The bronze-haired girl who’d taken the lead brought out the map again. The name on her collar was FOXGLOVE. “We should split up to throw them off. Half of us can go here with the hostages while some of us hide in the old temple ruins and fight them off.”
“Who are the half going to Gloomy Hollow? There’s nowhere to hide but the old mine shaft,” Celine protested.
“Exactly.”
“You want us to hide in an old ore mine that could cave in on us?” Taewyn balked. “It hasn’t been running in years. No way.” Everyone muttered in agreement.
“It’s what vampires would do and we’re vampires tonight,” Foxglove said.
I cleared my throat. “If they don’t split up and they find you, you’ll be outnumbered and we might all be in trouble.” The group of over twenty apprentices had turned to stare at me.
“Splitting up throws them off. We lead them away. It buys time until midnight.”
I didn’t like it. Leading up to the games, Vander said if we were going to win, we had to work as a team and everyone had to have a role, such as lookouts and guards. He never said anything about separating. “If we’re going to split up, we should at least find a place that we can defend that isn’t at risk of caving in on us. We can’t count solely on them not finding us by midnight.”
“So, what do you suggest?” Foxglove asked.
I gulped and felt the weight of the pressure but took the map from her hand. A stone’s throw from the old mine was a granary. “We could go to the granary. It’s the farthest building from Etterdam’s Library where the crossing point is. There’s usually a ladder to the top level, but we could pull the ladder up and theywouldn’t be able to get to us easily. We could defend from there as well.” It’s what the night watch did in Neverglade. Take the high ground.
“It’s as obvious a hiding place as the old temple ruins,” Celine said.
Foxglove tilted her head.
“But if it’s not falling apart like the ruins and with a second story, we could fight them off if they find us,” I said.
“Granary is my vote,” Taewyn added.
“Fine,” Foxglove said. “Half of you with me to the temple ruins to distract them, half of you with Bonecarver and the hostages to the granary. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” was the consensus.
I hoped this plan worked or it was on me.
The granary was in a clearing, two stories high, and although the brick structure was old, it was sturdy. On the left side was the chute, and on the right was the ladder to get to the upper level. There was only one door and two windows. I was the first up the ladder and pushed through the door. Dust and dirt billowed up. Splashes of old grain were scattered across the wood floor that had holes and broken panels. A rat squeaked in the corner and skittered away.
“Be careful,” I said quietly. “Some of the flooring is rotted. We should put the hostages in the back away from the windows.”
Taewyn and Celine led the three assassin hostages and stood guard in front of them. The others set up in front of the door and windows.
Then we waited. I paced in front of the east windows that faced the old road, but a large tree blocked the view. Moonlight shone in from a small opening in the roof. I had to get up there. At the moment we were blind.
Using the imperfections and gouges in the brick walls, I climbed up to the hole in the roof and peered out. The chirp ofcrickets and the cool night air hit me. The old cobblestone road, half covered in the overgrowth of weeds, was quiet, empty.
“See anything?” Taewyn asked.
“Nothing.”
“How will we know when it’s midnight?” a girl asked.
“The trainers will let us know,” someone answered.
I searched the wooded area to the south of us. Was Vander in there, watching? I would bet he and the others were close behind us the entire time, and we hadn’t seen or heard them. I pulled myself onto the slanted roof and made my way toward the maple tree. It was just tall enough to give me some cover, but I could still see over the top. Everything was quiet out here.
Muffled conversation drifted up from inside the granary. My team were talking about which tavern they’d go to if we won. It was a toss-up between a place called The Nightcap and Enchanted Elixir. Enchanted Elixir was owned by two mage sisters, and some of the drinks were laced with magic, and they had ethereal music and dancing. The Nightcap was run by an old retired warrior, but they said his place had the best food, loud music, and gambling.
Celine pulled herself onto the roof and sat next to me. “Hey. I thought you might be getting bored up here.”
“A little, but it sounds like our night of fun is being planned. Enchanted Elixir? They use real magic in their drinks? What for?”
