Allied (Ruined #3)(64)

“Found it,” Galo said as the door swung open. A long, dark hallway stretched out in front of them.

Aren grabbed Galo’s arm, pulling him back so he could go in first. He glanced at the guard and tossed him clear across the courtyard, a yelp sounding in the distance as he hit the ground. Aren stepped into the hallway.

“Keep your eyes open,” he said quietly to Galo.

They hurried down the pitch-black hallway. Above him, Aren could hear the sound of running footsteps. The guards were coming for them.

Light poured out of a door to his left, and he glanced in. A deserted dining room. To his right was a closet, half open and full of food trays.

Aren slowed as they reached the end of the hallway and found a door. He pressed his ear to it, trying to hear if there was anyone on the other side. It was quiet.

He pushed on the door. It didn’t move. He pushed harder. Nothing. Galo pressed his shoulder to it.

A loud pop sounded from behind Aren. He whirled around. Guards stood at the end of the hallway, throwing something that looked like rocks.

Pop-pop-pop. Light exploded from the rocks. Smoke engulfed the area around Aren and Galo, clouding Aren’s vision.

Panic crept into his chest. If he couldn’t see, he couldn’t fight the guards.

He faced the door again and shoved it. It moved slightly, like it was being held by someone or something on the other side.

“Galo, on the count of three!” He counted down and slammed his body against the door as hard as he could. Galo grunted as he pushed.

The door suddenly gave way, and Aren tumbled through, hitting the ground hard on his back. The tip of a sword appeared in front of his face.

He tilted his head back to see the owner of the sword poised at his throat. A woman scowled down at him. He felt cool metal against his skin.

He shot her up to the ceiling, her body hitting it with a crack. She tumbled back to the ground, falling on top of another guard. There were at least ten that Aren could see.

Smoke was spilling into the hallway from behind him, and Aren whipped his head to the right to find Galo. He was on his knees, his sword in front of him as he tried to fend off an attack from two guards.

Aren jumped to his feet, shooting the guards down the hallway. He threw the rest overhead, leaving them to hover there above them as he grabbed Galo’s arm and took off. He heard the bodies drop as they ran.

He jumped over the guards at the end of the hallway. One man scooted back against the wall, hands raised in surrender.

They exited the hallway and found a large, round room. There were four different doors leading out of it, including the one behind him. If Bethania was right, the door directly to his left led to the solitary cells.

He took a step in that direction. Galo had closed the door to the hallway behind them and was pressing his back against it. Aren gestured for him to step aside.

Aren opened the door. Two guards were getting to their feet. He rooted them in place and crooked his finger at the surrendering guard, still sitting with his back pressed to the wall. Aren didn’t give him a chance to come willingly—he pulled him to his feet with his Ruined magic and forced him to walk forward.

“Iria,” Aren said once the man was right in front of him. “Where is she?”

The man pressed his lips together, his eyes darting to the right.

“Is she still in solitary?” Aren asked. “Keep in mind I’d be happy to come back and rip your head off if you don’t tell me the truth.”

The man shook his head vigorously. “Not anymore. They moved her to the general population yesterday. That door.” He pointed to the right.

Aren’s heart dropped. “Which cell?”

“Umm . . . I don’t remember the exact number. Upper level, in the middle.”

Aren grabbed the keys off the guard’s belt. “Do these open the cell doors?”

He shook his head.

“Does one open the outer door?”

The guard reached out a shaky hand to point at a large, square key. Aren released his hold on the man, shoved him back into the hallway, and pushed the door shut.

Aren turned to find guards flooding the round room from all entrances. He took a step back and let out a breath, trying to steady himself.

He pushed his Ruined magic out with such force that he almost stumbled. The walls shook as bodies slammed against them. Behind him, he heard Galo take in a deep breath. He touched Aren’s arm, like he was checking to see if that had weakened him, but Aren felt stronger than ever.

He cleared the guards from in front of the door with one sweep of his hand and stuck the key in the lock. He stepped inside.





THIRTY-TWO


IRIA’S EYES POPPED open. Someone was yelling. Not the usual yelling from the other inmates she’d already grown accustomed to—this was wild, panicked yelling.

She sat up in bed, ducking her head to avoid hitting it on the bunk. Above her, she heard her roommate stir, and she tensed. Her eye seemed to throb a little harder at the sound. A nasty bruise had formed where Julia had socked her.

“We need more smoke bombs! Get the—” The voice cut off with a scream, followed by a loud bang.

“What is going on out there?” Julia mumbled sleepily.

Iria stood and walked to the bars of her cell. Her fingers shook as she wrapped them around the bars.

She was almost scared to hope.