"There's nothing out there, Amercer," her contact said.

Repairs on the hull were complete and the Fire Orchid was now functional, if a bit battered, and ready to depart. Travelers swarmed the harbor with their belongings and their money, exchanging it for tickets on the journey east. It was close to dusk and the light of the setting sun cast the sea of faces in orange and pink. "No one fitting the description of the so-called River Maiden. We've asked around, and no one's seen anyone fitting that description all day long."

"Keep looking," Sad Ivory said tersely. Taroketu's thread was marked in the Loom and the Essence pattern she'd left behind had put her on the Fire Orchid only yesterday. It made sense to believe the woman had stopped in Nexus because the ferry had. A frown knitted her brow; there had been a drastic spatial disruption in the Tapestry made by necrotic Essence as well, not to mention a few elemental ones in the area. It was entirely possible that she had slipped off the boat during the fray, in which case they were wasting their time.

She would have dealt with Taroketu Johanna herself but the Night Caste had proven herself thus far to be unusually resourceful, something she wasn't terribly accustomed to seeing in new Solars. Even finding her was proving difficult. Anyone else would have made a spectacle of themselves with their newfound power, blazing a trail so obvious a child could follow it.

The River Maiden was far more prudent, it appeared.

"Sir, if you please," a young woman sighed a few feet away with a note of marked irritation, "I'm married."

"Come on, sweetheart. It's been a long, hot day and I know you're probably tired of standing around in the line." It was a scruffy-looking man with wide brown eyes, an evening shadow, and a good-natured smile that he probably thought was charming. "Say, I know a real nice place we can go for dinner. Just you and me. I don't normally go in for the high-and-mighty type, but you're just too adorable."

"Get your hands off me," she snapped, yanking her arm out of his grasp.

He grinned... and at the precise moment Sad Ivory recognized his face, a bright flare of light erupted from his forehead.

What ensued next was utter pandemonium. The shikari of the Wyld Hunt found themselves pinned in by a crowd of terrified mortals. The woman immediately fainted, and luckily was caught by some compassionate soul before she could be trampled underfoot. Screams of "Anathema!" drifted out of the crowd, and even as two inquisitors tried to advance they were shoved backwards by a wave of panicking passengers. The small fang of mercenaries bellowed orders, trying their best to maintain order, but it was useless.

Ahn-Aru drew her sword and leapt over the railing, over the river below, landing effortlessly at the base of the gangplank. The display scattered the crew who'd been there moments ago, prudent enough not to get in the way of an armed Dynast. She had no such compunctions about pushing people out of her way, ignoring their protests as she elbowed her way through the crowd.

Fortunately, most of the people in the back were jaded locals who couldn't see what the fuss had been about, and most of them simply watched her dash by. Someone muttered "Tourists" as she passed.

Obsidian Crane had already dashed back into the recesses of a Little Market alleyway by the time she crested the hill. Her two inquisitors were moments behind her, having finally managed to navigate the crowd enough to disentangle themselves.

"Split up," she ordered. "I want a sweep of the area. He won't get far if he's trying to hide from us."

"What about the others?" one of them asked.

"I'll send an infallible messenger out, I want someone waiting in case he tries to double back." Or in case the Chuzei shows her face after all. "Go. Hurry! We'll lose the trail."

~*~

"What are you doing?" Johanna shouted over her shoulder as she ran after Sana and Crane. Karasu was muttering something under his breath, something that sounded like... "Are you praying? Seriously?"

"I can't imagine why," he snapped. "It isn't as if we're consorting with Anathema and running from the law when we've done nothing wrong!"

"Hey, if you'd rather run back up there and explain yourself, go for it. Assuming they don't kill you or arrest you for kidnapping."

"I didn't kidnap you!"

"They don't know that!"

"Save the lover's spat for later, you two," Crane called. "We're in for it if they catch us."

