There was a shadow on my wall. I had taken to leaving the window open at night, telling myself it was because I liked the moonlight. I did not want to admit to the foolish hope that Altair would show up again. Not so foolish, so it seemed. I half rose from my bed, rubbing sleep from my eyes, but he was already in the room and almost on top of me. I barely managed to register the fact that he had his hood down before he kissed me. It was rough and savage and full of the same danger he exuded like an aura. It was perfect. I threw a hand up to push him away, telling myself it was not right, but he simply caught my wrist in his steely grip. My protests faded quickly, his harsh breaths and steady, thudding heartbeat weaving a tune I could not help but dance to. I shifted, my free hand catching the front of his robe as I broke the kiss. He had effortlessly left me gasping for air like a landed fish.

"Altair… "

I woke with a start, covered in a thin sheen of cold sweat. A dream. Nothing but a meaningless, stupid dream. I refused to think about it as having any significance. Stupid girl. Silly, sighing, hare-brained little fool. Lost in fantasies that cannot ever be. He is a killer! He is as likely to put a blade between your ribs as look at you. I covered my face with both hands, taking a shaky breath. You goat-kissing mangy rodent! Pull your head out of the clouds and screw it firmly back on your shoulders! I scrubbed my eyes and sat up, pulling the blanket about my shoulders like a cloak. It was chilly in the room, the night air sighing like a pining lover. I got up and made my unsteady way to the window, leaning out and watching the empty street. Somewhere a dog barked, and crickets were chirping up a storm. It was a different kind of bustle from daytime. At night, the creeping, quiet things came out from under the floorboards and made their own noise. A whole new city. Suddenly taken by some foolish whimsy, I tossed aside the blanket and got dressed. Pulling myself up on the windowsill, I took a deep breath. If Altair could do it, so could I. Not like he was an assassin trained in this stuff or anything. Nope. I used the decoratively carved lattice to pull myself up to the roof, clinging with desperate fingers and toes to whatever precarious holds I could find. Having got up in one piece, I took a moment to revel in the faint warmth of the stones beneath me. Though desert nights were cool, the blazing heat of the sun by day soaked right into the heart of the city. I rose, and, as this seemed a night for impulsive stupidity, I threw my head back and howled at the moon like a jackal. It felt so good, for some reason, to just yowl like a madwoman. Surely if someone saw me they would take me for possessed, or perhaps an actual demon in the flesh. Half crouching, I darted out along the rooftops, yelping and barking and howling as the mood took me. Barefoot, I made little noise as I moved. I had worn my most practical clothes; loose but not baggy brown linen pants and a matching tunic with elbow length sleeves. I was a wild-haired shadow, I imagined. I threw out another howl, and somewhere beyond the city wall yapping jackals or coyotes responded. Ever since I encountered Altair I have been taking more risks, acting strangely. Father said I seemed more vibrant than ever before. I still sometimes left trays of food on the roof for my mysterious acquaintance, and every time the tray was neatly on my desk the next morning. I never saw hair nor hide of Altair, and I suspected I would not unless he let me. I pushed aside thoughts of him in favor of scrambling across a narrow arch to a building across the street. I wasn't sure I would be able to get home; the city was changed at night. Streets familiar by day made alien by shifting shadows and a tingling apprehension. The darkness and emptiness of the city sent tingles down my spine, but I welcomed the little thrill. It was such a risk! There were guards out here, however few, and they were sure to pincushion me with arrows before asking questions, what with the way I was jumping about and shrieking like a banshee. In defiance of the thought, I threw my head back for another howl. The calls from beyond the city were louder now. I grinned, pleased, and pretended to be a real jackal. Sitting back on my haunches, I put my hands on the ground and my face to the sky. Low and as mournful as I could, I howled at the moon. I was trapped in here, while my brothers and sisters hunted free! I ran again, not as agile as I would like but who cares? No one out here to see me. I scrambled over slates and up and down ladders. My breath came in gasps, but I ignored the tightness in my throat and ran on. The adrenaline flooding my veins filled my limbs with a sort of desperate vitality and made the burning in my lungs easy to ignore, at least for now. Where there was no passage to the next group of buildings I turned and kept running in a straight line till my path was blocked again. I ceased my cries in favor of conserving my breath. That blasted ache in my chest assailed me, and my heart was beating faster than a hummingbirds. I ignored the discomfort though, swallowing to ease my scratchy throat. I was not a jackal anymore, I was being chased by bandits! I had to outrun them or I would pay with my life. I had, after all, eluded their capture many a time. They would not stand for it any longer. They would simply kill me now, rather than ransom me. I was too clever, it was too much bother trying to keep me prisoner for more than a day. Hah! A secret pathway. I darted up one side of a roof and down the other, leaping over a narrow gap between buildings and skirting around the corner of a tower. A stone bridge, normally reserved for patrolling soldiers, lay empty before me. Hands out to either side I rushed across before I could rethink the act. Breathing heavily, I climbed down to a lower building and crouched by the ladder. I could rest here. Those buffoon bandits would never know how I eluded them. After a few minutes, my pants slowed and my racing heart had calmed. I realized I had just played the most elaborate game of pretend I ever had, at least since I was a child. Clicking my teeth together sharply so I did not laugh, I instead clutched my sides and wheezed quietly. Here I was, a grown woman, running about on rooftops like a crazy person. Playing imaginary games. Hah! Sudha was right, I was still a little girl inside. Suddenly, the situation seemed a lot less funny. I had no idea where I was. Climbing back up, I tried to orient myself. In the darkness, though, landmarks were hard to spot. I tried to use the mosque to orient myself, but I could not tell its minaret from one of the multitudes of other towers that rose up in the dark. Blast it all. I was not despairing; I had a good head on my shoulders and would figure out where I was eventually. It was just such a bother. I retraced my steps as far as I could, which was not far at all. Ugh, this was really a mess. Sunrise would be in a few hours, and if I did not find my way home father would have a fit. Slumping down, I heaved an annoyed sigh.

