4
Zion had come down to the Stormvault to warn us, but what was he warning us about, exactly? Did Donika plan to cut our deadline short? Whatever she had in store for us, I would be ready.
I couldn’t tell how much time had passed as Tess and I sat in the darkness, awaiting our sentence.
I would give anything to know what day it was. What time. The waiting was the worst part.
Had an hour passed already? Two?
Tess held my hand in the darkness and gave it a squeeze.
“Do you think Donika is done with us? That they will drag us back to the throne room to execute us?” she asked, uncertain.
Her voice sounded brittle and weak. Tess hadn’t fared as well in the Stormvault as I had. She didn’t have a thirst for retribution driving her. She didn’t crave vengeance the way I did. Tess hated Donika, but my anger…my anger was personal.
“I’m not sure,” I replied, giving her hand a squeeze in return. “Whatever it is, we will face it together,” I told her resolutely.
My stomach felt hollow at the thought that we had run out of time, despite being full with the only real meal we had been given in weeks. These could be our last moments together, and we hadn’t seen Puck or Nik in weeks.
Where were they? What was keeping them away?
They had promised to come up with a plan to break us out of the Stormvault, but Nik had never even come back at all. Puck had returned a few times over the following weeks, but his visits had stopped some time ago. Had they given up? Had they left Akra entirely? Left us to our fate with Donika?
“Do you think there’s any chance Nik or Puck will come back?” she asked hopefully, voicing my thoughts once more.
Even after everything, despite how weak she had gotten, she still had hope. I admired that about Tess…but I wasn’t so certain. I was more cynical by nature.
“I’m not sure,” I answered honestly.
A part of me wished to see them again, even if it was one last time. There was so much left unsaid, so many emotions still warring within me. Nik’s absence was another betrayal in itself. Had Donika found out he visited us in the Stormvault, and he had been forced to stay away? Or did he simply not care, and all of those pretty words were simply lies?
A large part of me despised him to my very core, that he could touch me and kiss me, then betray me within the same breath. But there was a piece of me, no matter how small, that yearned for him to come down to see us.
One last time.
Zion’s words ran through my head on an endless loop. He had said we hadn’t yet met our deadline…so what was coming? Why had he been kind to us and brought us food? His words had been a warning, but without knowing what was coming…we had no way to prepare.
Was Zion on our side?
Tess and I both startled as the door to the Stormvault creaked open at the end of the long corridor. Had it been three hours already? I expected to see Zion making his way towards our cell, but the sound of multiple sets of footsteps echoed through the chamber.
Was this it? Was our time up?
I swallowed hard and turned to Tess, grabbing her hand in the darkness as the light of a lantern slowly illuminated our cell. I squeezed her hand tightly, vowing not to let go even if they had to tear us apart.
If this was the end, Tess and I were in this together.
Always.
When a figure came into view, their face was obscured by the cover of their hood. A black face covering sat barely over their nose leaving only their eyes exposed. Green eyes met mine in the low light, then fell on Tess before rushing forwards, pulling the mask down.
“Puck,” Tess breathed, scrambling to her feet beside me.
I rose as well, cautiously remaining at the back of the cell. It had been weeks since we had seen Puck. What was he doing here? Had Zion sent him?
Tess grabbed Puck's forearm through the bars of the cell as a tear ran down her cheek. She softly wiped it away, a humorless laugh escaping her.
“Where have you been?” she asked, gripping Puck tightly.
He gave a firm shake of his head. “We don’t have time for that, we have to go. Now.”
Puck turned, and for the first time we saw another figure standing behind him, obscured by his broad frame. Before us stood an older woman with freckled cheeks and rosy, golden hair that appeared to have been dipped in copper. Her unruly curls flowed down her back to her hips. She handed Puck a set of keys and he fumbled with them, unsure of which one would open the cell door. It appeared to be a master set of some sort, each key almost identical. Had they stolen it off one of the Nightshade soldiers, or did the keys belong to this woman?
She was dressed as if she were a servant, her white shirt crinkled and dirty, her brown shift dress that she wore atop it plain and falling to her ankles. But her eyes were alight, bright and blue beneath the glow of the lantern.
