Grabbing the keys, I unlocked the inner doors. I stepped into the lantern light and everyone turned guarded and worried expressions on me.
“You ready to get out of here?” I asked.
Smiles all around and a whoop from Janco. I moved from cell to cell, freeing them. Valek pulled me into a tight embrace. I closed my eyes and allowed myself a moment of comfort in his arms.
“How?” he whispered.
“Later,” I promised. “Are you strong enough?”
“Yes.” He released me.
“Good.”
“What’s the plan?” Janco asked.
I pointed to the bucket of water, which remained upright, and to the basket, which had spilled, scattering clothes onto the floor. “Clean up and change quick. Leif, can you and Hale weave null shields into the uniforms?”
“What about Mara?” Leif asked.
“Janco will fetch her. Do his uniform first.”
Janco stripped off his shirt. “Where is she?”
I told him. “Tell her you’re taking her to Leif. That we’re all working for Bruns now and are leaving for an important and secret mission.”
Leif found a uniform sized for Janco and concentrated on building a null shield on the shirt. Hale picked up another while Janco washed up. I turned my back when Janco yanked off his pants, giving them some privacy.
They didn’t waste any time or energy asking me questions. Their unconditional trust that I had it all worked out warmed me and terrified me at the same time.
Once Janco was dressed and ready, I said, “Meet us near the entrance of the main barracks. A platoon of soldiers are scheduled for nighttime maneuvers outside the garrison, and we need to join them before they leave.”
“Got it.” Janco touched his hip. “Weapons?”
“Take one of the guards’.”
Janco stripped the men of their swords.
“Give Ari, Leif and Dax the others.”
“What about me, love?” Valek stepped into my view. He sponged grime off his neck and bare torso. Large bruises stained his skin. Bright red cuts oozed blood.
Concentrating on the task at hand and not Valek’s battered body, I pulled Ben’s knife from my boot and gave it to him. His eyes gleamed as he appraised the quality of the blade.
“And me?” Hale asked.
“I hid a few more weapons near the barracks,” I said.
Janco left to collect Mara.
“We only need to put null shields on three uniforms,” Leif said. “Hale and I can erect ones around ourselves. Plus we can drop them just in case we need to use magic.”
“Good, that will save time,” I said.
“I need one,” Valek said in a tight voice.
I spun around. Everyone stared at Valek.
“Just do it,” he said to Leif. “I’ll explain later.”
“Uh... Yelena,” Ari said.
Oh. Half-naked men. Right. I turned, but my mind kept whirling. Why would Valek need a null shield? No logical answer formed, and soon the men were ready to go.
I led them from the jail and along a route I’d scouted that kept us in the shadows. Except for the patrols, the garrison remained quiet. We stopped to grab the weapons before reaching our destination.
Unlike the rest of the garrison, activity and light spilled from the main barracks as soldiers prepped for their training mission and gathered outside. We waited nearby. My heart tapped a fast rhythm in my chest, sending pulses of fear along my extremities. Where were Janco and Mara? If we were caught, there’d be no second chance to escape.
Valek laced his fingers in mine. Comforted by the gesture, I squeezed his hand. But then I remembered what had happened with Ben. My touch had blocked Ben’s magic. Would it do the same to Valek and remove his null-shield protection? I let go and shook my head at his questioning glance. If we escaped, we had much to discuss.
A commanding officer called the milling soldiers to order. They formed ranks. Come on, Janco. We needed to join the company soon. Very soon. What if they didn’t show? Would I be able to leave without them?
Yes. For the baby, and for the others. This was the last opportunity for all of us.
My stomach twisted with pain as I gestured for us to leave our hiding spot. Leif and Ari refused to move. Stubborn, sweet idiots.
Then Leif faced the wrong direction. About to grab his arm, I stopped. Janco and Mara materialized from the shadows. Leif wrapped his wife in a bear hug.
“Did you take the scenic route?” Ari growled at Janco in a low voice.
While relief pumped through me, there was no time for explanations or hellos. I punched Leif’s shoulder and pointed at the company now marching away. We scrambled to join, lining up at the end of the ranks. None of the soldiers in front of us appeared to notice or care about the additional people. After all, we wore the standard Sitian military uniform. Mara appeared content to march next to Leif.
My heart rate increased as we neared the gate. The guards had swung the barriers wide to allow the company to pass. Just a few more minutes and we’d be outside the garrison.
When the head of the column approached the gate, the commanding officer shouted, “Round up.”
The ranks split into two and broke into a run. One side peeled off to the left and the other the right, but neither crossed through the gate. Valek reacted first, drawing his knife as the others brandished their weapons. The soldiers looped back, forming a circle around us.
Trapped.
Surrounded.
Ambushed.
It didn’t matter what word I used to describe our current situation, or how Bruns had figured it out. No, what mattered was Bruns’s next move. And he was smart enough to conclude that only one option remained.