The Chase

Harim watched as two figures left the estate grounds. He couldn't make out who they were from his hiding place but he could see Rothox duck into the doorway from the balcony. Harim stealthy made his way along the wall using the tops of the trees as cover. He jumped off the wall towards a tree fifteen feet away. He reached it easily, his highly trained body making near impossible acrobatic feats seem simple for him. Finding purchase on the branch he quickly sprung from there to the roof of the building without breaking stride. Tip toeing across the roof to the same balcony Rothox had used.

Rothox saw the feet of who he assumed was Lord Jirax striking out from the other side of a large dark oak desk. Coming around the desk he saw the lord's head had been completely turned around. It required a lot of strength to break someone's neck in that way. He lay on his stomach with his soulless face looking at the ceiling. He crouched to inspect the body. A gentle thud from the balcony caught his attention. Drawing his dagger he tucked into the corner of the desk. The footfalls came closer, on the other side of his hiding place. He lunged and a hand came up catching his wrist as the point of the dagger hovered a hair's breadth from Harim.

"What are you doing here?" Rothox whispered as Harim relaxed his wrist.

"I could ask you the same." Harim's eyes fell on the dead body of Lord Jirax. Rothox followed his gaze. Harim studied Rothox to see if he would give anything away. "Did you kill him?"

Rothox maintained eye contact, "The other two beat me to it."

"Who is he?" Harim asked, as he moved to stand by the door, listening for any movement.

"Lord Jirax." There was a venom in his voice.

"I noticed the other figures leave, did you happen to see who they were?"

Rothox decided to keep that information to himself, "I didn't but they seemed to have been doing business together…" His eyes went back to Lord Jirax. "I guess it didn't go well."

"What business?" Harim glanced back before returning his attention to the hallway. No movement, yet.

"I heard them mention Dunlan and then a mine."

Harim stopped looking out the doorway to reply, "Hmm, seems we may be caught up in more than The Sultan let on."

"What do you mean...we?" Rothox asked.

"You and these strangers weren't the only ones that had…business with the Lord. We need to get to that mine before the killers."

"We should go then. The guards will come if they don't hear from their Lord soon," Rothox said. He was right, Harim could hear footsteps downstairs approaching.

"Too late." Harim left the door, heading back to the balcony. Rothox took one last look for anything useful; nothing.

Getting back onto the roof was easy for the two of them. Shouts from the study reached them as they dashed through the trees. The guards were now on high alert, swords drawn and crossbows loaded. Quickly and quietly, Rothox and Harim jumped to the wall. Unfortunately the last tree's branches rattled, alerting two nearby guards to their presence.

"Over here!" they shouted. "They are escaping through the trees!"

"Shit," Rothox swore before dropping off the wall onto the city streets. They began to run as the small private army of Lord Jirax gave chase.

The large walled estates of the Jade District made it difficult to find a place to lose those few guards who managed to keep up with them. Those that couldn't, turned down a different street, presumably going to get the Embers. The district began to narrow as they left the extravagance and reentered the normal city streets. Rothox, knowing the city, took them through twists and turns of narrow alleys, tight corridors and the occasional rooftop. It didn't take long to lose the guards but in doing so they were further from the cable car station.

They stopped to catch their breath. "The Embers will be looking for us now, the gondola will be watched. What's the plan?" Harim asked.

Rothox didn't answer, he just flipped his hood back on as it had fallen off while running. He focused on the magical hood. The fabric began to change, shrinking and changing his image into the non descript man from the day before. Harim pulled an item from a hidden pocket, whispered a few words under his breath and he too changed into someone else. Short brown hair, brown eyes and a simple, slightly tattered dark garb. Peeking out of the alley they rejoined the crowds and made their way to the canyon edge.

Harim was right, Ember's were stationed at the gondola with two guards from Lord Jirax's estate. With their disguises they managed to sneak past and board the lift towards the Tier. When they got to the Polished Inn a few Embers were talking with the private guards of the Dusk owned establishment. Quickly they slipped by and up towards their room.

The two got back to their estate room, grabbed their bags and spun around to face Alissa and Erigos coming out of their room, having heard the commotion.

"I'm sorry…" She said.

The two stopped, "What are you sorry for?" Rothox asked.

"Wait, why do you guys have your bags?" Erigos stepped closer.

"Umm, long story, tell you on the road?" Harim said. He stopped. "Wait, why are you sorry?"

Alissa held up the necklace, "This."

"What is that?" Harim walked over and reached out his hand, she gave the necklace to him.

"I took it from the museum, it's my fault the guards are on alert." As he examined it more closely she said, "It belonged to a General," She looked at Rothox. "The one that The Sultan mentioned."

"He knows too," Rothox shifted his pack.

Harim passed the necklace back to her, "Keep it safe, taking it may have somehow been the right thing to do."

Erigos moved in closer, they were hiding something, he could tell. "Where were you two? What's the hurry?"

"There might be a chance they think we…" Rothox began.

"...Murdered someone," Harim finished the sentence.

"WHAT!" Erigos yelled.

"We didn't…they only think we did," Rothox said.

"Why would they think that?"

"We were in the room after the actual killers left and the guards saw us leaving." Harim said nonchalantly while grabbing his bag and leaning against the door, listening. No footsteps in the hallway. He looked at the group, "Let's go?"

"You were in the room...Why were you in the room?" He looked back and forth between them.

Harim stared at Rothox, turning the attention to him, "Ask him."

"Do you want me to tell you my life story now or should we maybe get the hell out of this city first."

They all agreed it was time to go, the longer they waited the harder it would be to get out. Unlike Zarcum, this city didn't have secret tunnels. The floodplain above made it tricky to build escape tunnels on the northern side.

"When we are safe will you tell us why we are all in danger yet again?" Erigos asked. Rothox nodded.

"It's not only his fault, I did something bad too," Alissa said.

"Yes but it's not the same, the city guard won't be after you like they are them."

"Enough chatter, let's move." Harim opened the door and crept into the hallway. All but Erigos, once again disguised themselves into their various personifications. Rothox led them along the Tier keeping a watchful eye out for the right alley; it was the fifth one after the second waterfall. He counted to himself, one: two: three: four...and five. Between two large shops nestled a carved out narrow alley. Boxes of supplies and barrels placed neatly along the buildings. Rothox ducked into it. At the back of the alley was the rough stone of the canyon.

"Harim keep watch." Rothox placed his hand on the wall and traced a faint crack. It began to grow and the wall fizzled away revealing a hidden stairway in the rock.

"Guards approaching." Harim watched a group of guards going door to door, searching.

"Everyone hurry, the doorway will close shortly." Erigos ducked through first, followed by Alissa. "Harim lets go." He shoved past Rothox. He took one last look before the stairwell returned back into a simple rock wall. The guard's walked past just as it returned to normal.

The crack, a hundred feet long, was more of a gradual inclining tunnel with stairs periodically than an actual staircase. It finished in the middle of another alley in the Northern part of the city, the section built over the floodplains.

"How did you know about that?" Erigos looked back at the nearly invisible entrance. The rock overlapped in a way that made it almost impossible to see the passage. Rothox glanced back at him. "Right questions after we escape."

With Rothox's knowledge they were able to get out of the city. For the most part they managed to avoid detection through the streets, however just before the edge of the city they had to drop into the water below the streets to avoid the Embers at the gate. Once outside the borders and on the open road The three other's stopped and looked at Rothox, all their clothes damp and dripping slightly.

"Right, you want answers." Rothox went on to tell his friends about his past, his time in Meirgrand, his imprisonment and escape and finally the journey to Realt.