Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Duty

Alessa awoke at dawn wrapped tightly in the warm cocoon of Isaac's arms. She lay still, listening to the silence of the forest and watching as the tendrils of her and Isaac's breath mingled in the cold air above them. For a few moments at least, she savored the tranquil morning, allowing the trials ahead of them to slip quietly away.

But a few moments was all they could safely spare. Having been hesitant to turn on a flashlight for fear of attracting notice, they hadn't been able to travel far in the night's blanketing darkness. They had settled in for the night on a high hillside not more than a mile from the sewer drain, and it was there they still lay now, limbs entangled as the sun's first rays crept over the barren ground. There was no doubt that Paragon's guards would be looking for them at first light; it was time to go.

Alessa nudged Isaac awake and he let out a groan as he stretched his stiff muscles. "Argh. What time is it?"