Lantern-light shadows flickered on the ceiling. Kar idly watched them dance as he counted the minutes since Kiya had left them here under guard in the barrack-house. He lay on his cot, strangely comfortable after the past several days he'd experienced. The ceiling above was made of mud plaster. A loose piece flapped in the wind as someone opened and then slammed the door shut. Kar turned to look. It was Gerard. He eyed Kar and Derek—who sat beside him—warily, then took a chair next to the door.
"Hey Tufts." One of the boys from the crew said. It took Kar a moment to realize he was Tufts. He reached up and self-consciously felt his patchwork of remaining hair. He needed to shave or cut it all off when he got the chance.
"Yeah?" He said, turning to look at the boy.
"So like, nobody is telling us anything, but they're treating you like some kind of dangerous criminal. What did you do?"
"What's your name kid?" Kar asked him.
"Dello, and I'm not a kid, I'm fifteen."
"No offense," Kar said, holding his hands up, "and I'm not dangerous or anything."
Dello didn't look convinced, "What kind of Focusing do you do?"
"I can Imbue things, like healing and stuff like that."
Dello nodded, "That's cool. Wanna see what I can do?"
"Leave him alone Dello." Derek said from his adjacent cot, eyes closed.
"It's fine," Kar interjected, "go ahead and show me."
Dello adopted an expression of concentration, his tongue partially poking out at the corner of his mouth, and held his hands up in front of him a short distance apart. Kar felt him Focusing, and sparks of lightning leapt back and forth between his palms and fingertips.
Kar sat forward, fascinated, "What are you doing?" He asked.
Dello grinned widely and dropped the Focusing, "I call it sparking. But Gerard says I'm something called a Lancer. Gotta be careful though, it's easy to shock people with it."
"Yeah, it's not a funny prank." Derek growled.
Dello laughed, his eyes squinting shut, "It is funny, you just have a lame sense of humor."
Kar fidgeted with his hands, the rings he still had sliding across one another. He had to stop himself from attempting to replicate what Dello had just shown him. Derek looked at Kar side-eyed, as if he knew exactly what Kar was thinking.
"Whatever Dello," Derek said, "get out of here, we're trying to rest."
Dello stuck his tongue out at Derek and walked off.
"Kar?" Ember said in his head, as if he'd been waiting his turn to speak.
Kar turned towards Derek as if he were talking to him, then said quietly, "How are we looking Ember?"
The Prism hesitated, "I do not understand what you mean. You seem no different to me. Although I cannot see in the same sense as you."
"That's not—what I meant is, are Derek and I clear to make our move? Is Kiya out of the way?"
"Hmm, I see. Yes. The woman you call Kiya has entered the large house you described. I cannot sense her now though, something is interfering with my senses within."
Why did things keep blinding Ember like that? Kar was curious to understand that better. For now he needed to focus on the task at hand.
"Can you see the workshop I described to you? Can you sense someone like me inside, like Nat?"
"I believe I sense this workshop, but it too is clouded. I cannot sense anything inside."
Kar had to assume Isa was still there with Morrow. They didn't have much time left though. It was getting late in the evening now and Kar wanted the cover of darkness for what he and Derek were about to attempt. His stomach rolled and he couldn't stop fidgeting.
"Is Aldwin almost in position?" He asked Ember.
"He is. I told him to look for a signal from you when you were ready for his help in getting away."
Kar took a deep steadying breath. Derek sat up on his cot next to him, and nodded at someone over Kar's shoulder.
"Thanks for your help Ember, we couldn't do this without you. Wish us luck!"
"I do not think I understand how to wish you this luck. But I will ask Natalie how to."
Kar chuckled and looked to Derek, "You ready?"
Derek nodded slowly. Kar stood then and pretended to stretch, looking towards Gerard at the door. Lore was talking loudly to him, "I need to go Gerard, just let me out."
"You heard Kiya, no one leaves while she's gone."
"Don't be an idiot, are we supposed to piss ourselves in here? Let me out."
"I'm warning you Lore, watch your tone."
"Or what? You're not going to do anything. Unless you want a repeat of the last time I kicked your ass."
Gerard stood angrily and Lore shoved him back in his seat, the rest of the crew started hollering, and crowded toward the door in excitement.
"Here's our chance." Derek whispered, and he and Kar dipped towards the back of the barrack-house which was just a large rectangular open space really with a bunch of cots. There was a large crash and Kar looked back to see Gerard laying flat on his back.
