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“Dressed like that, yer sure nae goin’ tae blend in.”
Fin laughed ruefully. “Aye. Ye may be right. But I daenae want tae risk Mira’s life in there,” he said. “And this is me only way out. If Castor’s men realize I’m usin’ this tunnel, they’ll be sure tae try and cut it off. I need ye tae keep it open and clear. When I grab Ivy, we’ll be comin’ out fast. I need ye here tae make sure we’re not runnin’ intae a trap.”
Hollis gritted his teeth and blew out a frustrated breath. Fin knew his friend wanted to be there to have his back. Knew if there was a fight to be had, he was there to help keep him alive. But as Hollis turned his eyes back to Fin, he could see the man saw the logic in his words. He finally gave Fin a small nod.
“All right,” he said. “I daenae like it, but it makes sense.”
Fin clapped him on the shoulder. “Thank ye,” he said, then turned to Mira. “And thank ye for riskin’ what ye have tae get us here.”
“I would give my life for Ivy. Happily,” she said. “Please get her away from that monster and bring her out safely.”
“I will.”
“Watch yer back, mate,” Hollis said. “I’ll keep the way clear out here.”
Fin nodded and descended the small staircase and into the shadows and darkness of the tunnel. The air was musty and smelled of disuse and animal droppings. Apparently, the tunnel hadn’t been entirely vacant this whole time. The path itself was wide enough for two men to walk abreast and tall enough that he was able to pull the sword from the sheath on his back. But just barely.
The darkness in the tunnel was absolute, and once he was outside the square of light that filtered down from the open trapdoor, Fin had to make his way slowly and cautiously. He swept his sword out in front of him as he walked, ensuring he was not about to walk into a wall and shuffled his feet along the soft dirt on the ground. The walk through the tunnel was long and seemed to take forever. He was impatient and wanted to get to Ivy quickly. He did not want her to have to sit in that dank cell a moment longer than necessary.
Fin forced himself to take a deep breath to ease the tension that gripped his body. He needed to be calm and focused. His mind needed to be clear, or this would be a very short rescue mission. It was simply that the thought of something happening to Ivy filled his veins with boiling acid and made him want to destroy everything - and everybody - in his path.
As he thought about the feelings she inspired him, Fin thought again about the question Hollis had posed before Mira had shown up. Did he love her? Did he love Ivy? It was something he had never asked himself about anybody before in his life, and he supposed the fact that he was asking that question now was significant. And as he marched onward down the tunnel, risking everything, and being willing to die for her, Fin realized he had the answer to that question.
It terrified him to think of, but he could not deny it any longer, especially to himself. He loved Ivy with everything in him. And he would happily give his life if it meant saving hers. He would rather die a thousand deaths than see Ivy suffer one moment of discomfort or pain.
His boot thumped into something solid, and Fin lowered his blade, poking at it. The soft ring of his steel against stone told him that he’d found the staircase that led up into the storeroom Mira had told him about.
“About bleedin’ time,” he muttered darkly.
Fin mounted the steps slowly and bit back a curse when he thumped his head against the hard, wooden trap door. He drew in a long breath and let it out slowly. His nerves steady, he put his hand on the wood and pushed upward. It cracked and groaned as he pushed the door up just enough that he could see the room before him.
It was dim and gloomy, the ambient light, no doubt, filtering in from a window. But he saw nobody around him, nor did he hear anything. Fin pushed the trapdoor up and climbed out, using the rope handle to set it back down quietly, and leaving the tunnel open. It was a risk. Somebody could stumble into the room and find it open, which would complicate everything. But he needed to grab Ivy and needed to make a fast exit from the castle.
He pulled the door to the storeroom open a crack and pressed his eye to it, searching the corridor for soldiers or staff and saw none immediately near him. Fin strained his ears, listening to the corridor beyond but heard nothing either. Relatively confident he was alone and would be unseen as he left the storeroom, he quickly stepped out and closed the door behind him. Recalling Mira’s directions, he started off, and it was not long before he found the staircase down.
Cutting one last look around, he remained alone, so Fin descended the stairs quickly and found himself in a large antechamber. There was a doorway just beyond the long, wide table that was cluttered with items that no doubt belonged to the jailer. But the jailer was nowhere to be seen. In fact, Fin heard nothing, so he quickly darted through the doorway and found himself in a long corridor. Barred doors ran the length of the corridor to both the right and left of him, so he made his way, carefully looking for Ivy through the bars.
It was at the end of the corridor that he found her. She was sitting on the bed, her arms crossed, a scowl on her face. But when she saw him, her eyes widened, and a wide smile and expression of profound relief crossed her face. She leaped off the bed and rushed to the door, gripping the bars and staring at him like she was not sure he was real.
“Fin,” she gasped as tears rolled down her cheeks. “You came. You came for me.”
He smiled. “Of course, I did. Did ye truly think I wouldnae?”
The tears flowed freely down her cheeks as Fin slid the bolt and opened the door. She rushed out to him, crashing against his body, and threw her arms around him. She squeezed him tight, and Fin held her, feeling the tension in her body begin to loosen. He did not wish to frighten her, but he did not want her to completely relax either. Getting in was one thing. They still had to get out again.
“How did you get in here?” she asked as she finally let go of him and took a step back.
“Yer braither has everybody lookin’ out thae front gates,” Fin said with a grin. “So Mira showed us a back way in.”
Ivy’s smile was warm and grateful. “I am so glad she got to you. I was worried for her.”
“Aye. She’s worried for ye tae,” he replied. “But we need tae go. We need tae get out of here before yer braither figures out we’re nae comin’ down the main road.”
Taking her by the hand, Fin pulled her back out to the antechamber but had just passed through the door and stopped in his tracks when he heard heavy bootsteps on the stairs.
“Stay put,” he whispered.
Moving quickly and quietly, Fin positioned himself against the wall to the side of the doorway, the guards were coming down. He could tell there were two. His stomach tightened as he looked at Ivy, standing in the doorway that led back to the cells. She looked so delicate and fragile. But with her jaw set and her eyes narrowed, she also looked fierce - and angry.