"Lost, Akilah?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin, leaping up as though electrocuted. That voice was all too familiar.

"…Altair?"

Tentatively, I peered into the night. How could someone in bright white robes hide so well? Suddenly, he was beside me. He could have been a ghost for all the noise he made. And I had thought I was being sneaky, running about shoeless!

"I think the entire city heard you yelling your head off. The city watch will think demon dogs have invaded. You've probably given every god-fearing soul for miles around nightmares…"

I flushed, silently grateful for the darkness that hid my embarrassment. Of course he had heard me. That was just my luck, him catching me acting the fool after that…that sort of dream!

"I was…taking the night air. It's very refreshing, don't you think?"

I kept my tone as airy and light as I could, but there was no hiding the faint tremor in it. The mortification of being interrupted in my idiotic carousing made me blush to my bones. Curse him and his…his whatever it was that made me so nervous! He said nothing, instead trying to bore holes in my head with his eyes. Even when I couldn't see his face I could feel him looking at me. I suppressed a shudder. Had he been following me? If so, why? I couldn't have come upon him by coincidence. I realized, with another burst of heat right to the roots of my hair, that with my antics he had no need to follow me. Like he said, the entire city probably heard me.

"Um, I uh, that is, you wouldn't happen to know where the mosque is, would you? My eyesight is not so good as yours"

There was no way I was asking where my house was. I looked silly enough as is, behaving like a six year old. The eyesight thing was probably true in any case. I silently dared him to tell me otherwise, to call me out on my charade. He said nothing, but the faint twitch at the corners of his lips said he knew exactly what I didn't want to ask.

"It's over there"

He pointed to the left and slightly behind me, and I was sure he wasn't referring to the mosque. I ducked my head in thanks and spun on my heel, ready to run the entire way home. A light pressure on my shoulder froze me mid-stride.

"Thank you for the food. It's nice to have something waiting after…a long day"

I stammered something unintelligible, protesting. He had saved my life; my little favors were incomparable to that. It probably didn't help my coherence factor that the 'long day' was probably spent slitting throats and whatnot. Without turning to look at him, I pulled away from his light grasp and resumed my brisk stride across the roof, eager to get away before I did something extra stupid. Unfortunately for my lofty goal, Altair cleared his throat and I stopped again. I wasn't going to run away, I wasn't!

"You are clearly afraid of me, and yet you willingly offer me help instead of pretending nothing ever happened"

I shrugged uncomfortably and turned to face him.

"It would have been ungrateful of me not to try and repay the debt. I…You're not scary"

I tried very hard not to sound defensive and failed wholeheartedly. Again, that almost-not-quite-a-smile twitch told me as much.

"You're just very intimidating. I mean, you could probably launch me over the horizon with a flick of your finger. I'm a bit of a lightweight, in case you hadn't noticed"

It was a fair point, though I doubt Altair bought it. He didn't say anything though, or show any other sign of accepting my explanation. Instead, after a second or two of silence, he darted over to me and bridal swept me off the ground. I didn't even have time to protest as he took off at a speed that snatched my breath away. Gaps 3 meters or more across seemed mere hops, though each time I felt Altair tense up in preparation for a leap I clung a little bit tighter to his robes. He ran effortlessly, as though I weighed nothing at all, and his agility seemed little hindered by the lack of hands. In minutes he was lowering me to the ground, my unsteady legs barely supporting me. To my great humiliation I nearly fell over when he first put me down, forcing me to cling to his arm like a little girl hanging on her mothers' apron. Altair bore it all patiently, and the supportive hand he offered was surprisingly gentle. Once I could stand properly, he took me by the wrists and lowered me down enough that I could catch the windowsill with my feet and duck inside. Putting a hand to my chest to make sure that my heart hadn't burst out of it over the duration of that little trip, I leaned back out and whispered a ferociously inadequate thank you. I didn't hear a response for a while, so I assumed he had already left. Just as I was about to return to bed, I heard his soft, imperious voice.

"Goodnight, Akilah"

A streaking shadow leaped over me, silhouetted against the night sky. Altair was gone once again.

I lay awake, my mind reeling, until the first feeble rays of sunlight tentatively intruded upon my room.