I yanked the chain tighter, and Legacy gasped.
"Are you sure about that?” I asked. “Because you're the reason I'm here in the first place. You brought me here. Not the other way around."
Legacy nodded, leaning back against me to ease the pressure on her throat, and I jerked myself away from her lithe body and the delicious heat that skipped over my skin at being near her.
Focus!
"I know you didn't mean to come here,” she said. “I thought you were a threat, and I did what I had to do. By the time I realized that I was wrong, it was too late."
I rolled my eyes. Likely story when I had a chain wrapped around her throat and could feel her pulse pounding against the side of my wrist.
"Given that you've not done anything to rectify that decision by freeing me, forgive me if I don't believe you." I loosened the chain only enough to hold one hand out. "The keys. I know you have them in your jacket pocket. I saw you carrying them the last time you came in here."
"I don't—"
"Don't lie to me. I saw you. You carry keys in here every time you come. If I hadn't been so distracted, I might have been able to steal them off you before now."
"Distracted by what?" she asked softly, and I flushed, glad that I was behind her and she couldn't see my face.
Distracted by her, of course. Her beauty and something resembling kindness, completely at odds with the fact that I was only here because of her. I couldn't figure her out, but perhaps it would be best if I didn't. She was my enemy, and I had to remind myself of that far too often for comfort.
"You," I admitted. "Now give me the keys."
"How exactly do you think this is going to play out?" Legacy asked, making no move to grab the keys.
I swore under my breath, hoping a thin tendril of magic would be enough to help me find them. I could search for them by hand, but a tiny voice at the back of my mind whispered that we might both enjoy that a little too much, so I didn't dare. That would require me letting go of the chain with one hand, and there was no way I could retain the upper hand if I did. I was shocked she had allowed this escape attempt to go on for this long, to be entirely honest.
"I don't know,” I admitted. “I'm making this up as I go."
Probably not a smart thing to say given the situation.
She tensed against me. "I need only scream, and you will never get out of here alive."
"Do it, then," I said grimly, pushing her toward the door.
My magic, overly sensitive because of the lack of use, told me that the guards sat at the small table around the corner, likely playing dice or cards. There would never be a better time for Varna and me to make our escape.
When Legacy didn't shout, the corner of my lip curled up in a smile, and my chest warmed. She cared enough not to shout and trap me in here, but she was right. One word from her, and this escape was over before it truly began.
"I'm sorry," I murmured, then smashed my elbow against her temple, stumbling with her weight as she went limp.
I lowered her gently to the ground, cradling her head so that it didn't hit the hard stone, and then snatched the keys from her pocket. Tightening my grip on them, I stepped over her prone form and reached for the door. I fumbled with the lock, trying to reach through the narrow, barred window, only to tumble forward when it gave way the second my full weight touched it.
I landed hard on my hands and knees. The rough stone bit into my palms as I pushed myself up, tilting my head in the direction I knew the guards were.
Already my magic faded, as did my awareness of their location. I would have no warning if any of the guards came to check on Legacy if she didn't come back soon, and they weren't exactly going to stand there and wait for Varna and me to escape.
Time to move.
Muffling the soft jingle of the keys with my body, I shuffled over to Varna's cell, frantically flipping through them. All of the keys looked pretty much the same, so there was no way for me to tell which one belonged to her cell and certainly no way for me to know which one would unlock Varna's chains.
My own chains still hung from my wrists and ankles, a nuisance despite the fact that they didn't make much noise when I moved because of how tightly I’d knotted them around my limbs.
One by one, I tried the keys in the cell door. Every time it didn't work, I huffed out a breath of frustration and tried another, my hands shaking and my heart pounding.
The guards could discover me at any moment, and while I didn't want to kill anyone to get out of here, I would if I had to. Varna and I were going to survive, and I had to get back to tell Ehuna about the traitor in her midst.
Finally, I managed to find the right key for the cell door, and I pumped a fist in the air in celebration and bit down on a shout.
