Vivi travelled back to the Lowmoor district in the carriage that was supposed to take her up in the first place. She received mild scolding from Lucas for her escape stunt, but he was smirking while he spoke. In the end, Lucas was just her business advisor. He couldn't forbid her from moving around the city, even if he did try to dissuade her.

Back in the silence of her home, Vivi was certainly tired enough to crash into bed. Instead, she paced around, thinking of her next move.

Iszul will find out if all of Aang's gang escapes, Vivi thought. And if his guards spot me trying to break in, it's over. Maybe if I save Eem only, without getting spotted, nobody will notice her missing?

Lucius floated beside her, his eyes following her as she circled around. "I'm guessing not saving her is not an option to you."

We are saving her, Vivi thought. I'd like to save the Hollows as well, but that might be a stretch. We'll focus on getting Eem out. If you have ideas, feel free to share.

Lucius had his paw on his chin, thinking. "Rescue missions are always easy. Just throw sleep powder on the guards, grab the key, unlock the door, grab Eem, and head out. Easy."

Grabbing Eem only without letting other prisoners out will already be difficult, Vivi thought. Nimrods will start pushing for the exit the moment they see it open. But sleep powder will definitely be useful. The guards will need to be asleep regardless of what we do.

Lucius nodded. "The Runes And Rain company probably has some."

Vivi agreed. Still clad in her dress, she headed next door. The facets were dark by now. It wasn't quite midnight, but the construction workers had headed home, and the streets were empty.

The Runes And Rain company was, of course, open. Someone was always awake at all hours in case Vivi needed something. Lucas and Lortel were both still awake. Vivi wondered which one she should ask for the sleep potions. After some thinking, it had to be Lortel. Lucas would ask too many questions. He was far too pragmatic; he'd probably try to dissuade Vivi from sneaking Eem out.

Lortel would ask questions as well, of course, but Vivi felt more comfortable answering those questions. If Vivi relayed her hope to save Eem, Lortel would probably be willing to help.

So Vivi asked Lortel about the sleep powder, to which the woman raised an eyebrow and said, "Sleep potions won't actually make you rested, Vivi. You'll just pass out. If you're struggling to sleep, we require a different solution."

"No," Vivi said, "I'm not using it on myself."

That made Lortel suspicious. She gave Vivi a look. "Illegal business?"

"Only mildly illegal," Vivi said. "I won't get caught."

"I see," Lortel said. She turned away, back to wiping her tables clean.

"Do we have some?" Vivi asked. "I need one immediately. Or at least within an hour."

"In powder form?" Lortel asked. She continued her work, thinking, until she suddenly said, "Yes, I can get that arranged. Wait a moment."

That's it? Vivi thought, surprised. She had expected Lortel to pry further, and she'd been prepared to discuss ideas. She almost wanted to ask Lortel for advice, considering the woman was an assassin.

The sleep powder was delivered five minutes later in the form of a vial filled with shiny green glitter. Vivi sensed ether inside, at least a few wisps swimming within the solution.

"You may open the cork and sprinkle the powder on your target," Lortel said, "or you may throw the vial on the ground. Both work, though the former is advised. The powder's effects can be circumvented by pushing ether into your nose and mouth before the powder makes it to your lungs."

"Thank you," Vivi said. "You've been a huge help."

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Lortel barely reacted, eyeing Vivi from the side. "Don't do anything stupid, Vivi."

"I won't."

With that, Vivi headed out.

Lucius watched their backs from Vivi's core, frowning at Lortel. "She is definitely planning something. She doesn't trust us."

You say that when she's putting makeup on me.

"No, something is definitely off with her," Lucius said. "That woman would not agree to this request so easily. She has another motive."

Vivi sighed. She ascended the dark city streets with a few wisps in her eyes to see better. By now, most of Shivenar's important streets, even some alleys, were familiar to her. Shivenar wasn't a huge city in the end; buildings were just crammed and concentrated.

The market square didn't have street lamps. Instead, most of the square was lit by one enormous ethereal lamp atop a building, casting a large circle of light upon the square. The lamp itself was as bright as the facets, though its light was concentrated only in the middle of the square. The prisoner wagons were parked underneath the shaded corner, each one covered with a tarp. It was hard to make details.

