Throwing her hood back on, Nic spun away from Falken in the crowd. “Meet me at the Frozen Cello,” she hissed over her shoulder. His eyes flashed for a moment, then he darted away through the stalls as she did the same. Four of the Divine Guard took off after him, garbed in their distinctive blue military overcoats. They wouldn’t dare use battle magic among the Contarini, who wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate anyone, Divinity included, most painfully if threatened. But the Divine Guard likely wouldn’t use battle magic near civilians either… but they’d certainly pursue. She didn’t linger to watch the other four chase after her. Dashing between two merchant stalls, wool brushed across her skin. Clothes. Disguise. She yanked a swath of dark-gray wool, stuffing it into her vest until it was secure, and leaped over a display of confections. No stopping. Not until she lost them. A quick glance back— Across Il Mercato Sotterraneo, a stand of apples tumbled onto the ground. One of the guards tripped among them, angrily waving off his comrades and shouting expletives. With a half-smile, she slipped behind a fireworks stall and grabbed an armful of paper-tube fireworks and bombs. Passing a food stall, she threw its merchant a good few feet before tossing the paper tubes into the cooking fire. Bang. Bang. Bangbangbang— Amid screams, she jumped away while a cacophony of sound continued behind her, and approached the crema frita stall. Empty. She snatched a handful of pieces to stuff into her pocket, passed, and then threw the firework bombs back at the fire. Boom. Boomboom. Boom. The sound thundered through the cavern, flashing orange and setting the nearby stalls aglow with faint traces of golden light. Cries and screaming ensued, with crowds of people pushing toward the exits. Icy blue light reflected off the cave walls. A shriek, and another. Green light. Violet. More shrieking. Pops of bright color. Magic. The Divine Guard were using magic. Bold. The Divinity had to have given up on ruling through love. Fear was a much cheaper currency. She dove under a wig display. Time to get out of here before someone got hurt. While the panicked crowd ran past her hiding place, she shoved a long, blond one onto her head, then exchanged her cloak for the gray one she’d swiped. She pulled Shade from one of her many pockets. With a deep breath, she slipped it on, then darted out among the running masses. A fire burned in the middle of the market, massive and spreading, while a few of the Divine Guard shouted to one another and people screamed. The wave of fleeing bodies surged up a staircase and out onto the street—she couldn’t have turned back even if she’d tried. With Shade’s power and her human looks, she blended in easily, going with the flow of the others around her until the crowd began to thin out, and then she broke away, taking the narrow, dark paths through the city. …