Steel in the Shadows

Two.

Not Gravekeepers this time. The insignia on the nearest one's belt marked him as Council. They had moved faster than I expected.

They didn't speak.

Professionals.

I shifted, drawing them into an angle where their numbers meant nothing, using the narrow aisle between sagging shelves to nullify their advantage. The corridor was barely wide enough for two people to stand shoulder-to-shoulder, with old wooden bookcases looming on either side. If they wanted to circle around me or flank me, they'd have to move through one another—and that lack of space was exactly what I needed.