Chapter 20

  Hit and Run

  The side door creaks open, spilling a sliver of cool night air into the suffocating room. One by one, the women slip through, the older dog woman ushering them along like a shepherd under the moonlight.

  Lux stands just inside the doorway, short sword lowered but ready, eyes darting between the alley outside and the darkened hall behind them. Every shuffle of bare feet on cobblestone sounds too loud, every faint clink of chain makes his grip tighten.

  At one point, a pair of drunken voices echoes faintly from somewhere in the street beyond. The line freezes—he holds his breath—but the voices fade, and the last of the women vanish into the shadows. The dog woman throws him one last nod before disappearing herself.Silence settles.

  Lux closes the door softly and turns to Renn’s mother, the fox woman, her furred ears still twitching from the tension. The rabbit girl stands beside her, scanning the hall.

  "Alright," Lux says in a low voice, "your husband. Where would he be?"

  The fox woman’s tail flicks once, sharply. "If he’s alive, they’d have him in the labor camps—north side of the city. They work demi men to the bone there, breaking rock and hauling timber for the baron’s projects." She swallows hard. "But… if he’s been resisting, they may have moved him somewhere worse."

  Lux studies her face, weighing her words against the scraps of intel he’s picked up since arriving in Springvale.Do you want him to head for the labor camp immediately, or try to gather more information first in case Renn’s father isn’t there?

  The three of them slip out the side door, the stench of the cramped sewing room replaced by the cold bite of night air. Lux takes point, keeping low and hugging the alley walls, his eyes constantly moving between shadows and open spaces.

  The fox woman pads just behind him, her steps surprisingly quiet for someone without formal training. The rabbit girl trails close, every so often glancing upward, her ears twitching at distant noises.

  Springvale’s north side looms ahead—less polished than the central market, with squat stone buildings, wide yards of stacked lumber, and the occasional watchtower lit by flickering torches.

  A rhythmic clang… clang… clang carries through the air—the sound of hammers striking rock.

  Lux pauses at the edge of a edge of the city just inside the north gates, crouched behind a pile of discarded barrels. In the distance, dim light outlines a tall wooden fence, broken only by a wide gate with two armed guards posted outside. Beyond it, vague silhouettes move—men bent over in heavy labor, shackles glinting faintly.

  The fox woman leans closer, whispering, “That’s it. The camp.”

  Lux’s eyes narrow as he scans the gate and the watch patterns. It’s not impenetrable—but it’s not built for easy entry either.

  Lux exhales slowly, the decision made. "Quickness is key. We go in, look around. If you spot him—tell me immediately."

  The fox woman nods once, jaw set, while the rabbit girl tightens her grip on the dagger.

  They skirt the edge of the wall, moving along the dark side of the of it until they reach the fence. The sound of labor inside grows louder—grunts, chains, and the dull thud of tools striking stone.

  At the far corner, Lux spots a section where the fence meets a storage shed. The shadows there are deeper, the guards’ torchlight not quite reaching. He signals with two fingers and slips forward, pressing himself against the rough wood.

  With a quick glance to make sure the guards at the gate aren’t looking, he boosts himself up, hooks an arm over the top, and swings over silently. A quick hand signal brings the fox woman and rabbit girl after him—both lighter and faster than he expected.

  Inside, the sight is worse up close: rows of demi-human men, many shirtless and gaunt, shackled in pairs as they swing hammers or haul massive stones. Overseers with whips pace between them, their eyes sharp.

  Lux keeps moving in a crouch, weaving between stacks of lumber and rock piles, scanning faces. "Eyes open," he murmurs.

  The fox woman freezes for half a second, her ears twitching toward a man at the far edge of the workyard—a fox-eared man, his fur the same warm tone as hers, swinging a hammer in slow, exhausted arcs.

  She looks at Lux, her voice low but urgent.

  "That’s him."

  Lux’s gaze flicks to the rabbit girl, her ears standing tall in the dim torchlight.

  "How fast are you?" he whispers.

