She gave him a look that was pure Shuyin, cold, controlled, utterly refusing to acknowledge weakness. "I healed a mermaid this morning. I can climb a trellis."
Despite everything, he almost smiled.
They climbed.
Every grip sent jolts of pain through Shuyin's burned hands. The trellis creaked ominously under their combined weight. Behind them, through the broken window, they could hear the creatures growing bolder, testing the fading light.
Halfway down, Lu Yuze's foot slipped. He caught himself, but not before dislodging several pieces of trellis that clattered to the ground below.
From inside the mansion, an answering shriek rose. Then another. And another.
The creatures had heard.
They were coming.
Lu Yuze and Shuyin dropped the last six feet, landing hard on the garden path. Shuyin's ankle buckled and she bit back a cry of pain. Lu Yuze steadied her, and together they ran.
The east wing. They had to reach the east wing.
