In her dreams, Ana was running. Not out of fear — she could handle fear —  but driven by a shame so intense that she couldn’t make herself look back.


    “Ana, wait!” a young man’s voice pleaded from behind her, but she kept running. She couldn’t look at him. She’d failed him. It was her fault that—


    “I’m sorry!” the voice called. “I’m sorry, right? Don’t leave me!”


    She’d fucked up. She should have done something! He was dead and he was following her and it was her fault! She should have taken the fall somehow, or brought him to Touanne! Touanne could have healed him, right? Why hadn’t she—?


    “I’m sorry, Ana,” the voice said. A hand with a grip that crushed bone clamped down on her shoulder and spun her where she stood. “I’m sorry I kissed you, right?” Nic’s horribly twisted form, black and purple wisps leaking from its eyes, told her mournfully. “It’s all my fault, yeah? I’m so sorry.”


    Ana couldn’t speak. The thing that had been Nicola Stamper pulled her in and wrapped its arms around her, hard enough that she felt herself break.


    “I’m so sorry,” it said, and Ana screamed.


    <hr>


    “Ana, are you okay? Hey, Ana! Knife Girl! Anastasia!”


    Ana startled awake, her hand going under her pillow to grab her… but that wasn’t right, was it? She wasn’t back in her comfy bed, in her cozy apartment in London. Her gun wasn’t under her pillow — she didn’t even have a pillow — it was still in a belt pouch tucked away between her and the canvas. And…


    Right, she didn’t need it. The braids, the eyes, the nickname… This was Mestendi, the elfin woman. Ana blinked a couple of times. The Jeweller, as the helpful little label told her. Right. The woman was looking directly at Ana, her eyes a startlingly bright amber in the dim light.


    Oh, Ana thought, still a little groggy. That’s why she has the thick eyeliner. Really sets them off.


    Mestendi looked concerned. “Are you okay?” she asked softly. “I came to wake you and you were…” she trailed off, as though she’d rather not say.


    “Come on,” Ana said. “I can take it. What was I doing?”


    “Well… whimpering?”


    “Oh. Right.”


    “Nightmare?”


    “Yeah,” Ana said, then, not sure why, continued, “The kid I came here with, you remember? I, uh… I left him. In the forest. I had to leave and I couldn’t take him… his body… with me.”


    “Oh,” Mestendi said, her eyes widening with understanding.


    “He wasn’t a bad kid. He didn’t deserve to go like he did. And he definitely didn’t deserve to… you know. Do you think…?”


    Mestendi’s sad expression was the only answer Ana needed.


    “Right,” she said. “I was afraid of that.”


    “It’s not him anymore, you know that, right?” Mestendi said kindly. “It might look vaguely like him, but it’s something else, puppetting his body around. He’s already gone.”


    “Yeah.” Ana was annoyed with herself. Why the hell was she getting sentimental all of a sudden? “Is it time for our watch?”


    “That’s why I came in,” Mestendi confirmed. “Grab Rayni and come out when you’re ready.”


    Rayni, it turned out, was already awake, and had been for a little while. Long enough to hear the whole conversation, Ana guessed, because that was just how these things went, right? At least the woman had the good sense not to say anything.


    They relieved Kaira and Mestendi at the fire, and if either of the two noticed the tension between Ana and Rayni they didn’t mention it. More likely they were too eager to get a few more hours of sleep to notice anything. Sitting down, each on one side of the fire and facing away from each other, any other two women might have been able to pretend the other wasn’t there; that the crackling of the fire and the soft sounds of the night were all that disturbed the peace. But Ana’s Perception was high enough that in the calm she could hear the sound of Rayni’s breathing and, below even that, her heartbeat. And she knew that Rayni’s Perception was higher than her own.


    Ana used that. “So,” she said, low enough that no one in the Party but them could possibly hear, even if they were awake. “What was your plan?”


    Rayni didn’t say anything, but Ana could hear her heartbeat pick up. “Blackmail? I don’t see the point of that. I don’t have much. That’s why I’m out here in the first place. And there’s not a whole lot I could do for you. So if that was it, well… pretty dumb choice of target.”


