Page 110 of A War Apart

She scoffed. “Apologies mean nothing to me now. Tell me something. News from the world beyond my cell.”

“Borislav should be here in a day—maybe two.” Not that it would do us any good. “Most of the nobles have fled the capital.” I relayed everything that had happened since her arrest.

When my stores of news were exhausted, I listened, waiting for her to speak. Her breath came deep and even. She’d fallen asleep.

***

How long had I been in this dungeon? The guards had brought food five times, but with nothing else to indicate, I couldn’t begin to guess how much time had passed. It felt like weeks.

The door to the dungeon creaked slowly open, and I froze. I still had a small crust of bread in my cell. Surely they weren’t bringing another meal so soon—if the hunk of bread and small crust of water could be considered a meal. Maybe they were ready to torture me. If so, should I make a run for it? Fight? I wouldn’t make it far, but maybe they’d kill me by mistake. Death was preferable to torture.

A figure entered the room, shrouded in darkness. Darker than what was natural, with the torchlight from the corridor.

“Fia?”

“Izolda!” Relief coursed through me. “What are you doing here?”

The darkness dropped away, revealing my friend. “I’m here to get you out. We have to hurry. The guards’ll be back soon.” Keys jangled as she unlocked my door.

“Lady Heli’s asleep in the cell behind you.” I scrambled to my feet. Pins shot through my legs from disuse, but I ignored the pain.

“I’m awake,” the baroness said.

Izolda freed her as well. “Follow me.”

Lady Heli took a shaky step and almost collapsed. I reached out. “Let me help you.” She pulled back, but I grabbed her arm. “If you can’t make it, none of us will. Let me help you.”

She nodded stiffly.

The guards were nowhere to be seen. We crept along the hall, slipping out a side door.

Night had fallen. The sky was clear and moonless, and I took a deep breath of the crisp, fresh air. I’d expected to die in that dungeon; the air filling my lungs felt like I’d been born again.

We rounded the back corner of the building, and I stopped dead, nearly knocking Lady Heli to the ground. Alexey stood there, a hand resting on the sword at his hip. His eyes passed over me like I wasn’t there, but he looked at Izolda.

“Thank Otets. No problems?” he asked her.

“None.”

He was helping us escape?

He pulled a thick, full-length coat from the large pack he carried and handed it to Lady Heli, who was shivering in her nightdress. “I’m sorry, my lady, but I couldn’t get you any of your own clothes.”

She shrugged into the coat. “Don’t apologize. Where is my husband?” Already, she sounded almost like her old self.

Izolda and Alexey shared a look. “I’m sorry, my lady,” Izolda said, her voice thick. “He didn’t make it.”

The baroness’s face went blank. She swallowed audibly. “Get us out of here.”

Alexey looked at me for the first time. His eyes scanned my body. I wasn’t sure what emotion lay behind his blank face.Anger, maybe? Concern? He turned away. “Borislav’s men are camped outside the city. They’re expected to attack at dawn. There’s an unused door in the palace wall I can get you through. It hasn’t been used in years, so it’s not guarded. Once you get to the main city gate, you’ll be able to join the crowd that’s fleeing.”

Borislav. The battle. My heart did a flip. It would all be over soon.

Alexey led us across the palace grounds, careful to walk only where the snow was packed, so we left no footprints. I flinched at every flickering shadow. An icicle fell, tinkling as it hit the ground, and I gasped. Alexey turned to me at the sound, his face unreadable. He put his finger to his lips and jerked his head, indicating for me to keep moving.

The door he led us to was behind the stables, half-covered with dead vines. Positioned as it was, I never would have noticed it, had Alexey not led us directly to it. He pulled the vines aside and grasped the handle. The door came open with a loud crunch, and we all held our breath.

When no one came to investigate, he told Izolda, “Follow the wall down until you reach Telezhnaya Doroga.” Wagon Road. “Follow that to the main gate, and try to blend in with the crowds.” He pulled open his pack and took out another coat and hat, then handed the pack to Izolda, nodding for her to go on.

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