Shadows slanted across rooftops as the four fugitives darted quickly through the narrow alleys of the Little Market district. Jo was uncomfortably reminded of her childhood as a ruthless pickpocket who'd hidden in piles of animal feces and old garbage to dissuade pursuers. That life seemed so far away now, and yet here in the grimy urban jungle of Nexus, it felt far closer than she would have wished. The fact that she was running from law enforcement again didn't exactly help matters.

Her Charms sent a sudden chill up her back. A few feet ahead, Sana Nefvarin leapt backwards as a man brandishing a dagger lunged from an alcove to the right and took a swing at her. He hadn't expected his victim to dodge the blow, and while he didn't lose his balance, he made the mistake of not running.

"Your money or-" he began, but she was already on the offensive. One orichalcum-clad fist landed squarely in the center of his face and there was a wet crunch as his nose broke. Another punch followed the first, trailing red Essence, and cracked into his jaw. The force of Sana's attack sent him flying a good ten feet away, to slam into the wall of a nearby building. Overpowered utterly, the would-be thief crumpled to the cobblestones.

"What in Mela's name was that?" Karasu stared at the unconscious ruffian in shocked horror.

"That was fate telling me this little punk's bodily integrity was forfeit," she answered, shaking out her fist.

"You didn't have to-"

"I damn well did. Keep your voice down." Sana held up one hand and pointed at the simple iron disk that sat in the middle of the alleyway a few feet away. "We don't want the whole damn city down here. Crane, pull that up."

"You're taking us through the sewer system? Come on, they'll see right through a trick like that."

"Not exactly," Sana grunted as she caught the lip of the disk on the other side. "We're taking a field trip through the undercity."

~*~

They hurried down the concrete pathways bordering the sewage lines, the surface beneath their feet slick and disgusting. It stank even worse than the river water, and their coughs of disgust echoed through the ancient passage.

"You take me on the most romantic excursions," Jo said to Karasu with false sweetness, "you know that?"

"Shut up. This is all your fault." He plucked a string of nameless filth from his sleeve. "I could have been back on the ferry and headed east by now."

"You didn't have to follow me," Sana interjected. She paused in the middle of the sewer, calf-deep in waste and sludge, squinting in the dim light down the tunnel. "Exit's right back that way."

"Don't you think I've forgotten your part in this, Anathema." Karasu glared daggers at Sana but the effect was largely lost in the dark. As it was, the word didn't seem to faze the Sidereal. She laughed at him, a deep rolling belly laugh.

"What's the matter, scalehead? Afraid I'm going to eat your soul and ravish your body while you sleep? Trust me when I say you aren't worth the trouble."

"...Are all Lookshyans this annoying, or is it just you two?"

"Enough, both of you." Jo sighed and picked her way along the concrete walkway, what there was of it. "How much farther do we have to go?"

"Should be right around... there we go. I was starting to think I'd forgotten where it was." She'd stopped in front of a jade door half-hidden behind a hastily constructed brick wall and sealed with mortar. ...or so it appeared. Sana frowned for a moment and a strange green mark flickered to life on her brow. She muttered something in Old Realm and after a moment the door opened with a slow grinding noise.

"Security protocol?" Jo asked, following Crane through the door.

"Yeah." Sana paused, waiting for it to shut behind them before she continued. "I have 'bureau clearance to pass', whatever that's supposed to mean."

"You don't know?"

"Nope. Shall we?"

They stood at the top of an old communications tower. Crumbling ornamental supports told Jo that Hollow was a beautiful city in the First Age, but those days were long gone; now the tower was buried forever beneath twenty feet of earth and concrete. The air here was cold and dank, but it was an improvement on the sewer. A winding stairway led into the city ruins, but Sana ignored it in favor of a catwalk that extended from a half-crumbled balcony. Icy wind stirred Jo's hair, drying the grimy sweat and sewage on her skin. She grimaced to herself; a bath was definitely in order.

"We're headed for the eastern sluice gate," Sana said. "It's one of the - watch your step - one of the public-works systems engineered in the First Age."

"How do you know about this, anyway?" Karasu asked.

