Page 136 of Kingmakers, Year Four

“That’s not on the map,” Rafe says.

“Well, the map’s shit,” Hedeon replies, with a shrug.

Rafe can’t argue with that.

We keep following the sound of water, taking two wrong turns before we double back and find the source: an underground dock with a boat tied up against the pull of the river.

A dock guarded by three armed soldiers.

They fire at us, the first bullet hitting the wall a foot from my ear, sending several shards of stone flying across my face, cutting my cheek.

Rafe yanks me down.

Adrik comes running up the tunnel, Leo and Anna close behind him.

“What the fuck are you doing?” he shouts, already taking position to return fire.

“We might have found another way out of here,” Hedeon says.

“We don’t need a way out! We just fucking got in!” Adrik snarls.

Leo takes the opposite side of the tunnel, firing back in tandem with Adrik. Anna watches their bursts of fire and the returning shots from the soldiers, her eyes darting back and forth as she waits for a split-second pause. Then she darts out of the tunnel, chucking a flash grenade over by the dock.

Even at this distance, and even with our eyes closed and our ears covered, the explosion is deafening. Anna stumbles back into the tunnel, reeling from the oscillation in her inner ear. I see her as a dark silhouette against the blinding afterimage still etched on my eyeballs.

Adrik recovers first, leaping up and running out to the dock, shooting the first and second soldier before they can even take their hands off their ears.

Leo gets the third, dropping him before he can swing his rifle around at Adrik.

Rafe stays close to me the whole time, guarding me with his body and his gun.

I feel horribly exposed, unarmed and obviously not safe from these soldiers who might know me if we were standing face-to-face,but seem perfectly happy to shoot my fucking head off from a distance.

I want Rafe right next to me. I want his warmth and his bulk in front of me.

I hate to admit it, but I’m scared.

I’ve gone shooting plenty of times, but I’ve never been surrounded by gunfire, echoing off the stone walls of a dark and claustrophobic space. I’ve never had a bullet whiz an inch past my ear.

I’ve never been so deep under the earth, away from any light or breeze or living thing.

Rafe looks down, seeing my hand clutching his forearm.

“I’ll stay right by you all the time,” he promises.

I let go of him, angry at myself for showing weakness. Angry for needing him.

“Come on,” Adrik says, impatiently. “Back this way.”

We rejoin Dean, Sabrina, Freya, and Kade, who have already scouted the opposite direction.

“This way!” Kade says, excitedly. “I think we found the cells!”

Sure enough, Kade leads us back to a bank of four prison cells with no windows, only thick metal doors bisected by a tiny slot to pass food or drink.

The electronic locks are mounted by what looks like retinal scanners. There’s no way to know which cell belongs to Ivan, and no way to open them without the right set of eyeballs.

I’m not sure that’s an issue anymore: the hallway is littered with the bodies of three soldiers—my father’s men. I recognize Jan and Borys. Borys lays on his back, eyes open, mouth agape, hands still open in front of his chest as if trying to push someone away.

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