    “I wasn’t going to try to blackmail you,” Rayni whispered.


    “Then, what? Just fucking with the new girl, for the sake of it?”


    “I’m not like that.”


    “Really? Then why? And think about this very carefully. This is pretty important for if we can work together in the future, right? And I’m pretty good at telling when someone’s bullshitting me.” Ideally she should actually be able to see the other person, but Rayni didn’t need to know that.


    Rayni stayed silent for what felt like several minutes, but her heartbeat never slowed down. Then she said, “I needed you to know that I know, all right? I’ve heard about you. I heard what you did in the practice yard, with that guy. Knife Girl, right? A level 3 social Classer comes in and just wipes the floor with a Fighter four times her level? Nuh-uh. Then you come into the bathhouse last night with this giant piece of skin art of a firebird, like some ganger from the Core cities. No way that didn’t cost you a ton of coin, either. And now, this morning, you’re there, with this sob story about some kid…”


    Rayni sighed, the loudest sound she’d made since they’d sat down. “Although now I’m thinking that part was true. Sorry.”


    Ana thought about Rayni’s words, and something clicked. “You were scared!” she said as the revelation hit. “You thought I might try something! Maybe not on this trip—”


    The Huntress snapped. “Fine! You come in, you kill Rankan and Larion — Yeah, I heard about that — and they were assholes but they weren’t weak, and they weren’t stupid. But more than that, every time I see you, every time you speak, I know that you must be hiding something. Because my Danger Sense is just screaming at me, telling me that you’re a predator that I can’t fight. So yeah, I’m scared of you. I panicked. I wanted something to hold over you in case you… in case. There. Does that make you happy?”


    Did that make her happy? “No,” Ana said, and her voice sounded small and sad even to herself. Predator? Dangerous? That’s how the woman saw her? Not as an easy mark, but as something she needed some way of protecting herself from?


    “I’ve hurt people,” she said, shuffling around the fire until she was next to Rayni. She felt a terrible need to explain herself to this woman. And for what reason? Why should her opinion matter? Except that they had never even spoken before that day, and Rayni had feared her. For no good reason. That hurt more than Ana had thought possible.


    When Ana got close she felt Rayni twitch, as though to run away, before stiffening and standing her ground. The Huntress’ eyes were fearful but determined. “I won’t pretend that I haven’t. I’ve killed people, too,” Ana continued. “But only in self-defense. No one who didn’t deserve it.”Stolen novel; please report.


    Except for Nic, she reminded herself, but he was already as good as dead, wasn’t he? It had been an act of mercy. She hadn’t known about potions, or healing magic. She had to remind herself of that.


    She could see the thoughts racing through Rayni’s mind. What did Ana consider self-defense? Who, exactly, “deserved it?” Everyone else was asleep. They were practically alone, and Ana was pretty quick…


    Ana had been wrong in her first impression of Rayni. She was sure about that. Perhaps some honesty and vulnerability would help where covert threats hadn’t?


    She sighed and dropped every hint of menace that she’d been projecting, everything fake that she’d been showing. It would help, or it wouldn’t. “Listen, Rayni,” she said. “I don’t want you to be afraid of me. I don’t want anyone to be. I’ve been dealing with that for most of my life, once they see the real me, and I’m tired. If anything, I’m hoping we can work well together, because I plan on going out on these expeditions a lot and it’s clear that you’re an important part of what makes them successful, yeah?”


    “I, uh, I’m good at finding demons and Delves, yeah.”


    “So, believe me when I say that you have nothing to worry about. Not from me. Not as long as you talk to me first, instead of doing something stupid like threatening me. All right?


    “Yeah, all right,” Rayni said. But while she looked calmer, Ana could tell that she was just saying what Ana wanted to hear.


    Ana sighed with quiet frustration. “Danger Sense still going off?” she asked.


    Rayni hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah.”


    “Any idea why? I really, honestly, have no wish or intention of hurting you.”


