Chapter 7: No Safe Place

The night air was sharp and cold as Raine and Sylara dashed through the winding streets of Blackmere. Their footsteps echoed against the cobblestones, each breath a cloud of mist in the freezing air. Behind them, shouts rang out as Locke's men scrambled to pursue.

Raine's heart pounded. His hands still tingled with residual energy from whatever magic had surged through him back at the Crimson Hall. He had barely begun to understand it, yet now more people than ever knew his secret. And that was bad.

Sylara suddenly yanked him into a narrow alleyway, pressing him against the damp stone wall. "Quiet," she whispered.

Raine held his breath.

Footsteps pounded past the alley's entrance—three, maybe four men, all shouting to one another in frantic tones.

"Find them!"

"They couldn't have gone far!"

A tense moment passed before the footsteps faded.

Sylara exhaled and pulled away from the wall. "We need to move. Fast."

Raine nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Where?"

Sylara hesitated. For the first time since he met her, she looked… uncertain. "I don't know."

That was not reassuring.

Nowhere Left to RunThey weaved through the city, slipping between buildings and cutting across empty marketplaces. The once-crowded streets had quieted as the city's underworld woke. Figures in hooded cloaks loitered at street corners, watching passersby with suspicious eyes.

By the time they reached a safer part of the city, Raine was exhausted. His legs ached, his lungs burned, and his mind was still reeling from everything that had happened.

"Okay," he panted, leaning against a wall, "can we please take a second to breathe?"

Sylara frowned. "We can't stop yet."

"Sylara, we've been running for nearly an hour." He gestured around. "We're not being chased anymore. We need a plan."

She hesitated, then sighed. "Fine. But only for a moment."

They ducked into a quiet alley, hidden between two abandoned buildings. The damp smell of rain and mildew lingered in the air.

Raine slid down the wall, resting his head against the stone. "So, let's go over everything. One, Locke now knows we exist. Two, he saw me use magic. Three, we still don't know who is after us or why."

Sylara crossed her arms. "Four, Cas is going to be pissed."

Raine groaned. "Oh, great. I forgot about that part."

Cas had promised information in exchange for a message being sent to Locke. But things had escalated much faster than expected.

Sylara tapped her fingers against her sword hilt. "We can't go back to Cas yet. Not until we know Locke's next move."

"Locke's next move?" Raine raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't we be focused on our next move?"

"If Locke decides we're worth hunting down, we need to know first. That gives us a chance to act before he does."

Raine frowned. "And how exactly do we find that out?"

Sylara's lips pressed into a thin line. "We pay him another visit."

Raine stared at her. "You cannot be serious."

She didn't blink.

"Oh, for the love of—" He ran a hand through his hair. "Sylara, we barely escaped the first time! Going back is suicide!"

She smirked. "Not if we do it right."

Raine groaned. "I hate this plan already."

Breaking InBy the time they reached the docks again, the streets were eerily quiet.

The Crimson Hall was still lit from within, though the commotion from earlier had died down. Guards remained stationed at the entrances, but the sense of urgency was gone.

Sylara crouched behind a stack of wooden crates, peering through the gaps between them. "They're off guard."

Raine rubbed his face. "They're less on guard. There's a difference."

Sylara ignored him. "We sneak in, listen, and get out."

"Right. Because sneaking in last time went so well."

She shot him a look.

Raine sighed. "Fine. Let's get this over with."

They moved through the shadows, keeping low as they approached the building. Instead of using the back entrance, Sylara led them to a side window, cracked open just enough to hear inside.

Muffled voices drifted from within.

"—that wasn't an accident."

Locke's voice.

Raine held his breath.

"You're telling me a human did that?"

"He had magic."

Silence. Then, Locke laughed.

"Impossible."

"It happened."

A pause.

Locke's tone darkened. "Then we have a problem. The Elyndran court would pay handsomely for something like this."

Raine's blood went cold.

Sylara tensed beside him.

Another voice spoke. "What do you want us to do?"

Locke exhaled. "Find them. Quietly. We don't need half the city knowing about this. And if you can capture him alive… do it."

Raine swallowed hard.

Sylara clenched her fists.

This was bad.

Very, very bad.

Nowhere is SafeThey slipped away from the window, moving fast.

Raine's mind raced. If Locke had connections in Elyndra's royal court, this was way bigger than he had realized. If word got out about his magic, powerful people would come looking.

And powerful people were never a good thing.

Sylara pulled him aside. "We need to get out of Blackmere. Now."

He didn't argue.

A Desperate EscapeBy dawn, they had reached the city gates. The towering stone walls loomed over them, guards stationed at the entrance.

Sylara scouted the area. "They haven't locked the city down yet. We can still slip out if we're careful."

Raine nodded. "Let's go before that changes."

They joined a small group of travelers heading out of the city. The guards barely spared them a glance.

As they passed under the archway, Raine felt a weight lift from his chest.

They were out.

But the danger was far from over.

As they walked down the dirt road, leaving Blackmere behind, Raine exhaled. "Where do we go now?"

Sylara glanced at him.

"North."

Raine frowned. "Why north?"

She hesitated. "Because there's someone there who might have answers."

Raine narrowed his eyes. "Who?"

She didn't answer.

Raine sighed. "Great. More secrets."

Sylara smirked. "You're getting used to it."

He groaned.

As they disappeared into the wilderness, the city of Blackmere shrinking behind them, Raine had the distinct feeling that things were about to get much worse before they got better.