Vivi climbed atop a nearby building for a better vantage-point, starting from a garbage-alley behind a restaurant. She jumped, grabbed onto the railings of a balcony, and pulled herself up, trying to make as little noise as possible. She jumped and grabbed onto a ledge at a doorstep. From there, the climb was easy, as a metal stairway connected the upper floors from outside. With one last jump, Vivi hopped to the slanted roof.

As she added more ether to her eyes, the shaded corner went from totally dark to somewhat visible. From above, she could see two guards still present near the wagons. One of them was dozing off, head nodding back and forth, while the other sipped some sort of drink, leaning against the wall with a frown.

The guards are as grumpy as ever, it seems, Vivi thought. But delivering the sleep powder might be difficult. One of them looks fully awake. If we toss it at his feet, he'll be alarmed and fill himself with ether. If we sneak up… I don't even think I'm skilled enough to sneak up.

"We could just kill them," Lucius said out loud. "They're just guardsmen. An investigation will be launched, but we won't get caught."

A thump came from behind, and Vivi flinched.

"I believe," a new voice said, "I told you not to do anything stupid."

By the time Vivi had registered who it was, Lortel was already standing next to her with her eyes on Vivi's target. Lortel wore an amused smile. "You're looking to kill Ingfried's guards?"

"No," Vivi blurted out. "I'm just trying to get them to fall asleep. There's someone I need to rescue from the wagons."

"I see," Lortel said. "A friend?"

"Yes, something like that. I…" Vivi thought of her words. She could trust Lortel. The woman would help her. "I'm trying to grab a small fiend from the wagons without alerting the guards. I'm fairly sure they won't even notice her missing as long as I do it silently. But I'm not sure how I'll do it without causing a scene."

Lortel studied the scene silently. "Poor you," she said to Vivi. "You're seriously trying to achieve this with sleep powder?"

"Yes?"

Lortel snorted, then smirked. "What does your target look like?"

"She's a tiny fiend. White hair with pink strokes. She's frail and… the last time I saw her, she looked quite disheveled. But she should be the only small fiend in the wagon. She's easily recognizable."

"And which wagon?" Lortel asked.

Vivi pointed at the leftmost wagon, where she'd seen Eem.

Lortel nodded thoughtfully. "And is this person influential? Are they important to Ingfried or the guards ahead of us?"

"I'm pretty sure the guards would love to have Eem disappear," Vivi said. "They might notice she's missing, but they won't say anything."

"Very well," Lortel said. "I will be back."

Then the concealer jumped down to the market square. Her ethereal presence disappeared entirely as she glided down. Vivi glanced down. By the time Vivi could blink, Lortel was gone, having landed gracefully enough to not make a single sound.

Vivi's eyes panned to the wagon. If she focused, she could see slight glimpses of light in the darkness, as if a spirit had flashed from one place to another. Lortel moved underneath the wagon, and Vivi lost sight of her.

Vivi squinted and studied the wagon sharply. For a minute, she saw nothing. She could hardly blink. Lortel had implied she would save Eem, had she not?

Do I need to help? Vivi thought. What's happening? Lucius, do you sense—

Before she could finish that thought, Lortel's nonchalant voice spoke behind her. "Is this your friend?"

Vivi snapped her head behind. Lortel stood straight, holding a tiny figure up from her ragged cloak. Eem didn't struggle like she usually did. The fiend's limbs were drooped and lifeless, having accepted her fate, as if she was merely Lortel's meal.

"Eem?" Vivi whispered.

Hearing that, the fiend's head rose ever so slightly. She blinked. Again, her face opened up at the sight of Vivi. The expression was shocked more than happy.

Then Eem began flailing her arms, kicking Lortel in an attempt to escape the hold, letting out incoherent cries. Lortel leaned back and gave Vivi a look.

Vivi rushed forward, nearly slipping from the slanted roof, and grabbed Eem from Lortel's arms. Eem clung her arms around Vivi and looked up with pink teary eyes. Then she pressed her face against Vivi's chest, letting out cries.

Vivi let out a chuckle, trying not to cry herself. "I've missed you. I should have saved you earlier… Sorry…"

Eem began punching her, her cries sounding upset. And she had a right to be; Vivi had left her alone for months. At least, the Hollows had kept Eem safe. Vivi was grateful for that.

"Let's head home, Eem," Vivi said, holding the fiend up high from the waist. "And let's fill you with some fish."

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