Chapter 23

  Luna's Past Plus A Sewer Run

  Luna’s gaze drifted away from him, settling somewhere past the cracked shutters and into the shadowy city beyond. For a long moment, Lux thought she wasn’t going to answer at all.

  Then, in a quiet, deliberate voice, she said, “I was… at one time… a princess.” Her tone made it sound like a confession she didn’t want to give. “Of a fallen kingdom. The Kingdom of Greenwood.”

  Lux studied her face, the way her ears lowered slightly, the faint tension in her shoulders. She wasn’t proud of the title—if anything, she carried it like a scar.

  “What happened to it?” Lux asked carefully.

  Her golden eyes slid back to him, the guarded edge returning. “That,” she said, “is for another night. When I know you’ll still be here in the morning.”

  She rose, as if the conversation was over, but there was no mistaking the slight tremor in her voice when she spoke the name of her lost home.

  Lux leaned back, letting her go without pressing further, but his mind was already turning. Princess of a fallen kingdom… Greenwood. Another piece of the puzzle, but the picture was still far from complete.

  Everyone got settled down for the night with a rotation of guards consisting of the 4 wolfmen as night watch.

  Moonlight still seeped through the cracks in the boarded windows, thin rays cutting across the dusty air of Luna’s hideout. The low hum of stirring bodies replaced the silence of the night—groggy murmurs, the soft creak of floorboards, and the shuffle of feet as the rescued demi-humans began to rouse.

  Some clung to each other in quiet relief, while others stared at the ground, still trapped in the haze of what they’d endured. The smell of damp earth and faint smoke from the night before clung to everyone’s clothes.

  Lux was already awake, sitting with his back to the wall near the door, short sword across his lap, eyes scanning the room.

  He’d only slept in short bursts, ears tuned for trouble. His gaze swept over the group—Renn curled up against her mother, the rabbit girl sharpening the stolen dagger, the fox-eared family huddled together, and the avian boy wincing as he adjusted his bandaged wing.

  Near the back, Luna leaned against a support beam, arms crossed, watching everyone without saying a word. She caught Lux’s eyes for a moment, unreadable, before looking away.

  The atmosphere was fragile—too many people, too many memories, and no idea what came next. Somewhere deep in the city, the Baron’s men would already be sniffing for them.

  Lux finally broke the silence, his voice low but steady.

  “Alright… they’ll be looking for us by now. We can’t stay here long. But before we move… we figure out exactly where we’re going.”

  The sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the narrow stairwell before four wolfmen burst into the room, breathing hard, ears flat against their skulls.

  “It’s the Baron’s men!” one barked, his voice tense. “Dozens of ’em—armor, pikes, and crossbows. They’re sweeping this whole quarter.”

  The room seemed to shrink at once. Fear rippled through the freed slaves, some clutching each other, others backing toward the far walls as if sheer distance might keep danger at bay.

  Lux rose slowly from his spot by the door, one hand tightening on the hilt of his short sword. Across the room, Luna pushed off the beam she’d been leaning on. Their eyes locked over the sea of frightened faces—no words, just the silent understanding of how bad this was.

  Neither flinched. The weight of the moment pressed in, their unspoken exchange saying everything: We can’t run blind. We can’t leave them. We can’t get caught.

  Finally, Luna stepped forward, her voice calm but edged with urgency. “We move now. No noise, no stragglers. Sewers are our only chance—if they block the main streets, we’re done.”

  Lux gave a single nod, the decision sealed.

  “You lead the front,” he said, already adjusting the satchel at his side. “I’ll take the rear. Nothing gets through.”

  Her amber eyes flicked back to him, something sharper in them now—not just pressure, but trust, the kind earned in fire.

  "Luna's say," we can keep traveling in the sewers for a while yet. Though we will be traveling through a older poertion of it.

  The group slipped into motion, moving as one knot of silent bodies. Luna took point, the rabbit girl just behind her, both slipping into the narrow stairwell that led to the old sewer grate hidden behind a half-rotted crate. The freed slaves moved in a tight file, their bare feet and worn boots barely whispering against the stone.

  Lux stayed at the very back, his short sword loose in his grip, eyes scanning the shadows behind them. The three wolfmen flanked him, moving like shadows themselves—ears twitching at every faint sound above the rush of distant water.

  The sewer swallowed them in a damp chill, the air heavy with stagnant moisture. The flicker of Luna’s lantern ahead threw long, swaying shadows across the brick walls, making every alcove seem alive.

  Water trickled beneath the walkway, masking the faint echo of their steps. Luna and the rabbit girl moved quickly but carefully, turning down narrow side passages that Lux could barely fit through.

  At one bend, one of the wolfmen glanced at him. “They’ll be on our trail,” he murmured.

  “Then we keep moving,” Lux replied, his voice low but firm. “No stopping unless we have to fight.”

  Somewhere far behind them, faint metallic clanks echoed through the tunnels—boots on iron rungs. Lux’s grip tightened.

