We did not run.
Running would have broken the crowd open and painted a target on our backs wide enough for every hunter in the district to see. The open space of the market would have become a killing ground, and we would have been the only prey worth taking. Instead we drifted left with the flow of bodies, heads down, the bond already half-open and thrumming with shared adrenaline. Darius's limp was worse under the sudden demand for speed without the appearance of speed. I took more of his weight, my arm around his back, my shoulder bearing the brunt of his exhaustion. Lina stayed half a pace ahead, cutting small paths through the press of people without drawing notice. She moved like water, like shadow.
Behind us a short, sharp whistle cut the morning noise. The enforcers were signalin
