“You told the warriors where we were going to be?” Nikon’s voice was low but full of wrath.
I was too stunned to react.
“I’m sorry.” Lapis sniffed. “I need the reward money, but I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed Cassandra’s company.”
“Enjoyed it so much you’d sell it.” I finally found my words, and let them bite her, as she’d ruined our chances of being free. “We have to get out of here. Now.”
I was on my feet before she said, “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done it, even for the money.”
“You should have thought about that before betraying one of your own.” Nikon’s words had a snap I hadn’t heard before.
He gave me his arm and I took it by the elbow, rushing to follow him out of our hiding place. This was so bad. They’d come for me and possibly the others. I didn’t bother saying anything further to Lapis, despite hearing her cries for us to stay.
“Are we going to get away?” I whispered.
“Uncertain,” was Nikon’s only reply.
We’d only gone a few steps, when Kaius swore. Footsteps—several sets of them—were headed our way. By Kaius’s language, I was guessing they had seen us.
“Take out your fighting sticks,” Nikon told me. “Zoe, get behind us. No matter what happens, we don’t go down without a fight.”
“We can make it if we run,” Zoe said. “Toward the river.”
While my sticks were out and ready to go, Nikon grabbed me and we started running. I might have tripped over something at this pace, but it was better than fighting. “Where’s Tewy?” I asked.
“My shoulder,” Nikon replied.
Knowing everyone around me was safe so far put a burst of speed into my steps. We’d have to hurry if we wanted to remain that way. Though I hadn’t an idea what we’d do once we reached the river.
From the noise of running feet behind us and shouts to stop, the warriors were on our trail. It would be a fight to see who’d get to the river first. Once we made it, they could easily follow us. My body wanted to go limp with fear, but I steeled myself to stay strong. What was to stop them from capturing us?
I wracked my thoughts for an answer, while huffing and puffing for air. There had to be a way out of this. I didn’t want to be a slave, and my friends didn’t deserve to be tortured and imprisoned. Friends. I shook my head. Lapis had betrayed me.
There would be time later to rue ever speaking with her.
“Down here,” a soft voice called.
Nikon turned, and I went with him. We entered some type of building.
A man said, “You won’t be safe until you’re hiding. Go down.”
Something creaked open, and I expected to be on the move again, but Nikon hesitated. “Why are you helping us?”
“Cassandra’s parents were good people. Their daughter doesn’t deserve to be captured by the warriors.”
“What do you think?” Nikon whispered to us.
“What other choice do we have?” I asked.
“Nothing good,” Zoe said.
That got Nikon moving, though I didn’t understand what my parents had done to help this man, or why he was in turn helping us. How did they hear I was Edita and Dorian’s daughter? Or that we were in trouble?
Didn’t matter, as long as they weren’t sticking us in this place only to expose us to the warriors later.
I came to the edge of the floor, my sandals dangling halfway over empty space. How far down was whatever was at the bottom? Nikon left my side, and after a scuffle of movement said, “Sit on the edge, and I’ll help you down.”
I sat, dangling my legs over the edge. Nikon put his hands on the outside of my calves. Apparently, it was a longer way down than I wanted to go.
Inching forward, I pushed myself off. He grabbed my waist and pulled me close. His spicy scent was familiar and soothing in a moment when I needed it. I leaned into him until he said, “Sorry, but your stick is in my face.”
I stumbled back into a firm wall and said, “Forgive me. I didn’t realize.”
“It’s fine. But we need to move, so Kaius and Zoe can get in.”
“Oh. Of course.” Forgetting myself for that mere moment made my cheeks heat.
I let him give me his arm, and he shuffled me against the wall. It wasn’t far. This place was tiny. I hoped there weren’t any poisonous bugs. It was no worse than going with the warriors, though.
Someone bumped into my side, and Kaius said, “Come on, Zo.”
There was a shuffling. A grunt. Tewy jumped on my shoulder, apparently deciding to go with us, which I hoped was for the best. I’d hate for the warriors to capture him, but I’d also hate if he hooted and gave us away.
The man who had helped us said, “Stay as quiet as you can. I’ll let you out when it’s safe.”
There was a clunk above us followed by a scraping, maybe a heavy indoor plant, chair, or crate, moving?
Zoe whimpered and said, “It’s dark.”
That was life for me. From the sound of things, it was much more difficult for her. Other than the soft caress of skin brushing against skin, the only sounds were the shouts of warriors, with their pounding feet. Or was that pounding on the door?
I steadied my breathing and leaned into Nikon. This was already a long night, and it was going to get longer. With four of us crammed in this space, there wasn’t room for much movement. It was just as well, for the moment. We’d sat for a while, and I was too anxious to do so again. I’d rather pace or practice fighting. Or really fight—except for the fear of being captured.
