35. Lirion #2
One zombie just stood there staring at him, a disturbing lack of intelligence in those eyes.
The other, though, headed for the staircase they’d just passed.
Maybe all the newer captives were locked up on the second and third floors to better control them.
Or only those captives who could be trusted to not escape were allowed to work in the main room.
Shit, hopefully she wasn’t with someone.
Didn’t matter. He’d kill them. Splash the wall with their blood.
He’d kill whoever he had to just to get his sister free at last. These scumbags didn’t deserve to live.
The stairs were not meant for the master of the house or his guests, as they were narrow and without a hint of carpet to be seen.
Just worn wood with stain coming off the center.
Lirion kept a weather ear on the hallway he’d just left and another on the floor above, as he didn’t want to be ambushed in this constricted space. That would not end well for anyone.
A few steps from the top, Lirion froze as he heard someone above him. He looked up, hand reaching for a dagger, when he froze again for another reason.
There was his sister, curly pink hair tumbling over one shoulder, bright green eyes wide, dressed in a ghastly red costume, but she was alive and here. Just behind her was a guard, appearing as if he were escorting her to either another room or down to the main floor.
In three steps, Lirion closed the distance between them.
He shoved the dagger he’d palmed straight into the man’s throat, killing him.
At the same time, he dropped his lyre with a dull thud and wrapped his arm around Aria’s shoulders, whirling her away from the spray of blood, pulling her protectively against his chest in a tight hug.
Aria threw both arms around his neck, hugging him just as tightly, both laughing and crying against his shoulder.
Her entire body trembled and Lirion was sure he was going to crush her bones with how tight he was holding her, but he couldn’t make himself stop.
He had her. She was alive and in his arms. He was never letting her go again.
Never. She was never allowed to leave his sight.
“Lir,” she choked out. She held him so tightly her fingers dug into his flesh, threatening to leave bruises behind. “Gods, Lir, how did you even find me here?!”
“It was not easy,” he admitted in a choked voice.
“I—” She cut herself off, lifting her head to stare warily at the zombie guards. Her entire body flinched and she crowded closer to Lirion, trying to use him as a barrier.
“They’re zombies, no threat to us,” Lirion explained hastily. “I used them to get me in.”
“What?” She blinked a few times, then her gaze darted back to the guards for a closer inspection.
“I have a necromancer working with me.”
Her eyes widened. “Wow, you really do love me. You’re working with other people to get me out. That says a lot.”
“They’re a friendly group, which I’ll introduce you to shortly.
” His arms tightened on her a second time.
Part of him wanted to go on holding her right here in this quiet corridor.
He didn’t want to release her or take her back through the building where someone might try to stop him.
But they needed to move. The longer they lingered, the more he put their lives—along with Fen’s—in danger.
“Let’s get out of here, Aria. We’ll talk more later. ”
Lirion released her enough to retrieve and clean his dagger, then picked up the lyre he’d carelessly tossed to the floor.
With the lyre in his left hand, he wrapped his right arm around her waist and prepared to usher her down the stairs, but she didn’t move.
It was like her feet were a part of the wood.
He lifted his gaze to her face to see her stare over her shoulder. Tears that had briefly died started to slip down her pale cheeks again. She chewed on her bottom lip until Lirion was sure she was going to make it bleed. Trembling filled her entire slender frame.
“Come on. I’ll keep you safe. I promise. We’re getting out of here,” he coaxed, trying to nudge her along again.
“I…can’t.” Her voice shattered on that final word and Lirion’s heart clenched. Why couldn’t she leave?
“But—”
“I can’t leave them, Lir.” This time her voice gained a touch more strength, as if she was now fully committing to her decision.
“It’s just…the other boys and girls here with me—we’ve formed a close-knit group.
I can’t leave them behind, not knowing what will happen to them.
Some of them…some of them might not last the month.
They’re breaking down in front of my eyes. ”
Shit. The thought crossed his mind to argue with her, or to just grab her and physically haul her out, but he couldn’t.
He just couldn’t. For one thing, he couldn’t disappoint Aria.
For another, he understood where she was coming from.
After surviving this hellish place, of course she couldn’t leave someone behind, knowing they wouldn’t make it.
They had talked about trying to warn some of the other captors they were creating an opportunity to escape, but this felt like something bigger. This was a full-on rescue of more than Aria.
Lirion made a snap decision and quickly relayed, “There’s a ship in the harbor with my party on it. I can send you straight there, but Aria, to get the others, we have to move fast. Do you understand? Our group is small, and there are a hell of a lot of guards. I need you to be lightning quick.”
“I can, you know I can. Will they take us all?”
“I’m sure they will.” Maxie’s soft heart wouldn’t let the crew do anything else, and frankly, Lirion was banking on it. “How many? Is anyone too injured to move?”
“No, everyone can still flee. There are thirteen of us in the building.”
All right, tight, but doable. He held up a hand and sent two messages back-to-back. First, to Fenric.
My sister won’t leave without the others. I’ll set up a distraction inside, lead everyone to the ship.
Then another to Hapi, since he had the rowboat cued. Thirteen men and women heading your way. Don’t wait for me if I’m lagging, just go.
By the time he’d sent the second message, Fenric had responded to the first. What the hell are you doing?! If we’re going to take more on the ship than just your sister, we need a different plan. You can’t just pants this, what—
Hm, someone didn’t count out the words before speaking, clearly. He was cut off mid-sentence.
Anyway, it didn’t matter. Lirion had to make this work somehow.
Focusing on his sister again, he instructed, “There’s a rogue shapeshifter either outside or flitting around in the villa.
He’s in the form of a raven. Just follow where he leads.
You’ll go down to the nearest docks, where there’s a rowboat waiting on two men who you should meet along the way.
One of them has platinum blond hair, the other’s cuter than sin.
You can’t miss them. And if you don’t see those two, there should be a handsome hunk of a giant and a red-haired chatterbox already at the docks.
Get on that boat and they’ll row you to the ship. ”
She nodded, turned on her heel, and raced down the hall.
Lirion turned to one of the zombies and ordered, “Hide that body in an empty room.” He pointed at the guard he’d killed. “Then go with her and protect her. Obey her as you would me.”
The dead guard did as bid.
Lirion was thinking on the fly here, but he had an idea of what might work. Turning to the other zombie, he ordered, “Take me to a stage.”
He could hear the live entertainment downstairs. There had to be a stage somewhere. Live entertainment while men drank too much and groped the beautiful men and women was par for the course in hellholes like this.