’Damn it.’
Kaya’s eyes darted around the narrow hallway—stone walls, wooden beams, a shallow alcove barely wide enough for a child. Above, exposed rafters stretched across the ceiling.
She had maybe five seconds.
’There.’
Without hesitation, she grabbed the thick wooden beam jutting from the wall and pulled herself up in one smooth, silent motion. Her muscles coiled tight as she wedged herself between the beam and the ceiling, pressing her back flat against the cold stone. Her legs braced against the beam, her arms trembling from the strain. The position burned—her shoulders scread, her thighs shook—but she held perfectly still, her breath shallow and controlled.
The footsteps grew louder.
Closer.
Voices drifted through the hall, casual and unbothered.
Then they were there.
Four figures appeared from both directions, their shadows rging in the flickering lamplight. Two from the front, two from behind. They stopped directly beneath her—right where she’d been standing just seconds ago.
Kaya’s heart pounded so hard she thought they might hear it. But she didn’t move. Not a muscle. Not a breath.
"Hmmm?"
One of the guards—a man with sharp fox ears twitching atop his head—paused. His nose wrinkled. His ears swiveled, alert.
"What is it?" another guard asked—a large bear beastman with a gruff voice.
"I thought I slled sothing," the fox guard said slowly, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the hallway. "Sothing... off."
He took a step forward, sniffing the air. His sharp eyes swept the corridor—left, right, then slowly... up.
Kaya’s breath stopped entirely.
The fox guard’s gaze passed over the rafters, lingering for one agonizing heartbeat. His eyes locked on the shadows where she hid.
Ti stretched.
Then his gaze moved on.
"Probably just the stables," the bear guard grunted. "Wind’s been blowing all night. Co on, we’re late."
The fox guard hesitated, his ears still twitching. "Yeah... maybe."
They stood there talking—shift changes, soone nad Ragar who owed them drinks.
Finally, they moved on. Two heading one direction, two the other.
Kaya waited. Five seconds. Ten. The footsteps faded completely.
Only then did she lower herself down, her arms shaking. She landed silently, rolling her shoulders.
’Too close.’
She pressed on. The sll of smoke and old paper grew stronger. Angry voices drifted from ahead.
Seven minutes left.
After Kaya passed through the corridor, she ca out into the open.
And stopped dead.
Her breath caught in her throat.
In front of her stretched a small compound—houses made of wood and stone scattered across an open courtyard. So were built entirely from rough-cut timber, others from stone blocks with wooden roofs. They looked sturdy, almost fortress-like, with narrow windows and heavy doors. The only light ca from the moon above, cold and pale, casting long shadows across the ground.
But it wasn’t the houses that made her freeze.
It was the guards.
They were everywhere.
So stood at corners, chatting quietly. Others patrolled in pairs, their footsteps echoing across the stone. And then there were the beastn in their full beast forms—massive wolves prowling on all fours, their eyes glowing faintly in the moonlight. A bear beastman stood near one of the larger houses, arms crossed, towering like a statue. A hawk circled overhead, its sharp eyes scanning the ground below.
Kaya pressed herself back against the wall, her heart pounding.
’This is insane.’
She’d expected guards, yes. But not this many. Not like this. The compound was crawling with them, and in the open moonlight, there was nowhere to hide. No shadows deep enough. No cover thick enough.
Fear crept up her spine, cold and sharp.
One wrong move, one sound, and every single one of them would be on her. The wolves would sll her. The hawk would see her. The bear would crush her.
She took a slow, controlled breath, forcing herself to think. Her hand instinctively moved to the knife at her side, though she knew it would be useless against this many.
’Six minutes left.’
She scanned the compound again, her mind racing. The houses were arranged in a loose circle, with paths winding between them. Most of the guards were near the center, but a few patrolled the outer edges. The largest house—made entirely of stone with heavy wooden doors—sat at the far end. That had to be where the departnt head was.
But getting there ant crossing the open courtyard. Under the moon. Past the guards. Past the wolves.
Kaya’s jaw tightened.
’Think. There has to be a way.’
Kaya still didn’t co out. She stayed pressed against the wall in the shadows of the corridor, her eyes scanning the compound carefully.
There was sothing different.
Guards were everywhere, yes—wolves prowling, hawks circling, bears standing watch. But they weren’t evenly spread out. Most of them were concentrated in one particular area, densely packed around a single building at the far end of the courtyard.
The largest house. Stone walls, heavy wooden doors, narrow windows with iron bars.
It wasn’t hard to guess that so big shot would be there.
Kaya’s eyes narrowed. At least a dozen guards stood around that building alone—more than anywhere else in the compound. So stood at attention near the entrance. Others patrolled in tight circles around the periter. A massive wolf in full beast form sat directly in front of the door, its eyes glowing faintly in the moonlight.
’That’s the place.’
Her heart pounded, but her mind stayed cold and focused. The departnt head had to be inside that building. That’s where Sparrow had seen the spy go. That’s where the orders were coming from.
But getting there...
Kaya counted the guards again. At least twelve near the building. Another ten scattered across the courtyard. The wolves would sll her if she got too close. The hawk overhead would spot any movent in the open.
She glanced up at the moon—bright, full, casting everything in pale silver light. No clouds. No cover.
’Five minutes left.’
She couldn’t afford to wait. But charging in would be suicide.
Kaya scanned the compound again, looking for a pattern. The guards near the stone building rotated every few minutes—two would walk a circuit around the building while the others stayed at their posts. The wolf at the door never moved.
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