Shouts grew closer and louder. The pounding stopped. That couldn’t be a good sign. What would happen if they figured out where we were? They’d clearly realized where we weren’t. What would keep them from inferring we’d gone into someone’s house? I hoped the man who’d let us in his home could be trusted and that he didn’t get into trouble for helping us.
I couldn’t believe Lapis betrayed us. That she betrayed me. How could she? Money must have been tight indeed, if she was willing to go back on our old friendship for it. Or maybe she simply changed. If I would have figured it out sooner, we wouldn’t have ended up in this spot. My trust in others broke more each moment I thought of her betrayal.
Nikon had been suspicious, but I’d dismissed his concern.
Zoe whimpered. I wanted to reach out and comfort her, but there was a knock on the door above us followed by an, “Open up.”
Kaius should do a good job of keeping her calm. But more that she needed to remain quiet so that we could all stay safe. I sent the thought out into Eppla, hoping against hope that it would be heard.
Footsteps hurried to the front door above us and creaking followed.
The man who helped us said, “Can I help you?”
“A group of four individuals have been running through the streets. They are a threat to the Reding, Vading, maveor, and anyone they come in contact with. Have you seen them?”
I tensed, waiting to hear the response.
“I haven’t,” Helper Man said.
My muscles relaxed a fraction but still strained with fear.
“Then you won’t mind if we search your home.” The rough-voiced man was already inside by the sound of things.
With the threat so close, the tension blasted me fully, making my body throb.
“You can look,” Helper Man said.
Footsteps came toward us. I quieted myself as best I could, pleading with the sands that Tewy and Zoe managed to do the same. Didn’t stop the hammering of my pulse in my ears. The light thuds stopped directly above our heads. Had they found us?
But there wasn’t shifting above us, and the creak of the trap door didn’t come. Instead, there was rustling and crashing. The warriors weren’t very careful while searching for us.
Nikon wrapped his arms around me, his thumb brushing the bare skin of my arm. I leaned into him, grateful I wasn’t alone while someone searched for me this time like I had been in the amant sewer during one of the first raids. At the same instant, I wished those I cared about were far from here. The conflicted feelings tore into me, as the dank air settled in the space.
On my shoulder, Tewy shivered, but managed to stay silent. It was quite the feat for him—one that left me more impressed the longer he stayed quiet.
The crashing and shuffling slowly faded. A muffled rough voice said, “If you see anyone that shouldn’t be about, alert the guards right away.”
“I will.” Helpful Man sounded so certain, I almost believed him. And yet, here we hid, directly beneath where his voice came from.
The thuds of feet left the house, and the door slammed shut. I relaxed into Nikon, but his muscles were tense against my skin. It would appear his worries weren’t over.
Zoe let out a whimper, and Tewy squawked more loudly than I’d heard him for some time. Maybe he didn’t like the enclosed place either. Whatever the case might be, he was too noisy.
As I pulled his shaking body off my shoulder and into my arms, the footsteps above us settled farther away. The yells of the warriors could be heard, but they were distant and muted. I stroked Tewy’s arms and belly, trying to comfort him as best I could. His little arm wrapped itself around the back of my neck as he clung to me.
Since the warriors were so far away, I dared to whisper, “Shh. It’s all right. I’m here.”
Some of his shaking eased, but I worried this would make him misbehave. That might be why he ruined my room when we left him there to go to a rebellion meeting, all those months ago.
We’d spent so much time outside and free, that I’d never considered how places like this would affect him. Though it smelled wet and the air was tight around me, I didn’t mind it so much. I wouldn’t wish to spend the rest of my life in here, but nor was it as foul as Tewy and Zoe seemed to think it was.
Nikon continued to rub his thumb across my arm. I was overly aware of it, but he might not realize he was moving it. The motion was comforting. I closed my eyes and let my head rest against his chest. There might not be much room to get comfortable, but I would try to get any sleep I could. But finding sleep grew more difficult as I remembered how we’d been found by the warriors. Not found—I reminded myself—handed to them.
I chased the restless thoughts from my head and moved on to something more comforting. I didn’t figure out how much time passed, without the coolness of the moon on me, but time seemed to go slow. It tiptoed by, as we continually shifted, trying to find a more comfortable spot. Zoe’s sniffles could be heard occasionally, or Tewy would start shaking harder again, but they calmed with some soft words of encouragement.
It was beginning to feel as if we’d never be out of this pit beneath the man’s home. Why did he have it here, to begin with? The question kept popping in my thoughts, making sleep more unattainable than it already was.
I must have dozed off at some point, because I woke to Nikon giving me a light shake. At first, I was groggier than I’d been before I’d gone to sleep, but as soon as I heard the scrape of something moving above our trap door, I jolted upright. Maybe now we could get more firm answers about why he assisted us.