12
The Tunnel
"Zoe!" I yell frantically over my shoulder, not taking my eyes offa the door. I don't have a shooter, and I had lost my knives somewhere during my flight, so I have nuthin' I can hold 'em off with. Shizen. How had they tracked us down so fast? Jax had to have been wrong, and they knew who I was all along.
Zoe runs back and skids to a stop beside me. "Damn."
She pulls her shooter, but the lead rider is offa his horse and quickly covering the distance to where we stand. Ascending the steps in almost a run, he pauses as he spots us and then puts his hands up in the air, pulling the wrapper covering his face down with a quick jerk.
"It's us," Mack calls out urgently, and I let out a huge sigh of relief as I recognize the face underneath. The other riders unmask as well, and I'm glad to see Tater and Riven safe and sound. The other I don't recognize but assume he is to be trusted since they had brought him along. Mack and Tater hurry inside, leaving the other two remaining outside on watch. Good idea, don't know why we didn't think of that. Mack greets Zoe warmly, his hand on her forearm in a silent gesture of gratitude.
"Lily—" he starts, but Zoe cuts him off.
"Tara has let me know. She died for what she believed in," she says, but that don't help the grief and guilt in my heart none.
Mack nods, and his gaze falls on me.
"You made it out," I say, but his one eye reflects the relief we both feel at seeing one another again.
"Barely," Tater whines as he brushes past, removing the Army wrapper and tossing it aside in disgust. The trousers he’s wearing are much too long, and he trips, almost sprawling at my feet before glaring at me in anger. "I am not quite sure how your quiet little escape plan escalated into this all-out extravaganza of a debacle, but you sure have them riled up. He's not letting anyone leave other than his own men sent out to search for you of course, hence the disguises. Every single guest is being detained and questioned for any information on you, young lady. We barely made it out ourselves … wouldn't have if not for Mack's quick thinking. The Prezedant is very aware that you had to have been included on someone's invitation, and I fear to say it won't be long until he links you to Mack."
Mack nods his head. "Tater is undoubtedly correct. We can't stay here much longer. But where we are to go, I'm afraid I haven't quite figured out yet."
"We have a plan—" I start to say, but Tater suddenly cuts me off with a yell of terror as he flattens himself against the wall, and I whirl, expecting to see the Prezedant himself standing behind me.
"Arrrrghh! What in damnation is that gargantuan doing here?"
Busher wanders into the hallway, the red and yellow wool blanket he now wears making him look like some giant ball of fire. Duchess had done what I asked, and his bald head now sticks through a hole cut in the blanket while his massive arms poke out on either side. The blanket is pulled in at the waist with a piece of rope, creating a cloak of sorts. He looks utterly ridiculous, but it don't seem to bother him none.
"Hello, little storyteller," he says jovially, picking Tater up and bouncing him up and down, much to Tater's vexation. The half man's continuous cries of part fear, part disbelief soon bring everyone running. Duchess's squeals of happiness at seeing Tater alive and well compete ferociously with Finn's whoops of delight. It's enough to bust an eardrum. Even Riven sticks his head through the open door to see what all the hullabaloo is about.
"Busher, put him down," I yell at the giant over the din.
Busher ignores me at first, but when Cat barges into the hallway wanting to get in on the action, he hollers in complete terror, "Devil Cat!" He sets Tater down in fronta himself like a shield against the beast. Tater makes a break for it, only to be squashed again as Duchess tearfully pulls him into her own embrace, and he disappears amongst her ample cleavage. And if it ain't already crowded enough, Beanie and Talbert finally arrive, adding their boisterous shouts to the already noisy room.
"You were saying?" Mack whispers in my ear as he pulls me aside, away from the ruckus of hollering and greetings, Finn's voice louder than the rest of 'em combined as he tries to assure Busher that Cat ain't gonna eat him and not to shoot her.
I spot Kell amongst the now crowded hallway and pull him along with us as Mack, Zoe, and myself make our way to Mack's study. We need to talk, and there ain't no way to do that with all that ruckus going on. I ain't surprised to see Jax squeeze through the door behind us, but Ben shocks me a little. I didn't think he was aware of much happening around him, but the little grin he gives me lights a spark of hope in my chest that maybe he’s gonna be okay after all. It somehow makes me feel better.
"This is Kell," I say, motioning to the old man. "He was one of the prisoners we let loose this evenin' along with Ben and the giant out there. Long story short, Kell says he was a smuggler, and he knows another way off the island."
"Is this true?" Mack asks over his shoulder as he searches the wall fulla books for something. He finally finds what he is looking for and pulls it out. The map of the city.
"It is. My fellow runners and I a few years ago stumbled onto a tunnel underneath the water way that runs from Royal Island to the outer city. Not sure what it was originally used for. It is old; we know that much. Some of it has fallen in over time, but the structure is still fairly sound and passable. Well, for souls of normal stature; I'm not sure the giant out there will be able to pass through without issue."
"And where does this tunnel lead?" Mack asks as he pushes everything offa his desk to the floor so he can spread out the map. "Does it go underneath the outer walls? Will we be able to leave Skytown through the tunnel?"
