My room had one window, directly opposite the door. When I unlatched it, it swung open cleanly, letting me look down at a dimly-lit alley. I was on the side of the building opposite the main street. Perfect.

The inn was constructed of well-placed, sturdy wood, most likely brought down from the mountains. It was an ideal surface to climb down, and it took me less than a minute to make it to the ground. From there, I headed back the direction Wyatt and I had come, moving parallel to the main street. I wasn't the stealthiest member of the Starwatch's crew, but I could at least move quietly enough to be unnoticed by the occasional casual onlooker.

As the Starwatch's scouts had promised, Hashton's jail was just off of a side road near the back of town. It was a large building, and not all of it was cell space; rumors said Sheriff Carter's living quarters were in there, just so he could keep watch. If you asked me, he took his job a little too seriously.

There was only one door to the building, and an unfamiliar man was standing outside it. He was impressively tall and broad-shouldered, and in addition to the gun at his belt, there was a thick chunk of wood resting against the wall behind him. I could guess what that was for.

There was no good way to sneak up on the man, and I didn't stand a chance fighting him. So I shrugged to myself and jogged forward in plain sight.

The gun was in his hand in a moment. "Stop right there."

I cringed at the volume of his voice; Sheriff Carter was probably somewhere in that building, and I didn't know how sound-insulated it was. "Wyatt sent me, Sir," I said, skidding to a stop.

He frowned, twisting to glance at the building behind him.

I paused. I'd been about to say that Wyatt needed his help at the inn, but that movement told me Wyatt might be inside this building. "He had a question for the guard at the back entrance of town, but didn't have time to ask it himself," I said cautiously. "Told me to give him the answer in here."

"Oh, I see." He turned to open the door for me.

I stared, a little incredulous. After how hard it had been to convince Wyatt, this guy seemed laughably gullible. Before he noticed my hesitation, I said, "Thanks," and hurried into the building.

A voice drifted through the still air, and I froze, straining to hear a direction. It seemed to be coming from one of the doors further down the hallway, and when I tilted my head, I thought it was most likely coming from the right. There was no light coming from the door directly to my right, so I opened it as silently as possible and slipped inside. A quick glance around showed a cleanly organized room with cabinets lining the walls and a desk in the center. I didn't have time to look through them. Instead, I went to the wall that I hoped bordered the conversation, squeezed between two cabinets, and pressed my ear to the wood.

"-want to talk with him again in the morning before we send him back." That was Wyatt's voice. "See if we can get anything else out of him."

"You think he's in on whatever they're planning?" an unfamiliar voice responded—that had to be Sheriff Carter himself. I'd imagined his voice to be gruff, but it was surprisingly warm despite the wary tone.

"My best guess is no. Poor kid just wanted into town for the night." Wyatt chuckled. "But I'd like to know who exactly he got his information from, and whether they work for the Mayor..."

"To know if the people plotting against us are the same ones who sent the warning," the Sheriff finished.

Wyatt hummed uncertainly. "I dunno. That wasn't what I was going to say."

"What, then?"

"I think it's possible that someone there is working against their Mayor. She could be trying to help us while their Sheriff is secretly taking advantage of us."

"Unlikely," Carter said. "It's more likely that they're all in on it, and they're trying to build trust by helping us out."

"So they sent the warning to get on our good side?" I imagined Wyatt frowning.

"That, or the warning was never meant to help us."

My heart took a leap up my throat and lodged there.

"Elaborate?" Wyatt asked cautiously.

"I agree that the kid wasn't supposed to tell you what he did. But that doesn't mean he was sent here to tell us about pirates we'd already dealt with."

I found my breath stalling, but couldn't remember how to fix it.

"He got here a full twelve hours after the pirates had come and gone," Carter continued. "It takes a ship about four days to sail around the peninsula from Gradice to Hashton. I know the ride through the mountains can be difficult, but it shouldn't take four and a half days. Especially if someone is trying to ride quickly."

There was a pause. They hadn't connected me to the Starwatch in any way, but the terror of being suspected was seeping through my body despite my efforts to swallow it down. How difficult would it be for Carter to make that last connection?

I'd come to this town to rescue a friend, and to prove my worth. But neither of those things mattered if I never made it out.

"He did seem awfully unsurprised that he was too late," Wyatt mused. "You think he took the journey slow on purpose?"

"The question is," Carter said without confirming, "Why would Gradice send a fake warning?"

I knew the answer he'd come up with, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

"I'm not sure, Sir."

"To get someone into the town, Wyatt," the Sheriff said tiredly, like he was explaining it to a child. "To listen in on things, then report back to Gradice with whatever they wanted to know."

"Aw...shit."

Chairs scraped the floor, a door opened, and footsteps approached down the hall. I kept my eyes shut, breath held, body frozen, as they hurried past and the door to the building slammed closed. There was a faint shout of, "Don't let anyone in while we're gone, Easten," and then they were gone.

