“This is a misunderstanding,” I say.
“No misunderstanding,” one of the guards shoots back.He’s a hard-faced man who seems to be looking forward to the violence to follow.He has the insignia of a commander in the guards.“We were told you’d come here to try to break Domitian out, and you did.”
“We were tricked,” I insist.
“Tricked into breaking into a prison you shouldn’t even know about?”the guard commander shoots back.“Tricked into killing our minotaur and hurting our guards?”
“We were told Selene Ravenscroft was sending a group to try to free Domitian,” I say.“We wanted to be here to stop it.”
All I have is the truth, but I can see straight away that it isn’t going to be enough.
"You really expect us to believe that?"the guard captain demands."The traitorous leader of the resistance and the woman who betrayed the Senate to join him?It's obvious what you're doing.I’m going to give you exactly one chance.Surrender now, throw out your weapons, and we won’t hurt you.Too much.”
I can feel his anticipation and his anger.It’s obvious he plans to take some kind of vengeance for us hurting the two guards on the gates here.We can’t just surrender, but I’m not sure what other options we have.
All the while, the guard is still working on the lock.
Alaric and I retreat to the cell for a few moments.I can’t feel Alaric’s worry now that the wards of the cell are sapping my power, but I can see it easily enough.
“I can’t see a way out for us,” Alaric says.“It won’t be long before they get through, and then… there are too many of them to fight, Lyra.”
I can see that.Alaric and I are both seasoned gladiators with powerful magic, but sheer numbers can overcome even the best fighters.There’s no way for us to fight our way through this, no way for us to escape.
At least, not both of us.
“I want you to run once the fighting starts,” I say.
Alaric looks shocked.“I can’t.”
"You can, and you will," I insist."You can use your magic to disguise yourself as a guard, fit in with them, and then slip away.You have the stone to get past the traps.You can get out of here and find a way to come back for me."
“I can’t just abandon you,” Alaric insists.“Think about what they might do to you, Lyra.”
I grab him, pulling him to a deep, almost fierce, kiss.I need this moment between us, because I know there’s a chance it might be the last time.It’s possible I might be about to die.
“And do you think I want to watch you die, Alaric?Do you think I want to watch them hurt you?If we’re both caught, there’s no hope.If you get away, you’ll be able to do something to help.Get to Rowan.Help to prove my innocence.”
Alaric looks like he might argue again, but there’s nothing else we can do here, no other choice.We step out together, ready to face the guards, just as the one melting the lock finally burns through it.
Alaric charges forward with a shout, illusory versions of himself surrounding him as he slashes left and right with his blade.For a moment, I think he might be about to ignore everything I’ve asked of him, sacrificing himself instead in the doomed hope of trying to save me.
Then he disappears, and I know what must have happened.He’s let the illusory versions of himself fall, even as he’s taken on the form of a guard.It’s a ploy that will only work if the guards don’t have time to think, though, so I do the only thing I can.
I charge them.
I attack with all the ferocity I can muster, swinging at guards with my club and my dagger.I send one of them sprawling, kick out at another, and knock him from his feet.
Arms grab for me.I slash with my dagger, making one man reel back, but two more grab my arms.Blows strike me in the stomach and face, making the world around me spin even as I taste blood in my mouth.I keep fighting even as the guards beat me, scratching and biting, doing anything I can to keep their attention on me.A punch connects with my jaw, and I slump to my knees, half unconscious, but the guards are far from done hurting me.They close in around me, hitting me with fists, with feet, with clubs.
Unconsciousness is closing in on me, but I fight against it, trying to buy a few more seconds for Alaric.Somewhere towards the back of the guards’ formation, I think I see one of them quietly slipping away, even as the rest of them plow forward.I smile in the knowledge Alaric at least has a chance.
Then another punch connects with my skull, and darkness claims me.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
Everything hurts as I come to, blinking and barely able to open my eyes, because they’re closed tight with bruises.I groan in pain, trying to reach for the powers of nearby creatures, ready to fight back against my assailants.
Nothing comes, though.No scrap of power reaches me.And I’m no longer fighting against the guards.They’re gone, and I’m alone.
