They are so young.
He gulped, and Emory, having direct contact with him, felt the surge of energy through her. What an ability he had!
She whispered, “Take me to the prisoners now, or die. What do you choose, soldier?”
His voice shook as he said, “Please don’t kill me. I will take you to them.”
She moved the blade to his lower back. “One wrong move, and you’re sealing your death. Understood?”
He gave a curt nod, and they moved forward. A layer of sweat coated his skin, and they traveled down the hallway. The black stone glistened in the light casted by the hanging lanterns. Minutes passed in silence until, finally, they rounded the corner and were met by a grey door, strange markings circling it. Without hesitation, he pressed his palm to the middle of the door, and it was as if he breathed life into it when an eerie glow started to pulse from it.
“You have to do the same,” he murmured.
“What does it do?”
“To enter the dungeons, everyone has to unlock the door by disabling our abilities. It is a place of no magic. It’s how no one escapes.”
Adair had thought of everything.
Gritting her teeth, she mimicked him, and the door swung toward them. It felt like half her limbs had disappeared. They stepped into a semi-dark room, and Emory had walked straight into something of nightmares.
Hundreds of cells lined the stone walls, half starved faces peering back at her. Anger, hot and consuming, rose in her, and she flipped the blade. With all her strength, she drove the pommel into the back of the guard’s head. He crumpled. Stepping over his body, she frantically ran to the closest set of bars, and grabbing them, she asked the girl in front of her, “Memphis. Do you know if a man named Memphis is here?”
“What’s it to you?” Stepping forward, the girl had matted hair piled on top of her head and deep brown eyes. Her voice was a scratchy drawl, and she breathed heavily through the bars, angry scars roping her cheekbones.
“Emory?” Her name was called out, and not waiting, she sprinted toward it.
She saw him before anything else. Red hair, green eyes filled with hope. So different than his brother’s.
“How did you get in here?” Alby asked.
She crouched down and, fidgeting, answered, “It’s a long story. What’s about to happen here? Why are the soldiers being gathered into the stadium?”
Alby nervously licked his cracked lips. “Adair is planning to make an example of us.”
She felt nauseated. “How much time?”
“The guards have already taken Memphis out.”
Shit.
“Alby, how do they lock the cells?”
“It’s all hand code access, like we had at the Academy.”
Desperation gripped her, and she ran back, returning to the unconscious guard. Bending down, knife in hand, she steadied herself. She swung down, grinding through flesh and bone, blood spurting. Holding her breath, she told herself, Just one more cut... Her task completed, she took the hand, running back to Alby, a blood trail splattering behind her. Revolusion twisted in her gut at what she had done.
She pushed the thoughts down, and gasping, she asked Alby, “Where?!”
Speechless, Alby pointed to where the first bar touched the wall. Emory pressed flesh to stone, and the cell door groaned as the barrier disappeared into the wall. Alby stepped out toward her, his legs shaking.
“We need to set them all free. Alby, there isn’t time to explain, but I came here with Azarius. He is waiting for you all in the stadium. You have to save them.” She motioned around her, and it was as if she had sent an electric shock through him because he stared at her wide-eyed and open mouthed.
“This is our chance, Alby. Please move.”
Boom. Boom. BOOM.
Drums, deep like a heartbeat, started above them. Alby grabbed the hand from her and started going from cell to cell until around them an orchestra of stone against metal sounded. Chaos broke out and prisoners fled, but one voice behind her rang out as the cell was unlocked.
“So. You have finally come to end this.” Nyx sneered at Emory; her clothes covered in dried blood. Bruises flowered all her skin, her shirt was ripped, and her pants were rolled up, revealing fresh wounds.
Emory shot back, “Now is not the time,”
Nyx stepped forward with a limp, her eyes flaring with malice. “You. It was supposed to be enough—the information of you. Now Memphis...” Nyx’s voiced cracked.
Using her full body weight, Emory shoved Nyx against the nearest wall, breathlessly whispering, “You sealed their fates. What did you think Adair would do? You need to show me where they took Memphis, then get out with Alby and the others. Have a chance.”
Lowering her arm, she stared at Nyx, waiting. She barely caught what she said. “Go to the end of the cave, and there should be a staircase—down there.”
Emory turned and ran, passing Alby as he corralled disoriented prisoners saying, “Okay. As soon as we are out, grab hands. I can conceal you as soon as we pass the barrier that will enable our abilities again...”
Cells blurred into a mass of grey and black, and Emory focused on her breathing. She could do this. She had to.
It was only a matter of minutes before she reached the makeshift staircase Nyx described. Emory grabbed a small lantern off the wall and took the steps two at time. She landed on dirt; it puffed out around her from the impact. She had entered another tunnel, wooden beams supporting the sides. She was almost hyperventilating.
What if she was too late?
Lifting the lantern, its soft light touched the walls around her. About halfway down the tunnel, natural light pooled in a circle on the floor, particles of dust floating down from the movement above. Sprinting until she reached the light, she skidded to a stop.
Looking up, she saw floorboards, small gaps between each one, and past them, a guard shifting his weight impatiently. Beside him, someone with hands
