Chapter 29 #2
Hooves clopping on the cobblestone roads, Athena leaped over an empty wagon and turned into a wide, open field.
A raised platform stood ahead of us: this was the place.
Eyes flying around wildly, I noticed a large stone building to the west, windows stained and walls worn.
That must be the dungeons. Spotting a hitching post nearby, I drove Athena toward it.
Throwing myself off her back, I tied her up and darted away, Whisper at my heel.
Scanning the two-story building, I spotted a cluster of thick bushes under a broad-leafed tree. Sliding into the dirt at its trunk, I ducked beneath the bramble, and Whisper crawled in behind me.
He must have hidden like this with his master countless times.
Holding my breath, I pressed myself to the ground, hoping I was concealed. Watching the streets like a hawk, I counted the guards who ran by, some mounted, others on foot. Lanterns glowed where they passed, and I heard the occasional voice barking orders.
Lifting my head, I strained to overhear, and while I couldn’t make out all the words, I caught enough. One asked where I’d gone, the other didn’t know.
Phaedrus wouldn’t have mentioned me. He didn’t want me hurt or imprisoned. To the guards outside his manor, I was a no-name woman breaking the minor law of riding a horse too fast at night.
Gradually, the activity in the square dimmed, but Phaedrus’s men would doubtless be scouring the city for me soon. “Stay here,” I whispered to the hound, rising and brushing myself off.
I had to bullshit the rest of the way.
Pushing the heavy stone doors open, I entered the dungeon, boots echoing on the tiles. Dim light guided my way forward, and I passed a stairwell leading up. Judicial offices, probably. The last place I wanted to be.
Finding the office I sought, I sheepishly stepped through, catching the attention of the guard sitting inside. He shot to his feet, voice tired and muffled inside his helm. “Sorry, lady. Visiting hours are over.”
Knitting my hands nervously, I approached him. “I know! But my father won’t let me come see him, and I can’t slip out during the day. . .”
I batted my eyelashes, played my best whimpering maiden, and pulled the coin purse off my belt, forcing a tremble into my fingers. “Will this be enough to convince you?”
The guard stared at my offer, took the pouch, and made a rough count of its contents. “Do you know which cell block he’s in?”
“I. . . I’m not sure. I’ll know him when I see him.”
Sighing heavily, the guard felt the weight of the bag and set it down. Grabbing a lantern from a hook on the wall, he beckoned. “This way. We’ll find him.”
Hiding a grin, I scurried after him, holding my cloak tightly around my arms. The guard led me to a heavy iron door and paused to unlock it. Ushering me through, he locked it again once we stood on the other side. Pocketing his key, he guided me down a set of stairs into dark halls.
“Keep your eyes out,” he instructed.
Nodding, my eyes flashed between every cell, peering through the iron bars. Some were empty, others held men and women I’d never laid eyes on. Surely they were here. They had to be.
A shout echoed somewhere to our north. I couldn’t make out what they said, but the following words carried clearly. “I don’t care!” A man snapped. “My son will be prosecuted, not made a victim of your superstition.”
Percy. That was his father’s voice. Eyes widening, I gazed down the hall from which the voices had come. Stepping back, the guard changed courses, leading me east. “Let’s go this way, first.”
Shit. Were they all imprisoned together? Eyeing the guard’s tabard, I wondered how easily I could pick his pocket. . .
Gnawing on my lip, I kept checking each cell until I found a familiar face.
A young man with wavy brunette hair was tucked in the corner of a dim prison, knees pulled up, head resting in his hands. The flower patterns on his bracers were all too familiar.
I tugged the guard’s tabard. “That’s him!”
Sighing, the guard gave me space. “Make it quick.”
Eleos raised his head when he heard my voice, and his eyes flew wide. Leaping to his feet, he ran to the bars, bit his tongue, and glanced at the guard. When he spoke, his voice was hushed and calm.
“Aethra.” He said, lopping off my title. “You came.”
“I said I would, didn’t I?” I said, studying his face. A slash traced from his neck to his cheekbones, and bruises darkened his skin.
Eleos’s eyes slid off me onto the soldier behind us. Tapping his foot idly, the guard pointedly looked away, offering us privacy.
“Cry,” Eleos whispered. “Sob. Break down. Something pathetic.”
“What? Why?”
“Make him have sympathy for you.” He stared at me pointedly, waiting for me to catch on.
Oh. Oh. Psyches could change people’s thoughts when a kernel of genuine emotion was seeded in their minds. Pressing a hand to my chest, I steadied my racing heart and prepared to put on a show.
Backing away from the cell, I buried my head in my hands and released a pathetic, simpering moan.
Hearing me, the guard rushed over, reaching out to check on me.
His eyes fogged behind his helm, and he wobbled on his feet, confused.
Eleos reached through the bars, only managing to brush the man’s forearm, but it was enough.
A strange light entered the guard’s simple brown eyes. He grabbed my shoulders. “What can I do to help?” He pleaded.
“I need to find Seth and Seraphim,” I said quietly. “And I’d like you to open his cell.”
Nodding, the guard pulled out a ring of keys and fitted one into Eleos’ lock, clicking the door open. Stepping into the hall, Eleos grabbed the man’s arm, meeting his gaze for a moment before uttering a quiet whisper.
“Why don’t you take a break? You’re exhausted.”
The guard nodded, eyes drooping until he fell to a knee. Eleos grabbed him before his metal armor clanged across the floor and gently lowered him to the ground. Grabbing his ring of keys, he turned to me.
“This way.” He jogged down the hall, pausing at an intersection to glance around. His head snapped back behind cover, and he motioned toward the eastern corridor. “Our chthonics are there. In high security.”
Leaning beside him, I saw a door further down the hall, watched over by a guard reclining against the wall.