Oh, please, please, please let the answer be yes, I think in my head. Please say we will be able to escape this foul city altogether. But as usual, the gods don't answer my prayers.
"No, afraid not. It ends..." He goes to the map and peers at it and then points with a bony finger," … here. In the abandoned area of the city next to the manufacturing district. Well, abandoned as far as the Army knows. There are a few squatters and poor souls scattered throughout there. Though we give 'em enough food and necessities to buy their silence, they will not squawk if we come through there."
Not what I wanted to hear.
"So we are off the island but still stuck behind that damn wall," I say to Mack. "That ain't gonna do us much good."
"Not like we have a lot of choice or time right now," Mack replies. "Everyone needs to be ready to move soon before any soldiers start looking this way. We'll worry about getting off the island right now and out of the city later. Where is this tunnel at, Kell?"
The oldie shrugs. "I'm afraid I have lost my sense of direction in our mad dash here, so I do not know the distance." He peers at the map again. "There, the hall of worship located near the south side of the island. It's not in use any more, hasn't been for about twenty-five years now. The Prezedant had the statues of the gods removed long ago and replaced with statues of himself. That's how the tunnels were discovered, oddly enough."
Mack nods with a slight smile. "I know of it. Let's move out as soon as possible. It will be a few hours' walk for sure since we will have to stick to the woods and off of the main roads. No doubt road blocks will be set up this evening and every carriage searched thoroughly."
A few hours' walk. I look at Ben, wondering if he’ll be able to make the trek. His injured side had almost gotten us captured back at the estate. How would he handle a few hours of walking? Will he slow us down? Like old times, he smiles at me like he already knows what I'm thinking.
"I'm okay," he says firmly. "I can do this. If only to finally get somewhere safe so as you can give me some damn answers."
I laugh. I cain't help it. It was like the smart-alecky old Ben is finally back.
"Well, you did say that you wanted to see what we would find outside of Rivercross," I tease, and he chuckles in response.
"I did, didn't I? I guess the old sayin' is true and be careful what ya wish for."
My laughter dies off as I see Jax watching us with the weirdest expression on his face. His arm. How could I have forgotten?
"Jax, how 'bout your arm? Has the bleedin' stopped? You gonna be able to make this walk?" I ask, but he just gives me a curt nod.
"Don't worry about me, seems like you already have enough to worry about. I'm fine." And he brushes by me in such a hurry to leave the study he nearly knocks me over.
Shizen, what have I done to put that stick up his arse now? That man is more confusing than Tater's rambling some days, and that’s saying something.
"Well, we know our destination. Supplies should be our concern right now. Zoe, divvy out the weapons from the cabinet over there. I don't have enough shooters for everyone, but there should be enough blades to go around. Tara, food—"
"Already on it. Coral is packin' slingbags from the kitchen as we speak."
"Excellent." He reaches into a drawer in his desk and pulls out a fair-sized sack and tosses it on the desk. It lands with a loud clink, and I know right away it has to be coins. "In case we need to pay our way out of the city. Now, we should move."
"I agree, Captain," Kell says. "But a word of advice. You should all maybe change out of those Army uniforms. Where we're going … those are probably not the best idea."
We make the trek mostly in silence, the fear of our voices carrying on the wind and overheard by any searching Army very real. A couple of times, we have to sink down into the shrubbery and behind the trees as units of soldiers pass by dangerously close on the roads above us. They are searching for something, and no doubt it’s us.
The walk ain't easy. The wooded floor we are walking on is covered in stumps and tangled with thick roots, tripping us with almost every step in the dark. When we ain't stumbling, we are being stuck in the muck and mire of the muddy swamps. Lucky enough, I had switched to my boots before this hike, but Duchess, well, I can hear her crying over the ruination of her shoes and dress more than once. Foolish woman. Why didn't she have enough smarts to change before we left? Although I cain't help but feel bad for her as she stumbles once again and falls face-first into a real boggy patch. But when she finally struggles back to her feet covered in goop and looking like some swamp monster, I cain't help but snicker just a little.
"I heard that," she hisses loudly. "Stop laughing. I hate you. I hate you all. I shouldn't even be here!"
I stop laughing real quick. She’s right. None of 'em should be here. As always, I cain't help but feel this is all my fault again. Everyone running for their lives ‘cause of me. Lily gone ‘cause of me. Coral and Mack displaced from their home ‘cause of me. A burning sense of guilt starts forming in my belly and working its way out. But before it can overwhelm me with its maliciousness, a warm hand finds its way into mine, and I look over in the moonlight to see Ben walking beside me.
"I think I forgot to say this, but thank you for savin' me. Savin' all of us."
A few simple words, a squeeze of my hand, but it does more for me than he will ever know. It makes the guilt lessen a little, so I can push it to the back of my mind. So as I can go on and not be consumed by it. And I know whatever we’d done tonight … it was the right thing.
