A/N: Hello everybody! I'm ba-ack! Sorry yesterday's chapter was so short. I probably should have combined it with this one, but it's a little late now. Again, thanks to everyone who reviewed.

Chapter 10

As soon as she was out of sight, Kodi broke out into a full-on run and smacked straight into a confused Briar and Colt. She quickly stuck her branded forearm behind her back, where Briar couldn't see it glitter.

"What're you doing here, with us set to rescue you and all?" Colt asked, looking disappointed.

"You had your chance to rescue me," Kodi said coldly. She wasn't ready to forgive Colt just yet.

"I'm sorry," Colt replied dejectedly. "I wanted to help, but I just- froze. And we really were going to rescue you."

Kodi sighed. She could understand that, even if she didn't like it. "S'alright," she replied generously, clasping his hand in a street rat's shake. She did the same thing to Briar, surprised that he knew it.

"Oh, Briar used to be ganged-up here," Colt explained.

Kodi looked at him skeptically, and then decided it wasn't any stranger then anything else that had happened to her today. "Can we get outta here?" she asked. "All these tunnels are giving me the crawls."

"Sure." Briar grinned. "Can't say I blame you."

As they walked through the tunnel, Colt asked, "So how did you escape?"

Kodi smiled. Telling lies was one of her best talents. It would be a welcome challenge to try to fool someone as sharp as Briar, or who knew her as well as Colt.

"Well," she said solemnly, reminding herself to keep it simple, "after we left the chamber, Cobra grabbed me right? And I didn't like that so much, so I'm kicking and pushing and screaming and making Cobra real angry. Finally, he pulls out his knife and tells me that if I don't shut up I'm gonna get it." Kodi soon forgot her own advice as she got into the story. "Cobra thinks he has me there, but he don't know I have a knife too. Panther moves in to grab me, but Cobra tells her to back off so she does.

"Soon Cobra and I are circlin' round each other like those guards the King's got, the ones with the pig stickers. I'm real scared, right, cause Cobra ain't called Cobra for nothing, and I know I can't beat him with a blade. Then I have a bit of luck. One of those rat's that always scurrying around comes up and bites him real hard on the leg. While Cobra's trying to shake it loose, screaming curses at everything in sight, I slice him hard across the arm. Its gushing blood and I'm real scared cause I think of done him in, you know? Then I see it's a lot better than it looks, but Cobra still leaves to find something to bind it with.

"Then Panther drags me through a huge maze of tunnels, but I can tell she's feeling kinda guilty. I know I'm right because before she locks me up she slips something- real quiet like- into my hand. I open it up to find a lock pick. I pick the lock, open the door, and run smack into you."

Colt looked at her admiringly. 'Wow, Kodi. Didn't know you had it in you."

"Excellent story Kodi," Briar said cheerfully. "Now give us the truth, if you please."

Kodi put on a wounded look. "It is the truth," she replied huffily.

"Yeah, it is, Briar," Colt assured him. "Trust Cobra to get upset about a rat. And it's just like Panther to come through in the end. She always liked you, Kodi."

Briar raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. Kodi sighed, knowing that they would be talking about this later. Now she would have to make up another- more believable- story. Whatever she did, she couldn't tell them the truth. How long would they want her around if they knew she was working for the Thief Lord, or worse, that he could trace their every move through her? Not long.

Soon they exited out of the tunnel and into the comparatively fresh air outside. By this time, the sun had fully set, and Hajra was engulfed in an inky black sea. The faint glow emitted from the thin crescent moon did little to banish the approaching darkness. Instinctively, Briar loosened the hemp ties on his wrist sheaths and let the hilts drop into his palms. He wasn't taking any chances.

"Where're we going to go?" Kodi asked nervously. "I can't go back to the Rat's Nest, not after this."

"You can stay at my place," Briar replied. "You can't live on the streets, and you're going to have to stay with me anyway if I'm going to teach you magic."

"Hey," Kodi said warily. "I never agreed to this magic stuff."

Briar scowled at her. "You don't have a choice. Your magic is already breaking away from you. Don't you want to control your visions? 'Sides, what else are you going to do. You can't be a street thief anymore."

Kodi sighed. He was right; she knew he was right. The Thief Lord was looking for her, and Hajra was no longer safe. She hadn't been much of a thief anyway, not with visions threatening to pop up at the most inconvenient moments. She wanted a chance to make things better.

"I'll do it," she agreed.

Briar grinned. "Let's go. We can start in the morning."