“What now?” I asked.
Eleos thought for a moment before turning around. “We get Percy first.”
Following him back down the hall, I caught up and hissed in his ear. “His father’s there!”
“I know,” Eleos shot back.
Gritting my teeth, I glanced at the sleeping guard as we backtracked. Rounding back to the northern cell block, I heard Sir Percivus’ voice carrying from ahead, though the second voice was gone.
Eleos pulled me behind a pillar, and we listened.
Sir Percivus sounded more upset than angry. “Don’t you think it bothered me, too?”
“Bothered?” Percy tsked. “Not the word I would use. I’d choose, mm, destroyed? Or maybe-”
“This is exactly why you’re here.” His father snapped, anger overtaking his tone. “You take nothing seriously, you flit between women and duties, treating them as disposable frivolities.”
“I had a feeling you’d say that. You can go now.”
Silence fell over the hall. Daring a peek from behind the pillar, I saw Sir Percivus’ lantern outside a cell, barely illuminating the officer in his brilliant red surcoat. He took a hesitant step back, fingers twitching on his lantern.
Regret. I could read it in his body language like an open book.
“I never meant. . .” He said, the anger gone. “Your mother and I. . .”
Eleos’ eyes flashed. “There it is.” He muttered.
Sir Percivus shook his head, as though doffing a headache. When he looked up, his tone shifted toward grief. “I would have given anything to save you.”
Darting out from our cover, Eleos crept toward the officer, hardly making a sound. Sir Percivus only noticed Eleos’ approach when the scholar was upon him, and by then, Eleos had already reached out and brushed the man’s arm.
Staggering back, Sir Percivus shook his head, blinked a few times, then faced his son. “But there’s still time, yet.” Turning to Eleos, he stepped away. “There’s still time yet.”
In a daze, the man walked away, passing me with nary a sideways glance. Catching up to Eleos, I met Percy’s bewildered gaze as he leaned against his bars, watching his father go. Eleos shoved a key into the lock and yanked the door open.
Frozen to the spot, Percy gaped at Eleos. “Was that. . . Was that you, or. . .?”
“Do you want the answer to that?” Eleos asked.
“No.” Percy shook his head and grabbed his hat from the stone bench. “No, I don’t.” Fixing the feathered cap over his hair, he gasped when he saw me. “Aethra!” He laughed, slapping my shoulder. “You clever little she-devil, how in Callesis’ boundless luck did you get here?”
“There’s an army after me,” I whispered. “We should hurry.”
“Right.” Percy nodded. “Right. Where are the others?”
“They’re-” Eleos wobbled on his feet, blood trickling from his nose.
“Are you alright?” I asked, worried.
“I’ve used too much magic.” He wiped his nose. “This way.” Eleos spun on his heel and jogged away.
Pushing Percy ahead of me, I took up the rear, watching the halls for patrols. We rewound our way to the eastern wing.
Eleos grabbed my collar, yanking me behind a pillar. “Guard.” He mimed at Percy. “Take him out.”
Nodding curtly, Percy hurried around the corner. Pushing me, Eleos bade me follow.
I took two steps before the most excruciating sound ripped through my ears.
It sounded like a violin, but I’d never known the instrument could produce such a wretched, deathly noise.
Out of tune, whining and sharp, it pulled on a high note, sending shivers down my spine and forcing my hands to my ears. Gods, were they bleeding?
Someone grabbed my hand, and the noise stopped.
“Sorry,” Percy muttered. “Hurry. I can’t keep this up long.”
Lifting my head, I saw the guard curled up on the ground, hands pressed to his bleeding ears.
Pulling his key ring out, Eleos flipped through them, trying a few before finding the correct combination.
Leaning against the heavy doors, he pushed them open.
Percy and I stepped over the disabled guard and followed him inside.
A pitch-black chamber greeted us. Grabbing the torch hanging beside the guard post, I held it up to illuminate the cells.
Protected on all sides by thick stone walls, the cells allowed no light through. Eleos fitted a key into the rightmost cell, then tossed the ring to me.
“Get Seth.” He ordered, pushing the door open.
Running to the opposite cell, I shoved the lock in and clicked it open, holding up the lantern to see inside.
I shouldn’t have been surprised by the way chthonics were restrained. Bound in a standing position, thick ropes tied Seth’s hand, preventing his fingernails from brushing any part of his skin. A thick gag wrapped his mouth, so he couldn’t dig his teeth into his lip.
Heart flipping in my chest, I pulled my little paring knife from my belt and sawed through his gag.
Spitting the remnants out, Seth bit down hard on his lip, drawing blood.
I stepped back as the droplets flew from his mouth, forming into a bloody dagger.
It whipped behind him, severing the rope holding his hands in place.
Yanking his arms free, he stalked toward me and gripped me by the shoulders, pressing me up against the cell wall. “I’m going to fucking kill him.” He seethed.
I probably looked like a frightened child. The intensity radiating off him reminded me of our first meeting, when hate had filled his voice and movements. When he’d ruthlessly murdered that officer.
Exhaling shakily, Seth pulled me toward him, burying me in his arms. Pressing my head against his warm chest, I allowed myself a moment to breathe. To feel like my hope hadn’t been misguided.
Gods, but finding him alive and well lifted a heavy burden from my heart.
“Um.” Percy’s voice broke the moment. “Um!” He repeated.
Fire blazed through the hall behind us, and I broke from Seth’s grip, stepping outside. Seraphim strode past, scythe of blood and fire forming in her grip. The guard outside had awoken, one hand on his weapon, but his courage fled at the sight of her.
Scrambling back, he fled down the hall into darkness.
“Well,” Seraphim turned to me, faced bruised and bloody. “Time to make our daring escape.”