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Dave could barely contain his excitement as he made his way back to the Warren. He even found himself whistling at one point, something that slaves never do. After that glaring mistake, which had drawn surprised looks from a couple of passing slaves, Dave kept his head down and tried walking with that listless, shuffling gait common to those in bondage.
He was later than usual, and The Doubtful Dragon had already closed for the night. When Dave returned to their lodgings, he was disappointed to find that he was the only one home.
He paced back and forth for a while, and then laid down. He fell asleep quickly—his hard work of the day having overruled his excitement at hearing news of Pam and Little Thomas. Arlana shook him awake, telling him he had not heard her call for supper. Everyone was already eating and talking by the time he arrived at the table.
But Dave couldn’t eat until he had shared his news. Having done so, everyone wanted to ask questions.
“You say Bigelow is away right now?” asked Al.
“That’s what Grigor said. I have to admit the citadel seemed pretty quiet. In retrospect, I realize more should have been going on if Bigelow were home.”
“Then we need to move right away,” said Linder. “When should we try a rescue?”
“If we’re going to try it, we should do so tomorrow night. I’ll be working there tomorrow as usual. The main gate will be locked and guarded at night. Instead of leaving at the end of the day, I’ll hide inside. I can let you in, and we can search.”
“Okay,” said Al, “you’d better draw us a map to the gate. During the day, I’ll make sure I can find the right gate in the dark. We’ll make a run for it as soon as we have them, so we’ll leave town shortly after the town gates open. What do you think Tandor?”
Tandor did not seem pleased. After thinking a moment, he said, “I think it’ll work. Those guards don’t pay much attention to people leaving, especially at the main gate. Getting out is possible. But then what?”
Al answered. “I know this is not what you wanted to hear, but I will take my wife and son back to our home as quickly as I can. We may not be the answer to the prophecy. But I also believe in genuine prophecy, and I do think your prophecy will still come true.”
Tandor shrugged. “I gave my word. You’ll have my help. I will get a safe house ready in case we cannot leave the city, and the guard decides to watch the Warren closely after the escape.”
Dave worked hard all the next day. When the time had come, he made his way to the main fortress gate. Once out of sight of the stables, he doubled back and hid at the back of the construction site. There was a pile of fresh straw in the back corner behind a pile of lumber. He planned to hide in it if a patrol should come through as part of a late-night inspection. But no such patrol came. With a New Moon, and a very dark night, Dave was confident that he could see much better in the dark than the guards. At about 1:00 a.m., Dave crept from his hiding place. The streets inside the citadel were deserted. He skirted the front gate, expecting to see sentries on duty with lanterns burning in the gate house. But there were none to be seen. In the quiet, he heard the distant sound of singing and the occasional faint shout.
What’s going on? Is it a riot or a party?
Arriving at the postern gate, Dave sat down for a few minutes to watch, in case of a sentry. But there was no noise and no movement. He crept closer and unlatched the gate from the inside. Pulling it open, he looked out. “Are you there?” he whispered.
Several figures separated from the shadow of the buildings across the street and moving stealthily, entered at the gate. Dave locked it.
Al whispered. “We brought everyone. We figured the more we had, the faster we could search the building.”
Without further discussion, Dave led them through the grounds to the citadel itself. He knew the gate was open during the day but hoped they didn’t lock it at night. The citadel was surrounded by a dry moat and crossed by a stone bridge. The gate beyond was open.
Dave crept forward, thankful that he had worn his darkest clothing that day. He entered the yawning mouth of the gate. The noise of the singing and shouting had grown louder as he approached the entrance to the keep and now it was almost deafening. Ahead, light streamed from under a closed door.
There must be some party going on. Let’s hope that keeps them busy.
Inside the citadel wall a series of buildings abutted the wall. Beyond the buildings was a square. At the center of the square was a huge circular keep that rose in a series of three concentric towers, each segment bordered with battlements. The whole effect reminded Dave of a three-layered stone wedding cake.
The main gate of the keep was directly across from the citadel main gate and the singing and shouting seemed to come from inside the keep. Just inside the keep main gate, off to the left was a small spiral stairway. Straight ahead was a grand staircase. Dave decided to try the spiral staircase as the safer choice. He headed up one floor and stopped. This floor also seemed deserted.
Linder gave instructions, assigning the party in groups of two or three to search each of the corridors. “Do a quick search to see if anything looks promising but meet back here in five minutes. There will probably be a guard at Pam’s door. Don’t try to take him unless he sees you. Come back here.” They soon returned after a fruitless search and then moved up to the third floor.
Dave and Arlana took the left corridor. There were many doors, but none looked suspicious and none were guarded. Finally, at the end of the hallway, they saw one door that looked different. The door was heavier, and was fastened with a sliding bolt. Inset into the door, near the floor was a small, latched sliding door with an empty tray beside it. There were two chairs outside of it. Dave touched Arlana’s arm to speak by contact telepathy.
I think this is it honey. We had better go back and tell the others.
They retraced their steps. In a few minutes the others all returned and Dave told them about their discovery. No one else had found anything worth investigating. Al could not be held back. He rushed down the hall to the door and quietly pulled the latch back. A small light gourd cast its light on the room. Two figures were asleep on the straw mattress, a woman and a child.
Dave watched as Al hesitated for a moment and then crept forward. He knelt down beside the woman and gently touched her shoulder, his other hand ready to stifle any scream. She looked up. But it was not Pam.
A little girl sat up on the other side of the bed sat up. “Mommy what’s going on?” she asked in English.
“Who are you?” asked the mother.
“We’ve come to rescue you,” said Al, disappointment tinging his voice. Who are you?”
“My name’s Kyra and this is my daughter, Sophie. We were captured by Bigelow in Halcyon and brought here when he fled. Are you working for him?”
“No,” said Al, “get your things and come with us.” In the dim light, Dave saw despair in Al’s face.
The woman hesitated, but only briefly, then rose to gather her things. Al ushered everyone out. Leaving the room, Linder latched the door. Al gave the woman and the girl the dark cloaks he had brought for Pam and Little Thomas.
As they crept out of the fortress, Dave couldn’t help wondering about what would happen next.
Now what? I was so sure we had found them. Now we know no more than we did when we first arrived in Abaddon. A deep sense of gloom and hopelessness enveloped him.
They returned to the postern gate. When they were outside, Al spoke again, but his voice sounded hollow and flat. “We had better go to the safe house,” he said, “to question them and decide what to do.”