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From whimpering jellyfish to group leader in sixty seconds flat? Nice to see Bauer regain her poise, but this wasn't the sort of change I'd have wished for. Never mind. At least she wasn't cowering in a corner. Besides, I was the one who should go after the guards. Bauer would only get in my way.
As I started forward, Savannah grabbed my shirt.
"I'll help," she whispered. "I'll cast a spell."
I hesitated, wanting to tell her not to bother, but realized that giving Savannah a chance to feel useful might calm her fears. Besides, she was only a twelve-year-old neophyte witch. She'd only know the simplest sort of spells.
"Okay," I said. "As long as you can cast it from here. Keep down and quiet."
As I crept forward, a crash shook the hallway. Then another. Then smashing glass, louder than the falling lightbulbs. Then pitch dark. Yes! This time I welcomed the blackness. It would give me an advantage ... so long as the broken glass didn't start flying again.
"Goddamn it!" a voice--presumably a guard's--hissed. "First, exit one dies, then the camera at exit two, now this. A fucking power failure."
"I'll grab the flashlight," a second voice said.
"We both will. I'm not standing around in the dark."
So there were only two guards? Better and better. I quickened my pace to a lope, rounded the corner, and hit the elevator button. Then I headed for the guard station. Partway there, I stumbled over something and looked down to see a fluorescent light cover. I sidestepped and brought my stockinged foot down squarely on a shard of glass. Biting my cheek against a yelp, I brushed my foot left and right, clearing the path as I eased forward. Light darted from around the corner. The guards had found their flashlight. Damn.
Behind me, the elevator doors creaked open. A voice called out, not in front of me, but from the rear. I froze in mid-step. The guards rounded the corner, flashlight beam bouncing off the walls. Someone behind me shouted. I whirled, saw a gun, and dropped to the floor. Shots rang out from front and back. A bullet grazed my leg. I gasped and crawled to the side of the hall. A scream. A shout of rage. A curse. I glanced up. The guards were shooting at each other, the two from the station firing at three by the elevator. Two more lay on the floor, one screaming and writhing. Bullets whizzed past me. I got up on my hands and knees, pitched forward, and ran doubled-over to the others. I raced right past the second group of guards. They didn't even notice.
"Go back!" I yelled to Savannah and Bauer. "Get inside!"
CHAPTER 36
CORNERED
Bauer pushed past Savannah and flew through the security sequence. The exit opened and all three of us clambered through. I slammed the door behind us. Savannah shouted that the door was now open to the empty cell across from mine. We dove inside.
"I was peeking around the corner," Savannah said as I gulped air. "When the guards came with the flashlight, I saw the other ones get off the elevator. I cast a confusion spell so you could get past them. It worked pretty good, huh?"
"Very good," I said, not mentioning that I'd been nearly caught in the crossfire. What the hell had Ruth taught this kid? A twelve-year-old witch should be casting spells to calm frightened kittens, not making armed men blast one another to bits.
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"Hey," a voice said from the doorway. "Did I miss my party invitation?"
We all jumped. Leah stepped inside, yawning and raking her fingers through her sleep-mussed hair.
"Don't close that!" Bauer said, grabbing the cell door.
Did it matter now? Though I said nothing, I certainly didn't foresee another breakout attempt in our near future. While the opened cells may not have been a trap, they hadn't been a lucky break either. The opposite, in fact. My great escape plan had vanished in that hailstorm of bullets outside. Even if we got through this mess, Winsloe would only need to check the computer logs to realize I'd used Bauer to get past security. He'd make sure it never happened again. I tried not to think of the multitude of ways he could ensure that.
Leah walked to a chair and slumped into it. "Cut my damned foot walking down here. There's glass all over the floor. And how come the doors are open? Not that I'm complaining but--Whoa, what happened to you guys?"
"Flying glass," I said.
"Geez. Not sorry I missed it. Is anyone hurt? I know first aid."
"We're fine," Bauer said, moving to the bed.
While we talked, Savannah leaned out the doorway. "I don't see anyone. Are they all dead?"
"Dead?" Leah repeated as I yanked Savannah away from the open door. "Who's dead?"
I explained what had happened. As I spoke, Leah kept shooting discreet glances at Savannah, who'd collapsed onto the carpet and didn't seem to notice.
"... we should stay in here," I said. "Remain calm and hope they do the same. No sudden moves. Nothing to set them off."