I forced myself to breathe out and stretch my fingers. In a way, this was good. The Sheriff was conveniently away from his post.

It also meant I had one hell of a time limit.

I slipped back into the hallway and then into the room Wyatt and Carter had just been in. The lantern was still lit, showing a small sitting room comprised mostly of two large couches. There was also a desk in the corner, but other than that, the room was discouragingly bare.

I took a few precious seconds to poke through everything anyway. A half-eaten plate of food sat on a low table between the two couches. A few stacks of papers were positioned neatly in the drawers of the desk. A well-polished pistol hung on the wall; it looked like one of the newer revolvers, and a fancy one at that, with an ivory grip and golden inlays in the frame.

But no keys. Nothing that would get me into Sterling's cell.

Of course not; the Sheriff probably carried those with him at all times.

My eyes landed back on the revolver, and I bit my lip. It's not like we're going to get out of here quietly anyway. I grabbed the gun and slid it into my belt, then left the room and beelined for the stairs at the end of the hall.

There were more people in the jail than I'd expected. The only light came from moonlight pushing its way through a trapdoor in the low ceiling; still, I could see that more than half of the cells were full. "Sterling?" I whispered, creeping forward.

On a time limit. Not getting out quietly. Right.

"Sterling!" I said loudly.

There was some shuffling, and a few people glanced at me. Further down, I heard a scuffing sound, and then, "Wh- Holy shit, Arrokas?"

I rushed forward. Sterling was standing in his cell, his shadowy form leaning against the iron bars as he stared at me. "How did you get in here?"

"Long story," I said, although I really wanted to tell it. "Watch out." I pulled the revolver from my belt and pointed it at the lock of his cell.

"My god, Arrokas, at least hold it properly."

I stared at him, trying to remember what our master gunner Roxy had taught me. "Right." I shifted my grip and straightened my arms, bracing my shoulders forward.

I pulled the trigger. The gun jumped back in my hand, accompanied by a startling bang, but I quickly re-aimed it and fired again. It took four bullets to get the lock out, and then we had to yank the door back and forth before the actual bolt worked free. By now, people from other cells were crowding against their bars to see what was going on. Some were even placing bets on whether or not we'd make it out, although I doubted they had much to bet with.

The cell finally opened, and Sterling joined me in the hallway. "What now, my savior?"

I rolled my eyes, handing him the revolver with two shots remaining. "Carter will probably be coming back this way by now, and there's a guard outside. We shouldn't leave through the front door." I started back down the hallway.

It was too dark to see Sterling's face, but I knew he was raising an eyebrow as he followed me. "Front door's the only door."

"There's a trapdoor in the ceiling ahead. Look."

"Right, which will put us on top of a two-story building."

"The buildings here are great for climbing." I stopped beneath the trapdoor and stretched up, sliding the latch open. "See a stool anywhere?"

"Nope."

I turned to face him. "Help me up, then."

He stowed the revolver in his belt, then braced his feet in a wide stance and cupped his hands. I held his shoulders and stepped into his hands, then cautiously reached up and pushed the trapdoor open. Moonlight spilled onto me as I grabbed the lip of the ceiling and struggled to pull myself through. As soon as I was out, I laid down at the edge of the opening and reached down, grabbing Sterling's hands and managing to pull him up until he could climb out himself.

He closed the trapdoor beneath us. "Great. We're on top of a two-story build-" His eyes widened, and he pulled down on my shoulder, knocking us both over. I winced as I caught myself, but stayed quiet, glancing at him questioningly.

"The Sheriff is running this way," he hissed at me. "With someone else, too."

I nodded, getting to my hands and knees. "We can climb down the back of the building as they go inside."

This time, his incredulous expression was clearly visible.

"Unless you'd like to go back in and talk to the Sheriff."

Sterling rolled his eyes and followed me as I crawled toward the edge of the roof. I swung my legs over the edge, then turned around and lowered my feet until they found a crack between wood slats. "Look, there's a place to stand right here," I whispered.

He took a long breath, then copied my motion, leaning over the roof as he hesitantly slid his feet down. I rocked back to watch. "A little further...right there, see?"

"Arrokas, that is not a place to stand."

I ignored him and started down as my heart marched up my throat. I pointed Sterling to each move, and he started to catch on quickly, especially when we heard a stream of curses soak through the wall in front of us. Still, trying to be quiet slowed him down, and by the time he was near the ground, early dawn light was beginning to haze over the stars.

Once I got to the ground, I jogged to the edge of the jail and glanced around. People were milling about the main street a ways away, probably alarmed by the gunfire but hesitant to approach while their Sheriff was at work. Luckily, no one could see Sterling and I from this angle, and we had a clear shot for the town's back entrance.

I turned to Sterling as he jumped the last few feet to the ground.

