Page 79 of Broken Fate
“You’re of age,” he grunted. “But you’re still young, Jada. Many of the people up there have seen more than you. Things they didn’t like. Heard rumors they shouldn’t have. Especially those who live and work in Arcadia. Your life out in the countryside was sheltered from much of that. They were waiting for something like this.”
“Like this?”
“Someone to show them that the thoughts and fears living in the back of their minds—the ones they didn’t dare speak out loud, for fear of mockery or worse—weretrue. That somethingiswrong in society, and they aren’t crazy for thinking it.”
“I didn’t do that …” I said as we hustled along at the center of the knot of fighters, nearing the palace walls.
“That’s exactly what you did,” he countered. “You showed them that not everyone is afraid to speak up.”
“I was terrified. What are you talking about? I nearly peed myself when Arcadus appeared!”
“But you didn’t,” Kiel countered.
I decided not to debate that point too heavily. Not on a technicality.
“In doing so,” he continued, “you gave them proof that the Alpha lies. He condemned you, called you a heretic and a traitor. But then you came here, not for yourself, but forthem, to savethem. And they see that.”
“It was Arcadus who made the big mistake,” I protested. “He threatened them.”
“But you stood up for them. They won’t forget that. Theycan’tforget that, not now. No matter what Arcadus tries to do.”
“I guess.” I really didn’t see it that way, but it was hard to argue that my actions at the gates had worked far better than they should have.
Perhaps there had been more discontent at the Alpha’s proclamation of reprisals than I’d believed. Maybe there was a chance we might—
“It’s a t—!”
The cry ended abruptly in a gurgle, but there was no need to guess what they’d been trying to say. The soldiers closing in on us from three directions as we entered a junction of sewer said all that was necessary.
We’d been ready for it, though. There were only so many times we could infiltrate the sewers before something like that happened. Which was why we’d come in force that time.
Blades smashed together, and shifters died. The guards had caught us in a trap, but their prey had teeth. Alotof teeth. And they bit backhard.
Silver armor cracked and split under blows, and guards fell. Cries of attack turned swiftly to cries of fear as those loyal to Arcadus were hacked apart. The armor that shone so beautifully under the sun was streaked with red, and the sewers were no longer dry.
I still had no sword, there had been no time to train me with it, but I had two long daggers strapped to my thighs, and their blades dripped blood before the ambush was dealt with. Four more of our number had fallen to the attack, and Andi sported a long gash down the side of her face, but otherwise, we were mostly fine to continue.
“Let’s go. Leave the bodies.” The harshness of his voice was a cover for the anger he felt at not being able to properly treat the dead.
There was nothing we could do. Time was of the essence. Eventually, Andracis would gather enough guards, and the crowds would melt away. We needed to be on our way out by the time that happened. Otherwise, those guards would find a perfect target to turn their rage on.
We reached the palace without further issue, gathering under the grate in question. Hammers and thick metal pins with one end sharpened to a point were produced by the other members of our team and put into place.
Clang.
Clang.
The impact of hammers on the flat ends of the pins rang out through the sewers. Each blow sunk the pins deeper into the mortar that surrounded the grate, chipping it away, along with blasts of stone. A different shifter stepped in every half-dozen swings to ensure every strike was hit with maximum force.
“What in the name of all the hells is going on down there?”
I glanced up through the grate to see a pair of cold blue eyes staring down through us.
“Hi!” I called cheerily over the blows as the shifters repositioned the pins and started hammering away again.
The woman on the other side of the grate stared down at me, her eyes narrowing. “You.”
I grinned. “Me.”
