Kaelen tracked the girl like he would track prey in the days of old, when he was still hunting in the Royal Forest.

  To the girl’s credit, she moved like someone who’d learned early on that straight lines got you caught. She doubled back, hopped fences, slipped through courtyards, and used crowds the way a fish used water.

  Kaelen followed at a distance, sometimes in the shadows, sometimes lost in the sea of other people, ignoring the occasional pulse of pain in his side whenever he considered simply ending the chase with brute force.

  He could have summoned a hellhound and had it sniff her out in minutes. He could have set up a [Shadow Net] across three districts and waited. He could have done a hundred things. He did none of them.

  The city was already tense, the alarms had made sure of that. Patrols were moving in packs, making him rely less and less on [Shadow Walk]. Lantern-wards hung on corners like watchful eyes.

  Kaelen didn’t know the full extent of modern detection systems, and he didn’t intend to learn it the hard way, so he did the tedious thing. He walked.

  The girl’s lair turned out to be a hole in the city’s ribs. She slipped into an abandoned service passage behind a row of warehouses. Kaelen waited until a cart rolled by, then followed. The passage narrowed into an alley, then into a cracked stairwell that descended into darkness.

  His nose was attacked by the smell of abject poverty. Old brick, rusted iron, damp stone, spoiled grain. Still, Kaelen descended without hesitation. If it was a trap, it was a poor one.

  At the bottom was a door reinforced with two planks and a chain. Someone had drawn a crude symbol on it in yellow chalk. A hand holding a sword. It meant nothing to Kaelen, but it might have meant “go away” to anyone else.

  He knocked in an irregular pattern, as a conspirator would, then dove into the shadows again with [Shadow Walk].

  There was a pause, then a rustle, followed by a click. The chain slid. The door opened a hand’s width, and a sliver of the familiar face appeared. This was all the space Kaelen needed. He slipped inside the room like a gust of wind.

  The room was small, low-ceilinged, and full of junk. Crates stacked as shelves. Old cloth draped over a beam to make a curtain. A thin mattress on the floor. A little brazier with a kettle. Hooks on the wall holding pouches, belts, and dozens of sets of different keys.

  The book was nowhere to be found.

  When the girl, having detected no one outside, walked to the center of her room, Kaelen emerged from the shadows behind her, cutting her only means of escape. The girl must have possessed the senses of an alley cat, as she immediately turned to face him. Something glinted in her hand. A small curved blade.

  “Who in the seven—” she swore, but as soon as she saw Kaelen’s face, she hid her blade within her sleeve and put on the most innocent expression. If Kaelen hadn’t seen her try to rob him not one hour ago, he would’ve believed she was just a kid.

  “Good evenin’,” she said, voice suddenly sweet. “You lost, my good man?”

  Kaelen checked the door behind him to make sure it was locked and took his time turning around. “You are a good liar and an even better thief,” he said, crossing his arms. “Such a shame you had to misuse both of your talents on the wrong man.”

  “I ain’t got an idea what yer talkin’ about, my good man,” the girl said and blinked a few times. Realizing that Kaelen wasn’t buying her act, she immediately scoffed. “Awright, awright. So I robbed ya. Big stinkin’ deal. It’s a victimless crime, innit?”

  Kaelen wondered. Every word she uttered sounded like it had been chewed halfway before speaking.

  “Now,” Kaelen said in the most bored tone, “whatever shall I do with a little thief with no manners?”

  “Judgin’ by your performance in th’alleyway,” the girl said with a wide grin, “I say ya ain’t gonna touch me.”

  “Oh?” It was Kaelen’s turn to feign ignorance. “How’d you figure that?”

  “I don’t know whether yer magic’s all outta whack or somethin’,” she said, voice casual. “All I know is ya ain’t gonna lay a finger on me. Ya simply can’t.”

  , Kaelen thought.

  “I need not do anything myself,” he said, patient as a teacher explaining a subject to a slow student. “You’ve seen the things I can summon with a snap of my fingers.”

  Jade’s grin didn’t falter. “And risk ’nother city alarm?” she laughed. “No, I think not. The city guards will have some questions for ya.”

  “I will be long gone before they get here,” Kaelen said calmly. “All they will find is a charred little corpse with a stupid smirk on its cute little face.”

  That got her attention, at least. “Yer bluffin’, my good man.”

  “Am I?” Kaelen smiled just as wide as she did before. “You tell me.”

  The girl looked at him. Though she had a flat expression, Kaelen knew that she was internally weighing the options – and once she understood that he wasn’t bluffing, she must have counted to ten to calm down and collect her thoughts.

  The girl blinked to mask her fear. “Did anybody tell ya yer a sore loser?”

  Kaelen exhaled through his nose. “And did anyone tell you that you are too confident for your size?” Before the girl could respond, he added, “Enough! I did not come here to trade insults. I want what’s mine. Now.” He held out his hand.

  Jade hesitated, then reached into a secret trap door under her mattress and pulled out the thick tome she’d stolen. Kaelen took it and slid it into his [Inventory].

  “There ya go,” the girl sniffed. Returning stolen goods must have been a novel feeling for her. “Not like I needed it, anyway. Books ain’t worth shit.”

