At the top of the staircase, they skidded to a stop, panting heavily to catch their breath. A new hallway extended ahead of them, the walls lined with paintings and statues. Three chandeliers hung from the ceiling, their gold light gathering in small pools along the hall.

Aina beckoned Teo into a shadowed alcove. A pair of Diamond Guards stood in the center of the hall, off to the sides, working iron pulleys like the ones Aina had seen in Ryuu’s mansion.

“Looks like they’re closing off this part of the Tower,” she said as, seconds later, a heavy iron gate began to slide out of a crevice in the ceiling. The metal screeched, setting her nerves on edge as it lowered to seal off the next part of the Tower. “Do you have any more darts?”

When Teo shook his head, she pulled out a pair of knives. There was no time to waste looking for another route, and no time to be merciful.

Without another thought, she ran toward the guards with Teo right behind her. Her footsteps pounded across the stone floor, but the screeching sound of the lowering gate was so loud that the guards didn’t even turn around.

Ten feet away, she threw her knives one by one into the guards’ ankles. They dropped to their knees, abandoning the pulleys in front of them.

But the gate still fell, threatening to close off their route to the rest of the Tower.

“Go!” she shouted, sprinting now.

She pulled her knife out of one of the guard’s ankles and punched him in the face when he tried to tackle her, but there was no time for the second one. Covering her head, she slid under the gate. Teo followed right behind her. The gate slammed shut on the floor inches away from where his fingers had been a moment ago.

She wanted to stop and catch her breath, but they had to keep moving. Rolling to their feet, they followed Ryuu’s directions the rest of the way. A window flicked by her view as they ran, revealing a heavy rain pounding into the walls of the Tower. They managed to hide from guards most of the time, except once when Teo had to put one into a sleeper hold before the man could shout for backup.

The next hall opened. A narrow corridor with a marble floor extended before them, its surface so polished they could see their reflections in it. Soft yellow lighting in cages of gold vines were spaced along the left wall. On the other side was a line of doors, swinging open and closed every few seconds as a flurry of people went back and forth carrying trays of appetizers. The workers were so busy, none of them even glanced at Aina and Teo.

Scents of meat and spices reached her, and she couldn’t help her stomach growling as they approached. Pots and pans clattered inside the kitchens, blending with the voices of chefs and servers shouting to one another.