It was natural for humans to have instincts. After all, they were just like the animals they neighboured. Deep primitive compulsions that seemingly came from no rational basis, yet felt so desperately certain and compelling that one couldn’t help but listen. Often, these instincts turned out to be right for James, his drive to flee having saved him more times than he could count. He owed his survival to the force which was often unjustly blamed as irrational.

ㅤHowever, these competing instincts weren't always compatible. In James' case, his next strongest compulsion was his curiosity: his intense desire to fully understand the questions that niggled in his head. There was a value in knowing what your enemy was capable of and what they wanted. Knowledge was also survival.

ㅤAlthough he wanted to keep running, he didn't understand how the knights had gotten this close to him so suddenly. He wasn't that significant in the greater scheme of the kingdom. Why put this much effort into him? How did they suddenly catch up to him? Why now?

ㅤThese questions persisted and he stopped.

ㅤThere was too much he didn't know. That alone seemed more dangerous than simple proximity.

ㅤIn this battle, his instinct of curiosity won and he turned around. Perhaps James was too self-centred and it was his middleman they were interested in. Or not. Either way, it was important to know.

ㅤHe knew snippets about his middlemen. It was important to have the leverage. It kept them quiet in theory, not that he let those bastards see his face anyway.

ㅤHe made his way to the slums, an area one wouldn't want to walk alone through after dark, where the criminal heart of the town thrived.

ㅤThe stench of sewage became stronger the deeper James went. Flesh, filth, and rot littered the streets. The flimsy buildings creaked with a breeze, being held up by sheer proximity and density alone; it left the walkways so narrow that he had to walk slightly sideways to avoid bumping into others. He knew better than to make eye contact with the characters that loitered. This was where that middleman had the unfortunate, but deserved, fate to live.

ㅤHe slipped into a long thin alley that was so tight he had to keep his back pressed to the wall behind him, lacking the arm space to be able to draw Eris if he needed to, hiking his anxiety.

ㅤFurther down, where the tall buildings on either side kept him under a path of darkness, he found a door sturdier than the others. It was a struggle to kick it down with so little space to move his body. He couldn't have used Eris even if he’d been able to draw her as she was a plain lump of metal against anything not living.

ㅤIt broke it open and he slunk inside.

ㅤComplete darkness spread as soon as the door shut behind, not a single window on any wall. James lit a match from his pocket, cupping a protective hand around it, and used the small amount of light to find a lamp. He lit it.

ㅤWith his condition, James struggled more than someone else would have to recognise elements of the room. His inadequacy to distinguish colours and light insensitivity made it difficult. Even so, with a bit of searching, the lamp shone a light over a wooden desk with a scrappy book, surrounded by sheets of paper. It only took James flipping a few pages before coming to the quick conclusion that the book was a ledger detailing the selling of goods.

ㅤTo James’ knowledge, his middleman had never been a workman nor a merchant. He was aware the man had peddled drugs before but those goods didn't make as much profit as whatever was being documented in this financial register. Whatever was sold, it had made a lot of money.

ㅤInvestigating further, he walked from one side of the room to another, checking a cabinet, to a chest, to a bedside table. The only other thing to note was the large quantities of non-perishable food being kept in this house. It was a lot for one person.

ㅤA creak. James noticed one floorboard didn't sound like the others. It seemed Eris had also picked up on this. He could feel her curiosity.

ㅤHe squatted down to shine the light to the floor, seeing the rug was suspiciously placed. It was a big room, yet the only carpet happened to be in this single empty corner. He peeled it from the floor to find a trapdoor beneath.

ㅤ“That was surprisingly obvious.”

ㅤThere’d been an attempt to hide the basement but it was poor. If the knights had gotten here before James, no doubt even those imbeciles could have found this.

ㅤPulling it open, the lamp revealed some wooden steps that James decided to follow. It was a tight squeeze, and the downward corridor was a lot filthier than the room upstairs. An awful stench emanated from within.

ㅤIt didn't take long for James to find out what the smell was. The corridor widened into a room and a corpse lay by his feet. He had been somewhat startled by it, despite knowing the scent well, as the dead child that lain at his feet mustn't have been older than ten.

ㅤAt quite a late stage of decomposition, the body must’ve festered for weeks.

ㅤA whimper sounded suddenly.

ㅤJames turned around quickly to find a living child curled up in the corner like a terror-stricken animal.

ㅤIt dawned on him suddenly. Child trafficking.

ㅤA hateful rage burnt up his chest, disgusted. Those ledgers reported a dozen sold a month. This had been allowed by others' laziness. Someone, somewhere, must have known.

