By the time my sight had returned, several things had become clear to me. Firstly, my daughter’s safety was paramount to me, and that safety was best served by keeping her away from both the pit master and myself. Secondly, the pit master would be on our trail by dusk, if not sooner. Clearly he would be as impaired as I in the light of day, but I knew well enough from months in his employ that his other senses more than made up the lack. He was a man — a thing — of power and influence, the best course was to get out of the city and out of the empire as quickly as possible. Aside from two rats and some numerous insects, I had heard not a sound from the house above in all the minutes it had taken me to plan our immediate action. The first thing, then, was to avail ourselves of my absent friend’s hospitality to clean the blood from our bodies, swaddle my daughter, and wrap my eyes against the light. This done, we stepped once more into the blinding day.