Rebel Magisters (Rebel Mechanics #2)(23)

There were definitely voices coming from the auditorium, but whose? Had some of the cast or crew stayed behind? Were Mechanics standing watch? I strained my ears, listening until I could make out words.

“I don’t see anything,” one of the voices said, his accent suggesting he was from England rather than a native of the colonies. “It still just looks like a theater to me.”

“You know what the captain said. Search the whole place. I personally think he’s got Mechanics on the brain. But we’ve got to be sure.”

Alarmed, I motioned for the men to go back down the stairs. The voices sounded like they were moving closer. There weren’t many good reasons for us to be in the theater so long after a show had ended, and even if the magisters disclosed their rank to indimidate the soldiers, it wouldn’t explain what I was doing with them.

If the soldiers searched the whole theater, surely they’d look in the basement, and that meant we were trapped. I wasn’t confident of being able to find our way back through the tunnels. I did know of one other way out that I’d used before. We’d been escaping from what turned out to be a fake raid, but perhaps the escape route was still valid.

I steered the men into the room near the foot of the stairs where the dynamo once stood. From there, I didn’t have to tell them my plan. Geoffrey dragged over a chair and climbed up to open the window, then pulled himself up and out before turning back and leaning down. Henry helped me climb onto the chair, and Geoffrey caught my hands to pull me up. Once the other two were out, Geoffrey eased the window closed.

We were in a dark alley behind the theater. “Where do we go from here?” Philip asked.

I remembered then that Alec had blindfolded me when we’d escaped that way before. I wasn’t entirely sure where to go. But I knew now exactly where we’d been, and an alley had to lead somewhere. I closed my eyes, trying to remember how it had felt, then opened my eyes and pointed. “That way.”

We hurried down the alley. I had to resist the urge to look back and see if a light showed through the basement windows. I consoled myself with the thought that the searchers didn’t sound like they were being particularly diligent. They were going through the motions, which made it extremely unlikely that they would go so far as to look out the windows to see if anyone had escaped into the alley.

When we saw a street ahead, I allowed myself a slight sigh of relief. I wasn’t entirely sure if it was the same street where Alec and I had gone, but I was sure we could figure out where we were easily enough. Henry motioned for us to wait in the alley while he checked out the street. After barely a second, he ducked quickly back into the alley and moved his hand in a pattern that looked familiar. I felt the surge of magic as Philip and Geoffrey followed his lead. Soon, I only knew where they were because I’d seen them before. Otherwise, they seemed to have become part of the shadows.

A moment later, I understood. A group of soldiers, their weapons held ready, passed by, pausing to look into the alley. I held my breath and presumed that Henry had hidden me, as well. He’d taught me the magic he’d used, but I wasn’t ready to reveal my heritage to his friends.

The soldiers lingered for what seemed like forever, but what was probably only a few seconds, before moving on. I heard relieved exhales all around me a few seconds after they left and knew that the men had been just as tense as I’d been. There really had been no logical reason to assume that the soldiers were searching for us, but it would have been hard to explain why we were in the alley. After another minute or so, the shadows melted away, and Henry checked the street once again, this time signaling that it was safe for us to leave.

We blended into the crowd very easily, but I soon saw the cause of Henry’s caution. There were far more soldiers than I would have expected to be out in the street, and I wasn’t sure if they were enjoying one last night out before they left the city or if they were looking for something.

“Now I think we should find a cab for Verity,” Henry said.

I shook my head. “First we need to warn the Mechanics that the theater is being searched. I don’t think they’ll find the tunnels, and if they do they may not find the station, but the Mechanics need to know not to leave that way.”

“But how can you warn them?” Geoffrey asked. “Are we going back down there?”

“We don’t have to. I just need to tell someone, and they have ways to spread the word.”

When we reached the next intersection, I got my bearings from the street signs. I had a contact not too far from here, and she had access to the telegraph. I led the men down the street and around the corner to a tavern.

Henry held me back on the threshold. “I’m not sure this is a suitable place for a young lady.”

“I know a barmaid who works here.” I pulled my hair around my shoulders. “Besides, at the moment I don’t really look like a proper young lady.”

Before he could object further, I entered the tavern. While the clientele was mostly male, Henry was correct that the women there wouldn’t have been considered ladylike by his class. I knew some of them, and for the most part they were hardworking young women with honest jobs. I scanned the room, looking for my contact, and spotted her carrying a tray of mugs to a table. When she’d delivered her drinks, I caught her eye, and she came over to us.

“And how can I help you good people?” she said.