She couldn’t quite figure him out yet, but it was clear he’d do anything to find his brother. Even though she was going to betray him, she couldn’t help but admire him for that.

“Let’s go,” Aina said, trying to sound braver than she felt with the darkness gathering around them. “We should look for an exit to the street.”

“I have an idea,” Ryuu said. “This will lead to a sewer which should pass underneath the subway tunnels being constructed. We should go out through one of those.”

“How do you know that?” she asked.

“My family has been in the mining business for nearly a century. The Sentinel always wants our advice whenever they do underground construction. And whose equipment do you think they’re using?” He spoke with the typical entitlement of those born rich and unable tell the difference between their accomplishments and their inheritance. It didn’t help when he added, “Not so bad, having me around, is it?”

“We’ll see,” Aina said, fighting the urge to roll her eyes.

Ryuu led the way through the wide, dark tunnel. The foul stench of the sewers soon reached Aina’s nostrils. Water trickled to their right, so they stayed near the wall of the tunnel.

Her bullet wound smarted with pain as new blood leaked out, but there was nothing she could do about it now. As they walked, she wondered why she’d allowed Olaf to live. It would have been easy enough to kill him and cut one more enemy out of her life. But she knew the answer, deep down, even if Olaf didn’t remember her—she couldn’t kill someone who’d spent his childhood on the streets like she had, who had few choices as it was. She’d wanted to give him another chance, even if he wouldn’t give one to her, and even if Kohl would call her stupid for doing so.

Soon, the pathway sloped downward. Aina’s breaths grew shallow, making it difficult to focus on where she was walking. Her eyes flicked to every dark corner they passed. Unseen animals darted around nearby, their claws scraping against the tunnel walls and floor. She knew any other Blade would love the darkness for its ability to cloak them, and she used it when necessary, but she had learned to be quiet and deadly even in brightest day.

There were many tunnels twisting underneath the city, but each one of them reminded her of when her parents had taken her to underground worship services for the Mothers.

They’d taken a new secret entrance every week, and Aina could never keep track of where they entered or exited. Holding hands, they’d walk with bated breath and jump every time they heard someone else moving around in the darkness. Sometimes it was a patrolling Diamond Guard, and they had to hide until the guard passed. Other times it was another Inosen, holding a finger to their lips as they all proceeded to where the Sacoren held services with altars so dimly lit the faithful could barely see the prayers written in the religious text. It didn’t matter, since neither Aina nor her parents could read.