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The raven hopped forward and nibbled at his offering with ruffled feathers, bringing a smirk to Grey’s lips. It scooted a little closer after picking through the choice pieces and cried again. “Sorry, little guy, but I probably need to save some for myself.” The self-loathing that washed through him as he bit off the last word pulled him to his feet.
So selfish. Such a burden.
Grey unfolded the bundle once more and sprinkled another chunk for the bird before he could convince himself otherwise. He shimmied back down the latter as the raven gobbled it up, and he rubbed his arms while he quietly jogged down the steps. By the time he reached his door, he jolted at the shadow fluttering by the railing.
Caw.
Grey sighed and shook his head. “Go home. It’s late.”
The bird cocked its head but hushed when Grey stepped inside and waved for it to leave. It didn’t, deciding to pace side-to-side along the rail. He shut the door and waited for his eyes to adjust to the shift in darkness, letting out a breath when he saw Noel’s still evenly rising and falling chest beneath the blankets.
Call for me, and I’ll relieve you from this burden.
Grey gritted his teeth and shook Reign’s words from his mind as he stooped to tear off his boots, tuck the ration back into his bag, and climb into bed. The bird’s shadow through the curtain became the sole source of his attention until the world faded away to sleep.
* * *
“Grey, wake up.”
Grey eyes opened to Noel shaking his shoulders and panic written into every line of his face. He shoved himself up as Noel backed away and scooped a bag off the floor.
“What’s going on?”
“There’s guys in the street wearing Grand Capital emblems going door to door.”
Panic seized Grey’s chest, and he threw back the covers to collect his own bag. “What time is it?” He winced as he nearly tripped over his boots.
Noel pushed back part of the curtains. “Dawn. It’s still dark enough we can use it for cover, but they clearly don’t give a shit about traveling at night, which means they must be desperate to find us.”
His arms shook while he pulled on his boots and hoisted himself back to his feet with the help of the bare-bones dresser. Noel popped open the door and motioned for Grey to follow. They stuck close to the wall and hurried down the steps, trying to muffle the clangs of their footsteps. Every story made Grey tremble harder until they reached the street below.
The muffled pounding of their soles against the packed dirt sounded in time with his heartbeat in their sprint behind the motel. Grey recoiled at the sudden, flitting shadow out of the corner of his vision and bit back a gasp. Sure enough, that large, curious raven perched on the railing of the fire escape from the second floor, and let out a sharp, echoing caw.
“Go,” Grey hissed, trying to wave it away when Noel skidded to a stop and spun around.
“Fucking bird,” Noel growled. He grabbed Grey’s wrist and dragged him out of view of the alley. Grey stumbled after him, finding his pace with a shadow gliding along the corrugated metal wall.
His pulse pounded in his ears in time with their panicked breaths. Every darting turn became a new gauntlet with a quieter cry from the raven giving chase. Noel cursed and ducked through a doorway, pulling Grey inside to the cluster of vehicles, including his bike standing at the opposite end.
The world elongated in Grey’s view, like a never-ending tunnel toward their escape—or the second leg of their escape. Another shot of adrenaline kept his knees from giving out with another sharp squawk ringing out from the entry. Noel pulled him onto the bike behind him and revved the engine before he slumped against his back and hugged him as tight as he reasonably could.
He held his breath as they shot through the garage and into the early morning, zipping toward the manned gate, where one of the guards held up her hand. “Papers, please.”
Noel cursed under his breath and swung his bag around, rifling through it. Grey twisted around to catch sight of a cluster of people filing out of a building, donning those Grand Capital patches on crisp blazers and well-tailored clothes.
“Here.” The shuffle of paper snapped Grey back to attention.
The guard flipped through them, her mouth moving to whisper out each name. “Marks?”
Grey quickly shoved up his sleeve in the midst of Noel saying, “I’m Noel. He’s Grey.”
She nodded, folded the papers and turned back to the gate. Noel readjusted his bag, and the gate folded inward. The bike revved as Grey glanced back again to see the cluster of Grand Capital officials dusting off their sleeves and sticking up their noses at their guides while clustered along the road—unbothered and oblivious until one’s head swiveled to the source of the tell-tale screech. That slow-growing frown fell in time with their arms falling to their sides, then they started straight for them, opening their mouth to shout an order.
But the motorcycle lurched forward, and they were gone in a heartbeat.
25
NOEL
