Away

Wings beat the silence of the midnight London streets. He twisted left then right between the tight packed houses, away from his pursuers. They would have to kill him now, after what he’d heard outside the window of Aun’s Palace.

The sound of flight behind him let him know just how close to oblivion he was. Too close, closer than he had ever been in all his years of spying for Duke Nok.

The wings behind him were getting louder. They must have sent centurions. They would catch him in another few minutes if he didn’t do something.

He turned another corner and saw an ajar window in a second story bedroom just ahead. Putting on a burst of speed he slid through the impossible space and shut the window silently behind him.

Two shadows raced past, but he knew they wouldn’t give up that easily. They would search this neighborhood for days.

He turned around and surveyed his temporary oasis and cursed his luck. An infants bassinet sat in the middle of the room proudly proclaiming this room as a nursery.

The baby inside started cooing ominously. He had somehow woken it when he came though the window. Probably all the wind.

The baby gave over cooing for a long wail. He could suddenly hear the wings of angels closing in.

Thinking only of surviving the next few minutes he snagged the baby from the crib and flew into the large wardrobe at the end of the room.

‘Please be quite.’ He thought, ‘they’ll kill us both!’