The courtyard felt like it was shrinking. The rhythmic hiss of the steam-pipe was the only sound in the sudden silence that followed Vane's revelation. Mara stood by the crystallized crate, her small hands trembling as she clutched the edges of her threadbare cloak. The fear in her eyes was no longer the vague, confused anxiety of a child who didn't understand her own body. It was the sharp, crystalline terror of someone who had just realized she was being watched by wolves.
Vane took a single step forward. He kept his movements slow, his hands open and away from his weapons. He tried to look like the savior he was pretending to be, but the silver light still lingering in his eyes made the lie difficult to maintain.
"Mara," Vane said, his voice low and steady. "We aren't here to hurt you. But the people who are coming for you will. They're less than a mile away. We have a carriage waiting at the terminus. If we leave now, we can disappear before they even reach this sector."
