, darting his own to the sea below. "Freya, don't!" he screams. "I'll come--"

The rest of his sentence is cut off by the rushing wind as I sprint full force to the end of the pier. Wind rushes through my hair, slashes against my arms. I'm about to throw myself off the end of a wooden structure over an ocean I'm not sure I'll be able to swim against.

But I don't get that far.

Something latches onto my legs, wrapping around my ankles and sending me scattering face first into the wooden ground. A strangled scream escapes my throat, pain blossoming from my cheek as it grazes the ground. My body stops just short of the edge.

I try to get up, but my ankles are bound together. As I shoot my gaze down, I see the thick, brown chord wrapped around my ankles, restricting me of movements. My head pounds with alarm.

In the background, Casimir's shouting fills the air, but I can't make out his words. The ocean nor the wind frightens me. Because the man walking down the pier, calculated and slow steps, is far more terrifying.

Flanked by guards, Ereon stops several feet away, not bothering to come closer to restrain me. I lie helpless on the ground, tyring to untangle my feet, but its no use.

Ereon smiles. "Nowhere to run, Freya."