During his apprenticeship, Sedgewick had often complained that his life would never depend on his potion-brewing skills. As usual, his master was laughing at him from the grave.

"Rune disc."

Feyla passed him a pink-colored one. "Rune disc."

"Adhesive potion."

"Adhesive potion." She passed him up a vial. "I know I shouldn't have held out hope you were joking but was breaking into that alchemy shop really necessary?" Feyla asked.

"If it helps assuage your conscience, that place belongs to Crayden under a different name." Sedgewick spritzed the potion onto the aqueduct wall and attached the disc. "Or at least it did. Admittedly, it's been a while since I've frequented there. But there was no license on the walls so as far as I'm concerned, it was a perfectly legitimate confiscation," he finished, turning back to her briefly before returning to his task.

Feyla rolled her eyes. They worked in silence after that, speaking only when necessary. Soon, rune discs dotted the tunnel walls, revealed only by the flicker of a torch. Gates, he wished he had an illusion spell but Feyla's would probably do more harm than good. Hopefully, they wouldn't look up.

Sedgewick climbed down from the small crate he'd been standing on and laid the map he'd gotten from Hobrin on it. They both crouched down beside it and leaned in together conspiratorially. "Right, so they know we have the map and thus must be hiding in the tunnels. Now here—" He placed a finger on one of the far sides of the map. "Is where we are. It splits further down. One of the aqueducts runs toward the city while the other drains into the lake. It's within swimming distance of the lake shore and near a boating dock for trading ships going upriver. If we were trying to flee, that would be the best place to go."

"And that's where they'll think we're headed," Feyla said, realizing what he was planning.

"Exactly." He pulled her to her feet and waved at the rune discs they'd slaved over. "We wait further down the tunnel just out of sight. When they come looking for us, the discs activate as a distraction. That should scatter them enough for me to confront Tyrinn—"

"While I come in from behind and knock him out! Then we can snatch his notes and get out of here," she responded, her voice rising in excitement. "They'll think we're headed out into the lake when really we'll backtrack into the city and slip out from there."

Sedgewick grinned at her while he tucked the map away and lifted the small crate off the ground. Feyla had given him something for his back earlier and provided he didn't get slammed into any walls, he shouldn't suffer any flare-ups. He was checking over their handiwork one last time when a cool bead of water hit his forehead. Sedgewick set down the crate, rubbing his fingers together as the dampness from the wood moistened his hand. "Was the ground wet when we got here?"

"I think it was always a little damp. Is something wrong?" she asked, holding their torch up higher as her brow creased in worry.

Sedgewick stared at the ceiling and spotted a closed circular drain above his head. "Must be one of the spots where they drain the canals."

"Well, if we're this close to the lake, it makes sense," Feyla added, staring up as well. "Think we should be worried about the notes getting wet?"

Sedgewick tugged an oily leather bag off his belt. "I took a couple of these from the shop. They're meant to hold liquids so nothing soaks in or out. Take one just in case."

Feyla tied it beside her other gear while Sedgewick picked up the crate again. They walked down the tunnel until it curved, hiding them from view. Sitting down the crate again, Sedgewick tightened the leather straps crisscrossed across his shoulders. Potion vials and small rune discs were either tucked into various loops or stuffed securely in slits. A similar belt hung at his waist, holding the larger, more complex spells.

Sedgewick plopped down next to Feyla, their torch now rammed into a crack in the tunnel wall, casting their watery shadows on the ground before it curved and bled into darkness. This was it. They'd done all they could and just had to hope it was enough.

Silence crept in, squirming between them like an errant child. Meanwhile, a slow realization wormed its way into Sedgewick's mind. By this time tomorrow, they would either have succeeded or they'd be dead.

Haunting images of their bodies invaded his thoughts, tormenting him with flashes of Feyla's lifeless form. Sedgewick reached for Feyla's hand, soaking in her warmth like it was the light of day driving out a child's fear of the dark.

Sedgewick squeezed it, rubbing his thumb over her soft skin. "Thank you," he said quietly.

"For what?"

"Just... being. And staying," he added quickly as words began building inside of him. "I know I'm not easy to deal with but I, I really do love— "

"Oh, shut up," she cut in.

Her words stung like someone had pressed a knife against his chest and dug the very tip into his skin. "What are you saying?" he asked, panic tingeing his voice. "I thought you wanted me to show— "

"Not like that. Stop acting like this is some final thing. I don't want to hear it." She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed him like a vice. "Now say something positive about the future." Feyla's words were strong but her body was shaking.

Sedgewick returned her squeeze, placing his head on her shoulder and nuzzling her neck. "I'm not good at positive."

"Please," she entreated, her voice starting to shake in time with her body.

He couldn't stay quiet after that.

"I want," he paused, chewing on the words. "I want to see the revival of Briarwood when we get back."

Feyla's shaking doubled, and for a second he thought she was crying until she finally looked up at him, mirth in her wet eyes. "That's what you want to do?"

"It's a good play!"

"I heard it was ridiculous."

"It's absurdism. That makes it a purposeful ridiculousness. I was going to take you before this whole mess, but someone decided to go out with Mydel instead," Sedgewick finished, shaking his head as if such a thing was beyond his comprehension.

Feyla squeezed him again, gentler this time. "Okay, Sedgewick. When we're done with this, we'll go see—" She bit down her laugh. "Briarwood. Of all things..."

A scratching echoed toward them from the tunnel.

Sedgewick and Feyla jumped to their feet, both reaching for their prospective gear. They exchanged a glance before moving to opposite sides of the tunnel walls.

"Why aren't the discs triggering?" Feyla whispered harshly, panic in her voice.

Sedgewick could only shake his head in confusion. What had he done wrong? Was this curse draining him of his knowledge now too? Gates, he knew he'd made them right, so what the gates was going on. Gates. Gates, gates, gates.

He was seconds away from snatching Feyla and dragging her away when the scratching grew louder. A hunched shadow appeared on the tunnel wall. Sedgewick reached for a rune disc while Feyla readied her stance. They both braced themselves to rush forward and face—

A rat wearing a ribbon?

"Mrs. Sniffles!" Feyla exclaimed. "Hobrin's rat! But why is she—"

The rat sniffed Sedgewick before letting out a chitter and racing back down the tunnel.

"They're tracking us with a rat?" Sedgewick asked incredulously.

"Hobrin did say she was a good rat."

Voices carried towards them, rushing down the aqueduct like water.

"She'll be a dead rat if I ever— "

"Oh, just get ready!"

They took their places along the walls, and Sedgewick prepared himself for a final dance with death. He glanced at Feyla. She was taut and poised, ready to face whatever dared come at the two of them. And at that moment, he'd taken her by his side over all the spells in the world.

Light flashed and the tunnel shook as the first of Sedgewick's rune discs exploded. They stared at each other one last time before rushing into the fray.

****************************************

VICTORY! *coughs* Sorry for the delay, everyone. I'm actually pretty happy with how this turned out, but I had to restart the whole chapter and rewrite some after that and then finish it... Anyways, hopefully the next one will be easier (hahaha, yeah right). Let me know what you think!