The guest quarters looked just as they had a few days ago before Taka and his companions arrived. Zirko was packing the last few things into his bag as Dr. Quinoth spoke to Theo. The doctor agreed to leave without any pushback. Taka didn't know much about Dr. Quinoth, but he wondered what the dwarf was leaving behind.

  "It's time," Jambo said.

  Instead of heading to the door, the satyr turned around and led them into the bedroom. He pushed the bed aside with ease, then placed his hand on the floor. A square about a meter long began to glow where the bed had just been, and the floor in that square disappeared.

  "Impressive," Zirko said as he examined the newly formed hole in the ground.

  Syla carried Taka toward so he could look into it: a staircase led down into darkness.

  "Follow me," Jambo said as he descended the stairs.

  Syla looked to Zirko, skeptical of the passageway, but the lizard man was already halfway down the stairs. Dr. Quinoth followed, hand in hand with Theo, and Syla kept pace behind them with Maeve taking up the rear.

  The staircase went deep into the ground, and Taka lost count after about fifty stairs. Once they reached the bottom, the light from above disappeared, and Jambo pulled out a torch, illuminating a tunnel. The passageway was narrow, barely wide enough for two individuals to walk side by side, and Zirko had to duck slightly to not hitting his head. As they walked, the only sound Taka heard was his party's footsteps as they made their way through the tunnel.

  "How was this constructed without alerting the Spirit Kingdom?" Maeve asked.

  "Everything was dug by hand, no magitech at all," Jambo said.

  "Is it wise to be speaking?" Dr. Quinoth asked, unable to hide the anxiety in his voice. "What if someone hears us?"

  "We're far too deep underground for that," Jambo said. "This tunnel will be decommissioned after today, so it's alright."

  "And where will we be surfacing?" Maeve asked.

  "Close to the outskirts, hopefully," Jambo said. "We cannot't go underneath the gate, nor above it."

  "Do the walls have a barrier that extends beneath the surface?" Taka asked, intrigued by the prospect of such a defense.

  Jambo nodded, "It extends far too deep to dig under, not as high up, but the birdi-- Aeries patrols are ruthless."

  Taka only had a few encounters with any Aeries, but they left him wanting to stay as far away from the bird creatures as possible. The thought of having to face them again after what happened in Kronkswell made his stomach churn.

  They walked for a few more minutes in silence, Jambo leading them through the tunnel at a steady pace. There weren't any turns or offshoots, just a single passageway. Eventually, Jambo slowed down and paused at a landing area that widened a bit. Beyond the landing, a set of dilapidated stairs led upwards.

  "There's a cart waiting just above the entrance," Jambo explained. "The exit should put us in the alleyway, and all you need to do is hop up on the cart and lie down under the tarp. From here on, do not make a sound until we're out of the city. Clear?"

  A chorus of nods answered Jambo. He began his way up the staircase, the rest of the group following. Instead of reaching the surface, the stairs stopped at a wall. Jambo put his hand on it, and similarly to the bedroom floor, the wall glowed before disappearing.

  Jambo stepped through, checking his corners before motioning for the rest to follow. The stairway led into some sort of sewer system, and just across from their newly formed access door was a ladder. Jambo climbed up and pushed open the manhole cover, then climbed out as light streamed in through the hole. Zirko followed, then Theo just ahead of Dr. Quinoth, then Syla, who put Taka on their shoulder as they climbed up.

  Taka only saw the alleyway for a few seconds before Syla was under the tarp of the cart. Jambo stood watch, and as Maeve joined them under the trap, Jambo folded it onto itself to better obscure their bodies. There were various crates of food and other assorted supplies that looked like they were meant to create a fuller silhouette to any onlookers.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  The cart began to move, picking up pace quickly. Based on what Taka could hear, there seemed to be two horses drawing the cart, and there was another man with Jambo at the helm.

  Taka used his TELEPATHY skill to re-establish a link with Zirko.

  Can we trust them to get us out of here? Taka asked. This feels rushed.

  There's no benefit in taking us somewhere else now, Zirko replied. If Jambo or Reika wanted to do us in, they would've by now. We've become more of a nuisance than they expected, and we are taking two targets of the church of their hands, so it's in their best interest to get out. That all said, be ready.

