It was nearly impossible to leave her there all alone, but I had no other choice. If I failed, Emani’s sacrifice would mean nothing. Only that truth propelled me off the floor and into the darkness.
I paced carefully down the hall, counting steps in my head. My legs ached to run, but I’d be hopelessly lost in the underground labyrinth if I didn’t follow the same path out that I did coming. I tried to be careful, but I may as well have still been wearing a blinder ring. The halls were pitch black.
Earth is the key. Emani’s last words. Savannah’s mother’s last words. I puzzled over the possible meaning as I scrambled through the maze.
I spread out my arms, trailing a hand along each side of the tight hallway, trying to find the correct passages to turn down. Within minutes, I was completely lost, with no idea where to turn next.
I leaned my back on the opposing wall, staring into the black, trying to decide what to do. As my head connected with the wall, faint vibrations came from the other side. I turned my ear to the wall, pressing against it hungrily.
“Okay, fine. If you don’t want to play hangman, what do you want to play?” asked a gruff voice.
“I’m just saying, playing hangman is a little off-putting because of our present situation, as we may actually very soon be hanged men,” said another.
Chase and Mateo.
Chase and Mateo were on the other side of this wall. They were alive.
I stumbled down the hallway, listening to the voices growing louder.
“How about we play the ‘anywhere but here’ game?” Mateo suggested.
“How do you play?” asked an exasperated Nik.
It took me a second to realize that all three voices were speaking in English and not their native tongue. It meant that they were being guarded. None of the three would voluntarily speak English if they didn’t have to, especially Nik, who had only spent hours on Earth, picking up or dropping off researchers.
“Just tell us where you would rather be other than here. That’s why it’s called the ‘anywhere but here’ game,” Mateo answered.
“Does ‘anyplace, anywhere, anytime, with anyone else’ count?” Nik quipped.
“I’ll go first,” Chase said. Their voices were definitely getting louder now. I was headed in the right direction.
“Hmm, I would rather be …” Chase thought.
“Besides anywhere else?” Nik supplied.
“I’d rather be in Ha’apai, Tonga on a deserted beach with …” Chase faltered, refusing to say Claire’s name. He must not know whether or not she was okay. They were all silent for a moment, probably giving Chase time to recover. This frustrated me, since I needed them to talk so I could follow their voices.
“Mateo, your turn,” Nik said quietly.
“I’d rather be … Oh! In Chichen Itza with Marguerite. Or in Akumal with Maria, or Dalia or—”
“Point taken,” Nik said dryly.
I finally found the pathway that led to their cell. There was a faint glow coming from the end of the hall where torches lit the room. A dark figure reclined against the wall, not paying particular attention to the men, probably because he couldn’t understand them. I crept forward and waited in the smallest shaft of light possible. If they were paying attention, the boys would see me before the guard did. I stood silently not moving at first, trying to catch their wandering eyes.
“Don’t look now. Pretend our lives depend on it, because they do actually. Someone’s come to spring us,” Mateo said as nonchalantly as he could manage. I held up Savannah’s knife to show that it was all I had as a weapon.
“We have to find our fearless leader a weapon other than that freaking penknife he brought with him. Is that the best you could do?” Mateo asked, trying not to modulate his voice. I just shrugged.
“There is a burned-out torch above your head, Mateo. If you reached out of the bars, do you think you could grab it and throw it into the hall?” Chase asked casually. Mateo lazily turned his head in a wide circle. He saw the torch.
“Yep, I can get it,” he said with a yawn. “I’ll throw it into the hallway, then you come in swinging,” Mateo said facing Nik but talking to me.
“Well, here goes nothing,” Mateo said. He slowly got off the floor, pretending to stretch. The guard’s eyes still hadn’t moved from the ceiling. Fast as lightning, Mateo’s arm flashed out of the space between the bars. He grabbed the torch from its bracket on the wall and threw it into the passage, where I caught it. The guard snapped to attention and turned to the men. Mateo pointed toward the hall. The guard turned just in time to receive a solid blow to the head. He hit the ground with a resounding thud.
“That was awesome!” Mateo laughed and rattled the bars.
“Good to see a friendly face down here!” Chase said appreciatively but then gasped as I came closer. I looked down at my chest to see what everyone was staring at. I was completely covered in blood.
“It’s not my blood. It’s Emani’s,” I explained, trying not to dredge up the memory of her grisly death as I stared at the evidence staining my skin. “Dai killed her. She got me out right before—” I couldn’t say any more.
“Well,” Nik said, breaking the silence first. “If you don’t have a key, you may as well turn around and leave.”
“I do have a key. Emani died to get me this key.” For a second, I felt like leaving Nik locked in the cell.
“I’m just hoping it fits all the locks down here,” I said, pulling the metal piece out of my pocket. “Here we go,” I said hopefully as I tried to fit the key into the black key box that covered the old rusted lock. We heard the blessed mechanical chirp and pop of the lock as the door swung open. I was caught in a vise-tight hug by the brothers. Nik nodded his head in appreciation.
“Drag him in there and shut the door,” I ordered. The brothers took the arms of the heavyset guard and hauled him into the small cell.
“Wait, take his shirt at least. You really look awful,” Chase said. He and Mateo stripped the shirt off the guard and tossed it at me.
I reticently removed it and donned the new one. I didn’t want to take off my stained shirt, as a symbol of the sacrifice that had saved me. I still had her blood on my jeans, which, strange as it sounds, made me feel better. I could carry a part of her to the end.
“There it is,” I said, as I looked at the guard’s bare back. “The Master’s mark. Emani had the same brand on her. She said all traitors will have it on them somewhere.” They all started asking questions at the same time. “I’ll tell you everything, but first tell me what’s happened to you three.”
“Not much to tell. We both woke up on the transport with Oshun and Ecko. Claire and Emani’s beds were already empty. We were brought straight down here and locked up,” Mateo said. Chase bit back a growl.
“I was forced off the transport and marched unceremoniously down here like a criminal. Since Gideon knows we are friends, he wouldn’t let me leave,” Nik said.
“I figured as much,” I said apologetically.
“Your turn, Ryen. What do you know?” Chase asked. I explained about Gideon, his plan for Savannah and me, and Emani’s last moments when she had told me about a map and Gideon’s mark.
“The map must be in his private quarters. I’ve been there, but I now have no idea how to get back,” I said.
“That shouldn’t be a problem. The three of us put up such a fight that they couldn’t take us too far into the tunnels. We are just a few turns from the main passageway I think,” Chase said.
“That’s a relief,” I said, giving my brain permission to forget the memorized steps and turns that had done me no good, anyway.
“We need to split up. I have to get to Gideon’s quarters, and I need you to go find people who will stand with us. Tell anyone you trust about the bribery, the map, the mark, all of it. Gideon is taking Savannah before the Tribunal soon. Bring everyone you can to Tribunal Hall. I’ll be there with the proof.”
“I’m coming with you,” Mateo and Chase said at the same time.
“Mateo, I need you to go talk to the Haven elders and convince them of what is going on,” I explained. Mateo started to argue. “You can’t ask Chase to leave here without Claire. He needs to come with me so we can find her.” He gave up and nodded. “Nik—”
“I told you I would alert as many as I could about what I have heard and seen. I’ll go with Mateo,” he said.
“Then let’s get out of here,” I said. “And be careful of the cameras. Once we leave this ancient dungeon, they’ll be everywhere.”
Mateo clapped Chase on the back. They nodded at each other—their goodbye. Mateo grabbed a torch off the wall, and I grabbed the other. We headed down the hopefully deserted passageway.