Who was this woman?
Another pair of footsteps approached the front of the cell and my breath caught in my throat as he came into view. His nose and mouth were covered by the same black mask, but I would recognize those piercing blue eyes anywhere.
I swallowed hard as our eyes met, and Nik gripped the bars of the cell with both hands, knuckles turning white. His eyes traveled down my body, and when they locked with mine again, his expression was one that would haunt me until my end of days.
He hadn’t known.
It was clear in his expression he hadn’t known the torture Donika had subjected us to. That she had been starving us. Burning us with her shadow magic. A hot tear escaped and spilled down his cheek, catching in the fabric of the black mask.
“Diana—” Nik started, his raw voice cracked as he shook his head back and forth.
He pulled the mask down to reveal his face.
It appeared as if he hadn’t slept in days, dark circles ringing his eyes. His face was gaunt, his skin pale. He looked like a ghost. Apparently he hadn’t fared much better in The Stone City, despite not being held prisoner in the Stormvault as we had been.
I caught myself, setting my jaw and crossing my arms over my chest under his gaze. I would not appear weak. It was Nik who had left me to this fate, after all. I hadn’t seen him since that first day.
Puck continued to fumble with the keys and Nik never took his eyes off me, a pleading expression in his sorrow-filled gaze. He wiped away another tear as it escaped, silently slipping down his cheek. If this was our only chance at a jailbreak, I would take it, but that didn’t mean I trusted them.
Tess shot me a glance over her shoulder, her expression unreadable as the lock finally clicked and the door swung open with a loud screech. Puck winced, his eyes searching the corridor as if the sound might have drawn unwanted attention from nearby guards.
“We don’t have any time for pleasantries or apologies, we have to move,” Puck instructed, ushering us out into the corridor.
I followed without hesitation, anxious to be out of this cell. Whatever they had planned…it better be good. I couldn’t imagine escaping this castle when it was crawling with Donika’s guards.
As soon as I stepped over the threshold of the cell, I expected to feel my magic surging forth, free of the iron bars and ash shackles for the first time in weeks.
But what I felt was nothing.
No magic sparking at my fingertips, no warmth in my core where I had once felt the magic reside. Absolutely nothing.
I didn’t have time to think on it further. Maybe it had simply been such a long time since I had reached my magic. Maybe I would need to learn how to grasp it all over again.
Puck ushered us down the hallway, Nik silent on our heels with the nameless woman following closely behind. Nik and Puck both pulled the black masks back over their faces, leaving only their eyes exposed once more. They both had swords and daggers strapped to them, prepared to fight any guards we might encounter.
We ascended the steep stone staircase as quickly as we could, Tess and I greatly weakened by the time we had spent locked in our cell. When we reached the top of the staircase, we burst through another thick, wooden door. The corridor beyond was dimly lit with torches hanging against the wall, softly illuminating the path before us.
Puck led the way down the corridor, up another set of stairs. We weren’t approaching the main level, were we? I wanted to avoid being seen or catching the eye of one of Donika’s guards at all costs. Once the alarm was sounded, there would be no going back. We either made it out alive, or we were dead. I was surprised to find that there weren’t any guards manning the door at the top of the staircase. Had Puck and Nik disposed of them?
When we reached the top of the second staircase, we were right below the main floor of the palace, the staircase opening up into an unoccupied antechamber of sorts.
A flash of movement caught in the corner of my eye, and I turned quickly, raising my arm to shield myself despite having no weapons.
I had thought the antechamber was unoccupied…but a guard stood by the main door, his arms uncrossing as he moved towards us. His hand reached for his sword as he pulled it free of its scabbard.
Nik was fast, but so was the guard. Nik lurched forwards, pushing us back towards the staircase and away from the guard. His sword sliced forwards, but the guard was able to back out of the way. The blade barely skimmed the material of his tunic, opening a slice in the fabric.
The guard swung his sword with all his might, Nik narrowly avoiding it by twisting out of the way. He kicked the guard in the back of the legs as he passed and the large Shade fell to his knees, his sword swiping out in front of him as he fell. Nik was able to escape the edge of his blade, maneuvering behind him. He cracked him over the head with the butt of his sword so hard he fell to the stone floor with a grunt. He remained there, motionless.