  The echoes behind them began faint—just a dull metallic clang every few seconds. But as the minutes dragged, the rhythm quickened, heavier, closer, until Lux could pick out the crunch of boots hitting stone.

  The wolfmen kept glancing over their shoulders, hackles starting to rise. The sound was no longer a distant murmur; it was closing the gap.

  Then came a voice, distorted by the tunnel but clear enough to curl Lux’s lip.

  “…bloody, stinking sewers… I’ll gut these son of a—”

  Jack.

  Lux could hear him clearly now, the cursing bouncing off the stone. Every few words were accompanied by splashes and the scrape of a sword scabbard hitting brick.

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  Jack was getting closer—and he wasn’t alone. There were at least four other sets of footsteps with him.

  Up ahead, Luna glanced back, her golden eyes catching the lantern light. She didn’t speak, but her look said everything: They’re gaining.

  The rabbit girl turned the next corner faster, the group’s pace picking up. Lux stayed at the rear, ears straining as Jack’s voice carried again, sharper this time.

  “…corner ’em and I’ll cut the ears off all damned demi's…”

  Lux’s jaw clenched.

  Lux slowed his pace, letting Luna and the rabbit girl guide the rest of the group further ahead. The wolfmen noticed immediately, their yellow eyes flashing in the dim light.

  “Fall back with me,” Lux murmured, voice low and sharp. “We buy them time.”

  The four wolfmen didn’t need convincing.

  They dropped to a near-prowl, fanning out slightly along the slick tunnel walls, weapons ready. Lux pressed his palm to the cold brick, feeling the vibration of approaching boots.

  Jack’s voice came clearer now, smug and seething.

  “…little rats think they can run forever? I’ll—”

  Lux motioned with two fingers toward a bend in the sewer—a perfect choke point. The wolfmen took their places in the shadows, blending so well their eyes were the only thing visible.

  The footsteps drew closer. The sloshing water masked the shallow breathing of the ambushers.

  Lux’s grip tightened around his knife.

  He could already picture Jack stepping into the kill zone, that self-satisfied sneer twisting into panic when he realized too late.

  The first torchlight licked across the curve of the tunnel. Jack’s shadow stretched long across the wall.

  Lux crouched slightly, his voice barely more than breath:

  “On my mark…”

  Jack grunted as Lux slammed him into the wet stone, the knife’s edge biting just enough to draw a thin red line down his neck.

  “Lux—” Jack choked out, a mix of anger and disbelief in his voice, “—what the hell are you doing?”

  The shit talk made Lux’s jaw tighten, his eyes narrowing like a predator’s. “Those are people,” he growled, shoving the blade a fraction deeper, “but you already knew that… didn’t you?”

  Jack’s lips twisted into a sneer, even with the blood trickling down. “You’re out of your damn mind, Lux. You don’t know what you’re messing with.”

  Behind them, the four wolfmen were in their element—claws flashing in the dim light, snarls and shouts echoing through the tunnel as one guard went limp in the current and another was forced to his knees with a howl of pain.

  Lux kept Jack pinned, every muscle coiled.

  “I know enough. I know you’ve been sniffing around Luna’s people. I know you’ve been playing both sides. And I know you’ve got a lot of explaining to do before I decide whether you walk out of here… or float.”

  Jack chuckled low, a humorless sound that carried a faint tremor. “You were always too sentimental for this world,

  Lux’s grip tightened, the point of the knife pressing hard enough to make Jack wince. “Say that crap again,” Lux warned, his voice dropping to a dangerous growl, “and I’ll carve it out of your hide so you never forget who these beings really are.”

  Jack’s laughter echoed off the damp sewer walls, harsh and mocking.

  “You think this changes anything?” he sneered, blood smearing the corner of his mouth. “The Baron always gets his way. Some puny traveler with a hero complex isn’t going to stop us.”

  Lux’s grip on his collar tightened, but Jack leaned in, the madness in his eyes making him look almost proud.

  “Go on,” he taunted. “Kill me. You think that’ll make a difference? Two more will take my place before my body’s cold. Coin talks… people walk. That’s how the world works down here.”

  Around them, the wolfmen finished off the last of the guards, their heavy breathing and growled curses filling the air. But Lux kept his attention locked on Jack, the knife trembling just slightly in his hand—not from fear, but from the sheer restraint it took not to end him right there.

  Jack smirked again. “You’re not ready for this game, Lux.” He spat my name like a curse. “You never were.”

  "Lux says," to the wolfmen." You four grab all there dropped weapons swords knifes bows if they got them.

  Then Lux’s blade moved in a single, practiced motion—quick, clean, and deliberate.

  Jack gasped as the steel bit into his side, doubling over and clutching the wound.

  Lux leaned close, voice low and ice-cold.

  “Come after the people I saved… and there won’t be a next time. You won’t get a warning. You won’t get a chance to beg.”

  Jack’s breathing was ragged, but he still tried to smirk through the pain. Lux straightened, wiping the blade on Jack’s tunic before stepping back into the shadows.