  She gives him a faint, almost smug smirk despite the tension. "Fast enough to outrun anyone in this yard if I’ve got room to move."

  "Good," Lux says, leaning in so both she and the fox woman can hear. "You’re going to be the spark. Make them chase you—just not toward us. Keep it loud, make it messy. When they’re on you, we grab him and go. Got it?"

  The rabbit girl nods once, already shifting her weight like she’s itching to bolt. "Just make sure you’re not still standing here when I look back."

  The fox woman’s hand tightens on Lux’s arm, her eyes flicking between them. "Don’t take long… he won’t last much longer in this place."

  Lux nods sharply, shifting his eyes to the rabbit girl.

  "Change of plan—" he murmurs, "while you run, smash any wick lanterns you can reach. Hit the shed, maybe another building. Fire will cover our escape and pull every guard in the camp off us."Her grin turns feral, ears twitching forward. "Now you’re speaking my language."

  "Not yet," Lux says, lifting a hand. He motions for the fox woman to follow and begins moving low and fast between piles of timber and stacks of stone, angling toward her husband. The ground is packed dirt, soft enough to muffle their steps if they keep light.

  The fox woman is quiet—remarkably so—but her breathing quickens as they close the gap. Her husband swings the hammer again, his movements sluggish and labored, sweat glistening on his fur. Two overseers are nearby, chatting idly, their eyes only half on the workers.

  Lux crouches behind a stack of split logs, no more than fifteen feet from the man now. He glances at the rabbit girl, who’s positioned herself opposite them near the fence line.

  She meets his gaze, gives one slow nod… waiting for the signal.

  Lux catches the rabbit girl’s eye and gives a single, sharp nod.

  She explodes into motion—one second crouched in shadow, the next a blur streaking across the workyard. Dirt sprays under her boots as she darts between workers, shoving past one of the overseers with enough force to make him stumble.

  "HEY!" the man bellows, whip snapping as he gives chase. Two other guards join him, but the rabbit girl is already grabbing the first wick lantern she passes, hurling it at the side of the storage shed.

  WHOOOMPH!

  The oil catches instantly, flames racing up the wood. Shouts erupt as the firelight blooms against the dark sky.

  She doesn’t slow—she smashes a second lantern against the side of a tool shack, flames spilling out across the wall before darting toward the fence. The workers stop swinging hammers, chains clinking as they stare at the chaos, unsure what’s happening.

  Most of the overseers break off to give chase or rush to the fires, leaving only a single guard between Lux and the fox woman’s husband.

  Lux glances at her. "Now’s our shot."

  Lux bursts from behind the stack of logs like a drawn arrow, boots pounding the dirt. The guard barely has time to turn before Lux slams into him shoulder-first, driving him back into a timber post with a sharp crack.

  The man’s mouth opens—too late. Lux’s forearm crashes into his throat, cutting off the shout, while his other hand drives the short sword up under the guard’s ribs. The guard stiffens, eyes wide, then collapses limp to the ground.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Go!" Lux hisses without looking back.Renn’s mom is already moving, weaving through the scattering workers. Her husband, dazed, doesn’t react until she’s right in front of him. His eyes widen in disbelief, and she’s at his side, slipping an arm around his waist to keep him steady."We have to move—now," she urges, but her voice cracks with relief.

  The fire from the storage shed roars louder, sending black smoke curling into the night sky. More shouting echoes from across the camp—guards realizing something bigger is happening.

  Lux grabs the keys from the dead guard’s belt, quickly snapping her husband’s chains. "We go out the way we came. Stay close and keep moving."

  They slip into the maze of shadows again, heading for the fence—

  Lux moves fast, Renn’s mom half-supporting her husband as they weave between burning sheds and panicked workers. The heat from the fires licks at their backs, the crackle of wood and the shouting of men blending into one chaotic roar.

  Up ahead, a blur of motion—a flash of long ears—then the rabbit girl skids into view from behind a building, breathing hard but grinning like she just won a bet. "I figured you’d make it," she says, falling into step without breaking stride.

