“Huh,” Rogue grunted, refusing to be mollified. “That doesn’t excuse what you did.”
“No, it doesn’t. I left Corinne to die alone, and I dumped you at that terrible place. I’ve paid for it, though,” Kat said. “Contrary to what you might think, life hasn’t been easy for me.”
“Boohoo,” Rogue said, rolling her eyes. “You think it was easy for me? I lived on the streets until Moran took me in.”
“And I’m sorry about that. I went back for you, you know? But you were gone, and I never found you again,” Kat said.
“It doesn’t change anything between us,” Rogue said, her back stiff.
“That’s my burden to bear,” Kat said. “But I’m here now, trying to make up for it in some small measure.”
“How?”
“By getting you out of here,” Kat said. “The sooner, the better.”
“What’s the rush?” Moran asked.
“Rogue’s execution is set for tomorrow morning. She’ll be hanged in the market square for all to see.”
“It’s true,” the guard interjected. “I heard the announcement myself.”
Rogue swallowed on the sudden knot in her throat. “So, how do we escape?”
“Through the sewage tunnels. Very few people know about them,” Kat said. “They’re the only way out of this place.”
Rogue flashed Moran a questioning look. “Can we trust her?”
“I don’t know, but we’re out of options,” Moran said. “Besides, none of us will last much longer here. Sooner or later, we’ll break, and the Rebel Faction will be a thing of the past.”
Rogue sighed. “It seems we have no choice but to follow you, Kat.”
“Good, but we need to hurry. There isn’t much time,” Kat said with a hint of her old impatience.
Kat beckoned to the guard, and he produced a large bag filled with items: A dark cloak with a hood for each of them, their old weapons, and a backpack stuffed with food, water, and medicine.
“That’s the best I could do on such short notice,” Kat said. She waited until they’d armed themselves and donned the cloaks. Bear carried the backpack as he was the fittest one among them. “This way.”
On stealthy feet, they followed her and the guard into the night. Judging by the position of the moon, it had to be past midnight already. Thick banks of clouds had formed during the night, and the stiff breeze smelled like rain.
Rogue reckoned the poor weather was a good thing. As a rule, members of the Watch tended to be lazy. They’d be unlikely to wander about on such a miserable night.
With a single torch to light the way, the guard led them through a maze of back alleys and side streets. Finally, when she no longer knew which side was up and which side was down, they reached the wall. There, he made them hide behind an old cart.
“Over there is a grate set in the ground,” he said, pointing to a dark square. “It leads to the main drainage tunnel to the outside.”
“How big is it?” Rogue asked, eyeing the grate.
“Big enough for an adult man to stand upright,” the guard said before eyeing Bear. “Okay, maybe not him. He’ll have to bend over.”
“And it leads outside the walls?” Rogue said, remembering the pipe outlet she’d passed while climbing the embankment.
“That’s right. At this time of night, the flow won’t be more than a trickle, but I’d hurry if I was you. You don’t want to be down there when it starts to rain.”
Rogue eyed the threatening clouds. “Then we’d better hurry.”
“What about you?” Moran asked the guard. “Won’t you get into trouble for helping us escape?”
“Nope. I’m disappearing tonight. My grandma has a whole network of people who can hide me.”
“Tell your grandma that potion of hers is the best,” Steven said with a grin. “And thanks for patching us up.”
“No problem,” the guard said.
“What about you, Kat?” Moran asked.
Kat shrugged. “I’ll be fine. The general’s snoring his head off. He’ll never even know I was gone.”
Rogue hesitated. “Thanks for helping us, but this doesn’t make us friends.”
“I know, and that’s fine with me. I never liked you much anyway. You were always too whiny for my tastes,” Kat said with a grin.
Rogue snorted. “And you’re still a bitch.”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re making me blush. Now get going before the next patrol comes along,” Kat said.
Rogue tipped her head, and then they were off and running. Bear hauled the grate aside, and they took turns climbing down the ladder to the tunnel below. The guard handed down the torch and replaced the grate, sealing them inside.
Rogue looked to the left and right. “Which way?”
“Follow the water. It will lead us outside,” Bruce said.
Rogue wanted to slap herself. “Of course. That was dumb of me.”
With Bear in the lead and Rogue taking up the rear, they jogged down the tunnel. The place stank of piss and feces, the stench enough to make their eyes water. Dirty water splashed beneath their feet, and the occasional rat scurried past. It was not a pleasant place.
But, Rogue didn’t care one whit as long as it got her out of Prime and back to the Zoo. She longed for Seth with an almost physical ache, and she knew he had to be frantic after her disappearance. Don’t worry, Seth. I’m coming home. I promise.
Chapter 20
They’d been jogging for about ten minutes when it started to rain. Judging by the level of noise, it was coming down in sheets. A crack of lighting caused Rogue to jump, and a peal of thunder vibrated through the concrete walls. Quickening her pace, she prayed they’d reach the end of the tunnel soon.
Her worry turned to panic when the trickle of filthy water beneath their feet turned into a river. “Uh, guys. I think we’d better hurry the hell up!”
“I’m going as fast as I can,” Moran cried, limping ahead of Rogue. Her face was pale, and she clutched her ribs with