ㅤWith this, it confirmed those Ankaid knights had been interested in his middleman rather than himself. However, he didn't understand why Ankaid knights were interested in an insignificant human trafficker in Druteius territory to the extent of travelling all this way themselves. Why not alert the Druteius authorities and let them deal with it?

ㅤWith a quick survey of the rest of the room, it seemed as if this child was the only one left.

ㅤ“What's your name?” he asked.

ㅤThe child didn't respond.

ㅤImpatient, James approached the young child, swinging the lamp in front of the kid's face.

ㅤ“Hey, I asked what your n—”

ㅤRed eyes.

ㅤ“You...”

ㅤThe child startled, his wide eyes panicking. He quickly shut them tightly, and blocked his face with his hands.

ㅤJames was at a loss for words for a moment. It was no longer as simple as passing him to the knights.

ㅤ“Don’t panic. I'm a knight from the Taulumni empire,” he lied.

ㅤThe boy lowered his hands a little, peaking at James.

ㅤ“I'm not here to pass you on, nor hand you in to the knights of this country. I can take you to Taulum for refuge.”

ㅤNo response.

ㅤ“What's your name?”

ㅤThe child had a hollow defeated look on his face. “Milo.”

ㅤJames smiled, aware it probably didn't look genuine. “It's nice to meet you, Milo. I'm Jack.”

ㅤMilo presented his limp hand, expecting to get dragged away.

ㅤEris seemed as hateful as James in that moment. The boy was going to be easy to save himself from further abuse. He’d completely given up. It was a wretched sight.

ㅤ“Okay, Milo.” James untied his pouch from his belt. “I'm going to need to put this in your eyes.”

ㅤHe saw the terror that stiffened the child's body.

ㅤ“It's not harmful,” James promised. “Here, watch me.”

ㅤThe boy observed as James demonstrated its use. Gradually, he unwound.

ㅤ“See? It hurts a little but it'll be safer for you.”

ㅤHesitantly, Milo nodded, and James slowly and gently poured a couple of drops in each eye.

ㅤMilo groaned in pain but they didn't have much time left until the Ankaid knights found this place. James believed that they must have known about this child and came here for it.

ㅤ“I'm going to carry you. Keep your eyes closed for a few minutes.”

ㅤIt was lucky they were near the border to Taulum. The Druteius royal house focused on the military defence of the empire and, as a result, the majority of blue territory was around the outer edges. Taulum was a country powerful enough not to be pushed around by Khearian demands to extradite petty criminals back here. It was the one place this boy would be safe.

ㅤBut they had to be quick.

ㅤJames ignored the child's frightened yelp as he threw him his shoulder. The boy's clothes were way too thin to wear at this time of year but he’d die of a knight’s stab wound far sooner than he would of the cold.

ㅤSneaking past people with a young boy over his shoulders would be difficult. There was a limit to what these people would pretend not to see and children hit the right soft spots. A brief recall to the housing density offered a solution.

ㅤThey left through the entrance, the light made the boy whimper, his eyes having been in the dark for so long. James didn't have time to let him adjust.

ㅤ“Keep them closed a little longer.”

ㅤHolding the boy with one arm, he grabbed onto a random window sill and pulled himself up. He lifted his other arm with the boy on it, pushing Milo towards the roof.

ㅤ“Grab it,” James ordered.

ㅤThe boy did, straining as he dangled off the edge. James was quick to climb on top and haul him up.

ㅤTaking a glance at the boy in the sunlight, Milo’s arms and legs trembled like thin bare branches in the wind. This child had absolutely no strength nor muscle, clearly having been starved.

ㅤJames returned the boy over his shoulder, knowing there wasn’t a possibility that this child could keep up in his state.

ㅤ“Stay still.”

ㅤWith only one arm free and an uneven weight, it took effort to keep his balance as he stepped from one wonky rooftop over to another, tiles wobbling uncertainly under his feet.

ㅤThankfully the density of the slums remained consistent and kept them out of view. People below would perhaps see a passing shadow and they'd be gone before anyone would think to look up.

ㅤBehind him, in the distance, he heard shouting. But there was no time to look back.

ㅤThe tiles of rooftops slid with each step, some falling and shattering on the ground below. He hoped the commotion was loud enough to distract any particularly sharp ears.

ㅤAt edge of the city, the buildings became shorter and wider apart. The jumps were stretching too far.

ㅤPeering behind, despite the rush, James took in the skyline of the city he'd never come back to. The cream, red and brown rooftops looked pretty fading into the pale fog, huddling at the foot of green mountains.

