“Let’s go.”
I hold my hands together in front of me, hiding them beneath the oversized sleeves just as Cylas would. Between the uniform and his enormous size, Ramus is the perfect picture of a Royal Guard. As we move about, making our way to the dungeons, no one pays us any mind.
There’s a guard stationed just outside of the west corridor. Before he even has a chance to say anything to us, Ramus knocks him unconscious. I quickly retrieve the ring of keys from his hip and open the door to the pathway of cells.
“Let’s put him in here.” I motion to one of the empty cells, and Ramus tosses the unconscious guard in, making sure to cuff his wrists to one of the bars.
The only prisoners that stay in the west dungeons are the king’s Collectables, so I quicken my pace down the dimly lit corridor doing my best to ignore the unease crawling up my body. I stop in front of the two occupied cells and remove my hood. Immediately, both men jump to their feet.
“You’re alive!”
“What are you doing here?”
Their words run together as they work through their shock.
“There’s a lot to fill you in on, but right now we need to get you guys out of here,” I tell them as I work to find the keythat unlocks Kane’s cell. “This is Ramus. He’s going to remove your power dampeners.”
“Why would you come back?” Kane asks as I open his door.
“Us Collectables have to stick together,” is all I say before walking over to Slader’s cell. This is not the time to get sentimental. I have a job to do.
“Are you alone?” Slader asks, watching me sift through the ring of keys.
“No. There are others already here.”
“The anniversary,” Kane mutters. “They’re here to attack.”
“Yes.” I turn to him just as the key unlocks Slader’s cell. “We’ve been planning for months. It’s happening in the Throne Room during the celebration.”
“About damn time,” Slader adds as Ramus unlatches his power dampener.
“You two need to get out of here now before anyone notices you’re gone.”
“The hell we do,” Kane growls. “I’m not leaving without getting in on the action.”
“Yeah, I thought you might say that.” I turn to Ramus and Slader. “I’m sorry about this.”
I throw the vial onto the ground in front of them before putting up my fiery shield to block out the mist. Kane and I watch behind the glowing orange and red wall as the two men disappear. Once the last of the navy mist has vanished, I release the hold on my shield.
“That’s new,” Kane quips.
“I’ve been busy since you last saw me.” A slight grin curves at the corner of my mouth for only a second.
“What’s wrong?” Kane asks, noticing my change in expression.
“Nothing. Let’s go,” I say dismissively.
The truth is, I feel bad for taking away Slader’s right to fight back. It’s not what I had planned, but we need him to get into Ryder’s head in order to find out more about the lost island. If I had let him go with us, who knows what could’ve happened? I may not like it, but it’s what needed to be done.
Was that Ryder’s thinking when it came to me being in the Throne Room? Am I just as bad as he is?
I decide whatever guilt I feel creeping up will have to wait.
“Alright.” I turn to Kane. “Before we head for the Throne Room, we have to get to the east dungeons. There are prisoners there who need rescuing.”
Kane nods with understanding as I hand him a pair of shackles. I hate even having to use them, but we need to be believable if we don’t want to get caught. When we reach the door at the end of the corridor, I pull the red hood back up, concealing my identity once more.
Again, no one bats an eye as we move through the lower parts of the mountain. The two Royal Guards just outside the east dungeons don’t stand a chance. They’re already slumped on the ground before they are able to unsheathe their swords.
