Jade navigated the short complex of dimly lit tunnels at a sprint, homing in on the muffled sounds of shouts and grinding machinery coming from up ahead. She burst into a large open space, surprised to see a shaft of daylight streaming in through a set of large doors at the far end of the room. Weren't they underground? She shook the thought from her head, focusing instead on the five wagons that were lined up in front of the door, all of which were loaded with crates and barrels, each pulled by a pair of the lizard creatures she'd seen in the city above.

  She arrived just in time to see Malice seize a stack of papers from a table and leap into the foremost cart, shouting at the driver, another one of the bruzak demons, to get underway. The succubus spared a glance back at Jade, giving her a wink and a wave. Even at this distance, there was no missing the self-satisfied smirk that stretched across the demon's face.

  Not this time.

  Jade didn't break stride, veering towards the rearmost of the five vehicles as they lurched into motion. The animals, which Fenrin had called 'strix', were pulling them up a ramp that looked as though it led to a concealed hatch at street level. How anyone had hidden the construction of a passage large enough to drive wagons through Jade had no idea, but that didn't matter. The ramp was only wide enough for one wagon to fit through at a time and, although they had a good head start, she was just able to catch up to the last of the vehicles before it picked up speed.

  The demon holding the reins slumped over with a gurgle, Jade's dagger protruding from his neck. She leapt aboard the moving wagon kicking the struggling demon onto the ground and summoning Phantom back to her hand as she spun to confront the two enemies amidst the crates behind her. Like the other bruzaks these creatures carried no weapons, but in such close quarters that wasn't much of a disadvantage. Two pairs of claws slashed out at Jade, forcing her to the edge of the driver's bench as she struggled to dodge in such confined quarters and the unstable footing of the bouncing wagon, which was veering to the side now that the driver had dropped the reins. Before she could mount a counterattack, an arc of force energy slammed into one of their backs, knocking the demon over. In the same moment, two arrows slammed into the other one's shoulder, sparking with electricity and sending him tumbling over the edge of the wagon to join his fallen companion.

  Jade wasted no time vaulting into the wagon and stabbing down with her twin daggers, finishing off the bruzak Luis's attack had stunned. A part of her mind spared a moment to wonder when she'd grown so carefree about killing as she wrenched her bloody blades free from its neck, black ichor splattering against her skin. The demonic part of her reveled in the carnage, but that had always been true. The human side, the part that had always shrunk away from battle and violence, wasn't reacting as strongly as it once had. It was as if she were becoming numb to the dealing of death. The thought made her uncomfortable, but one look at the vicious fangs and razor-sharp claws of the corpse beneath her feet grounded her. This wasn't a normal person she'd slain, but a ravenous monster that had been trying to tear her to pieces. The fact that it looked vaguely humanoid was unsettling, but she could sort through that later.

  "Shit." she cursed, looking up to see the last of the four other wagons disappearing up the ramp and onto the streets. "We were too slow."

  The two strix pulling the vehicle had stopped now that no one was guiding them, appearing confused. Jade had no idea what to do with the tangle of straps and reins piled on the bench beside her. They didn't have much time to figure it out, as she had no illusions about catching up to the others on foot. Even fully loaded with whatever supplies the demons were carting off, the beasts were pulling them away at an impressive speed.

  "Everyone on!" Fenrin shouted, hauling himself onto the bench beside Jade. He took the reins.

  "Do you know how to drive this?"

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  "I've done it a few times." the half-elf replied, searching for a specific strap and yanking on it hard. The motion pulled the strix's heads down. One of the lizards hissed in annoyance but, a moment later, they both resumed trundling along, hauling the wagon up the ramp behind them. A quick look over her shoulder confirmed that Luis, Ashar, Naomi, and Tara had joined them in the back of the cart, which was rapidly running out of space. Wooden crates filled most of the storage space, some stacked three high and held down by tight straps. The giant lizards were strong enough to pull the load but, with six of them adding to the weight, they weren't moving as quickly as the others.

  "These are filled with dimension effusion…" Ashar said, lifting the top of one of the crates. His voice was a mixture of awe and surprise. "How did they get so much of it?"

  "Ditch it." Jade said, scooting to the side to give Fenrin the center spot on the bench. "We're too heavy."

  They emerged from the ramp into an alleyway on the opposite side of the street from the abandoned warehouse. A large panel of cobblestone had shifted to the side, creating an opening just wide enough for the cart to squeeze through. Jade ducked under the low overhang, hearing the grinding sound of wood on stone as the wagon scraped through the narrow gap. Then they were through, driving out onto the street. A few passersby gaped at them, pointing and staring, shocked at the sudden appearance of the strange procession.

  "We can't just dump it!" Ashar said, aghast. "Do you have any idea how valuable this is? Without careful handling, it could be destroyed!"

  "Do you want a group of demons to get their hands on it?" Tara snapped. The tek'kalla was already using a dagger to cut the straps securing the cargo. "If the other carts have the same load, we can't let them get away with it!"

  "How can they get it out of the city?" Luis asked, helping Tara slice through the straps. "Won't they be stopped?"

  "Something tells me they thought of that." Jade grunted, pointing at the approaching intersection. "Fenrin, left!"

  "I see them."

  The four wagons had a decent lead on them and were pulling further away with each passing moment. Jade could probably catch up to them at a sprint, but she doubted any of her companions could match the feat. Each of the carts had two or three bruzaks, plus Malice at the forefront. There was no way she could take them all on her own.

  CRASH

  Luis shoved one of the crates over the side of the wagon, which splintered immediately upon striking the street. Purple and amethyst powder plumed into the air in a discordant cloud of sparking, shimmering energy that crackled and popped with unstable power. The cart lurched forward, moving faster.

  "Uh, I'm with Jade." Naomi said, staring back at the minor explosion they'd left in their wake. It had cracked the cobblestone street, marring the stone with a blackened scorch mark. "I don't want that in here with us."

  "Fine…"

  The four of them worked quickly, cutting and dumping the cargo behind them while Fenrin drove the cart and Jade kept watch on the demons ahead of them. One of the bruzaks in the rearmost cart finally noticed they were being followed and shouted to his companions.

  Here it comes.

  They were gaining now, only about fifty feet back from the closest wagon. Fortunately, the industrial part of the city was mostly free of foot traffic, and the few people they encountered were wise enough to dive for cover as several wagons blasted by at reckless speeds. One of the demons thrust out an open palm, sending a blast of fire searing across the gap between them. Jade ducked on reflex, but Fenrin managed to maneuver out of the way at the last moment. Heat washed over her as the crackling orb of fire whooshed passed.

  This was going too slowly. Malice was in the lead cart, they weren't going to have time to fight their way through the three intervening ones between them, not before they reached the edge of the city. Jade was certain that the demons had allies waiting for them outside, or some other means of escape prepared. She had to act now.

  "Keep them busy." Jade said to the group, climbing up to balance on the side rail. They were approaching a sharp corner, the wagons ahead of them slowing to navigate it. This was her chance. "I'm going after Malice."

  "Jade!" Naomi said, shocked. She was strumming her guitar now, buffing them with her speed enhancing melody. "You can't fight her on your own!"

  "I don't need to." Alarm bells were tolling now, a discordant clanging coming from deeper in the city. "I just need to slow her down."

  Without waiting for a reply Jade leapt from the cart. She rotated in mid-air, planting her feet on the stone fa?ade of the building they were passing. The instant the soles of her boots struck the surface she blinked forward, warping past the line of carts blocking them, and heading straight for the succubus.