The Ally

'The price-' Alexis thought, seconds after she back flipped from the window, '-of a dramatic exit... is high.'

Coming from someone who was tumbling from the second floor, that's an understatement.

Alexis isn't stupid, of course. She had spent many nights studying the layout of the building and Farrand's routine by heart.

She had slipped from the foothold she had planted.

Flailing desperately, she managed to grab onto the trellis which promptly broke and deposited her into the rose bushes.

'He's probably moving already.'

Taking a deep breath, she rolled to her feet, checking for injuries. The burning pain in her right shoulder was her answer.

She managed to drag herself to the sewer grate she had marked a few days before, turning to  see if she was being followed. The man's screams from the mansion were certain to attract attention.

'The patrol guards must be on their way.'

Hooking two fingers through the metal grate, she pulled with all her strength. The heavy metal grated against stone, each scrape making her wince.

The sound of boots thumping made her jump.

'Aw sh-'

In the darkness, she fumbled for the rusty ladder. 'Please, please, not now.'  The footsteps were closer.

Her fingers closed around the rung just as strong hands clamped down on her shoulders.

Alexis struggled, her right arm hanging limp. Her captor leaned towards her ear, his breath misting in the cold air.

"Be careful."

One moment she was looking into familiar dark eyes and the next she was falling.

She lay in a puddle at the bottom of the ladder, watching as the grate was pulled shut above her.

The sounds of thundering feet faded, replaced by an eerie stillness.

Struggling to her feet, she cradled her injured arm, dragging herself through the dark tunnels.

Amidst the soft beat of footsteps on water, Alexis managed to have a coherent thought.

'Boy, I'm never gonna hear the end of this.'