Curtis shivered as he hung suspended from the edge of one world and over another. The cold wind cut through his dirt-caked clothes with ease.

He looked up. The plagueborn was still standing a few feet above him blocking the only way back up. It looked monstrous. The filthy bandages around the face didn’t quite hide the purple blemishes that shared a texture with overripe eggplants. Hate filled eyes stared at him.

Curtis felt his hands beginning to cramp and his shoulders burned. The sweat on his palms was making the railing slippery. Tendons stretched- he was slipping-

The plagueborn tumbled over the ledge above and fell past Curtis, twisting and scrabbling for any kind of handhold. It grabbed at one of Curtis’ boots but it wasn’t enough. Flailing, it disappeared below with an all too human cry of terror.

A moment later a slim hand grabbed each of his wrists and helped him up over the railing.

“Heya kid!” he said to his niece. “I thought I told you to run and hide.”

Deena rolled her eyes.