    “Doesn’t work like that,” Rayni said. “It doesn''t tell me how dangerous you are to me right now. It tells me how dangerous you could be. And it’s been telling me that you’re a combat Classer, way higher in level than me, with anger issues. You’re louder than Kaira!”


    That was interesting, Ana thought. Though she’d been told several times that Kaira could have a temper, and after what Deni had done…


    “But I know Kaira, right?” Rayni continued. “She’s strong and she burns hot, but she’s not a nutter. I know what pisses her off, and it’s easy to avoid by not being a complete bitch. But…”


    “But you don''t know me. Right. Well, here’s the basics: don’t be an asshole, don’t try to harm me or fuck me over, and we’re good. That’s it. Whatever your Abilities tell you, you’ll just have to stick around and see that for yourself, or stay out of my way. And I’d be disappointed to lose a potential ally, but if that’s how it has to be… just leave me alone, and you’ll never have to worry about me.”


    “I want to believe that.”


    They sat in silence — well, relative silence, considering how each of their Perceptions was — until Ana said, “Why didn’t you say anything to anyone else? If you feel so threatened, I mean.”


    Rayni gave her a small, rueful smile. “Tell who? Kaira? The woman likes you. The way she looks at you I’d wonder if she was trying to get in your pants if I didn’t know she doesn’t cleave that way. Petra? Maybe, but she wouldn’t care. She doesn’t get involved in other people’s problems unless they’re close. And the others either wouldn''t believe me, wouldn’t care, or couldn''t do anything about it. Besides, I have a reputation to maintain.”


    “Cold, distant, tough?” That had been Ana’s impression.


    “Yeah. It keeps people from bothering me. If I ran around begging people to save me from the big, bad level 4 Companion I’d never hear the end of it.”


    “Pride over safety? Is that smart?”


    “Pride and safety are the same thing if you do it right,” Rayni said with a shrug.


    “You could have pulled out. When you knew that I’d be joining.”


    “No, I couldn''t. I need the money, and they all know it. There’d have been questions, and…” Rayni trailed off with a sigh.


    Ana left it there. They were supposed to be on guard, and they both had some things to think about.


    <hr>


    The next morning the camp was a flurry of cheerful activity. The three demons they’d killed the day before were taken as a good sign, and everyone was excited about finding a Delve, where the real excitement — and the real profit — was to be found.


    Ana’s morning exercise routine was a source of great amusement to most of the others. Especially the amber-eyed elfin woman. “Like to keep in shape?” Messy asked.


    Ana feigned embarrassment. “Yeah. It was part of my terms of employment at first, and at some point it just became a comfortable routine, you know?”


    “Sure. And it’s done you good! Maybe I should get into it, too? I’m a frontliner, after all. Mind showing me?”


    Inwardly, Ana sighed. To Messy, she said, “Oh, sure. I’m doing burpees next. Here, let me show you, and I’ll get you into position.”


    The burpees failed to scare Messy off, but at least she didn’t talk through the rest of the workout.


    “We’re sending Rayni and Messy out ahead to scout,” Kaira announced as they ate their porridge. Petra was cooking, so of course it was porridge. “They’re the stealthiest of us. I’d send Rayni on her own, but we’re in or close to a locus now, and I don’t want anyone going anywhere on their own, yeah? I know that I’m repeating what you already know, but that means that if you leave the group for any reason, you take someone with you! I don’t care if it’s something embarrassing. We’re all grown women here. And I know that we’ve had easy going so far, but we’ve been fighting on our terms. Some of these demons can be damned sneaky, and I don''t intend to lose my first casual because she got caught alone with her pants down, literally or figuratively!”


    Nobody complained about that rule. Imagining it was bad enough.


    “So… then what?” Deni asked, then immediately blushed as everyone looked at her. “Are Rayni and Messy finding more demons for us until we find a Delve, or…”


    “Good question! And, nah, we’re going straight for a Delve! If there''s one nearby it should draw the little shits like moths to a candle, so the plan is for our scouts to find a demon and stalk it. The rest of you will just hang back and stay ready in case you’re needed.”


