But Talanna strained, swung Araezra back, then threw her toward the next platform. Araezra uttered a tight scream but caught herself at the throne's base. It blew the air from her lungs, but she hauled herself up to discover a zombie shambling toward her, its eyes jaundiced yellow.
Leaping through the air, Talanna kicked it in the head, driving it off the platform and into the pit. Araezra pulled herself up and they stood on the platform, shaking and panting. Shadowbane waited on the opposite ledge, cloak fluttering around him.
"What's he doing?" Araezra asked. "Why isn't he running?"
Talanna shook her head. She gesrured at the gap, which was as long as a dagger cast. Araezra nodded. As one, they braced for it, ran, and leaped.
With the aid of her magical ring, Talanna made the jump easily enough, but she slipped on loose rubble and fell with a crash. Araezra's feet faltered on the edge and she reeled back over the pit. Her heart froze.
Then a gauntleted hand caught hold of her arm and steadied her.
She looked up into Shadowbane's face, covered by his helm, but he averted his eyes. He pulled her away from the dangerous drop-off.
The three paused for many heartbeats-Araezra panting, Talanna kneeling and flexing her sore arms, Shadowbane standing aloof. He didn't seem able to meet their eyes.
"Don't run," Araezra said. She felt the hilt of Shadowbane's sword at her hip, slung crosswise across her back. "We mean you no-"
Talanna lunged from behind him, but Shadowbane eluded her hands. He whirled, slapping her in the face with his cloak, and ran inro the next tunnel.
Talanna and Araezra looked at one another, then bounded after him.
On Shadowbane's heels, they burst into the chamber they had descended to reach Downshadow-a vertical shaft beneath a popular, centuries-old tavern.
Other than the Knight 'n Shadow, this place saw the most traffic into and out of the caves and tunnels. The hounds of Downshadow who stalked the Waterdeep night didn't use such a visible entrance, so the bottom of the shaft was empty.
Shadowbane leaped up, bounced off one wall and then the other, and grasped the harness at the end of a long rope that was used to lower folk into Undermountain-often at the Watch's behest for crimes against the city, but sometimes by request for fools with more greed than sense.
Shadowbane dangled a moment, twenty feet over their heads, then began to climb.
"Tal!" hissed Araezra, but the shieldlar was already moving.
Talanna hurled rwo daggers inro the opposite wall. The fine adamantine edges sank into the stone easily, one at chest level, the other higher. She bounded up one, then the other, then pulled a third blade from her belt and stabbed it into the wall above. She grasped the knife below and snaked it up to jab higher. In this way, wiry arm muscles bulging, the red-haired guard pulled herself up dagger by dagger, as Shadowbane scaled the rope.
It was a bow shot to the top of the well-a long, hard climb.
At the bottom, Araezra shivered, panting at the speed of the chase. She wanted to pursue, but she was helpless without means to climb-or fly.
She seized the lowest of Talanna's daggers from the wall and felt for Shadowbane's sword on her back-still tightly secured. Then she looked up.
Long breaths dragged on, and she heard the click and scrape of Talanna's daggers as she climbed ever higher. The strength of that woman…
Shadowbane gained the tavern first, of course, and Araezra heard distant, startled murmurs of patrons at their drink. Talanna reached the top and pulled herself over the lip of the shaft. "Waterdeep Guard!" came Talanna's shout. "Lower the harness! With haste!"
Araezra winced, thinking of the stir she would cause when she appeared, half-dressed as she was. "Tal!" she shouted.
Sounds of a scuffle followed, then a feminine voice swore loudly. A red-fringed head poked over the wall far above. "Rayse! He's going to the street-I'll stop him!"
"Don't even think it!" Araezra shouted. "That's an order!" Talanna bit her lip, then disappeared back into the tavern. "Damn it, Tal!"
The harness came slithering down. Grasping the dagger between her teeth, Araezra rubbed her hands together, then leaped to grab hold. She hung on as it was pulled slowly-too slowly! — toward Waterdeep.
As Araezra reached the top, she swung free of the harness and planted her feer on the tavern floor. She ignored the startled and curious looks of patrons as she ran to the door. Talanna was nowhere to be seen, and if she didn't know better…
One of the patrons-a white-faced noble lad-gawked at her and pointed out the door. "They-they were fighting, lady, and-and they ran that way!"
Araezra pushed through the door of the Yawning Portal tavern and looked down the dark streer-and cursed. "Oh, Hells."
She watched as Shadowbane leaped from one roof to another, running east along the rooftops toward Snail Street. Talanna, her red hair gleaming in the moonlight, sprinted after him.
Araezra darted into the chilly Waterdeep night and streaked after, following along the city streets.
Waterdeep's sky was clear that night, and an almost full moon and Selune's tears shone down to light the streets. The night was very late-or very early, depending on one's perspective-and drunken lordlings were making their way back to their villas, where servants would aid them (perhaps along with new-met lasses, or possibly other nobles) into their beds. Meanwhile, the common folk-who had to earn an honest living-were rising to begin the day, making dough for the ovens or gathering eggs to sell at market.
Dawn was naught but a small bell distant, and pale light glowed at the eastern horizon. It was still a time for rest before the gates opened and the important business of coin gathering-and spending-began anew.
In Dock Ward, however, there was no such tranquility.
"You stupid, stupid-Tal!" Araezra shrieked as her friend leaped over the narrow thoroughfare between Belnumbra and Snail Street.
Talanna barely made the jump, tumbled, and got up to run again. She turned south to follow Shadowbane, and they ran down Snail Street. Despite its name, nothing was slow about the street that night.
Araezra, heart thundering in her throat from weariness and terror, ran on, panting. The damp chill of Waterdeep clung to her sweat-soaked, bare shoulders.
Talanna leaped from rooftop to rooftop in pursuit of Shadowbane, whose gray cloak streaked behind him like a pair of wings. Gods, the man was fast, if he could outpace Talanna. Araezra knew magic had to be at work, probably in his boots-no living man could run that fast or jump that far. Sure enough, she saw a slight blue glow lingering around his feet.
The few folk on the streets-laborers, mostly-peered at her curiously, but Araezra put her head down and forced her legs to carry her. At least she was in Dock Ward, where frenzied chases and loud drunken disruptions were common in the early hours of pre-dawn. In the finer wards, Araezra would be reprimanded for disrupring the peace, for sure.
Gods, she was tired.
They ran past the Sleepy Sylph tavern on the left. Araezra's heart almost stopped when Shadowbane seemed to fly across the alley between two buildings, and Talanna didn't hesitate to make the jump after him. Still, they continued their chase.
Araezra ran on, narrowly avoiding pedestrians and carts and broadcriers who were just setting themselves to morningfeasts of simmer stew in round loaves. At the sight of her, the older folk gawked and the younger giggled. This, more than anything else, made her cheeks burn.
They passed another tavern, The Dancing Pony, and then Ralagut's Wheelhouse, where Araezra ran up an unhitched wagon and jumped off the other side before pounding her way down the street. Her lungs felt like fire in her chest, but she kept running, her eyes scanning on high.
Shadowbane leaped over the next street, Talanna just behind him.
Surely she was tiring. Araezra thought she could hear the woman panting and wheezing for breath, even from so far away. They were going so fast and leaping so far…