I spun and sliced at the second guard in the same motion. My blade clawed against his breastplate but didn’t break through. The second guard smashed his sword hilt into my back. I staggered forward. I knew another blow was coming, so I rebounded off the wall and caught the other soldier with a kick to the stomach as I turned. I smashed my heel into his groin for good measure, and he dropped to the ground.

The other guard had turned toward the boy. He swiped his blade at the kid, who leapt backward.

I sent the back of my weapon crashing into the guard’s helmet. He fell instantly.

The boy turned toward me, and I tried to duck my head, hoping he wouldn’t recognize me. He’d never help me if he did.

His eyes widened, and I thought he’d realized who I was, but he was looking past me. “Rodric,” he whispered.

I turned just as Rodric planted himself in the mouth of the alcove.

“Can you climb?” the boy whispered. He nodded to the window shutter. “Pull yourself up. The roofs are safer than the streets when guards are after you.”

“What about you?” I asked. There’s no way Rodric would let him off this time. Both doors would hold tigers.

“Don’t worry about me. Go,” he said.

I took off for the window, then hoisted myself and began to climb.

“Get back here,” Rodric raged. He stepped forward, but the kid moved into his path.

“I didn’t think I’d see your ugly face again, Rodric,” the boy said. He puffed out his chest and threw his arms wide in a show of bravado. He was just far enough away that Rodric couldn’t strike him with his sword.

“If it isn’t little Dimic,” Rodric sneered. “Haven’t crawled back to your hidey-hole yet? How’s your brother, the one I didn’t kill?”

“Still plotting his revenge,” Dimic said.

“Good thing your family’s used to disappointment,” he replied. He advanced forward and rammed his sword in Dimic’s direction.

Dimic shuffled backward.

I reached the window ledge on the second floor and drew myself up. Curtains fluttered around me, blocking my view of the scene below. I leapt higher and caught the roof of the building, pulling myself up onto it.

Below, Rodric pushed Dimic back into the dead end of the alcove with a smile on his face more curved than a scorpion’s tail.

“Dimic,” I shouted. I held my arm down to him, urging him to find a way up.

The next thing I knew, Dimic had thrown himself against the wall of the alcove, but instead of smashing against it, he’d kicked up and off it to the adjacent wall. He sprang once more, grabbing ahold of the roof.

He scrambled up and across the roof quickly, forcing me to run to keep up.

“Wait,” I cried. “Come back.”

“You’re on your own now,” Dimic yelled over his shoulder.

I threw up my hands in frustration. “I saved your life.”