The room was dim, the flickering candlelight casting long shadows across the walls. Eldrin's breathing was labored, each shallow breath sending a sharp stab of pain through his side where the assassin's dagger had struck. His hand pressed firmly against the hastily bandaged wound, but the blood was already soaking through, seeping between his fingers.

  Ana knelt beside him, her face tight with concern as she worked to rewrap the bandage. “Stay still, damn it,” she muttered under her breath. “You’re bleeding worse than you think.”

  Eldrin’s jaw clenched, his teeth gritting against the pain. “I don’t—have time to stay still,” he whispered through ragged breaths. “We need to… make sure…”

  “We’re not going anywhere until you stop bleeding,” Ana interrupted, her tone sharp but laced with worry. “That bastard nearly gutted you.”

  Ruk hovered near the window, his wide goblin eyes darting between Ana’s frantic hands and the alley below. He stood on his toes, peeking through the cracked curtain. “Bad people outside,” he whispered, glancing back at Eldrin. “Lots of shadows moving. Ruk doesn’t like it.”

  Eldrin sucked in a sharp breath, the pain making his vision swim for a moment. His voice trembled, more from the blood loss than fear. “If they… if they find us… the book… it’ll be over.”

  Ana’s hands froze mid-wrap, and she looked at him, her gaze dark and serious. “The book?”

  Eldrin nodded, biting back another wave of pain. “It’s… hidden. In my room above the stable. I don’t know if they’ve found it yet.”

  Ana cursed under her breath, tightening the bandage with more force than necessary, causing Eldrin to wince. “And you didn’t think to mention that the book they’re after was hidden in a place they could easily get to?”

  Eldrin’s lips curled in a strained grimace. “Didn’t… think they’d… find me this quickly.”

  “Well, they did!” Ana snapped, tying off the bandage and pulling him upright by the arm. “You’re lucky I was here when that assassin attacked, or you’d be lying dead on the floor next to him.”

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  Eldrin leaned against her, his head spinning, the room swaying slightly as he struggled to stay upright. “We need to check,” he gasped. “If they’ve taken it…”

  “Damn it, Eldrin, you can barely stand!” Ana’s voice was harsh, but beneath it, there was a crack of fear. “You need healing, not a book.”

  “We don’t have time for healing,” Eldrin argued, though his voice was weaker than he wanted it to be. “The book contains… everything about Sha’kar, the prison… the orb. If they’ve got it… they’ll know too much.”

  Ruk scuttled back to them, eyes wide with concern. “More shadows outside,” he whispered urgently. “Ruk sees them moving closer.”

  Ana’s expression darkened. She sheathed her sword with a sharp movement. “Fine. But if we’re doing this, we do it fast. You’re in no condition for this, Eldrin.”

  He gave her a strained nod, his vision blurring for a moment as he forced himself to move. “I’ll manage.”

  Ana stood and slung Eldrin’s arm over her shoulder, helping him to his feet as they made their way toward the door. “Ruk, keep watch. If you see anything, anything, you tell us immediately.”

  Ruk nodded quickly, slipping back to the window, his small form nearly invisible in the shadows. “Ruk will watch. Ruk keeps eyes open.”

  The world swam slightly in front of Eldrin, his feet unsteady as they moved. His wound burned, and his head felt light, like it might float away from his body at any moment. But the thought of the book—his master’s notes on Sha’kar, the cryptic warnings about the obsidian orb—kept him focused. Whoever wanted that knowledge would stop at nothing to erase it, and they would come for him again if they hadn’t already found it.

  “We shouldn't fight if we don’t have to,” Eldrin muttered, his voice faint. “We need to get out of town after we check.”

  “I’ll do the fighting if it comes to that,” Ana replied curtly, her voice tense. “You just focus on staying conscious. If you pass out, I’m not dragging you out of here.”

  Eldrin managed a weak smile, though his grip on her shoulder tightened as his legs wavered. “I’ll try… not to.”

  Ana’s eyes flicked to the door as she adjusted her hold on him. “We need to move quietly. They’ll be searching the streets.”

  Ruk peeked through the curtain again, his voice a soft hiss. “Shadows getting closer. Ruk doesn’t like this.”

  Ana swore under her breath again. “We’re running out of time. Eldrin, if you’re going to do this, do it now.”

  Eldrin took a deep breath, steadying himself against the wall. His hand still pressed firmly against his wound, his heart pounded in his chest, but he nodded. “Let’s go.”