"You understand it was per protocol of the king."

Swift as the wind, Tia melted into the shadows, finding a place to hide.  She heard the rustle of straw as Enlil withdrew from the door.

There were next to no hiding spots. She panicked, eyes squinting in the near-pitch darkness. Candlelight coming down the stairwell highlighted her time running out.

Her hands ran over the smooth, cool surface of a wooden table and felt the space beneath it. No, it would be too obvious. Her foot nudged the wooden stool next to it and a gasp lodged itself in her throat.

She could see the shadows of the approaching men.

Her outreached hands made contact with another smooth wooden structure, standing at a height greater than her. Her fingers slipped into cold metal handles and the cupboard door opened with a quiet squeak. She swallowed with great difficulty and eased herself in, willing for the old wood not to creak or give her position away.

Luckily it made no sound as she pulled the door shut, plunging herself into pitch blackness.

Blood pounded in her ears and her heart was beating at such a rate she was sure everybody in the dungeons could pinpoint her hiding spot. She forced herself to breathe and to ignore her trembling limbs as she slid into a crouching position, her ears pressed to the door.

"Of course, and I am fully supportive of your actions, good minister," a deep voice was saying. "But I have to say, without my assistant, I would not be able to get through the work King Ea expects of we Windcasters; that would be most unfortunate, no?"

Tia suddenly recognised the speaker.

"You are right as always, Master Anu," said a second voice, apologetic. "As long as you ensure such an incident will not occur again, we would not dare hinder your work."

"I will be sure."

The Master's presence would at least guarantee her safety; although it was difficult gauge the consequences she would have to face for her reckless antics.

"Very well, then allow me to fetch the keys from the cupboard."

Tia froze. They couldn't possibly mean her cupboard?

She slowly moved to her knees and something tugged at her.

Biting her lip, she pulled again. Her stomach plummeted.

In her haste to close the cupboard door, she had trapped the hem of her cloak in the door. On the other side, a slip of the dark material would be obvious once the candlelight reached her hiding spot and give her away.

She couldn't risk another tug without moving the door. If the guard opens it and finds her, Master Anu's apprentice, hiding there...

Just when she thought she might burst an artery, Master Anu spoke again.

"That is all right. I shall fetch the keys. Please excuse us, gentlemen."

"Are you sure, Master Anu?" There was doubt in the guard's voice. "It is against protocol to leave an esteemed person with a convict."

"My assistant has not yet been convicted of crime."

"Of course, sir." They retreated up the stairs. As the footsteps died away, Tia allowed herself a sigh of relief. She thought she was about to keel over from the stress.

She squealed as the wooden cupboard opened without warning and was blinded by the candlelight. She squinted upwards, shielding her eyes with a trembling hand.

"Tiamat." Master Anu sounded very displeased.

"Master Anu," she whispered, "I am sorry, I–"

 "We shall speak of this later." She tried to make out his expression but the black spot from the blaze of the candle made seeing almost impossible. She straightened up and stepped out gingerly as he fetched the keys that had hung over her head. Blood began to rush back to her legs. She could hear the latch unlock with a definitive click. "Enlil."

The gravity in his voice was almost palpable. The boy exited his cell, his eyes downcast and his usual defiant expression nowhere to be seen.

"I cannot begin to express how extremely disappointed I am in your escapade. Granted, the slavery situation may need addressing, but this is not – and it never will be – an effective or intelligent way to tackle it." Tia was astounded; she had never heard anger like that in the old Caster's voice. "You could have gotten yourself killed. You could have gotten Tiamat and Mommu into enormous danger. You risked the lives of every single slave in this country – and for what? Some self-righteous statement?"

Enlil flushed.

"My boy." The Master's tone became gentler. "You have a good heart and your goal is just, but the method you are using is most definitely wrong. Such rash actions will only serve to end your life early – and you will never accomplish what you strive to do."

Enlil looked like he was beginning to see the sense in the Master's words.

"May I suggest something?"