  The cart continued on for another minute at the brisk pace, then slowed to a halt.

  We should be at the gate now, Zirko said. They must have a few guards in their pocket.

  Taka could feel Syla trembling slightly; the fear emanating from the elf was palpable. Even though Syla had dropped the vow of silence act, their illusion disguise was still in effect, but if they were caught, there was no telling what would happen.

  Luck seemed to be on their side, as the cart began to move after a few moments. Taka felt Syla's breath relax as all of his companions seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief. At the very least, they had made it out of Modonia proper.

  No one dared to speak as the cart continued to truck along, the sounds of the outskirts rising and falling around them for a while, then fading into nothing more than the gentle sound of rustling trees and the wind.

  After what seemed like an eternity, the cart slowed to a stop, and Jambo lifted the tarp. The satyr was smiling widely as he helped them out of the cart onto the ground. They were in the forest, the terrain similar to that of the safe house where they spent their first night in the Spirit Kingdom.

  "We're about half a kilometer from your requested destination," Jambo said. "Please have someone sent word back to the Ambassador's office when you have made it back to Kronkswell."

  Before anyone could say goodbye, Jambo gave their group a quick nod and hopped back on the cart and departed. Guess he's not one for goodbyes, Taka thought.

  Zirko looked around for a moment as he stretched, then spotted a walking path and started down it without a word. They followed, the silence still sitting heavily. Taka hoped that making it out of the city would help, but the heaviness in his chest remained.

  They reached the safe house and stepped inside. After Maeve closed the door behind them, Zirko seemed to relax a bit.

  "Maeve," Zirko said, "use the LTD to send a message that we need Deon for evac ASAP."

  Maeve nodded to Deon and took off to another room with her bag.

  "What do we do now?" Taka asked.

  "We wait," Zirko said. "Safest thing we can do."

  "And when we get back to Kronkswell?" Taka asked.

  ZIrko paused for a moment to examine the people in the room: Taka, Syla, Dr. Quinoth, and Theo. The wolf boy was as quiet as a mouse, but always looked like he was paying attention. There was something a bit uncanny about his behavior, but Taka couldn't pinpoint it, and he was just a kid at the end of the day.

  "We will receive new orders," Zirko said carefully. "And we will ensure everyone is sa--"

  Zirko gurgled as his neck extended outward. He looked down at his chest to see a spear poking out the front.

  Before Taka could react, he was thrown off Syla's shoulders, and the world became a blur. He hit the wall hard, then fell to the floor.

  "Don't move or cast any spells," a voice said. "Any of you."

  Taka blinked and saw a figure holding Syla in a headlock with a glowing knife in the other hand. Green wings stuck out from their back.

  "Daldrus," Taka said, trying to focus.

  "You can talk now, what a lovely trick," Daldrus said as he tightened his grip on Syla. "And ears? That shouldn't be possible -- yet here you are. You will be a most interesting specimen."

  Zirko collapsed to the floor beside Taka, and the fae with pink wings stood above them, bloody spear in hand.

  "How the mighty have fallen," The pink-winged fae said. "Foxy! Get out here."

  Taka's head was spinning, but he heard a door opening. He looked up and made out the figure of Maeve, her eyes glossy and welling with tears.

  "Good work, foxy," the pink-winged fae said. "I wasn't sure you had it in you."

  "I'm sor--" Maeve began.

  "Oh, cut it out," the pink-winged fae interjected. "You've known this was how it'd be for weeks, no need to get sentimental now."

  "Where's Gorran?" Maeve demanded through her tears.

  "You can see him as soon as we get back," Daldrus said. "Shall we?"

  Taka didn't understand. What just happened? How is Zirko bleeding so much? What the hell is Maeve talking about? Taka activated his TELEPATHY skill and opened a link to Syla.

  Syla, Taka said. I'm going to--

  It's too late, Syla said. If you move, they'll kill you. Or me, or Zirko, or Dr. Quinoth, or Theo-- it was all a setup, Sir Filo. Maeve knew.

  "Time to go," the pink-winged fae said. "It's nap time."

  The fae leaned in close next to Taka, "Have a good rest, Taka," the fae whispered as the world went black.