The door at the end, the one leading to freedom, was only feet away, and we had to go. The duke or some of his followers would return for us. They could arrive at any minute, and we had to get out of here while we could.
“They already have us trapped,” Callan said, his green eyes intent on the crying man. “Why would they set us free to capture us again?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But I don’t put anything past the duke.”
Callan went to run a hand through his once light blond hair, but the grime caking it stopped him. He pulled his hand away to study his dirty fingers with disgust. “Neither do I.”
“Maybe, once we’re out of the dungeon, we can find somewhere to hide him,” Tucker suggested.
“He has to stop crying for that to happen,” Callan said.
The man hitched in a breath before biting into his quivering bottom lip. Tears continued to slip down his face, and despite his effort, small, hitching breaths issued from him.
I stopped myself from telling him to suck it up; they’d beaten us all, but we weren’t going to let it stop us from fleeing this place. This fucker couldn’t say the same.
“We don’t have any other options,” I said. “We can’t leave him here.” He irritated me, but I wouldn’t sentence him to certain death. “And we can’t carry him through the castle; not only will he hinder our movements, but he’s sure to attract attention. Plus, someone out there knows about those keys; they’re either plotting against us or seeking to help us. We have to find out which it is before this guy gets us killed.”
“Let’s go,” Tucker said.
I extinguished the lightning on my left arm before slipping my shoulder under the man’s arm. Tucker did the same on his other side.
Careful to avoid his shredded flesh, I lifted him and held the man between us. I gritted my teeth as the man’s extra weight pulled on the healing skin of my back, threatening to tear it open.
Trying to ignore the fire burning on my skin, I started toward the doorway. The man’s toes scraped the ground as Tucker and I dragged him to the open cell door. I turned sideways to slip into the hall.
Once free of the cell, we hurried toward the closed door at the end. The faint sparks dancing across my right hand barely illuminated the small space, but I didn’t dare let my light get any brighter.
I studied the door ahead of us, the last obstacle blocking our way. I’d heard the lock clicking into place often enough to know it would require at least one of our keys to get free.
If neither of them worked, I didn’t know where we could find a third. Nothing remained in my porridge.
Perhaps whoever did this placed it in the bowl of another, but it would take time to locate another key, and that time was rapidly slipping away. Someone might come soon.
When we reached the end of the hall, I lifted my hand to illuminate the exit. Only a flat metal door with no keyhole stood before me.
“What the fuck?” Tucker snarled.
Callan staggered forward; his fingers ran over the door with a frantic energy that bordered on a complete breakdown. The minstrel had withstood the beatings here far better than I’d expected, but he was spiraling out of control now.
The only reason he’d maintained his restraint until this point was because he’d resigned himself to no hope of escaping. Now that he’d been offered hope and had it yanked away, he was losing his mind.
CHAPTER NINE
Ryker
When he raised his hand to bang against the door, I extinguished my lightning and grasped his wrist. “No.”
Callan’s eyes rolled toward me, and for a second, I thought he would fall apart. Then he took a shuddering breath and relaxed in my grip.
“Is this what your father planned?” Callan demanded.
“I don’t know. He’d thoroughly enjoy a mind game like this, but he’d be a fool for allowing me to have any freedom,” I told him.
“What do we do?” Tucker asked.
“We figure it out. I have my lightning back; if necessary, I’ll blast the door down. Someone is sure to hear it, and we’ll have to move fast after, but let me take a closer look first.”
I handed the crying man off to Callan. He’d at least stopped sobbing, but tears still trickled down his cheeks.
