Chapter 5 The Mark of the Vulture

The moon hovered above Ereko like a pale eye, watching. In the alleys of the Chain District, silence reigned - not the silence of sleep, but of fear.

Barumo's crew moved through the dark like spirits. Nia disguised them in the robes of sanitation burners, whose job it was to carry out waste from the lower cages. A stinking job - perfect cover.

Zaru struggled not to gag as they hauled crates laced with rotting fish and dung. Each step was calculated. One wrong move, one sound, and the plan would collapse.

Ahead, Dogo grunted softly - their signal to stop. A pair of guards stood at the corner, speaking in hushed tones.

"We wait?" Zaru whispered.

"No," Rina replied, her voice low. "We strike."

Like smoke she was gone. A faint whisper, a glint of silver - then silence again. The guards crumpled without a sound.

Zaru stared, breath caught. "She doesn't miss."

"No," Barumo said. "She doesn't forgive either."

They moved forward.

Inside the compound, cages lined the walls. The map was right - and so was the ink. Kondo's cage was marked in black. Far corner. Heavy lock.

Nia handed Zaru a small bone key. "You've got one job, boy. Open the gate and don't scream."

"I'm not scared," Zaru said.

"You should be."

The air thickened as they crept in. Chains rattled softly. Eyes watched them through bars, hollow and hopeless.

Then - Kondo.

He sat cross-legged, smaller than Zaru remembered, ribs sharp against his skin. But his eyes... they were alive.

"Zaru?"

Zaru knelt, hands shaking as he unlocked the cage.

"I came back," he whispered.

Kondo smiled faintly. "Took you long enough."

But the moment broke.

A shout. Then another. A bell clanged - loud, urgent.

"We've been seen!" Nia cried.

Barumo drew his blade. "Fall back! Protect the boy!"

Zaru grabbed Kondo and ran.

Behind him, Ereko began to wake - and