Page 12 of Claws of Death

I sag against the wall, Kaira’s arm snatching me up the same moment her voice enters my mind. “Thank all the gods those Crows pray to that you weren’t discovered on your way here.”

Tears shine in her eyes as she adjusts her position to face me. “We’re getting out of here, Ayna. Andraya and Pouly are helping us.”

A million questions involving who they are, why they care, and why they would help in the first place, cross my mind, but Lady Andraya crouches before me, bracing, scrutinizing my face, the boneless sack I’ve become, and nods once at Pouly. “Carry her then. We have only a narrow time window before the guards get back from their rounds.”

Pouly apologizes as he scoops me up and unceremoniously throws me across his shoulder. “We’ll be out of here soon enough, and then you can try your own feet again,” he explains. “But for now, please don’t fight. We’re trying to help you.”

Kaira’s encouraging nod convinces me this is not a trick and we’re actually being broken out of this prison. “We’ll be all right.”

I don’t fully believe Kaira as we make our way down a narrow hallway, Lady Andraya leading with a torch in hand and Kaira right behind us, her hand gripping mine whenever the path allows it. The humid air smells less of decay by the second, something I notice only as I allow myself to breathe through the uncomfortable jostling on the guard’s shoulder.

“I thought you were Erina’s guard,” I whisper, anxious not to make noise that would draw anyone’s attention.

“I am.”

My stomach tightens with the sort of nausea coming with betrayal I’m all too familiar with by now, but I swallow it down at a soothing squeeze of Kaira’s hand.

“You’ll learn everything once we’re out,”she speaks into my mind. “They got me out of my cell; they’ll get both of us out of this shit hole.”

It doesn’t ease the fears of being discovered, of being returned to Erina’s or Ephegos’s feet, or of the pain that follows any disobedience, but if my sister trusts them, I’ll trust them. She’s gotten me out of here before.

I don’t know how long we’ve been walking by the time the corridor ends in another wall and Pouly sets me to my feet. Immediately, Kaira’s arm falls around me, steadying me even when she’s unstable on her own legs.

“Here is the key.” Pouly extracts a small, dark piece of metal from his pocket, fiddling with it in what looks like a crack in the wall but, in reality, seems to be some sort of keyhole. Because, a moment later, the wall swings back, silent like a ghost, revealing a tunnel wide enough to fit an armed guard.

“This is an emergency exit for the royalty residing in this palace.” He gestures at the slab of rock that moves effortlessly at a touch. I only realize it is stone attached to a wooden door, like a door hidden in a bookshelf, when Lady Andraya ducks into the darkness first, making the light from her torch dance along the opening. “It was built in by the early Milevishja kings to get their court to safety in case of a siege. I’m not certain the current king knows it exists.”

“Let’s hope he doesn’t.” Kaira slides into the tunnel after Lady Andraya, letting go of me as Pouly lifts me over his shoulder once more. “This is brilliant. How far out does it take us?”

“I would be surprised if he did. And these tunnels are long forgotten by the current royals of Tavras. All the way to the city walls.” Pouly’s voice is muffled as he follows the two women’s lead, careful not to hit my head on the rough stone wall as he turns to shut the door behind us.

We all heave a deep breath.

“Let’s get out of here.” Lady Andraya waves us on, setting a pace I would never have been able to make by myself. “I have a carriage waiting.”

I don’t ask for details, don’t even want to know as long as we make it out of here. Everything else can wait.

Stale air wafts past with every step, telling stories of ancient kings I might not even know the names of—kings whose blood runs in my veins—while three sets of footsteps tell a new story. That of our escape.

After what feels like an eternity, the tunnel makes a turn left, gradually climbing until it ends in a set of stairs, which in turn ends in wooden double doors tilted above our heads.

“This is it.” I could swear I hear a victorious smile in Lady Andraya’s voice as she lifts her hand to knock on the wood, which looks ready to crumble, and I hold my breath as the doors swing open, collapsing halfway, and debris and earth rain down on us.

Pouly staggers back, grabbing Kaira by the arm at the last moment and dragging her away from the avalanche while Lady Andraya presses against the wall, narrowly escaping the heap of soil attempting to bury us. Dust climbs into my nose, making breathing a difficult endeavor, and I cough, eyes watering as I blink against pink and purple light streamingin through the wide hole where the door had blocked our path.

“Let us help you out, Lady Andraya,” a voice says, and I only realize Pouly had his sword drawn when he sheathes it, obviously trusting the man who’s bending over the opening, holding out a hand for the lady who’s brushing the dirt off her blouse.

Lady Andraya climbs out with the man’s help; then they pull Kaira up together, assisting her with her slow steps across the unstable heap covering the withered stairs. At last, Pouly drags me off his shoulder, handing me into two pairs of hands ready to lift me out of the tunnel. By the time I’m laid down on the grass beside where Kaira is panting for air, Pouly has climbed out after us, and two men in dark, inconspicuous brown clothing cover the entrance with shrubs and dried grass.

“You can rest in the carriage,” Lady Andraya comments, helping me to my feet and guiding me to the cabin of what looks like a carriage merchants use to transport goods of low value. I barely take notice of the hedges growing beside the tunnel or the tall walls rising behind it. Lady Andraya is adamant enough to stuff me into the cabin within heartbeats, Kaira following suit before the lady climbs in after us while Pouly takes the reigns. She knocks on the roof with a fist, and the vehicle sets in motion with a soft sway.

We made it. We’re actually out of the palace.

“All right,” Lady Andraya says with a smile as mischievous as a little girl stealing candy. “It’s time to hear the full truth, Princess Wolayna.”

Ayna

The full truth,it turns out, has to wait until the carriage rattles us into the shelter of a nearby forest. Kaira won’t turn her focus from the window, scanning the scattered houses and ramshackle stables beyond Meer’s city walls for potential danger, while Pouly steers the carriage along the tight paths. I flinch every time we slow down, at every turn we take, every winding curve of the path, my heart nearly stopping at the thought that someone might have discovered us.

---