Page 76 of Silent Lucidity

And something about it was revolting; the thought of using Cullion’s ill-gotten gains to pamper Abella seemed somehow perverted, creating a sinking feeling in Tenthil’s gut.

“Yes,” he said. “Take whatever you can carry.”

Together, they emptied the compartment, stuffing credit chips into belt pouches and pockets, arranging the chips as best they could to avoid any unwanted rattling or clanking. When they were done, Abella carefully shifted the panel down and pushed it back into place. It clicked closed.

Tenthil returned the pillows to their original positions and pressed the switch on the hardlight projector; the light dissipated. He removed the device and returned it to its place on his belt before taking Abella’s hand in his. He led her toward the door, keeping ample distance between their legs and the furniture to ensure she didn’t trip.

“Just have to retrace our steps, right?” she asked.

He nodded and released her hand to place his arm over her shoulders and draw her against him. Ideally, their exit would be just that simple, but in his experience, things rarely went as planned. He pressed his ear to the door and listened for several seconds. The silence on the other side persisted.

Tenthil opened the door, and he and Abella crept into the hallway, keeping close to the wall as they returned to the servant’s corridor. He neither heard nor saw signs of any guards during their descent to the first level. When they reached the door leading back into the darkly decorated main hall, Tenthil opened it a crack.

Several voices echoed from down the hall, made indistinct by distance and distortion. Tenthil crouched low and peered through the gap. The large front doors stood at the farthest end of the hall, visible despite the random sculptures and decorations in Tenthil’s line of sight. One of the doors was open, allowing the muted, orangey light from outside to spill in, and four armored Tegris guards stood in front of it in a loose semi-circle. Their body language and voices suggested a casual conversation. None of them were turned fully toward Tenthil.

He dropped his gaze to the floor; the polished, gold-veined stone reflected the light from outside for a long distance, but the strongest of the reflections ended a couple meters away from the door into the servant’s corridor.

Time was limited; once the jammer failed and the stolen hovercar’s tracking systems were reenabled, the Eternal Guard would come looking. Leaving the vehicle behind was an option, but it was a sloppy one. An abandoned, stolen vehicle would rouse suspicions in a sector like this, especially if Tenthil and Abella’s trespassing was somehow discovered.

Could they afford to wait the guards out, or was the conversation distracting enough to allow a quick, unnoticed escape?

His nostrils flared with a heavy exhalation.

We need to get out of here. Need to get to safety. Need to get her out of danger.

He leaned back and eased the door closed only enough to eliminate the gap. “Going to cross together. Need to stay low, move quick and quiet.”

Tenthil turned his face toward Abella; she remained tucked against his side, under his arm, and the near-total darkness of the servant’s corridor reduced her features to an indistinct patch of shadow just a bit paler than the rest.

She nodded.

They stood up together. For a moment, Tenthil kept his arm still save to tighten his grip on the door’s handle.

Supposed to be careful, not stupid. Protect her from danger, not put her in even more than she’s already in.

But weneedto leave…

He thrust aside his conflicting thoughts; they would only be a hindrance in this situation. He’d been taught careful planning and preparation during his time in the Order, and he understood the value of methodical, thought-out approaches, at least in theory; in practice, he’d always been better served byacting. By trusting his instincts.

And his instincts said togo.

Opening the door only wide enough to allow them through, he entered the hall with Abella at his side. They hunched forward and crept along the wall toward the cage-filled room. Tenthil could only hope the statues and sculptures would obscure them enough to prevent the guards from noticing.

Their boots were quiet, but not silent. He gritted his teeth against the sound of every footfall.

His back was burning by the time they reached the door to the cage room, his senses on high alert with the knowledge that four heavily armed and armored guards had a clear line of sight on him and his mate.

He reached out and opened the door. The sound of its latch releasing echoed down the hallway.

“What was that?” one of the guards said.

“Hey! Stop!” another shouted.

Boots clattered over the floor, quickly approaching.

Tenthil shoved Abella through the door ahead of him. He slammed it shut once he was inside the cage room and stepped aside, drawing his blaster. “Go hide.”

Abella grabbed his arm with one hand. “Come on. We need to move.”

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