"Now I assume we run," he said, and took off.

I sprinted after him, adrenaline shooting into my limbs. I may have been the better climber, but Sterling was a natural runner, and even after a few seconds I was barely able to keep up. As we ran into the open, people finally spotted us from the street, and a few shouts crescendoed into an uproar of noise and pointing fingers.

We were almost to the town entrance, where the cliff walls pinched the road, when I realized the trap we were heading for. "Sterling," I shouted, heaving for air. "Guard outside...gun ready!"

Sterling grabbed the revolver from his belt. We met the main road and charged up it toward the place I'd first met Wyatt and his partner. Sure enough, the other guard was still there, and she whipped around, hand going to the gun at her own belt.

"Draw that and I shoot!" Sterling shouted, revolver bobbing in front of him as he continued to run toward the guard.

She drew.

He shot.

I cringed as the bullet ricocheted off of the cliff wall behind the guard. It hadn't been that close—after all, he was actively running, which was probably why she'd risked it—but the guard had still ducked down on reflex, and in that time Sterling closed the distance to her. He drove a knee at her gut. She crossed her forearms and caught it, at the same time twisting away from his swinging fist. She pushed his knee to the side and tried to point her gun at part of Sterling's body, but he used the opportunity to slam an elbow into her chest.

In the second the guard stumbled back, Sterling spun and threw the revolver at me. My eyes widened as I fumbled to catch it, and by then he was throwing another punch at the guard, who had quickly gotten her balance and was twisting out of the way.

It was a good idea; he wasn't going to get enough of an opening to shoot in this close-up fight, and was better with his fists anyway. Hypothetically, I could also cover his back now, but I didn't trust myself not to shoot him on accident.

But as the fight progressed, it was clear Sterling was outmatched. Even with one hand full, the guard was able to block each of his swings, and every time she moved, the point of her own gun came a little closer to him. I saw the moment she realized she'd won, and then the moment Sterling realized he'd lost as his arm was twisted to the side from behind and the guard's gun rested under his chin.

With no choice, I raised the revolver in my hands, aiming it at both of them. If the guard shot Sterling, I could shoot her.

The guard watched me patiently, unmoving.

It took me a second to catch her train of thought. We were in a stalemate for now, but she had reinforcements coming. I didn't. In fact, it was surprising Wyatt and Carter hadn't caught up already.

I took a long breath, then stretched my face into my best attempt at a confident grin. "We can wait here as long as you'd like," I told the guard casually.

Her eyes narrowed. She looked skeptical—god, I needed to work on my acting—but didn't call my bluff.

"You don't really think my Captain sent me all by myself, do you?" I flicked my eyes up the road behind her.

She took the bait and glanced in that direction.

Sterling noticed the moment of hesitation and drove his head backward into her nose. She stumbled back, and in that time he spun and slammed his knuckles into her temple. With both hits to her head, she collapsed to the ground.

I tucked the revolver back in my belt and bolted up the road, Sterling hot on my heels. "Where is everyone?" he puffed as he caught up next to me.

"On...Starwatch," I heaved. We were running uphill now, and my body finally seemed to be realizing that I'd been awake all night. I was exhausted.

"But didn't you just say-"

"Lied," I gasped.

He paused. "Well, fuck. Where's the Starwatch?"

"Half mile north...Red Cliffs."

"Fuck. How'd you get over here?"

I shot him an incredulous look, and he finally noticed that I could barely breathe. He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing and turned back to the road.

We made it up to the plateau and turned along the cliffs. The sky lightened as we ran; I didn't dare look up to see the first rays of sunlight breaking over the mountains.

The unmistakable sound of hooves thundered in the distance behind us.

"Fuck!" Sterling exclaimed yet again.

That explains why Wyatt and Carter didn't catch up earlier. They must have run to the town stable. I didn't even have it in me to be scared anymore. I just kept running.

The horses drew closer alarmingly fast, but I didn't turn around to look. I just. kept. running.

A bullet zipped into the ground near me.

The prospect of actual, imminent death finally caused a new spike of adrenaline to flood through my body. As my legs screamed with effort, I squinted ahead, and saw a slight dip down at the edge of the ground. The top of the climb I'd selected hours before. "There," I called to Sterling, pointing ahead.

Another bullet. I swore I could feel it brush past my skin.

"We jump?"

"Yep."

Hazy golden light touched the red earth around us as we neared the dip in the ground.

I took one glance at Sterling's face. It was flushed with exertion, but he was grinning like mad.

Warmth hit my back as my feet found the end of the earth. I launched myself into the air, Sterling jumping next to me without hesitation.

We floated, weightless, as gold sprayed out across the water.

One more gunshot sounded behind me, and one more bullet zipped past my head.

Gravity pulled up on my stomach, and I dropped toward the waves.

I told you it was possible.