I risked glancing back over my shoulder, briefly meeting the naiad’s sharp and intelligent eyes. “There!” He pointed to me and hurried ahead, abandoning his friends. Now, real fear was starting to simmer in my belly. I darted down the alleyway, shimmying up and over the locked iron gate without even wrinkling my collared shirt. (Fleeing for your life is an excellent motivator for a lifetime of general physical fitness.)
:(