  Behind her, three figures melt out of the shadows and fall in with them—two broad-shouldered wolf men and a wiry panther man. All three wear the look of people who’ve just gambled everything on a single chance.

  "They followed me," the rabbit girl says quickly, jerking her head toward them.

  "They want out too."

  Lux doesn’t slow. "Then keep up. We’ve got seconds before the whole camp’s on us."

  The panther man’s voice is low and urgent.

  "There’s a weak section of the fence on the east side—close enough to the treeline that we can vanish before they know we’re gone."

  Lux glances at him, calculating. The smoke’s blowing that way. It could hide their escape—if they move now.

  Lux doesn’t even look back. "We don’t have time for detours. My way’s clear, and I know it works."

  The panther man growls low in his throat, ears flattening. "Fine, human—but if this goes bad, it’s on you."

  "Then keep your claws sharp and your mouth shut," Lux snaps, pushing forward.They cut between two collapsing sheds, sparks raining down, and make for the section of fence nearest the outer road.

  The firelight behind them throws their shadows long across the ground, but the smoke and confusion cover their movements.

  The rabbit girl slips ahead, nimble as ever, darting to the fence first and crouching to pry open the loose boards Lux had spotted on his way in. The gap is just wide enough to shove someone through.

  "Move, move, move!" Lux urges.

  One by one, they spill out into the dark grass beyond the wall—first the rabbit girl, then the wolf men, the panther, Renn’s mom and dad, until only Lux remains inside. Shouts ring out from the far side of the camp—someone’s noticed the bodies upstairs.

  Lux ducks through the gap just as a whistle splits the air behind him.

  "Run!" he barks, and the whole group takes off into the treeline, vanishing into the night.

  Lux glances over his shoulder mid-stride, breath sharp in his chest. Through the haze of smoke and the flicker of firelight, he spots it—the so-called “weak” section of the east fence.

  It’s crawling with guards. Dozens of them.

  Torches flare like angry fireflies as they pile in from all sides, weapons drawn, shouting orders. The smoke drifts thin there—clear enough for the sentries on the towers to get a perfect view of anyone trying to slip through.

  So that’s what he wanted, Lux thinks grimly, snapping his eyes forward again. The panther’s “shortcut” was nothing more than a death trap.

  The man himself is still at Lux’s flank, breathing hard but keeping pace. Lux doesn’t say a word—just pushes harder through the undergrowth, letting the pounding of their boots and the snapping branches carry them deeper into the dark safety of the forest.

  When they finally slow, the rabbit girl throws Lux a quick look. "Guess your way was the right way after all."

  They keep moving toward the forest going back to sprinhvale right now would only end in them getting caught. With feet hammering the earth in a relentless rhythm. The forest thins in places, letting streaks of moonlight fall across their path, but Lux barely notices.

  He’s chewing on the thought, each step pounding the truth deeper into his gut—the panther hadn’t just been wrong. He’d tried to set them up. The image of that east wall crawling with guards won’t leave Lux’s head, and with every replay, the burn of betrayal gets hotter.

  The panther lopes along beside him, silent except for the hiss of his breathing. His movements are smooth, almost casual, like nothing’s wrong.

  Lux’s hand twitches near the hilt of his short sword more than once, but he forces it away. Not here. Not now. The rescued are exhausted, half-starved, and carrying the weight of the night on their shoulders—they don’t need him making it worse.

  They break from the treeline within sight of Springvale’s outer road, the glow of lanterns marking the path into the city. Lux slows them to a walk, scanning for patrols.

  His jaw’s tight, and he can feel the others glancing between him and the panther, sensing the tension like a storm on the edge of breaking.

  When they finally duck into a half-collapsed barn just off the road to rest, Lux knows the moment’s coming.

  The barn smells of dust and old hay, shadows pooling in the corners. Everyone collapses where they stand—Renn’s parents leaning against the wall, the rabbit girl crouching near the door to keep watch, the others sinking into the straw-covered floor.