ㅤHe lowered the boy to the floor, whose eyes, now browner, had a glint of life restored in them.

ㅤ“Can you run?” he asked the boy.

ㅤMilo bit his lip, unsure of himself.

ㅤJames sighed and hefted him onto his back, the scent of death from the child sticking to his clothes.

ㅤBounding past goats and chickens, James did the running for the both of them, gradually getting further from the farms and closer to the woods. The path had long since turned from cobbles to dirt, grass thickening on either side and the trees becoming denser.

ㅤHe didn't fool himself into thinking they were safe yet, obsessively glancing over his shoulder for any sign they were being followed. So far, it seemed unlikely. But James couldn't confidently claim that they couldn't catch up still.

ㅤWithout a map, he vaguely attempted to picture the area and his memory served correctly as they stumbled upon a small hidden village. Only a few houses were huddled together in the clearing, well sheltered by the forest around them.

ㅤJames lowered the boy and grabbed his small hand, pulling him towards one of the stone dwellings. A washing line blew gently in the wind next to it.

ㅤIt didn't seem like anyone was around.

ㅤJames felt the dry material of a brown hooded jacket. It was small, belonging to a child. He pulled it off the line and leant down to wrap it around the shoulders of Milo.

ㅤIt was still a few hours walk to the next village in Taulum and the boy needed to be warm enough to survive the journey.

ㅤHe squatted down and grasped the boy by the arms.

ㅤ“Listen to me carefully. Right now, you’re fine but they'll soon turn red again. You must follow this path and not come off it under any circumstances. Do you understand?”

ㅤThe boy nodded, strengthened with tepid determination.

ㅤ“You can trust the villagers there,” James went on to say. “Only go with the Taulumni knights that the ones the villagers say are okay.”

ㅤ“Thank you.”

ㅤJames grimaced. The child shouldn't have been in this situation in the first place.

ㅤ“But what about my mum?” Milo asked.

ㅤ“You can never come back here, you understand?” James’ tone hardened. “Your family are safer with you in Taulum.”

ㅤEven the child knew better than argue.

ㅤ“Go.”

ㅤJames stood and gave Milo's shoulder an encouraging push. After some hesitance, the boy clung the jacket closer to his body and walked the path with his sore bare feet. He looked back many times before eventually losing sight beyond the trees.

ㅤEris seemed to approve of what he had done.

ㅤ“It's just one boy,” he said to her.

ㅤHe got the sense she brushed him off.

ㅤ“Rude.”

ㅤAlone again, just Eris and him, he took a breath of fresh air, thinking.

ㅤAs long as the child arrived within daylight without disturbing any animals and avoiding capture of any corrupt Taulum knights first, he would live.

ㅤStill, James was a paranoid man.

ㅤ“I think we'll stay here for a little while longer,” he told her. “Just in case.”

ㅤIt wasn't like Eris had a choice in the matter. He often wondered if she ever got sick of being dragged around. Though she’d never once complained and she didn't have anything else to do.

ㅤA twig snapped behind him.

ㅤJames didn't have time to react. He’d only narrowly missed the swing of a blade before he could understand what was happening.

ㅤIt came at such a shock that he lost his balance from the clumsy evade. The assailant took it as an opportunity to swing once again. A flash of silver and blue, a blade whistling as it effortlessly sliced through the air, aimed directly for his neck.

ㅤJames was falling backwards, barely escaping. He couldn't spare an arm for a single moment to pull out Eris, not when he needed them to break his fall. He desperately needed to create space.

ㅤThe hairs on his neck prickled up, his frantic heart fighting to steal his concentration.

ㅤThe man swung again, but this time it made contact.

ㅤJames felt fear.

ㅤIt took a moment to catch up once he was on the floor. His body was okay, he realised. However, the weight didn't feel right.

ㅤEris.

ㅤAbove him, a man in silver armour, metal glaring under the sun, stood, pointing a sword to his throat. Adorned in a blue cape, a lavish cobalt plume sat a crest his helmet, his face entirely obscured from view.

ㅤHe must’ve cut Eris off her strap. Her absence was cold. James held his breath, unable to look away to search for her. He was entirely at the man’s mercy.

ㅤThe knight said something unclear to James behind his helmet.

ㅤ“What?”

ㅤThe man used his free hand to tear it off, letting it fall to the dirt.

ㅤJames flinched at the surprising sight. This man's skin...

ㅤ“The boy,” the knight said, his voice a deep rumble. “What did you do with the boy?”

ㅤHis skin was brown.