Stormcaster (Shattered Realms #3)(117)

Hal leapt to help his brother, but there was no need. Granger was gone.

“Now he looks disappointed,” Robert growled, “the greedy, gutter-swiving, ass-licking—”

“Language, Robert,” Lady Matelon said. She stood over them, one arm around Harper, who was pale as parchment, shaking so that her teeth rattled together.

“Are you all right, Harper?” Hal sat back on his heels, looking up at her. “Did he cut you?”

“I’m fine.” Harper’s voice trembled, just a little. When several of the lytlings began to cry, she forced a smile and said, “Don’t worry. The bad man won’t hurt us.”

They shouldn’t be here, Hal thought. Children should never have to witness a scene like this.

“Speaking of surviving the night, we’ve got to go.” It was Karn’s friend Lila. “Everyone! Into the building. Now, before the bad man’s friends show up!”

Hal and Robert exchanged glances. It seemed very strange to be rushing back into prison when they had gone to so much trouble to get out. Was this just some kind of new trap or power play by Destin Karn, who’d been notably absent since the explosion? Was he trying to gain custody of the hostages for his own murky purposes?

They had no choice, really. Leaving Granger lying in the street, they entered the prison, crossing the threshold, into which was carved: The Truth Shall Make You Free. They descended several staircases, each level danker, the air thicker and more oppressive. Harper gripped Hal’s arm, leaned close, and murmured, “Don’t tell me we’re going back to the Pit?”

“We’d better not be,” Hal said, with a dark look at Lila.

Eventually, they seemed to hit bottom, and then struck out horizontally into what now seemed to be a natural cave, only lightly shaped by the hand of man. At one turning, Lila pulled a large crate from an alcove in the wall, unlocked it, and handed a dozen torches to those in the lead. They were flashcraft, and began to glow as soon as they were lifted from the crate.

Some of the lytlings began to fuss. Their mothers pressed on grimly, carrying their children if necessary. Hal and Robert ended up carrying two of Lady Heresford’s four children. Hal had long since accepted the fact that they were so far in, there was no going back. With the distance they’d traveled, at least it was unlikely they were still anywhere near Citadel Hill.

Finally the tunnel sloped upward, in some places growing so steep that steps had been carved into the cave floor. The air freshened and became noticeably cooler and drier.

Finally, Queen Marina came up beside Hal. “Lady DeLacroix really cannot go much farther, and your mother is struggling, too. If we collapse, then it’s going to slow us down considerably. We need to say something. If we still have miles to go, we’re going to need to stop for a rest.”

Hal nodded, though at this point he wasn’t exactly sure who was in charge of this enterprise—he or Barrowhill or the queen.

He was threading his way forward toward Lila when he noticed that the oppressive darkness was thinning, the walls to either side becoming visible, even beyond the reach of the torchlight. They were obviously nearing an opening to the outside. It wasn’t bright—likely the sun hadn’t yet risen.

As the others began to notice, some of them put on speed, children tugging at their mothers’ hands, stumbling over rocks in their eagerness for the long, scary journey through the dark to end. Up ahead, Lila stopped, turned, and waited for them to catch up.

When the entire group was gathered, Lila said, “This is where we surface. We should be outside the city, beyond whatever perimeter the King’s Guard has put up. I need everyone to wait here while I check and make sure our transportation is ready to go.”

“I’m thirsty,” a little boy whined.

“Don’t worry,” Lila said, ruffling the boy’s hair. “They’ll have food and drink for you.” She disappeared through the cave entrance.

She wasn’t gone long, but by the time she returned, some of the lytlings had curled up on the floor or on their mothers’ laps and gone fast asleep.

“All right,” Lila said. “The wagons are just outside. Each one holds about ten people. There’s room for everyone. I want families to stay together and board the same wagon. We need to be well on our way before the sun comes up.”

As the families began trickling toward the door, Hal took hold of Lila’s elbow. “Well on our way where? Where are we going?”

Lila cocked her head. “Didn’t you talk to Lieutenant Karn about that?”

“He’s been tight-lipped,” Hal said. “He’s told us just enough to get this far.”

Lila shrugged. “You’ll have to ask him. I’m just the hired help.” She rubbed her thumb and fingers together, signifying payment.

Hal’s temper was fraying. “I would like to ask him, but I haven’t seen him since the blasts went off.” He followed Lila out of the cave to find himself in a pitch-dark copse of trees at the bottom of a ravine. He could hear water running somewhere nearby, and the soft nickering of horses.

Where were they? It was hard to judge how far they’d traveled in the dark.

Lila pointed them down the ravine to where it opened up into an abandoned farmyard. The house had long since been burned. The barn and outbuildings were still standing, though, and four wagons were lined up, each with a team of four sturdy mountain ponies.