She froze, pressing herself back into the wall as he held the knife up. Breathing shallow and fast, she looked at his face, watching his eyes for some sign of his intention. Everything about him was focused and sharp. The knife hovered at the very lowest edge of her field of vision. She saw him press the point of the blade to his own thumb, blood welling up around the tip as it sank into the skin. She couldn't help but shrink back as he moved his bleeding thumb towards her face, and with a snarl of frustration he grabbed her by the chin.
“Hold still,” he repeated, his voice a low hiss.
She felt his thumb press against her forehead, moving slowly and deliberately across the skin, tracing some kind of pattern. Moving his hands away at last, he closed the blade and tucked it back into his pocket. She let out the breath she had been holding.
She could feel the anger flaring inside of her as the shock subsided. She was about to push him away when she heard the sound of footsteps from the street up ahead. Justin shifted forward, forcing her back into the shadows. They were pressed up close to the wall of a building, in the darkness between two street-lamps. His body was tight against hers, their faces touching as she watched the far end of the street out of the corner of her eye.
The scarred man stepped out into the intersection, his 'hound' sniffing the air in front of them. The tall brothers in the long coats were with him, and she saw the rest of his men spread out behind, searching the street. Then the thing on the leash paused, one hand raking at his tangled hair as he looked about frantically. He seemed lost. She heard grumbled curses, and then a loud thump as a boot caught the wild haired man in his side, rolling him over with the force of the kick. He yelped in pain, more like a dog than a man, and sprang to his feet again in the same hunched crouch.
She wasn't sure if it was her heart or Justin's that she felt pounding at her chest, as the wild haired creature took another look around, sniffing the air. Then he fell to the ground, curled up into a ball and began to whimper.
“Lost it,” the gravel voiced commander said.
“Commander Korban,” one of the tall men began. The younger and leaner of the two, she suspected, by the tenor of his voice. “This had better not be all that our money is worth.”
“He's lost the trail. Don't know how, but it happens. We'll try again tomorrow, Mi'lord. That's all we can do. He'll be useless like this.”
“A hunting dog that can't hunt should be put down,” the older brother growled, his voice deep and fierce.
“Good hollow men are a tricky catch. This one's done well so far. It's just a hiccup.”
“Korban, my brother and I do not expect 'hiccups' from a man of your reputation,” the younger man said, smoothly. Rachael desperately wished they would just move on. All it would take was for one of the group to look a little too closely into the darkness where she and Justin were hidden.
“Mi'Lord Bhandari, I have my reputation because I know exactly how things work out here in the field. If you can find a man who'll promise you a job will never go awry, then I'll show you a man who's never been near a real job in his life. Get used to it. Sir.”
“Yes, I see it certainly wasn't for your courtly manners that you were recommended,” the younger man sneered.
“You don't pay me for courtesy,” Korban growled.
The argument seemed settled. With another swift kick, Korban got their 'hunting dog' moving and the group turned away, disappearing into the night.
Slowly exhaling, Justin took a step away, glancing to either side. At first she didn't even feel as if she could move. She still seemed to be pinned to the wall by the ghost of him.
“Justin... What just...?”
He nodded to their left. It took her a moment to realise he was looking at a low windowsill that would make a good foothold.
“Rooftop. Come on.”
“Justin, wait,” she hissed. “What the hell just happened back there. What was that... What was wrong with that man? And the thing you drew...”
She reached up to touch the mark on her forehead, but before her hand was even close, he caught her by the wrist. She'd forgotten how fast he was.
“Don't touch it. Not yet.”
He let go and she snatched her hand away. She stared at him, furious.
“You know, any time you'd like to start making sense, be fine with me. How did they even find us? It was like that old guy was... Sniffing us out or something.”
“That's what a hollow man does,” Justin said with a sigh. “You… You take a person and you clear out what's inside. It leaves a space where you can put the thing you want. And then they search for that thing. They follow it anywhere, because it's the only thing they have left. They're used for tracking. It works best on people who are already a little... Gone. Closer to the Dream. But it makes them dangerous. By the time the change sets in, they're more like animals than people.”
She stared at him, her mouth open in astonishment.
“Justin, what the hell does any of that mean?”
“It doesn't matter.”
“What do you mean, it don't matter?”
“I mean you won't even believe me if I tell you, so what's the point? Come on, we should get off the street.”
He turned away, testing the windowsill to make sure it would hold his weight.
“Come on. They can't track you any more, but they'll still catch us out here if they double back.”
He began to climb, and Rachael had no choice but to follow him up. At the top he turned to give her a hand over the parapet. Exhausted, she dropped down against the nearest chimney, drawing deep breaths.
“Will they come back?” she gasped.
“They can't track you now. That ward will hold for a while.”
“That what? What are you even on about?” she said, as he slumped against the parapet. “None of this makes any sense man. It's just…”
“Crazy, right?” he said, glumly.
“You're not funny.”
“I wasn't trying to be.”
“So just tell me what's going on already?”
Justin just gave her an exhausted shrug.
“What do you want me to tell you? I tried telling you the truth, and you told me I was nuts.”
“Telling me a bunch of stories ain't the truth.”
He held out his hands, palms open and empty.
“Then I've got nothing left.”
“How do I even know you're not with them?” she said, starting to get to her feet.
“Because I had a knife at your throat down there, and I didn't give you up to them. Seems like that would have been the easy thing. Rachael, I'm on your side here. If you believe nothing else, believe that.”
Eyes narrowing, she regarded him carefully, but it was hard to argue.
“Fine. You're with me. So what do we do now?”
“Now? We get some sleep, I suppose. We'll have to get moving in the morning. I can keep refreshing the ward, but they'll find other ways to track us.”
She said nothing. She felt as if she had used up all the words. Justin was right. For now, sleep was all she had left. On the cold rooftop, torn by the wind, she pulled her knees up to her chest and closed her eyes.
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