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“We have a hideout near here,” Ashur says.
Tarquin locks eyes with him, glances up at the rooftops, and Ashur inclines his head in a gesture of permission.
“Right, everyone follow me!” says Tarquin and sets off at top speed while Ashur disappears upward in a swirl of rain-darkened coat. He doesn’t reappear until you’re all piling through the door of the Shadow Dragon safe house just a few streets over from the Grand Proving Arena, blood mages and their thralls still close on your heels.
Ashur forces the door shut behind you, keeping it in place with both magical and physical effort while you and Tarquin barricade it with as many heavy objects as you can find. You’re safe—for now—and you’ve managed to rescue Neve as well.
But you’ve paid a high price for that victory. With Venatori corpses roaming the streets of Minrathous and your enemies still on the hunt for you, it’s hard to tell which side has really won tonight’s battle—or how soon the next one will begin…