Finally, I make it to the opposite end of the workshop. A shattered glass window the length of the wall overlooks the black sea and rocks below, the only light being the twin moons above. Papers are scattered about what once must have been an organized room. Inventions, halfway finished, lay wasting away on large tables. Random tools and equipment dot the floor and gently sway on the walls.

Suddenly, my head is slammed against the metal wall, my world reeling. I stagger back and throw up my hands to catch the shin of my assailant. I try to wrap my hands around, but they pull back, and I'm tossed across the room before I can react. I land with a painful thud, turning it into a backwards roll. On instinct, I roll to the left, hearing the sharp clack of an arrow on the wall. Archers, again? A boot catches me in the side, kicking me across the floor. I scamper out of the way of a broad blade scraping the floor where I was seconds ago. Nope, definitely not archers. My feet shoot out, intending to trip my attacker, but they jump, landing with their full weight on me. I scramble underneath them while they try to skewer me. The blade grows closer to my face, nearly touching my mask. My hands grip at them frantically while I shake and writhe underneath them. They remain steady, breathing slowly. Oh gods, I’m going to die.

“Esilea!” The blade halts an inch from my throat; my would-be murderer stops. The room lights up quickly, creaking wheels nearing my head. I get a good look at my attacker, and the ferocious snarl on her face. “Please, get off of him.”

“He could have been here to kill you,” my attacker hisses, low and scratchy, from the back of her throat.

“Trust me,” I try to wiggle, but to no avail, “I have no intention of killing whoever it is that just saved my life. You on the other hand…” I glare up at my assailant; she growls in return.

“Esilea,” the other person warns. Esilea sighs. In a blink, she’s off of me, blade at the ready. I stand up and backpedal quickly, keeping my back to the door. Esilea stands to my left, towering above everything in the room, her dark hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. Chestnut eyes pierce me like arrows with every glance. Her square jaw seems to grind itself deeper into her skull, muscles flexing and rippling with even the slightest movement. The boy next to her is an ant by comparison. He’s confined to the simple wheelchair that he grips with white knuckles and tense arms. Despite this, he’s the only one with a smile on his face.

“So…what now?” I keep my hands out in front of me, eyes flicking back and forth between the two. The young man runs thin fingers over a bare head, tapping the tan, scarred, skin.

“Esilea wants to kill you.” He looks up at his companion, who gives a curt nod. “But I don’t really approve of that.”

“I like the way you think," I say.

“It doesn’t matter what I think,” he says. He sighs, running a hand over the nicks and cuts on his face, smiling again. “Let’s try and start over, alright? I’m Icarus. This,” Icarus points to the tall warrior, “is Esilea. And you are?”

“Namonai,” I reply cautiously. “What are you doing here?”

“We ask the questions!” Esilea snaps, taking a step forward. She seems to rethink it, and steps back, gripping the fabric of her worn satchel, dark leather armor nearly disappearing in the dim light. Icarus looks up at Esilea, then nods. She opens up her bag and pushes her sword in. I shake my head slightly, taking a long blink; magic bags don’t even surprise me at this point, honestly. “Answer our questions and you live.” Esilea doesn’t look happy about that prospect.

“Alright.” I take a seat on the dusty floor, crossing my legs. Let’s see if I can talk my way out of this one. “What do you want to know?”

“Interesting,” Icarus mutters, turning the map over in his hands.

“Why do you think the workshop is on the map?” I hover over Icarus’ shoulder, under Esilea’s watchful eye. Her skin looks like clay hardened by fire. She stands as solid as a mountain behind me, arms folded across her chest. Intimidating is an understatement.

Icarus looks up at me, rubbing the top of his head. “I don’t know. My uncle died years ago, and most of his work was destroyed in the battle. I haven’t been here since…” He looks down at his legs for a moment. “But we need to investigate this further.”

“We?” Esilea rumbles from behind us, pushing me out of the way. “Icarus, you can’t be serious,” she whispers. “Throwing in with him? He told us his story, how he came to be here. He is a liar, a cheat, a thief!”

“Don’t forget, ‘a greedy bastard’,” I chime in.

Esilea silences me with a glower. “Why do we need his help, of all people—”

“It’s because of who he is. We need a lying, cheating, thief to help us solve this mystery.”

“I’m right here guys.” I mutter. Icarus turns to me, wheeling his way towards the door.

“So this Midas sent you to get the map then?” I nod, and Icarus smiles up at Esilea as she begins pushing him. “I think we may need to pay a visit to him.” I dart past them, blocking the door and holding up my hands.

“Whoa!” They stop. Icarus looks confused and Esilea…well, she looks murderous. It’s pretty much her default expression. “You can’t just go after Midas. It doesn’t work like that. He’s the richest man in the city.”

“And Esilea is the deadliest warrior I’ve ever met.” Icarus retorts, Esilea trying to push him past me. I block again with my body.

“You’re not listening!” I snap. I take a deep breath, stuffing my hands down my pockets, gripping the fabric tightly. Come on Namonai, breathe. They don’t know any better. If they go to Midas, they’ll be skinned alive. And, if they somehow make it out, the city will eat them alive. I look at both of them from behind the safety of my mask. “You don’t know how Malor works. You don’t know the city. I do. If you want answers, we can get them, but you need to listen to me. And what we all need right now is food, and sleep.”

“Actually, respectfully Namonai, I—”

“He’s right Icarus,” Esilea interrupts. I look up in surprise. She wrinkles her bent nose at me before continuing. “We need to rest.” She looks at him, her eyes softening. “We can search in the morning.” I step to the side and she pushes her charge past me. “And if this doesn’t pan out, I’ll gut this little man very slowly.” She gives me a predatory grin in the darkness, wheeling Icarus down the hallway. I sigh, putting my head in my hands. Why? Why me? I slap my thighs, following them down the hallway. I guess I need to make sure my only lead doesn’t die. But now I’m going to have to explain two new guests to Naiomi. Oh gods.