  Lux stays standing, staring at the panther man. His hands are loose at his sides, but his voice cuts through the quiet like a blade.

  "You knew."

  The panther looks up from where he’s crouched, licking a shallow cut on his arm.

  "Knew what?""That east wall was crawling with guards."

  Lux’s tone sharpens, his gaze unblinking. "You tried to send us into a slaughter."The panther’s tail flicks, slow and deliberate. "And if you’d gone that way and failed, it would’ve drawn the heat off my people."

  A low murmur ripples through the room. The rabbit girl straightens, ears twitching. "Your people? You mean you were ready to throw us to the wolves so yours could get away?"

  The panther shrugs, unashamed. "Survival isn’t about playing nice—it’s about who makes it out. And you made it out, didn’t you?"

  Lux takes a step forward, the barn air suddenly feeling heavier. "No. We made it out because I didn’t take your path. If I had, the only thing waiting for us would’ve been a mass grave."

  The panther’s eyes narrow, but he doesn’t rise. "Then maybe you’re just lucky."

  The others shift uneasily, waiting for Lux’s next move.

  The words hit like a slap in the quiet barn.Lux’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t look away. "Yeah… I figured that much," he says evenly, voice low but carrying enough weight for everyone to hear. "But here’s the thing—you don’t get to decide who lives and dies when you’re running with me."

  The panther’s ears flick back, his eyes narrowing to slits. "You think you’re in charge, human?"

  Lux steps closer, the old floorboards creaking under his boots. "No. I know I am—because I’m the one who just pulled thirty women out of that hellhole without selling any of them out." His voice sharpens like a drawn blade. "You try that again, and I won’t care what species you are. You’ll answer for it."

  A tense silence falls. The rabbit girl leans forward slightly, watching the panther for his reaction. Renn’s father has his arms protectively around his wife, eyes flicking between the two men.

  The panther finally huffs a short, derisive laugh, though there’s no humor in it. "Fine. But don’t expect me to risk my neck for you."

  Lux just nods once. "Wasn’t planning on it."

  The air in the barn stays taut, like a bowstring drawn and waiting to snap.

  Lux tilts his head back, eyes tracing the pale silver disc hanging high above the jagged roofline of the barn. The moonlight spills through a crack in the boards, painting a thin, cold stripe across the dirt floor.

  He exhales slowly, thinking of the road back to Springvale—the patrol routes, the gates, the alleys he’s memorized. The timing would have to be perfect. One wrong turn, one guard in the wrong place, and they’d all be caught.

  Renn’s mother shifts, murmuring softly to her husband, and the rabbit girl keeps watch near the door, ears flicking at every sound outside. The panther sits in the shadows, gaze unreadable, tail lazily sweeping the floor. The two wolf men both leaning in different beams.

  Lux runs his thumb over the edge of his pocket knife, weighing the risks. If I move now, I might make it before the guard rotations change. But… his gaze flicks to the rescued group, …they’re not exactly ghosts in the night.

  The wind outside rattles the boards, carrying with it the faint, distant clang of a bell from Springvale. Time’s slipping away.

  Lux leaned back against the wall, arms crossed, but his eyes never drifted far from the panther man. Even in the dim light, he could see the other’s posture—relaxed, almost too relaxed, like someone who knew he didn’t have to prove himself to anyone in the room.

  The moonlight shifted as the hours passed, sliding down the barn wall and leaving them in shadow. Outside, the night sounds were constant—crickets, distant wind through trees—but every so often, Lux caught the faint scrape of boots on dirt, the muffled clink of armor. Patrols.

  He kept his thoughts to himself, but the math was simple: the panther had tried to use them once already. If he decided to do it again, Lux wasn’t sure he’d get a second chance to stop it.

  His hand rested casually on the short sword at his hip, a silent reminder to himself.The rescued demi-humans settled in restless clusters, whispering in low voices or nodding off in uncomfortable positions.

  The rabbit girl eventually leaned against the wall near the door, half-dozing but with one hand on her dagger. Renn’s parents sat close together, her mother’s head resting on her father’s shoulder.

