Darwin turned a right corner and sprinted farther into the abandoned courtyard.
Only a sliver of moonlight slipped between the broken rooftops, and even that pale light did little to dispel the darkness ahead.
The night pooled in the corners of the crumbling buildings, leaving the path before him nearly invisible.
He avoided any route that would leave him stranded in a long, open stretch, hugging the walls and veering swiftly around each corner whenever possible.
The courtyard's exit lay behind him; however, to reach it, he would have to double back and turn directly into Marian's path.
Despite this, Darwin knew this chase couldn't last for too long either.
Enclosed courts like these always folded back on themselves; the farther he ran, the more the lanes curved inward until only dead ends remained.
He required a way through—perhaps a sparse door to kick open, or a pair of narrow corners to dart around, anything that might slow her down before she closed in on him.
As he sprinted past shuttered shops, Darwin's eyes swept along their dilapidated structures. A few yards ahead, he spotted a narrow alcove set into the wall between two of the shops, its interior barely large enough for a person to stand within, though it did not seem entirely untenable. Moreover, it looked just like one of the service alleys he'd passed earlier—if he was right, slipping through it would lead him into the back lanes behind the storefronts.
Behind him, Marian's footsteps lightened as the rasp of her soles trailed along the stones.
He inwardly presumed that she had hesitated at the last turn, or was perhaps trying to gauge his pace.
In any case, Darwin did not slow.
Just then, a half-collapsed doorway appeared in his peripheral vision.
After confirming that Marian had yet to turn the corner, he took his chance and slipped into the narrow gap between the broken planks and the alley wall. As splinters scraped across his chest and shoulders, his features drew taut, and he stumbled into a crooked rear passage suffused with the stale scent of yeast.
Now, in such cramped quarters, even his own footsteps sounded perilously loud.
He followed the passage as it curved around a leaning outhouse and then passed a pile of rubble from a crumbled wall.
The corridor finally let him out at an abrupt junction—a courtyard hemmed in by the back walls of three buildings.
Here, at last, the lane broadened enough to offer a choice of direction. Three narrow lanes led off from the little courtyard like service passages branching from a common yard.
Darwin placed a hand on his hip. 'So I was right—the lanes do indeed lead to service passages.'
After a second, Darwin hurried into the center one, heading roughly west toward the far end of the block.
'It seems I've shaken her off my trail… still, it wouldn't do to grow careless now.'
Halfway down this alley, a heap of broken crates blocked the way. Darwin let out a tired sigh before stepping onto a low crate and clambering over the obstruction.
Once he dropped to the other side, Darwin steadied his breathing and straightened.
He had barely gathered himself when a hand reached out from the darkness and closed around his wrist.
Darwin drew back instinctively, wrenching his arm free as he turned.
Before he settled on the figure, his fingers were already closing around their wrist.
Suddenly, they yelled out from the dark, "Wait! Darwin, it's me!"
"Rookie??"Darwin briskly loosened his grip and reeled himself backwards.
Benedict had nearly barreled into him from the left side.
As they stepped out onto the open path, Darwin met Benedict's gaze, his eyes already filled with both surprise and unease.
"We must move at once," Darwin muttered.
Without waiting, he urged the man forward with a hand to his shoulder and set off at a hurried pace toward the wall's gate.
Benedict faltered before finding his footing. "Darwin… what happened with Marian?" he asked in a hushed voice.
"One look at me should answer that," Darwin answered, casting a quick look over his shoulder at the junction behind them.
He strained his ears for any sound from the lanes. "If she comes into this courtyard, she'll see us both. We need to keep moving before—"
Benedict halted, keeping his voice low.
"Wait. We should take a more concealed route—follow me. It will carry us through more quickly as well."
"Is that so? Very well then!" Darwin pressed his lips together, mildly intrigued that Benedict had not pressed him for more details.
Benedict gestured back along the path that Darwin had climbed over.
"Up over those crates, then through the bakery lane. The way winds twice before opening into the north and west corridor."
Darwin followed Benedict toward the makeshift stack of crates before climbing up first, clambering again over the broken crates with one hand against the wall.
Once over, he reached back and helped haul Benedict up.
Both men landed quietly on the far side.
Beyond lay the crooked back lane behind the abandoned bakery, the very route Darwin had scouted moments ago.
Benedict moved as if he had traversed these alleys a hundred times.
Keeping one hand on Darwin's shoulder, Benedict urged him forward, steadying him whenever loose stones shifted beneath their feet.
"I am rather surprised I did not fall even once, given such treacherous ground," Darwin murmured.
Benedict let out a faint huff. "Either you were fortunate, or you chose your steps well."
Darwin gave a thoughtful hum as his attention drifted toward the next turn ahead.
With Benedict at his side, the edge of panic that had been pricking at him finally began to ebb.
Their boots splashed through a shallow puddle left by the rain as they moved on.
Before long, they reached the service corridor Darwin had noticed earlier when heading toward the schoolroom.
To the west, the passage ran back behind a line of shuttered storehouses set against the compound wall. To the north, another lane opened, its doors and windows aligned in a single row, between cleaner stone façades.
Benedict slowed to a walk, and Darwin matched his pace.
Only after they had put a fair distance between themselves and the tangled alleys did Benedict finally release Darwin's shoulder.
Darwin still could not tell where Benedict intended to lead him, yet he did not feel particularly uneasy about it.
From time to time, Darwin glanced back along their path. Still, there was no sign of Marian. Either they had truly lost her, or—
"Where has she gone? I thought she would come back this way by now," he murmured.
"For the moment, nowhere," Benedict replied evenly. "She may have doubled back when you reached the place where I found you."
He gave a rueful smile. "Though I hardly think she'd go so far—Marian tends to run out of steam quickly."
Darwin scoffed inwardly. 'As if,' he thought.
As they turned into one of the alleyways, a small paved court opened behind a milliner's shop.
All of a sudden, Darwin came to a stop.
"Benedict…?" Drawing in behind the auburn-haired man, he was taken aback in the same instant by the individual before them.
Marian Prentiss stood by the far wall, resting beneath a wrought-iron fire escape.
She looked utterly at ease, as though she had been waiting there for some time.
Darwin's gaze settled on the dying orange glow at the tip of a slender paper-wrapped cheroot between her gloved fingers.
She did not look up. After drawing one last, unhurried breath, she let the smoldering stub fall to the stones and ground it out beneath her heel as she straightened.
"There you both are," she remarked dryly.
Benedict waved a hand in front of his face, dispelling the tobacco scent as he approached her.
"Good to see you in one piece, Aunt Marian!"