  “Language, young lady. It’s not its monetary value that interests me, but the knowledge inside.”

  The girl supplied no answer, so Kaelen bowed and turned to leave. Were he still an emperor, thieves like her would be short a hand or two. Once he was back in power, perhaps he should start with this little wretch, but for now, he had more pressing concerns. The girl had wasted too much of his precious time already.

  The thief cleared her throat. “An’ where’dja think yer goin’?”

  , Kaelen almost said, though the girl didn’t need to know that. “Out of this city. The rest does not concern you.”

  “My good man,” the girl said, leaning against a crate, “yer really jelly-headed or somethin’? The city’s locked down. There’s them border guards at every entry point.”

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  Kaelen exhaled loudly. Why did he feel the need to explain himself to a child? If only he could kill her, that would make things so much simpler. “This won’t be a problem. I can [Shadow Walk].”

  The girl opened her mouth, but before she got a chance to mock him again, Kaelen merged with a shadow in the corner of the room. A moment later, he appeared behind the thief, startling her.

  “Nice trick fer a circus freak,” she said, trying to recover her swagger. “The border guards won’t be as amused. Them boys got themselves a pack of magic-sniffin’ razorhounds. They’ll find ya faster’n you can blink.”

  That made Kaelen pause.

  He was certain it would take at least a couple of dozen guardsmen for him to ever work up a sweat, even wounded. But he didn’t want a fight, not yet. He needed to move quietly until he could understand the rules of this era and recover his strength.

  “Didn’t know guards were immune to bribes.” This reminded Kaelen that the girl had also stolen his gold, though it was of less importance.

  The girl scoffed. “Good luck with that, mate.”

  No one was incorruptible, Kaelen knew this from experience. Even Velen, given the chance, would have probably forsaken his holy path. Still, Kaelen lacked certain experience when it came to bribing. He was always on the receiving end of bribes, never the one to make them.

  Pensive, he sat down on a crate beside the thief, and the wood creaked underneath. He looked at the girl, measuring her again. A cutpurse. Annoying but clever, familiar with the city’s underbelly, and, most importantly, unconnected to him.

  He could force her cooperation through fear, but fear was a coin best used wisely. And speaking of coins…

  “I want to strike a deal with you,” Kaelen said.

  The girl blinked. “Ya what?”

  “You’re right about the guards. That’s a potential problem. So I want to strike a deal with you,” he repeated, as if he were speaking to a slow courtier. “You will help me leave this city. Quietly.”

  The little thief stared at him, then let out a short laugh. “Why in seven hells would I ever help ya?”

  “You owe me,” Kaelen said simply.

  “I stole from yer arse,” she corrected. “That ain’t the same.”

  Kaelen winced at the way this bloody girl was talking. Not even the most savage demons allowed themselves to be this ill-mannered in the Dark Lord’s presence. They snarled, sure, but they also obeyed. Meanwhile, this girl didn’t even obey basic rules of grammar.

  “I will take the book, but you are welcome to my gold you’ve stolen,” Kaelen said, waving a hand as if the matter were settled. “Once we are outside the city, you have my leave to take all of it.”

  The girl made a face. “Yer gold? It’s near worthless.”

  Kaelen paused. “Excuse me?”

  “Ya got any spheres, maybe?” she asked. “Something I could actually spend on stuff?”

  Kaelen stared at her. “Spheres?”

  The girl let out a deep sigh, as if Kaelen were the child here. “The basic currency, ya dig me?” She produced a glass orb from inside her left sleeve and held it up. “Ever seen one o’ those?”

  Kaelen took a careful look. The orb was about the size of a large marble. Clear glass, slightly cloudy, with some residue inside.

  “This is the accepted currency now?” Kaelen asked, incredulous.

  “This one’s dimmed, idjit,” the girl said, noticing his disappointment. “When it’s infused with magical energy, that’s when it’s valuable.” She squinted at him. “Ya really know nothin’, don’tcha?”

  Kaelen took her sphere and tried to feel it. On a closer look, it was more like a glass bead. It was hollow inside, and there was definitely some residual magic in there. Not much, but just enough for him to get the sense of which types of energy to use and in which ratio.

  “Who infuses them?” Kaelen asked.

  The girl shrugged. “Banks. Mages. I dunno. Anyone with authority. Rich folks buy ’em pre-filled.” She scratched her cheek. “I ain’t no archmage, so what are ya asking me for? All I know is some folk from th’government fill ‘em with juice.”

  “What is your name?” Kaelen asked, all of a sudden.

  The girl blinked as if the question caught her off guard. “Jade.”

  Kaelen looked at the girl. “Then watch this, Jade.”

  With a barely audible exhale, he pushed a sliver of his own energy into the sphere. The orb responded immediately. The interior lit from within, a clean, steady glow. For a moment, he was unsure whether he used too much of his power, but thankfully, the sphere held without leakage.

  Jade went still, then lunged forward, grabbing at his hand. “How’dja do that?!”

  Kaelen pulled his hand back before she could snatch the orb, too. “I put my own energy inside it. Not bad for an ‘idjit’, huh?”

