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Running with only one shoe soon grew awkward, so he pulled it off and threw it in a dumpster. One pant leg was also missing below the knee, but running around without pants on seemed less reasonable.

None of the buildings looked familiar. He slowed to a walk. ‘Where do I go, Garovel?’

The reaper did not answer.

‘Garovel?!’

‘Mm... what?’

He took a breath. ‘You scared me...’

‘Sorry... I’m... very tired... I need to rest...’

‘I need you to tell me where to go first. I don’t know where we are.’

‘Ah... uh... sorry, I... I’m...’

‘Garovel?’ He waited for answer but received none. He stopped walking.

Everything had happened so quickly. He hadn’t had much chance to take it all in. And standing in the open street, he still wasn’t ready to. Part of him was afraid Geoffrey would find them if he stopped moving for too long. So he kept walking, aimless and barefoot over cool, damp concrete.

‘Hector!’

At first, he thought it was Garovel, but then he realized. “Bohwanox?”

The reaper descended from the sky, the wound on his back still smoking, though less than before. ‘What happened?’

“Garovel was hurt... pretty badly... he’s, um... resting now.”

‘Ah... I see.’

“Are you alright?”

‘I think so, yes. I’ve never been wounded like this before, but I only feel mildly weakened.’

“That’s good... How’d you, um... h-how’d you find me?”

‘Searching, is how. From up high. I was worried you two didn’t make it. I saw that other man leaving earlier.’

“What other man?”

‘The one you were working with. He was talking to Rofal when I found you both tonight.’

“Ah! You saw Colt?!”

‘Was that his name?’