CHAPTER 10

~ Zara ~

 

The iron key felt like a shard of ice against my thigh. I walked down the stone corridor, keeping my head low as I passed a pair of guards. They didn't look at me. To them, I was just another nameless boy carrying a tray of half-eaten bread.

 

I reached the kitchens. The air was thick with the scent of roasted meat and the heat of the massive stone hearths. Dozens of servants moved in a blur, shouting over the clatter of pots and the barking of the head cook. None of them looked up as I slipped toward the back pantry.

 

I found the heavy wooden door Caelum had described. It was tucked behind a stack of flour sacks, nearly invisible in the dim light. I pushed a sack aside and slid the key into the lock. It turned with a heavy click.

 

I stepped inside and closed the door, plunging myself into darkness. I didn't have a torch, so I felt my way along the cold, damp stone walls. 

 

I followed the narrow tunnel for what felt like miles. My boots splashed through shallow puddles, the sound echoing in the tight space. Finally, the tunnel opened into a small iron grate. I peered through the bars and saw the lower pits.

 

Rows of cages were carved directly into the mountain, lit only by a few sputtering torches. The scent of unwashed bodies and fear was heavy.

 

"Reid," I whispered.

 

A man in the nearest cage shifted, his chains rattling. "Who’s there?"

 

I moved to the next cage, and then the next. I found him in a corner cell, slumped against the bars. His face was a mask of bruises, and his shirt was torn.

 

"Reid," I said louder.

 

He sat up, his eyes widening as he saw me through the grate. "Zara? What are you doing here? You have to leave. They’re taking us to the silver mines at dawn."

 

"I'm getting you out," I said, reaching through the bars to grab his hand.

 

"You can't," Reid said, his voice cracking.

 

 "The guards have the keys on the upper level. If they see you, they’ll kill you."

 

"Caelum gave me a way," I said.

 

Reid let go of my hand and stared at me.

 

 "Caelum? You're working with the man who murdered you?"

 

"I'm using him," I countered. "He wants to stop his father, and I want you safe. We move at midnight."

 

"Zara, look out!" Reid shouted.

 

I spun around just as a heavy hand grabbed my collar and slammed me against the stone wall. The wind left my lungs, and my head cracked against the rock.

 

Silas stood over me, his sword drawn. He wasn't wearing his scout gear; he was in full Citadel armor, his silver eyes glowing with a cold light.

 

"I knew that kid in the stables was trouble," Silas said, his voice a low growl. "But I didn't think he’d be a rat for the Prince."

 

I reached for the dagger in my boot, but Silas kicked my hand away. He pressed the tip of his blade against my throat.

 

"Where did you get that key, boy?" Silas demanded.

 

I didn't answer. I looked at Reid, who was throwing himself against the bars of his cage, screaming for Silas to stop.

 

"The Prince is going to be very disappointed when I tell him his new favorite servant was a spy," Silas said. He leaned in closer, his nose inches from mine. "Or maybe I won't tell him. Maybe I’ll just feed you to the wolves in the yard and tell him you fell down the stairs."

 

"Do it then," I spat.

 

Silas narrowed his eyes. He reached up and grabbed my chin, forcing my head back. He looked at the dye on my neck, then at the jagged scar I hadn't covered well enough.

His expression shifted from anger to pure shock.

 

"That scar," Silas whispered.

 

He didn't finish the sentence. A heavy thud echoed through the chamber, and Silas slumped forward, his sword clattering to the floor.

 

Caelum stood behind him, holding a heavy iron bar. His face was pale, and his chest was heaving.

 

"Get in the cage," Caelum ordered, looking at me.

"What?" I asked, scrambling to my feet.

 

"Get in the cell with Reid," Caelum said, grabbing Silas by the arms and dragging him toward the shadows. "The King’s guard is coming for the midnight inspection. If they find Silas like this, the whole Citadel goes into lockdown."

 

"You killed him?" I asked, looking at Silas’s limp body.

 

"He's breathing," Caelum said. "But he won't be waking up for a while."

 

I looked at the cage, then at Caelum. I didn't trust him, but I heard the sound of heavy boots on the stairs above us.

 

I stepped into the cell. Reid pulled me back into the corner as Caelum slammed the door and turned the lock. He tossed the key through the bars and disappeared into the tunnel just as the first torchlight hit the walls.

 

"Prisoner check!" a guard barked.

 

I huddled against Reid in the dark, my heart racing. We weren't escaping, we were trapped.