He swallowed. The marines he’d seen so far tonight had been checking alleys, and if this patrol came down here, he and Vee would have nowhere to go. He nudged her into the corner of the doorway. Flipping up the collar of his slate grey coat, he shielded her with his shoulders. If a marine lifted a lamp and glanced down the alley, he’d look like part of the shadows.

Hopefully.

Lips tight, she stared out past his shoulder, the creases between her eyebrows far too close to fear for his liking. She squashed herself back into the corner, whole body tense, trembling. The vein in her neck jumped.

The footsteps grew louder. Stopped. Scuffed, as if someone turned on the balls of their feet.

Heading this way—had to be.

She took a long, harsh breath, eyes bright and upon his.

Jaw clenched, he pressed her into the corner. The smaller they were, the better.

More footsteps. Golden light licked the fog, growing brighter.

Damnation, even nearer.

Her fingers knotted into the front of his coat. Breath held, he crushed her into the wall—other than staring back at her, it was all he could do.

The footsteps were so close he could hear not only their tap but also the faint crunch as they trod grit into the cobblestones a few feet away.

Vee flinched, eyes darting as if searching for an escape they both knew wasn’t there.

He was going to find them.

Another tap and crunch.

All this. For nothing.

Knigh could barely swallow. Every hair on the back of his neck stood to attention. Vee closed her eyes, turned her face into the corner, teeth bared.

Another tap. Half the lamp came into view, glaring bright.

His ears rang.

“Conroy,” a distant voice called, “over here.”

The lamp rose and then slid from view as that turning-scuff sounded again. “What is it?” Conroy was so close, Knigh heard him inhale after the shout.

“Think I’ve found something.”

A sigh, then the footsteps started again, growing quieter.

Knigh exhaled as quietly as he could, and Vee’s eyes flashed open, eyebrows rising in question. He nodded, then peered out from their doorway.

The lamp had disappeared around the corner, casting a haze of golden light through the fog to the left.

“Come on,” he whispered. Holding her hand, he crept ahead.

Voices, light, footsteps, all to the left.

They turned back onto the road, feet whispering over the cobbles.

Lords, it was tempting to run, but that would be too noisy. Jaw clenched, he led her to the right-hand turn they’d tried to take before, glancing over his shoulder. The lamplight pooled in the mist, growing dimmer all the while.

It was only after they’d taken another two turns that his heart returned to normal speed. Vee’s pinched expression faded, replaced by the slack look of someone beyond exhaustion.