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Chapter Eighteen
Tayla
Alec and I slowed to a trot, moving down one long corridor after another, searching for any sign of how to leave the ship. Everywhere we looked, there were doors that opened onto additional rooms, but none that led outside. I desperately tried to remember being led to our cell, hoping I could retrace our steps, but in the rush to escape from the guards, I hadn’t been paying much attention, and now I didn’t think I could find my way back.
Somewhere behind us, I heard an explosion, and I paused long enough to close my eyes and wish that Adreax and Herod were okay. For what it was worth, Adreax had done what he could to save my life, and I had to acknowledge that. Plus, I hadn’t forgotten how it felt to be curled up in his arms, him murmuring in my ear to keep me calm. Now was not the time to be thinking about those things, but I could hardly push the thoughts out of my mind. They just kept resurfacing.
“What now?” Alec panted, leaning against a wall to catch his breath.
We’d run down every corridor, and they all looked about the same. There was no telling how far we’d gone or how far we had left to go. My head was throbbing from the stress and the lingering effects of the gunshots, and the last thing I wanted to do was to be responsible for anyone else, but Alec was looking up at me with terrified eyes. I had to lead us both out of here. It was the only option.
“We need to find our way down,” I said after a moment. “They brought us in on the bottom floor and then up the stairs. We’ll never find our way out if we keep running around up here.”
I was kicking myself for not thinking of it sooner. It was so obvious.
“We passed stairs earlier. There was a sign.”
I looked back the way we came and considered our chances. So far, no guards had come trailing after us. From the sound of the explosion and gunfire, it seemed like Adreax and Herod were keeping them occupied. But that didn’t mean there weren’t more guards around the ship. In fact, we’d been lucky not to run into any so far, but I wouldn’t count on our luck holding out.
“Let’s go.” I took Alec’s hand and pulled him upright so we could get a move on.
We were both exhausted, and the adrenaline was wearing out. The weight of the protective vest was making it even harder for me to keep up this pace, but I was too terrified to leave it. It was the only protection I had at the moment.
“I think it was down here,” he said, looking both ways at an intersection and choosing a direction. His guess was as good as mine, so I went with it. As long as we didn’t run into anybody else, we’d be okay.
But as the corridor went on, Alec grew more agitated. The sign he was looking for did not appear next to any of the doors, and he kept whipping around to look back the other direction, as if checking himself.
“Just keep going,” I repeated over and over. “There has to be another stairwell somewhere.”
When we reached the end of the corridor without finding the sign, Alec looked about to give up. He was sweating, and I could see the slump of his shoulders. If I let him stop moving, he might lie down and not get back up. My brain jumpstarted into leadership mode and I took a stronger grip on his wrist.
“Come on. We’re not giving up here.”
I forced him to keep moving, pulling hard whenever he lagged behind me. We came to another intersection, and I didn’t even pause to consider our options. I just turned and kept going, one foot after another, searching the walls for any indication that we could move down to the next floor.
At last, I found what I was looking for and almost squealed with excitement. As soon as we were through the door, standing on the tight landing, I heard boots in the corridor. I pulled Alec back against the wall with me, tucking us into a corner so any passing guards couldn’t see us. If a guard came through the door, we’d be behind him and get the drop on him. Maybe we could even grab a weapon if we shoved him down the stairs and knocked him out.
My mind was still working on hypotheticals when the boots thundered past the stairwell and then stopped. I closed my eyes and held my breath, only peeking to see if there was a shadow that might tell me the position of the men out in the hall.
Then, a dark body blocked the light from the hallway, and I froze. It wasn’t a guard. It was Adreax and Herod. They were both out of breath and wild-eyed, but alive. As long as the four of us were still upright, I had hope.
“Tayla!” he said, the shock clear in his voice.
I didn’t think before running to him and nearly leaping into his arms.
“How’s your side?” I asked, afraid to get a closer look.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. We need to go.”
“Right.”
I had to shake off the elation and focus on our next steps. Adreax took my hand in his enormous one and pulled me along. It was a strange feeling at first, not having his fingers wrapped tightly around my wrist but intertwined with my own. It was a feeling I thought I could get used to.
Herod went down the steps first, ready to shoot anyone that might obstruct our way. Alec took up the rear, still pale and weary, but with a flicker of rebellion in his eyes now. We just might make it out of here.
The steps went on for far too long, and I couldn’t help but notice how Adreax favored one side as he made his way down. Every other step was short and painful for him, and I wished there was anything I could do to take the pain away.
Unfortunately, our luck ran out. We turned down a corridor, heading for what could only be a large cargo bay with access to outside, only to be greeted by another group of Patrol soldiers. These guys were just as surprised to see us as we were to see them. Apparently nobody had alerted them that there had been a security breach up above, and they were not prepared.
In fact, on closer inspection, they didn’t look like guards or soldiers at all. They must have been standard crew members because they did not have any body armor, nor did I see any signs of weapons. Still, that didn’t stop them from forming a firm line across from us and preparing for a fight. I sighed, exhausted, and irritated that it came down to this.
But before I could consider what we were going to do, Adreax reached behind his back with his free hand, pulled something out and fired it toward the ceiling straight above the men’s heads.
There was a hiss and then a pop, and the entire hall filled with blinding light.
“Run!” he shouted, and we were moving again.
None of us could see where we were going, but we dashed forward without trying to make sense of the chaos. There was no point in stopping to fight, and once we were through, most of the crew seemed uninterested in pursuing us. This was a good thing, given that we were in no position to put up a fight any longer. All we had to do was make it outside.
