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“Where are you leading us?”
“Out,” Alex said succinctly. They rounded a corner and Alex halted. Gabrielle almost bumped into her, and because she was taller than Alex she saw what the beam of light illuminated.
Rats. Hundreds of rats. Probably thousands of rats crawling over each other in the narrow tunnel, feeding on what had probably once been several bodies.
With a squeal, Gabrielle stumbled back. Ramsey caught her about the waist, his hand coming up to capture her scream. She knew he could feel her shaking. Her body trembled violently at the sound of thousands of sharp claws on stone.
“Is there another way?” Ramsey asked.
“This is the fastest,” Alex answered, keeping her focus on the rats. “I’ve been through passages like this before. The rats are more afraid of us than we are of them. They have their meal. They’ll scurry out of—“
“What is it?” Gabrielle asked, her voice wavering. Alex had turned toward them, her eyes wide.
“They’re coming.”
“The rats?”
“No. The national guard. They’ve already found us.”
“What do we do?” Ramsey asked, his voice surprisingly calm considering there were soldiers behind them and an army of rats in front.
“We run,” Alex said, and pushed forward.
Gabrielle tried to follow. She really did, but her legs would not move. Without a word, Ramsey scooped her up and carried her. Eyes closed, she buried her face against his chest, wishing she could somehow curl up inside him until they’d passed the rats.
Squeals and hisses punctuated every footfall as Ramsey made his way through the river of rodents. Once he stumbled, but he caught himself before he went down.
“I should walk,” she whispered. “You can’t carry me all the way.”
“Stubble it,” he ordered. “I told you no rat would touch you.”
He sounded more angry than gallant, but she didn’t argue. With her eyes closed, it felt like the passageway of rats went on for miles and miles. It had probably taken no more than three or four minutes to cross, and then Ramsey set her down.
“Run,” he ordered.
She ran.
The sound of booted feet echoed, and Gabrielle followed Alex through a winding maze of sewer tunnels. She had no idea how Alex knew whether to go right or left or straight ahead, but the markings on the walls probably helped. It buoyed Gabrielle to know they weren’t the only ones who’d gone into the sewers and survived.
The sounds of pursuit grew closer, and Alex glanced over her shoulder. “Not far now. When we reach the exit, you two go up. I’ll lead the guards away and meet you in a quarter of an hour.”
“Alex! No!” Gabrielle pushed her legs until she was running beside Alex, the walls of the narrow sewer brushing her shoulders.
“Don’t worry about me,” Alex said. “I know these sewers better than the streets. Get out and meet Hastings. I’ll be there shortly.”
She stopped, and when Gabrielle slowed as well, Alex gave her a shove. “Go! Turn right at the next fork,” Alex told Ramsey. “Go up the ladder there. Lord Hastings will be waiting.”
“Alex, no!” Gabrielle tried to grab Alex’s arm.
“I must go back to saybonjourto our friends!” And with a jaunty wave, she was gone.
Gabrielle stared at Ramsey for a long moment. “We can’t—“
“Yes, we can. If she doesn’t make it, we don’t honor her sacrifice by dying. Come on!”
They ran straight through a gray darkness. Alex had taken the lamp with her, but Gabrielle’s eyes had adjusted to the gloom. Light from the outside must have seeped in from somewhere because she could make out the uneven ground beneath her feet. Rats scurried out of her path, and she bit hard on her lip to keep from screaming.
“There!” Ramsey pointed at the fork ahead.
