The two of them hollered and the steely stink of blood filled the air. Before they could hit the ground Yenni was rushing for the third thief, the one who stood blinking against the left wall. Pulling on her strength rune, she put her hand to his face and slammed his head against the brick. He slumped to the pavement.

She spun, ignoring the groans and curses flying at her. Where was the fourth man? Nowhere she could see, and the way out of the alley was clear. She dashed for the exit.

“Source as twine to bind my foe!”

Yenni stumbled. Her legs tried to stick together while her arms felt as if they were being pushed against her body. Oh, unholy shadows, even a petty Creshen thief could cast Fenton’s Body Bind? She’d been struggling for weeks with that spell!

He couldn’t cast it well, apparently, as she could still move, albeit very slowly, as if walking through mud. She flared her strength runes and speed runes, desperately staggering toward the mouth of the alley. She glanced back at a noise from behind and found the first thief on his hands and knees, crawling after her with his teeth bared in pain, growling like a wild dog.

“Jean, you rat prick!” shouted the other thief as he stumbled to his feet. “Get down here!”

“He’s long gone,” growled the first through his teeth. “I told you this would happen. I never trusted him, not from day one.”

Yenni could feel her runes fading, but the mouth of the alley was straight ahead. She just needed to get inside one of the pubs, where there were crowds of people—so close but so oblivious to her plight.

Her speed and strength runes gave out, and the sluggish weight of her body seemed to double. Yenni gritted her teeth, throwing all her will into each dragging step, sweat sliding down her back even as the sounds of the thieves behind her grew closer. But the street was right there, right there!

“Someone! Diedre!” she screamed, knowing deep down it would do no good. No one had heard all the commotion so far, not with the two pubs’ music competing. And poor Diedre had disappeared in the other direction. A hand clamped around her leg and pulled. Yenni stumbled but managed to keep her feet. She looked down into the hateful eyes of the first thief she’d maimed. “Island bitch,” he spat, and pulled again. Yenni’s arm burned with exertion as she struggled and failed to raise her knife.

Something thudded into the alley in front of her.

Yenni whipped her head around in time to see another Creshen man rushing at her with a blade.

“Get her, Jean!” shouted the thief farther down the alley. He hobbled toward them using the wall for support.