"Me? Oh, I ended up in here once by accident. Once I found my way out, I decided to do a little light reading. Crane - some light if you would."

"Got it." A bright light flickered on his brow, lighting the narrow catwalk despite the thick mist in the cavern. Karasu inhaled sharply at the sight, then sighed and looked away, muttering some mantra to the Dragons beneath his breath. Johanna almost felt sorry for him. ...almost. "How far are we going?"

More of the city came into view and Johanna started to see why it hadn't been touched since the Contagion. She could see an unhealthy yellowish haze hanging over the underground shadowland, partially obscuring what remained of the rubble-choked streets. It was ominously quiet, though every now and then she could see a flicker of movement in an empty building. After awhile, sounds of human activity started to drift upwards, in the forms of bestial growling, wailing screams, and soft keening. None of it coalesced into anything resembling actual words but that didn't make it any better. Jo shuddered in spite of herself, and Karasu cringed at her side.

"If we follow that catwalk all the way across, it should put us out about ten miles east of the city. Just out of sight of the port authority." Sana squinted. "We'll want to take shelter soon. This path is mostly safe but there's hungry ghosts and worse in here and we shouldn't press our luck."

~*~

The tower guardhouse consisted of one cramped room, dominated by what looked to have been a control panel. It fit two people comfortably, three if they squeezed together. Four was impossible, so Sana and Crane promised to take turns standing watch for any hungry ghosts that might somehow make their way up for a snack. The Dragon-Blooded Dynast flatly refused to sleep anywhere near them; Jo found herself uncomfortably close to him as she tucked her cloak beneath her head and lay down. Hesitantly, after trying to find a position that would keep his body away from hers and failing, he draped one arm over her waist.

"There's no way I'm going to sleep," Ledaal Karasu muttered in her ear, but his breathing was soft and regular in a matter of minutes. Johanna, on the other hand, tossed and turned for a good hour. The remains of Hollow were eerily silent, save the sound of dripping water somewhere and the occasional noise that echoed from below. Finally she sat up with a sigh, gathered up her cloak, and paused when she reached the door to see if she'd roused anyone. She hadn't.

Sana Nefvarin sat on the catwalk railing - smoking, as usual - and staring down at the city. Her expression was curiously pensive but she smiled at Johanna when she saw her, lifting one hand in friendly acknowledgment. "Hey. Couldn't sleep?"

"I guess not. Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all."

They sat in amiable silence for a few minutes before Jo asked: "Why were you in here the first time?"

"Evading that woman and her lackeys," Sana replied. She exhaled a soft cloud of smoke, a light blue in the damp mist. "Guess you know what that's like, sunshine. Must've been tough, given you're already on the run from the Seventh and all."

Jo froze, every muscle locking in place. She remembered the soft emerald stars she'd seen in her companion's eyes, and how she'd seen the same in that woman's, if a different color. She shifted the middle and ring fingers on her left hand and felt the hidden knife in her sleeve shift; her instrument case was in the guardhouse with the men, along with the bow she'd stolen. "You knew all along what I was," she said, finally.

"I had an inkling," the Sidereal admitted.

"Are you going to do anything about it?"

"Nope." Sana tilted her chin to look at her. "Not gonna turn you in, either. Even if I wanted to, Little Miss Purple-Eyes back there would just put you to the sword and turn right around and do the same to me."

"Why's she after you?"

Sana shrugged. "Beats the fuck out of me, but we've been playing this stupid game for ten years. I told you I'm dead far as the Legion's concerned, right?"

"Yeah."

"I used to be with the Sky Guard. There was a malfunction on board the transport during a mission and we crashed a few thousand miles southeast of Lookshy. You know the place, I guess. ...by 'we,' I mean myself. I was the only survivor and I knew I was in deep shit if I was caught."

Jo nodded. Her fingers relaxed from their point in her sleeve. Sana tapped ashes over the catwalk.