We reach our destination without incident, and Kell leads us through the crumbling ruins surefooted. He, at least, knows where he’s going. We pass through a vine-covered, broken entryway at the front of the ruins and down a double-wide stairway to a much larger central room. At one time, it must have been a focal room, the remains of a clock tower still very much in evidence. Now, however, it’s overrun with weeds, and strangling bramble bushes grow out through the hole where the clock once sat. I wonder what its purpose had originally been. Kell said it once was a worship hall for those that still believed in idolizing the gods, but you can tell it had been built long ago by the settlers, probably for a much different reason. A cold shiver passes over me as I look around the massive, empty space, and I swear I can all but hear the echoes of the souls that had occupied this place ages ago but long since passed on.
"Over here," Kell motions, and I shake off my trepidation as we follow him across the wide space. He approaches a more recently-placed statue of the Prezedant. It looks to be a duplicate of the one in Littlepass’s town market. He steps around it and squeezes into the narrow space between it and the wall. The wall looks like what it’s supposed to be: a solid wall. Where the hell is the tunnel?
I watch, curious, as Kell runs his fingers over the surface, and then satisfied with what he finds asks for a blade. Jax gives him his knife, and the old man jiggles it in a crevice for a bit before we hear a slight click, and a gap seems to magically form in the rock wall. He pushes on it, and it opens a bit further to reveal complete blackness.
"How the hell did you find this, Kell?" I ask, impressed at the ingenuity of it all. It would not be something easily found.
The old man chuckles. "It didn't always look this way. When we found it years ago, hidden behind a tapestry, it was exactly what it was meant to be … a door. But when we realized where it led and its implications, we knew we had to keep this a secret. A stone-layer ally of ours altered the door to blend in with the wall surrounding it. Very simple really, instead of a door knob, it has a latch that can be depressed with the tip of a blade if you know where to look of course. And thus our smuggling route was born. It has been the difference between life and death at times over the years for a lot of people in outer Skytown. And a way to support my family until I got caught."
Zoe steps past us all and peers at the wall curiously.
"Show me how to activate it, old man, since I will have use of it later," she says, and he does as asked, but her words bother me.
"Ain't you goin' with us, Zoe?" I say, and she shakes her head.
"I will join you shortly, I hope, but I still have people here that I had to leave behind. I need to meet up with them and get them here. I will bring you news of the Prezedant's movement as soon as I can."
I don't like the idea of leaving her behind, but Zoe is Zoe. There ain't no telling her what to do.
"Gods speed," I say to her as she says her goodbyes and retraces her steps back into the night.
"Well, then, shall we get going?" Kell disappears into the hole, but just moments later he reappears, holding a lit torch. I wince at the unexpected flame.
"This way," his whisper is met by Tater grumbling, "Underground again."
The half man truly did seem to have an aversion to underground cellars, no idea why. But he takes his turn just as well as the rest of us as we climb through the opening.
"Watch your step," Kell's disembodied voice floats back at us from the flickering flame up ahead. "There are six stairs down, then you will be on the tunnel floor."
I feel my way with my feet, counting in my head as I go down. Finally, I hit bottom, and I can see Kell through the blackness, illuminated by the glow of the flame.
"There are more torches over there," he says.
He points with his own torch to a makeshift table propped against the stone wall, and I grab one along with Mack and Busher. Four torches in all. It will suffice.
"Before we start our journey, I must warn you; we will not be the only creatures in this tunnel. There are rodents and spiders of some size that live down here, but they’re usually scared of the flames. Just be on the lookout."
Usually? I think, a little panicked by Kell's words. He tells us that now? I grip my torch a little tighter and pull one of my knives outta its sheath, keeping it handy.
"Finn, stay close," I say to the boy, and he heeds me by sticking to my back and holding the metal baton I’d given him back at the house for his protection. It ain't much, but it's enough to beat off a rat if needed. Ben falls in step behind him, watching our backs while Jax relieves me of the torch. I don't argue. Don't think my arms have regained enough strength to carry it far anyways.
The light bearers spread out between our ragtag bunch trying to provide as much light as possible, but we’re lucky t
he floor of the tunnel is pretty even. Now that my eyes have adjusted to the low light, I can see more of where we are. The tunnel kinda reminds me of the tunnel in the dead city where we’d found Talbert and Beanie. This one ain't as big as the one Orakel and her people had lived in and not in near as good a shape, but it seemed to still have the rounded, tiled walls. Most of the tile had already fallen off and crumbled away, but some of it still clings stubbornly to the walls, patches refusing to let the dirt fight its way through.
We trudge by other old tunnels off to the side, but they had caved in long ago, filled with dirt and rock, totally impassable. It scares me something fierce. Why is this one still useable? Why ain't it crumbled by now? The way my luck is going, it probably would happen today while we are down here, burying us all alive. Stop it, I scold myself, my exhausted mind playing out all kinds of scenarios in my head and making me think horrible thoughts.
Some areas we come upon are partially blocked, the dirt forcing its way through, demanding to retake its territory. The rest of us manage to bypass these areas no trouble, but Busher has some difficulties. At one junction, as he is squeezing his body through the jumble of rock and debris, I swear I can hear the ceiling above our heads groan in protest, like he’s disturbing its precarious balance.
"Don't you dare," I whisper fiercely at the tiles and beams above our head, and they seem to listen. They stay put.
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