He nodded, silent.

"I know Tiamat has taught you how to read. Perhaps you can utilise that. Train as scribe in the king's circle and help change the laws for the better. You of all people – and even more than the ministers – know what is like to live as some of the most deprived members of society. If you train as scribe, you can lead a peaceful way to change: change the kingdom from the inside."

"You think it will work, Master?" He was sceptical.

"It will take time, but yes, it will most certainly work." Master Anu sounded confident and firm. "Will you give me your word?"

The tall boy mulled over his words. During that time, the old man turned to Tia.

"Go to the top of the steps and take a right turn. That will lead you to the back door where there will be one guard passing every thirty minutes. Time your escape well." His jaw tightened. "You shall present yourself to me at noon, two days from now. If I were to see you in any ridiculous follies such as this again–"

"You shall not, Master," she said in haste, curtseying and wincing from the pins and needles in her legs.

"Very well. You may leave."

She hurried away, throwing a nervous glance at Enlil. As she reached the top of the stairs, she breathed a sigh of relief as she heard the boy say, "Yes, Master."

****

Tia knelt at the edge of the roof of the warehouse situated opposite the town hall. The air was still and in the semi-darkness she could make out several figures moving surreptitiously at ground level. There was no doubt that the rebellion group was carrying out their ill-fated plan.

If I do not take a part in this and merely act as an observer, surely that is not a 'ridiculous escapade', she thought to herself, straining to see. If Mommu were there, he would have been exasperated she would undertake such an expedition again, particularly so soon after nearly being caught.

But she wanted to see the event that Enlil had been so determined to participate in. She needed to see it.

She tuned her ears to the Wind. There was the sound of wood knocking on wood, rustling of paper, and hushed whispers. Sleeping people might not hear their actions, but to a Caster, their movements were quite noticeable.

There was suddenly a soft bump, so quiet she had almost missed it. She turned her head towards the sound, a small frown on her little face. She shuffled closer to the edge, straining her hearing.

There was another bump and a soft groan. There was no doubt about it; something was amiss.

The rebels caught on much slower than she'd anticipated. She heard a flurry of movement – it had gotten so dark that she could no longer see, except for the few beams of moonlight escaping from between the buildings – and then a shout shattered the silence.

"What is going on?" someone shouted. "Hey! There is somebody here!"

"It is a trap!" another yelled. There was a scuffle and nobody spoke for about fifteen seconds as thumps and grunts filled the air.

"How dare you!" demanded a third voice. She could hear his quaking footsteps and the tremble in his voice. "Who do you think you–"

His retort was converted to a deafening scream, and then everything became muted.

With a shaking hand, Tia brushed her fringe out of her eyes and squinted with all her might. She could just about make out the dark outline of a figure crouched in the darkness, his silhouette outlined by the moonlight streaming behind him.

Footsteps of a large group of guards echoed down the alleyway, stomping almost in time.

"Halt!" one of the guards shouted as they rounded the corner. "We are the king's guards. Who goes there?"

The dark figure straightened up so that his face was visible to the group of men.

"It is I." The voice was icy, biting out each syllable with a deadly seriousness.

"We humbly apologise for having to involve you in this, sir!" said the first guard, recognising him. "Please instruct us what to do to assist you."

She was confused. Why would anybody of status be wandering in Capital this late at night?

"I was just passing by. Ensure that these... men—" Tia heard a dull thud of an unconscious body hitting the stone ground. "—do not see the light of day again. They will be publically executed come sunset on the morrow."

Her body went cold. She silently thanked the Graces Enlil had not been part of the doomed group that night.

"Very good, Master Marduk."

Tia let out an involuntary gasp.

The figure turned his gaze upwards; his ears no doubt had tuned to the Wind and heard her. As the moonlight hit the youthful, hard-jawed face, Tia's breath caught in her throat. There was no way he could see her from where he stood, but the image of the Windcaster's merciless, steel blue eyes was seared into her brain.