Puck helped Nik grab the guard’s arms, pulling him into the shadowed corner of the alcove. We hadn’t had to kill him, and a wave of relief washed over me. He would wake up with a wicked headache, but he would wake up. They might be Donika’s men, but I didn’t revel in the idea of killing anyone.
Except for the ones who tortured us…those deaths I would revel in.
Puck backed away, wiping sweat from his brow from the effort. The guard was easily twice the size of either of them.
“This way,” Puck whispered softly, guiding us past multiple sets of doors and another staircase that led up to the main level. “Quickly.”
Nik still hadn’t spoken, his presence a heavy silence at my back as we scurried through the twists and turns of the corridors. We were moving quickly now, passing down an empty hallway unseen. Before we could reach the end Puck stopped suddenly, resting his hand against the stone wall. He brought a finger to his lips to quiet us, and I felt the urge to gulp down air to catch my breath. I held it as best I could, Puck quietly putting his ear to the wall and feeling around for something between the stones.
What was he doing?
He found whatever stone he had been searching for and pulled, the stone swinging away from us like a hidden doorway. Now that I studied it closer, that’s exactly what it was. There were hidden passageways in the castle. We passed through the doorway into darkness, the only thing illuminating the dirt path before us the lantern that Puck clung to with a gloved hand.
“Liss will have to take it from here.” Puck quietly closed the door behind us and handed the lantern off to the woman.
She grabbed it in her dainty hand and moved forwards, as if she knew these pathways by heart. Had she grown up in the castle? Had she discovered these pathways in her time here?
“Watch your step,” she called out, speaking for the first time.
She descended the steps nimbly, waiting for us to catch up once she reached the bottom. The corridors here were damp and dark with packed dirt floors. They were narrow, twisting this way and that. I wasn’t sure how she had any idea which direction we were going. I could see another lantern up ahead and she quickened her steps, moving ahead of us.
I had so many questions, but no time to ask them as we tried to escape The Stone Palace with our lives. How had they gotten rid of Donika’s guards? How did they know this woman, Liss? How had they discovered the pathways out of the castle?
My questions would have to wait, and I swallowed them back as I trailed after Tess ahead of me. My hand traced along the damp stone walls to steady my steps. I was exhausted down to my bones. I had known when the time came for an escape I would need my strength, but I had no idea how quickly I would weaken and tire. I struggled to push onward as we entered another wide antechamber, a familiar face greeting us.
“Zion…” his name fell from my lips on an exhale as I doubled over, trying to catch my breath.
“There were no guards, as promised,” Liss told him, giving him a quick hug in greeting.
How did Liss and Zion know each other? Were they allies? I knew deep down that Zion had to have been the mastermind behind this escape. But…why? He was Donika’s father…what did he gain from helping us?
“Thank you, Zion,” Puck said, clasping his hands in his.
“We don’t have much time,” Zion replied, his deep voice filling the small, circular room. “Donika will notice any minute that her guards have been…misplaced. She will suspect you right away.”
Misplaced? What was that supposed to mean?
“This is where we part.” Zion swallowed hard, grasping Liss’ shoulder and giving it a tight squeeze. “I will join you when I can, but I have to keep up the charade a while longer. Long enough for you to make it out of Akra and join the resistance.”
“I understand. Be safe, Zion. I will be indebted to you forever.” Liss’ voice was soft as she spoke.
Was she being held prisoner here as well?
Zion gave her a soft smile before standing aside and opening the door behind him, revealing yet another stairwell that led down. How many more staircases were there? I wasn’t sure I would be strong enough to make it out of the castle at this rate, let alone Akra. What if Donika and her army caught up to us? I didn’t have the strength in me to run.
Zion passed two heavy packs to Puck and Nik, and they took them silently, strapping them across their backs. I glanced at Nik, but he wouldn’t meet my gaze across the chamber. We passed through the arched doorway, and it began to shut behind us.
I glanced behind me, and the last image before the door closed entirely was the soft smile on Zion’s face as he watched us go.