  Hours stretched. Lux kept his back to the wall and his eyes half-closed, but he never fully let himself sleep. He gets only about 10 minutes of dozing. When the first pale glow of pre-dawn began to creep through the gaps in the boards, he finally straightened.

  "We move in fifteen," he said quietly, scanning the room. His gaze lingered on the panther man an extra beat. "All of us. Together."

  The panther gave a slow, unreadable smirk but said nothing.

  As the pale morning light crept higher, the group slipped from the barn into the quiet chill of pre-dawn. Their breath fogged in the cold air as they moved single file, keeping to the treeline that ran parallel to the road toward Springvale.

  Lux kept them moving at a steady pace—quick enough to cover ground, slow enough to avoid drawing attention. The forest around them was still, but the silence broke with a rustle ahead, then the sharp snap of a branch.

  Lux froze, raising a hand. The rabbit girl crouched low, ears twitching toward the sound. Out of the mist, shapes emerged—ragged, wary, and clearly desperate. A group of five demi-humans stumbled into view: two wolf-men supporting a limping avian boy, a short goat-woman clutching a bundled infant, and a horned man holding a spear with blood dried across one side of his face.

  The two groups stared at each other for a moment, no one moving. The newcomers’ eyes darted over Lux’s party, settling on the panther man—recognition flashing there. The horned man’s voice was low but edged with suspicion.

  "You," he growled, "we know you. You left us behind."

  The panther’s tail twitched lazily, but he didn’t look away. "I saved the ones I could."

  Lux didn’t like the way the horned man’s grip tightened on the crude spear in his hand. Between the tension in the air and the thin light creeping into the sky, they were burning precious minutes. And if they stayed out here too long, both groups might end up caught.

  The horned man’s nostrils flared, and his grip on the spear tightened, but Lux stepped forward, planting himself between the two parties.

  “Enough,” Lux said, voice firm but low. “I don’t know your history, and I’m not here to take sides. All I know is that he”—Lux jabbed a thumb toward the panther—“fled with my group last night, and now we’ve got six safe because of it. If you want to come, you come with my group of six. Otherwise, you take your chances out here.”

  The wolf-men exchanged glances. The goat-woman clutched her infant tighter, her eyes flicking to the faint, growing glow of daylight filtering through the trees. The avian boy coughed weakly, and the sound made Lux’s gut twist.

  The horned man held Lux’s stare for a long, tense beat, then gave a short nod. “Fine. We follow. But I’m watching him.” He jabbed his chin toward the panther.The panther just smirked, but didn’t say a word.

  “Good,” Lux muttered. “Then we move. Stay low, stay quiet, and when I say stop, you stop.”

  The expanded group began moving again, the weight of extra footsteps pressing harder against the urgency in Lux’s chest. Every noise felt louder now. Every shadow felt like a set of eyes.

  The four wolf-men exchanged quick glances, then the tallest of them gave a short nod. Without a word, they slipped into the undergrowth, their movements near soundless despite the damp leaf litter underfoot.

  Lux kept the rest of the group huddled in the shadows of a thicket, eyes flicking between the trees and the faint outline of Springvale’s walls in the distance. The air was sharper now, the horizon just starting to glow orange with the promise of sunrise.

  Minutes stretched uncomfortably long until a faint rustle signaled the wolves’ return. The lead scout crouched low, speaking in a hushed voice meant for Lux alone.

  "Post is empty. Morning guard hasn’t switched in yet, but you’ve got maybe ten minutes before the next rotation walks in."The panther man’s tail twitched with amusement. “Plenty of time, if you don’t trip over your own boots.”

  Lux ignored the jab, scanning the others. “Alright—straight to the side entrance. No talking, no running unless I say. We’re in the open for thirty seconds tops. Stay tight.”

  The horned man grunted. “And if the guard rounds the corner?”

  Lux’s jaw set. “Then we make sure he doesn’t raise an alarm.”