  Jade looked like she might faint. “Far as I’m concerned, yer a stinkin’ god!”

  “Awright,” Jade said quickly, the shock turning into greed with impressive speed. She rummaged in a pouch and produced three more dim spheres, then held them out as if offering tribute. “Now do these ones, c’mon!”

  Kaelen wagged a finger at her. “How about we have a deal?”

  Jade narrowed her eyes. “I don’t like deals.”

  “You will love this one, I promise you.” Kaelen set the glowing sphere on the table. It illuminated the room, making the grime on the walls more visible than either of them cared for. “A little thief like you should know all about secret passages and contraband routes. Is there a way out of this city undetected?”

  “Why bother?” Jade shrugged. “Ya can lay low fer awhile. The lockdown will pass in about ten days or so.”

  Kaelen had considered that. It was definitely the path of least resistance, though the questions he had about the Sun-Kissed Blade and the remnants of his once-great empire were burning too bright. Even immortal, he was not the most patient man.

  “I’ve got business elsewhere, that’s all you need to know. But if you say this can’t be done…” Kaelen sucked out the energy from the infused sphere and tossed the empty orb back to the girl.

  She fumbled it and caught it against her chest. “Hey! Why’dja do that?” she complained.

  “You may be accustomed to the life of a pauper, but I’m no beggar. I offered you a good deal. Can you take me out of this city or not?”

  Jade glared, clutching the orb. “There’s more spheres waiting t’be infused.”

  “Naturally. you’ve let me out of this city.”

  She stared at him, then sat down on an overturned bucket, thinking. For the first time since he’d entered, she seemed exactly like what she was: a kid forced to make adult decisions.

  “There a contraband route,” Jade admitted reluctantly. “It should be safe, so long as ya don’t mind stinkin’ fer a week.”

  “Sewers,” Kaelen understood at once.

  Jade made a face. “Aye. Got a problem with that?”

  “I have walked through rivers of molten blood. Sewage is an inconvenience at best.”

  “Uh-huh.” Jade clearly did not believe him. “Ya mages say the weirdest stuff.”

  “One more thing.”

  Jade braced herself. “What?”

  Kaelen picked up one sphere and infused it again. Less than before, but still enough to make it glow cleanly. He set it in her palm.

  “That is a down payment,” Kaelen said. “Consider it a demonstration of what you stand to gain.”

  Jade slowly closed her fingers around the glowing orb. “Awright,” she said quietly. “Awright, I’ll do it, gods damn you.”

  Kaelen nodded. “Then we leave tonight.”

  Jade looked up sharply. “What? tonight? As in, soon?”

  “As in, right now.” He looked around her sorry excuse for an apartment. “Don’t tell me you had better plans.”

  Jade huffed. “Fine. Lemme grab my stuff.”

  She began stuffing pouches into a satchel, all the while muttering under her breath. Kaelen listened to none of it. His attention was on the journey ahead. The capital and all the answers he craved were waiting for him.

  Before long, they were on their way, hopping from one roof to another. Kaelen hadn’t noticed it before, but the rooftops of the city – had changed as much as the streets. In his time, they were battlements and parapets, uneven stone and iron rails. Now they were slanted tiles, clean shingles, chimneys spaced in neat lines.

  The girl had darted across them as naturally as a squirrel. Kaelen followed with controlled, efficient jumps, conserving strength and ignoring the occasional hitch of pain in his side.

  He vaulted onto another roof and spotted Jade ahead — a small silhouette perched on a ledge, swinging her legs, waiting for him. Even after she had seen a small morsel of his true power, she couldn’t help but tease him.

  When he reached her, she pointed at a squat building three streets down. “Sewer access. One of the hatches opens into a smugglers’ run. There’s a whole network down there.”

  “Good,” Kaelen said and motioned for her to move. “You will lead me.”

  Jade hopped up, dusted off her knees, and started running across the roof tiles. “C’mon then, Sir Infuse-Yer-Spheres. Stick close. Guards will be sweepin’ top-down soon.”

  Kaelen followed, ignoring the damned ache in his side. Jade darted ahead again, sliding down gutters and leaping over narrow alleys. She moved without hesitation, knowing the rooftops better than most patrol guards knew the streets.

  Kaelen kept a steady pace behind her. Every few steps, she glanced back to make sure he followed – half curious, half suspicious. She still didn’t trust him. Small wonder. Kaelen didn’t trust her, either.

  Once they reached the building she indicated, Jade crouched beside a rusted grate half-hidden behind a stack of crates.

  “There,” she whispered. “Way down’s thru ‘ere. Watch yer step. It’s slippery an’ gross. One wrong move and yer a shit pirate swimming thru the seven seas of piss.”

  Kaelen stared into the darkness. It was all-enveloping, almost alive. Even with his [Dark Vision], he couldn’t see farther than a few yards.

  “Don’t get chickenshit on me now,” Jade said flatly, noticing the hesitation. “Ya ready?”

  He didn’t dignify that with a response. He dropped into the hatch and Jade followed, landing lightly beside him. The darkness swallowed them both.