"Hold up," says Enturi. "We haven't checked the map room yet or Jet's chambers."

"Why bother?" I ask. "Jet's here, or what's left of him anyway." I cringe as I say it, and hope it doesn't send Lynae into another crying jag. She seems to be recovering her composure though. "There shouldn't be anyone else back there. And if there is, haven't we seen enough dead elves for one night? Given how thoroughly the humans ransacked the rest of this place, I'd guess they didn't hold back on the looting and destruction in his chambers."

"Still, we should look," he insists. "Perhaps Lynae cares to see if anything of hers is left?"

Lynae shakes her head, looking away from us. 

"I am done here."

"Fine." Enturi looks both irritated and relieved. He looks at me pointedly. "Wait for me, if you don't mind. I'll be right back." He slips through the map room door. I would follow him regardless of my belief in the futility of the effort, except that Lynae clearly doesn't want to go. And for some reason, I don't want to leave her alone. I shrug.

"Fine," I say to the now-closed door. "Hurry it up, though."

The pretty boy returns a few moments later looking disconcerted. I raise an eyebrow at him. "You were right," he says. "No one back there. Everything destroyed. The map table is chopped to bits. The private chambers - destroyed just like everything else." He pauses, looking around. "There's nothing useful here. Nothing. Let's go."

I move across the floor of what used to be Jet's audience hall in what used to be Jet's base of operations, but now is a looted and marked building full of corpses. I have a momentary desire to start it on fire and burn the place down, robbing the humans of the power of their message, but discard the idea. The upper floors still have elves in them, not part of Jet's operation, but dwellers in the apartments which provided cover for Jet's place. Some of them would no doubt die in a fire started in the basement while they were sleeping. And the humans might be angered enough by the destruction of their message to make another statement in Elftown. Best leave it be.

And figure out what I am going to do now. Damn it, I was comfortable as an enforcer. Now I have to find something else to do. I am fairly sure none of the other ward bosses would hire me now. I'm marked goods, as damaged as this building. I'll be lucky if I can find a night shift on the docks and hope no one recognizes me. Tenuous possibilities and hopeless questions rise within me, but as I reach the alley exit, I shove them back down. I can't think about the future right now. At least, not beyond getting us to my hidey-hole quickly and unseen. I glance out of the alley and up and down Pot Way. It is deserted. I turn to the other two behind me.

"Follow me," I whisper. "Stay close and stay quiet."

Not that it's really necessary. The rain has turned into a downpour. I can barely see across the street, and I'd bet my worst ale I could yell as loud as a wounded ogre and wouldn't wake any sleeping elves in the streetside tenements. Any elves still awake and cowering in fear wouldn't be likely to risk discovery by peeking out, either. At least that's what I tell myself. I slip out onto the street, turning right. If we can just get across Gate Way, I can get us the rest of the way in dark, twisting alleys.

* * *

By the time we get to my hiding spot, the clouds have lightened enough that I can see the look of incredulity on Lynae's and Enturi's faces as I gesture, up to my waist in the hole, for them to follow me down into the little cave. Sometimes I forget that not everyone else in Elftown had it as bad as I did when I was a kid. I bet these two never had to sleep in the mud or steal to eat. The rain is quieter now than before, and from the protected spot under the eave above, I whisper just loud enough for them to hear.

"Come on, it's only for a few hours. It's dry down here. And no one will find us."

I duck inside and crawl across the floor, finding a spot between the little yew tree growing out of Alvar's bedding and the painting on the foundation wall where I can lean back against the wall. There is a soft thump, and Lynae lowers herself into the cave. Enturi follows. 

Lynae sits opposite me. I kinda thought she might sit down next to me, maybe lean against me while we wait and sleep. Guess she's over her moment of vulnerability. Or maybe she saw the look on Enturi's face and decided to cool it. The pretty boy kneels by the entrance. Keeping guard, maybe. Good for him, though it's probably not necessary. For awhile, we are silent.

"Is that a yew tree?" Lynae asks abruptly.