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Behind her, she heard shouting. Magda snapped her head around to see Vex and his henchman on the opposite side of the large town circle. They had also climbed the wall.

Hesitantly, Magda extended her hand and placed it in Ravi’s, and in a flash as quick as lightning, they all were racing down the streets of Eloquas once more.

CHAPTER 20

Magdalena

They circled around carriages and drunk patrons; Ravi moved quickly through the city, and Odie was easily keeping up. Soon they came to another dark alley, and Ravi yanked on the tassel of a curtain that was hanging on the outside of someone’s house. Suddenly, a rope ladder rolled down from the roof ahead of them.

“This way,” he said, heading up first.

Magda looked behind her before noting a stack of boxes in the corner of the alleyway that created a pathway to the roof. “Odie, up!” she commanded before heading up the rope ladder behind Ravi. While they climbed the ladder, Odie easily scaled the crates, jumping from each one skillfully. They all emerged on top of a roof, and Ravi gracefully jumped over a five-foot gap to an adjacent roof. “Come on!” he shouted, jumping onto the next roof. It all seemed too easy for him.

Magda exchanged a glance at Odie, and the dog looked back at her with his tongue out, panting. But two seconds later, the dog was charging towards the gap, launching his body to the other rooftop. If Odie trusted Ravi, maybe she should too?

Magda braced herself, lurching backwards before launching her body over the opening. When she landed on the other side, she finally allowed herself to take a deep breath. She followed Ravi’s exact footsteps until they came to a bright-turquoise roof.

Ravi knelt down and opened a sun-window, leading down into the space below. He squatted onto the roof and held his hands out to Magda, saying. “I’ll lower you down. It’s a long way.”

Magda’s face squinted, but she realized she had no choice. It was apparent that the guilds slept in every corner of this city, and if they were searching for her, she needed a proper place to hide. So she reached out and locked arms with Ravi once more, before sitting down on the ledge of the sun-window and letting him drop her inside.

She landed in a musty room, and the only furniture was a double bed in one corner. On the floor and walls, were brightly colored hand-woven tapestries acting as carpets and covers for the open windows. Across from the bed, were a series of clay jugs and trinkets, as well as Ravi’s violin case. In the opposite corner of the room, was a spiral staircase leading downstairs.

Odie jumped down from the window onto the bed, before leaping to the floor.

Ravi dropped down next to her. “I know it isn’t much,” he admitted, before lighting a lantern on a shelf that hung over the bed. Then he crossed to one of the water jugs and grabbed two clay mugs. “Want some?”

Magda’s throat clenched in thirst at the sight of the water. She hadn’t eaten or drank anything all day. “Thanks,” she said, reaching out her hands to grab the mug from Ravi. She took a sip before offering some to Odie, who lapped it up furiously. Then she stood there, silently, not knowing what else to say.

“I’m just glad I got there when I did,” said Ravi, “Or else you might not have seen your dog again.”

Magda shuddered. “Does Vex really kill animals for their fur?”

“Not exactly,” Ravi answered, “Vex never kills his animals right away. He either sells them, or makes them fight in matches against each other at his gambling house.”

“That’s terrible,” Magda shook her head. She knelt down, hugging Odie, realizing that she had almost lost another family member tonight. “What can I ever do to thank you?”

“Don’t worry about it. I was pissed at Vex for ruining my show earlier.” Then Ravi crouched down to scratch Odie behind the ears. “What’s his name?”

“Odie.”

Odie licked Ravi directly in the face, causing the musician to jerk back in alarm. Ravi smeared his cheek with the back of his hand and laughed. “You’re welcome, Odie.”

Ravi stood before crossing to a hook on the wall and removing his shirt, before hanging it up. He stood in front of her, bare-chested, in the dim candlelight.

“What are you doing?” Magda snapped.

Ravi shrugged his shoulders. “Getting ready for bed. Do you sleep in your outside clothes?”

“I’m not sleeping here,” Magda objected.

“The streets are now lined with Vex’s men. Inns are the first place they will look for a foreigner.”

“I…,” Magda’s face reddened, and she couldn’t find any words. She was too tired. She swung her knapsack off of her back, and dumped it down onto the floor. She only had one change of clothes.

Ravi crossed to the bed and sat down, before taking a large gulp of water. “Azurem’s a long way to travel from…especially when you seem to have no family in the city. Want to tell me why the guilds seem to be after you? It can’t just be because of your dog.”

Magda let out a sigh and sat down next to Ravi on the bed, while Odie traversed the room, smelling each corner and staking out the area. “To be honest, you know as much as I do. I have no idea what they want from me. I just got here this morning.”