Chapter 21 · Tamer of the Ash Wilds - Chapter 21: Wanted in All Twelve

The first hunter came through the west wall an hour before dawn.

Lin heard the scrape of boots on slag before he saw the silhouette. Crunch was still shaking against his chest, pupils blown wide from whatever they'd pumped into him at the med-tent. The grey fur under Lin's palm felt too hot. Feverish. Lin pressed his back harder against the rusted storage container and kept one hand over Crunch's muzzle.

The hunter swept a handheld lamp across the alley. The beam cut white through the dark, close enough that Lin could see the dust motes swirling in it. He didn't breathe. Crunch's claws flexed once against his ribs, then went still.

The beam moved on.

Lin waited until the boots faded before he let himself exhale. His shirt was soaked through. Crunch's or his, he couldn't tell. Didn't matter. What mattered was the net he'd spotted two alleys back, strung between rooftops like someone was fishing for something bigger than rats.

Vira's voice was still rattling around in his head from three hours ago. You need to vanish. Not hide. Vanish. They've got your face on every zone board by now.

He'd told her no.

Stupid. Probably.