    And that was just what they did. They packed up the camp, got moving, and didn’t do much of anything. Mostly they talked. There were a lot of questions about Ana, of course; how old was she, where was she from, was she comfortable explaining why she was such a low level? Was it true that her whole body was covered in pictures of birds, and that she beat up Torden Barlo for propositioning her?


    She corrected that one very quickly, while Kaira cackled happily.


    “But you beat him without any weapons?” Deni asked incredulously. “You flipped him onto the ground, just like that?”


    “Pretty much, yeah. We had knives, but I wanted to prove a point.”


    “Which was?”


    “Mostly that if your opponent has a knife and you don’t, you still have a chance. Fighting in that situation is still a terrible idea, but you have a chance. And I could have ended that fight without anyone getting killed, which is a good option to have.”


    “Could you teach me?” the girl asked, leaning in. “How long did it take you to learn to do that?”


    “Disarm and throw someone with a knife? In a friendly practice setting you could learn to do it in a few weeks, I guess. In reality… shit, I dunno. You practice and practice, and one day some asshole comes at you with a knife too quick for you to run and you either do it or you don’t. It took three years before it happened to me.”


    “Years?”


    “Two hours a day, four or five times per week, for about three years, yeah. And I’d probably be dead today without it, so time well spent, I guess. But most of what I did with that time was completely unarmed. People don’t usually carry any weapons where I’m from.”


    “Oh,” Deni said. “I know some of the cities are like that, where no one’s allowed to carry weapons or use offensive magic at all. I guess knowing how to fight with no weapons would be useful then. Although…” She made one of her white-hot marbles appear in the palm of her hand, before snuffing it out.


    “Yeah,” Ana said, catching her meaning. “If someone doesn’t care about the law, you might be shit out of luck.” That was why she herself had usually carried her gun, after all.


    The others still wanted a demonstration, and Ana was happy enough to oblige, but Kaira put the kibosh on that. Seeing her being the responsible one was interesting, since Kaira was usually so carefree, but she could clearly be serious when the situation called for it. And she was right. They were supposed to be staying ready in case the scouts needed them, or a demon stumbled onto them, or something like that.


    While nothing like that happened, it didn’t take long after that particular discussion wound down before Mestendi came jogging back to the main group. Her amber eyes were alight with excitement, and with a grin the elfin woman told them all exactly what they wanted to hear: Rayni had found a Delve.


    <hr>


    The entrance to the Delve was the most incredible thing that Ana had ever seen, in the sense that she couldn’t believe that the thing she was looking at was real. It was, basically, two dimensional. And if that wasn’t enough, it just… wasn’t there. Sure, when Ana looked at it from an angle where it was, for lack of a better word, visible, she could tell that there was something between her and the background. But her eyes slid off the thing, her mind unable to process what was supposed to be there. And it didn’t actually block her from seeing anything. Whatever was behind the entrance just kind of bunched at the sides, warped but still very much visible. It was like the world was a painting, and someone had made a cut down the middle of it and pulled the sides apart, revealing something utterly incomprehensible.


    This, the others agreed, was normal. That was just how the entrance to a Delve looked.


    “The bastard we followed here just disappeared inside,” Rayni said as the others joined her. “Used to be a deer. A small one. It’s probably still right on the other side, so the muscle should go through first, yeah?”


    “Right,” Kaira said. “Petra and Messy, you go first, then me, then Ana and Deni. Sendra, Dil and Rayni, you make sure nothing comes at the advance party from behind. I’ll come out and tell you when the entrance is secure.”


    “Um…” Deni said. “Why? Why do we do it like that?”


    Kaira shrugged. “Usually works well? Petra and Messy are our strongest frontliners. I’m going in just in case there’s a pack near the entrance, so they don’t get a chance to overwhelm the first two. Then you go in with Ana so the two of you get some extra practice. I want the others outside since Rayni and Dil both have good perception, and Sendra…”


    “Because I don’t like being split up from Dil,” Sendra said. “It’s fine. I appreciate the consideration.”


    “Right,” Kaira said. “So. Advance team, get your packs off and get your kit ready if you haven’t. We’re going in.”