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“Don’t make us come up there!” he shouted again, sounding so utterly pathetic that Ace couldn’t help but sputter a laugh as her boots hit the balcony and she reached for the next window sill.
Rehan looked down at her with a smile, one hand stretched as if he might actually try to keep Margo from falling. Ace was thankful for his kindness as she mimed the guard’s words back to him.
“Don’t make us come up there.Geez, no one is asking you to follow.” Her voice echoed off the walls.
The guards were cursing again. This time they were making good on their threat as they made to follow them up the side of the building as well.
Ramdon was hovering in the back of Ace’s mind waiting.Plant pot. Kick the plant pot.
There it was, balancing in the windowsill, stems and shiny green leaves reaching toward the sun. A small terracotta pot waited where Margo and Rehan had been careful to avoid.
You wicked, wicked god,Ace thought.
As soon as she pulled herself up, her forearms and fingertips burning, she inched her toes carefully over until she reached the pot and nudged it over the edge. She knew it made contact as she heard a crack and the trickle of pieces scatter under them. The guard let out a terrible yelp. His shout was quickly followed by a thud and a groan.
“Oops,” Ace called.
“Maybe you shouldn’t listen to the god of mischief,” Rehan grunted as he helped Margo to the final balcony. There was a tone of seriousness that laced his words even though he’d not said it with much condescension.
“Ramdon is my favorite.”
With that, she reached the final balcony, and Rehan’s hand was already hung over the edge of the rooftop, waiting for her.Such a gentleman.She swore she saw the ghost of a smile on his face. Their fingers were slick with cold sweat but with a kick off the railing and Rehan’s strength, Ace wiggled over the lip of tiles and sat herself up.
“Do you have a favorite god?” she asked, carefully peering over the edge.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to pick favorites,” he muttered following her gaze. Strands of his mousey brown hair had darkened and stuck to his forehead. Those thick brows of his arched as he sniffed and turned away. “But yes.”
The guard who had fallen lay still against the cobblestone. Ace looked for a pool of blood but only found the small dash across his forehead where the pot had collided. Ouch. She grimaced. The other guard was still in motion though, his partner forgotten in his pursuit.
So the three turned and began sprinting over the tiles. The rooftops in Maipeg were made of similar tiles but they were all faded and the glue that held them down was loose, making every step a risk, like moving across shifting sand. Here, in Marlux, the roofs looked new. The tiles were shiny as if they were polished often and nothing so much as wiggled as they stepped on them.
That was great for beginner roof runners like Rehan and Margo, but it didn’t give Ace any sort of advantage. Because if they could run this easily then so could the guardsman. They’d just have to be faster.
“I can’t believe I’m running across somebody’s roof right now!” Margo squealed, heels digging in as they came to the end of the building. “What now?”
Ace tucked her hair behind her ears, a daring grin stretching from ear to ear. She’d almost forgotten what this felt like. While she much preferred her newfound purpose—wow she never thought she’d be thinking that—the running, the chase…it was thrilling.
“We jump,” Ace shouted.
Margo watched Ace with wide eyes and a gaping mouth as Ace took several long strides back before taking off in an all out sprint. She put all her strength into the moment, pushing off the tile. When nothing was under her but the air and the threat of falling, time slowed. She was flying. For this one fraction of time, she was free. But as all things that go up must come down, reality came crashing back as she landed hard on the opposite roof.
Strands had fallen into her face and she pushed them back, uncaring of how messy her hair might have become, and turned to face her friends. And they were just that. Rehan and Margo…before Shelby, Ace hadn’t spoken to anyone in a year’s time other than the gods, she’d forgotten how good companionship could feel. Even if you were only running away from guardsmen together.
“See, it’s easy,” Ace said breathlessly as the guard who’d scaled the building after them finally managed to reach the rooftop. Though it appeared he was having difficulties making it over the edge as his bottom half still dangled out of view.
“Easy.” Margo sputtered a laugh but took a few steps away to prepare to run. With her chin pointed down and the tip of her tongue held between her front teeth in concentration, she sprinted and leapt. As she cleared the space between the buildings, Margo let out a small shriek. Stumbling onto the polished clay tiles and into Ace’s waiting arms, Margo breathed heavily. “That was terrifying. And amazing! I should hang out with you guys more often.”
Rehan came to a graceful stop at their side, giving Ace a small nod. Gently brushing the braids away from Margo’s face, Ace gave her a rueful smile.
“I don’t think your brother would agree with that sentiment. We are likely to get you in trouble.”
“That’s half the fun.”
Thin fingers slipped between Ace’s. Margo’s skin was balmy and warm but she held tight as they made their way across another rooftop. The sun peered down on them, peeking out between the clouds like a spotlight.
“Here,” Rehan called. “There is a stairway down.”
“Thank you, Badesh,” Ace cheered.
