THE HUNTER GUARDS rushed past Lisha, leaving her alone on the sidewalk, her ID card hanging crookedly from her fingertips. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in, placing her free hand against the side of a building for support. A few streetcars passed by, turning the surfaces of a few stray puddles into a fine mist. Lisha forced herself to take in air through her nose while she worked through the flailing panic in her chest.

So close, she thought. Too ...