"OK, that's it!" The man bellowed, as he heaved himself up and tackled Lore by the legs. She went down hard to the sound of various cheers and jeers from the rest of the crew who had fully gathered around the pair.
Derek Focused, and then blasted a small hole in the wall. It was louder than Kar had hoped, but they didn't wait to see if anyone noticed. They forced their way through and out into the barrack yard beyond.
"The way is clear." Ember reassured Kar, and he and Derek scurried from shadow to shadow towards the wall of the main outpost.
This was one of the parts of their plan that made Kar nervous. Derek didn't seem concerned about reaching the top of the wall, but Kar had never tried to blast himself up like this. Would he be able to manage it, even with his rings?
They reached the shadow of the wall, the moons and stars shining coolly up above. There was a chill to the night air.
"You try first," Derek whispered, "I'll give you a boost!"
Kar took a deep breath and stilled his shaking hands, then nodded. Derek laced his fingers together as a foothold for Kar and squatted. Kar placed one foot in Derek's hands and prepared to jump while trying to Focus at the same time.
"Alright; one, two, three!" Derek stood and heaved on three. Kar sprang upward in unison. He held his hands out below him, fingers splayed, then Focused. Blasts clapped beneath him and Kar went soaring towards the top of the wall. It was exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time. He came up just short of the battlements but managed to grab the lip of the edge with his fingers. Kar hung there precariously for a moment, and then Derek blasted past him and alighted atop the wall effortlessly. His friend grabbed hold of Kar by the shirt and heaved him up and over to safety.
"Move quickly, guards have noticed your Focusing." Ember warned them.
"Go, go!" Kar told Derek, his voice low and urgent.
They took off along the walkway atop the wall. Kar followed Derek's lead as he angled then leapt from the wall into open air. Blasts flared from his hands and Derek shot through the air, across the outpost street below. Kar attempted to copy him and lurched gracelessly behind. He didn't clear the street but came down hard and rolled across the paving stones instead. His ankle twinged painfully and Kar reached in his pocket where he now held the Golden Shard and drew on it. The pain in his ankle faded and he experienced a surge of energy. Despite the situation, Kar felt a giddy rush at how easy it was to just heal himself whenever he needed to. Would he ever get used to that?
Kar led the way now, backtracking as best he could remember the path he and Kiya had taken from the Keep's grounds to the barracks. Hovels and ruins streaked by as they hurried, most of the outpost's residents long since asleep.
On reaching the interior wall he and Kar repeated their earlier maneuver and scaled this wall too. Kar performed a little better this time and managed to clamber atop the wall without assistance. The gardens of the Keep's grounds spread out before them.
Kar re-oriented himself, mentally tracing the path they would need to take toward Morrow's. It was tucked away in the corner, not far from the shelter of the wall. He and Derek jumped down into the greenery and shrubbery, then followed along the wall towards the workshop.
"You are doing well Kar," Ember assured him, "Your movement was noticed but no one was able to track where you have gone."
Kar couldn't believe they'd gotten here so smoothly. He tamped down on his nerves; they were so close to getting back to Isa. They stepped out onto the cobbled path leading to the front door of Morrow's workshop and hurried along it.
"Watch out!" Ember warned.
Kar grabbed hold of Derek's arm and hauled him into the bushes beside the path. A stream of fire whooshed through where they had been crackling greedily.
"I was wondering if you two would have the nerve to try something." Kiya's grating voice taunted.
Kar felt a surge of anger, but controlled himself. He and Derek scrambled to their feet, warily looking for her.
Kiya stepped out onto the path from where she had been waiting in the shadows, blocking their way to the door.
Ember spoke to Kar, "I am sorry… I did not notice her there."
"It's alright." Kar whispered back.
Kiya started wheeling a fireball in front of her. The light was blinding after the dark of twilight Kar and Derek's eyes had adjusted to. Kar's mind raced. Was Isa still in the workshop? They had to assume she was.
"I'll distract her," Kar whispered to Derek, "you go around back and get Isa out through a window if you have to. Aldwin is waiting out in the Ruins just north of here."
"What? That wasn't the plan, you can't fight Kiya!" Derek argued.
"We don't have time for this!" Kar said, "I can barely get myself over the walls, much less Isa; you can."
Derek clenched his jaw in frustration but couldn't argue. He pounded the dirt with his fist then dashed off through the underbrush.
Kar sighed, both relieved and resolved, then stepped out on the path to face Kiya, alone.