onto whatever happened to be handy.
In this case, it was a small, rotund alien who’s head she essentially hardcore noogied through her efforts to stop her fall. With a strange squawk, he pushed her away and darted through the door she’d just flown through. Nova turned around and blinked in astonishment, realizing where she was.
She was outside.
“Holy shit,” she breathed, stunned that she had actually made it out of the building that had become her prison. There had been a little while when she thought the dark hallways were never going to end.
Spinning on her heel, Nova looked around. Now that she’d literally stumbled out into the light at the end of the tunnel, she didn’t have time to waste. Spotting an abandoned basket sitting at the edge of the stoop, she picked it up without hesitation. It was big enough to give her face a bit of cover if she held it high enough and would help her blend with pedestrians moving past the brothel— at least she hoped it did. More than one alien carried a wash basket like hers in groups, so she hastily joined them without missing a beat.
Keeping in the shadows along the cobblestone path, Nova moved with the crowd. Once or twice she stumbled after stepping on broken glass, but other than that, she didn’t react. She didn’t even look down for fear that seeing the damage herself would make it hurt worse somehow. It was hard to ignore the burning slashes, but she didn’t want to call attention to herself. The cuts were stinging with every step, but since she didn’t have a way to treat them, there was no point in slowing. At least not until she knew she was safe.
She had to get the fuck out of Dodge and she had to do it fast. Talis may not have found out she was missing yet, but her luck wasn’t going to last forever. The moment he knew she was gone, the house and most likely the brothel district would go on lockdown. There was a small chance Talis wouldn’t ring the alarm, but she doubted it. If Cruum found out she’d escaped, there would be hell to pay, and Talis would be the person owing the balance—something she knew he wouldn’t allow. He’d call for help to avoid taking the heat for her escape, which meant Nova had to think smart and fast. If he knew she wasn’t trapped in the house any longer, he’d need help searching the district for her. He wouldn’t want to deal with the chance of her getting away, and the best way to do that would be to call in the help of the other hunters. Their track record of catching wayward slaves was rumored to be perfect, and Nova didn’t like those odds.
They’d be able to hunt her down within minutes, unless she was able to get someplace safe, and in the brothel district, no such place existed.
Knowing she needed to get out, Nova moved toward the marketplace. That was her finish line—or at least the first marker in her race to freedom. It didn’t look like much, but she was hoping it offered her a safe haven among the jumble of vendor stalls that she remembered from her previous escape. She’d only been to it once—her earlier failed escape—and it had been intimidating as hell, but right now, it was her only hope.
The market would give her a lot of nooks and crannies to hide in. The vendor stalls that lined the paths offered a bit of cover themselves with their large awnings and huge tables lined with goods. Another point in the positive column for heading to the market was that the brothel masters had no power outside of their little district. The shop owners tolerated the brothel houses for obvious reasons, but there was a clear line of divide between the two.
Nova looked down at the outfit she was wearing and knew it wasn’t going to do for where she was going. Even in the darkness falling, she stuck out like a sore thumb. In the brothel, the brightly colored silks and gauze she was swathed in hadn’t been out of place. Once she reached the market, the cloth rainbow she was wearing would clearly flag her as a house slave on the run. That meant she had to figure out a solution, and it had to be done quickly before the traders around her paid enough attention to notice exactly