  The wolfmen regrouped, one glancing toward Jack as if expecting the order to finish him.

  Lux shook his head. “Leave him. I want him to remember this.”

  As they moved off to catch up with Luna’s group, Jack slumped against the wall, eyes following them until they were gone—his smirk fading into something darker, more dangerous.

  Lux caught up to the group just as they were crossing into a wider, darker section of the sewer.

  Luna was waiting—arms crossed, eyes narrowing the moment she saw the faint smear of red still clinging to his knife.

  She didn’t speak until the wolfmen and the others had moved ahead far enough that their footsteps echoed off the stone. Then she stepped into his path, tilting her head ever so slightly.

  “What happened?” she asked quietly. No sharpness in her tone—just that steady, probing calm that always made lying to her pointless.

  Lux slid the knife back into its sheath, his gaze flicking toward the bend in the tunnel where the rest of the group had disappeared.

  “I made sure Jack won’t follow us,” he said, voice low. “Gave him something to think about… and a reason to stay out of our way.”

  Luna studied his face for a moment longer, as if weighing whether to press him.

  “You didn’t kill him,” she finally said—not a question, a statement.

  “Not this time,” Lux replied. “But if he touches anyone I’ve saved…” His eyes hardened. “…it won’t be up for debate.”

  Her lips curved into the faintest smirk, though her eyes stayed serious. “Good. Because the Baron won’t give up either. And that means we can’t afford to hesitate.”

  They stood there a beat longer before she turned, motioning for them to organize the group. “Let’s get them somewhere safe before we talk about what comes next.”

  The air in the sewer grew colder the closer they got to the exit, the echo of hurried footsteps and the occasional splash off the damp stone walls chasing them forward. Luna and the rabbit girl were in the lead, guiding the rescued demi-humans through the twisting passages. Lux stayed in the rear with the three wolfmen, his eyes always checking over his shoulder, watching for movement in the shadows.

  When the faintest hint of fresh air hit them, the group’s pace quickened. The rabbit girl pushed open a rusted iron grate, and the first shafts of predawn light spilled through.

  They emerged in silence, one after another, into the tall grass beyond the city wall. The forest loomed ahead, dark and thick with mist curling between the trees. No horns, no shouts—only the sound of hurried breathing and rustling leaves.

  Lux stepped out last, the grate closing with a soft groan behind him. He scanned the horizon—no sign of pursuit yet, but he could still hear Jack’s mocking words in his head. His hand tightened briefly around the hilt of his knife before he turned to Luna.

  She met his gaze, unreadable, then gave a single nod toward the treeline. “We keep moving until we’re deep enough that they can’t track us.”

  The wolfmen took point, fanning out in the underbrushafter they distributed the fallen gaurds weapons, while the others kept the pace steady. The city faded behind them with every step, replaced by the smell of wet earth and pine.

  Lux stayed close to the rear, his eyes still sharp. He knew they’d bought themselves some time—but only that.

  Alright — here’s the continuation into their first forest camp, where they finally have a moment to breathe.

  By the time they stopped, the sky had shifted from pale grey to the soft gold of early morning. The forest was quiet here, save for the soft rustle of leaves and the faint chatter of birds waking with the sun.

  They’d chosen a small clearing nestled between a cluster of boulders and a shallow stream—easy to defend, with natural cover on all sides. The wolfmen immediately began pacing the perimeter, ears twitching at every sound.

  The rescued demi-humans collapsed in the grass or leaned against the rocks, some drinking greedily from the stream, others just staring at the trees as if unsure this was all real.

  Lux stayed standing, leaning slightly against one of the boulders, scanning the treeline until Luna came to stand beside him.

  “We’re safe for now,” she said quietly. “But we can’t stay in one place long. The Baron’s men will search the roads first, but once they realize you’re not traveling on them…”

  “They’ll start combing the forest,” Lux finished.

  She nodded, then glanced over the camp, counting faces. “Pantherman’s not here.”

  Lux’s jaw tightened. “Good.”

  Luna’s ears twitched, her eyes narrowing slightly, but she didn’t push the subject.

  The rabbit girl approached next, her expression drawn. “Some of them can barely walk,” she said softly. “If we move too fast, they won’t make it.”

  “Then we rest just long enough for them to get their strength back,” Lux replied. “But no fires. Keep it cold. If they’re hunting us, we can’t afford smoke giving us away.”

  Nearby, Renn was sitting between her parents, the little fox girl clutching her mother’s arm while her father quietly whispered to her. Every so often, her big eyes darted toward Lux. Looking back at when he rescued her he can't believe he mistook her for a dog girl.

  The weight of thirty pairs of eyes—hopeful, afraid, exhausted—settled on him.

  Luna leaned in just enough for only him to hear. “They’re looking at you like you’re their leader, Lux.”

  He let out a short, humorless chuckle. “Guess that means I don’t get to screw this up.”