"Crawled through that piece of shit jungle for a week, till I reached a manse no one knew about and figured out how to activate the security override. I came out onto the Marukan steppes and my eyes had turned green." She exhaled. "Took me damn near six months to get home, they tell me they don't have any record of a Sana Nefvarin. Which is bullshit, 'cause my dad's the taimyo-"

"Wait, seriously?" The Night Caste blinked. "I didn't know old Cidolfus had a kid."

"Yeah. I was gonna go see him. Except when I got to his place that purple-eyed bitch was waiting for me. She said I was comin' with her. I told her I had some business to take care of and she let me go... and then I fed the second-ring guard bullshit about being on official business, stole one of the two-man transport vessels and got the hell out of the city. She's been after me ever since. I'll give her one thing, she's persistent as hell."

"So, uh... you and Crane. Are you, well..."

"Hahaha! Hell no, sunshine." She laughed that deep gut laugh again. "Stupidity aside, he's got the wrong plumbing. You, on the other hand..."

"Thanks for the offer, but I barely know you."

"Understandable. You're a good-looking lady and it's been awhile, though, so I thought I'd try anyway." Sana glanced at the guardhouse. "So. Your boyfriend."

"It's more like a relationship of convenience."

"Is it?"

Jo stared back at that measuring look. "Of course it is."

"My specialty's knowledge, Chuzei." Sana stared out over the ruins of the city and took another lungful of smoke, then exhaled. "Hidden or otherwise. Always has been. I guess it was destined to be that way, as far as you believe in that kind of thing. I can see the hidden parts of people's hearts, whether I want to or not. I got enough of a look at his to know he wants you, even if you don't feel the same."

"Karasu?" Johanna tried to laugh. It sounded every bit as awkward as it felt. "The only reason he hasn't tried to kill me yet is because I have most of his stipend."

"And he doesn't know what you are. You planning on ever telling him?"

"No," she replied bluntly. "It'd just complicate things. We aren't planning on sticking together anyway. I was going to take him as far as Greyfalls, collect my fee, and head south. No muss, no fuss, no bother. He's a surprisingly decent person, all things considered, and if we stick together much longer I'm afraid he'll end up in the middle of my problems. I'd... I'd feel bad if that happened."

"I suppose that's a sound enough plan."

"But," Johanna said, hearing the dubious cadence in the other woman's voice.

"A secret's no different from a weapon, Chuzei. Use it well, temper it properly, and it'll guard you in return." The Sidereal's strange green eyes focused on the Solar's face. "Abuse that secret, or neglect it, and it'll destroy you."

"That a warning?"

"Mostly advice. You don't have to take it." She flicked the spent stick off the catwalk. It disappeared into the haze below. "It's late. Go wake up Crane, would you? I'm tired."

"Sure." Jo hesitated. "Hey, uh... thanks for all your help. You've stuck your neck out more than enough, for two people you didn't know."

"I don't run into people by accident. There's some reason I met you, even if I don't know what it is yet," Sana shrugged. "Anyway, Chuzei - I understand the need to hide the skeletons in your closet. Just don't keep lying to yourself about you and that boy. Nothing good'll ever come of that."

The Night Caste didn't ask what Sana meant by that, and Sana didn't press her any further. When she went back into the guardhouse to wake Crane up (it took more effort than she would have thought), she looked at Karasu's face. The careful composure was gone, along with any hint of arrogance or annoyance. He was just a young man sleeping off a long day. Somehow he seemed almost innocent - no. Vulnerable, probably because he wasn't awake to guard himself. She sat down in the spot she'd left and gently tucked a sheaf of stray gold hair behind one of his ears. He mumbled something but didn't move.

She felt a sudden pang deep inside. Guilt at her deception of him (a secret's no different from a weapon, Chuzei, if you abuse it it'll destroy you) and... something she decided wearily that she was too tired to examine. Tomorrow, maybe. Sana had given her a lot to think about; the blunt Sidereal, like Johanna herself, was not at all what she seemed. She curled up on her cloak once more with a sigh.

Somewhere in her doze she felt him shift in his sleep and drape his arm over her waist, but she didn't think to move it before she was fast asleep.