Chapter 43
Chapter
Forty-Three
Kann
" I 'm Tov," the Drexian in the next cell whispered. "First year. I was hoping to become a Blade, before…” He gestured at our surroundings.
My head snapped up so fast the dungeon spun around me. Tov. The name hit me like a physical blow, and suddenly I couldn't breathe. I pressed harder against my wound, trying to focus through the fog of blood loss and shock.
Tov was one of the historical figures I had been sure to include in the simulation. He was a legendary Blade who had gone on to establish Inferno Force. I knew more about him, but now the details slipped away like water through my fingers.
"Are you all right?" Tov's voice cut through my swirling thoughts. "You look pale. Well, paler than before."
I forced myself to focus. This was just a simulation, I reminded myself. But still—this was as close as I would ever get to the greatest Blade in history.
"I have been better, but I will survive,” I managed, though the growing pool of blood at my feet argued otherwise. "You mentioned an escape plan?"
Tov nodded, his eyes darting to the guard stationed at the far end of the dungeon. "We need him to come to your cell. When he does, I can reach the keys through the bars. You just need to keep his attention."
The room swam again, and I had to lean against the bars to stay upright. "I don't think getting his attention will be a problem," I muttered.
Taking as deep a breath as I could manage, I called out, "Guard! I need to go to the surgeon!”
"The healer," Tov corrected, his voice low.
Right. Ancient academy. No surgeons yet or medical bays. "The healer.” I raised my voice. “I need to see the healer!"
The guard ignored me at first, but I could see him shift uncomfortably as I continued to call out. Finally, with obvious reluctance, he started toward my cell.
"This had better be worth my time, cadet," he growled.
I waited until he was close enough to see the dark pool spreading at my feet, the blood still seeping between my fingers where I pressed against the wound. His eyes widened slightly.
“ Grek ,” he muttered, stepping closer to peer through the bars.
I lunged forward, grabbing a fistful of his uniform through the bars with my free hand. He jerked back, but I held on, even though the movement sent daggers of pain through my leg. Through blurring vision, I saw Tov's arm snake through his cell bars, fingers closing around the key ring at the guard's belt.
The guard thrashed, trying to break my grip. My strength was fading fast, my fingers starting to slip. Just when I was sure I couldn't hold on any longer, Tov's cell door swung open.
Then my vision went blurry, and everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Tov had the guard in a headlock before he could shout for help. I slumped against the bars, my legs threatening to give out as I watched the guard's struggles weaken and finally stop, his eyes rolling to the back of his head.
Tov lowered the unconscious guard to the ground with surprising gentleness, putting a finger to his neck. “He is not dead.”
I exhaled in relief, even though it should not matter. The Drexian guard was not alive in the first place, so why was I worried about him being killed?
By the time Tov unlocked my cell, the other prisoners were pressed against their bars, calling out in urgent whispers to be freed.
"Here," Tov tossed the keys to the nearest prisoner. "Help yourselves." Then he was beside me, pulling my arm over his shoulders. "Let's go. You've lost too much blood already."
The dungeon tilted and swayed as he helped me toward the exit. My boots scraped against stone, leaving a trail in the dust punctuated with red droplets of my blood. Each step sent waves of pain through my leg, but they felt distant now, like they belonged to someone else.
"Stay with me," Tov's voice seemed to come from very far away.
Black shadpws danced at the edges of my vision. I tried to focus on putting one foot in front of the other, but everything was getting hazy, indistinct. Had the torches always glowed like small suns?
Then I heard a voice that made me jerk.
"Kann!"
Britta? That couldn't be right. She was supposed to be safe; she was supposed to be out of the simulation. Part of me was devastated to hear her voice again, but an even bigger part of me had never been as happy in my entire existence.
I tried to say her name, but my lips would not move. Then darkness swept in from all sides, and the last thing I felt was my legs giving way as everything was blanketed in black.