I spun around to face him, Cail stood with his face screwed up in manic excitement.
Cail had trapped me in here with the full intention of torturing me in a way that would only end in my death. But I needed to get out of here. I knew there had to be a way. I could already feel my soul call to it, a promise of showing me a way out that would not end in my death.
My eyes darted to the guard who stood in front of the black door, blocking my exit. I knew I could defeat him easily, but I also knew that Ilyan still lay right beside me, his arms wrapped around me. Anything I would do in a fight, would go right into Ilyan.
Cail caught my eye, his lip curling as he interpreted my thoughts, knowing his plan was working.
“Run.” Cail said, and I didn’t wait. I turned and ran into the pits of the house, what was left of Ryland’s mind, tears already streaming down my face.
Thirty-One
Iran into the mansion without looking back. I knew Cail was serious. I needed to get away from him as fast as possible and figure out a way to get out of here before Cail found and killed me.
A few steps into the house, I tripped on broken bits of carpet that had been pulled up, burned away, or maybe eaten by some form of rodent. I caught myself, picking my feet up in my run and quickening my pace. Without thinking about it I had sped through the house, taking the path I had traveled almost every day of my life until last May, the path that would take me to Ryland’s room.
My heart thumped loudly as something told me to stop, my breath catching at the overwhelming sensation. I stopped dead, clutching my shoulder, hoping to find Ilyan’s warmth inside of me but still finding nothing. I kept my hand there as I thought through what I was doing, what I was going to do, something unsettling deep in my gut telling me to hide.
I had gone right to where Cail would expect me to go, into what I could only assume to be a trap. I needed to figure out what to do before I came face to face with him.
I stopped before opening the door to Ryland’s hall and instead sunk into what I knew would be a supply closet. Cail had given me a ten minute head start, surely five of that had already past. I had five extra minutes to hide or five minutes to find my way out. That was, if Cail chose to wait the full ten, which I doubted.
I closed the door to the closet behind me as softly as I could. I would know in a few minutes if Cail would come right here in his attempt to track me down or if he would begin his search elsewhere. It all came down to how well he knew me.
I needed to be smart about how I handled this, the faster I got out of here the better. But without being able to use magic to defend myself, I was limited as to what I could do and how fast I could leave. If it was an option, I would blast right through the man blocking my exit, but Ilyan was lying right next to me. The risk of killing him was too great.
My eyes trained on the dim light that was filtering in through the crease in the door. I tried to keep my mind off of the scurrying feet and other noises that were filling the small room.
I had only waited a minute before heavy footfalls filled the air, the impact of them rattling bins and boxes of who knows what in my hiding space. The sound grew louder as Cail ran down the hall, tracing my exact steps. I slunk away from the door, holding my breath in terror that he would find me. My back hit against a shelf, causing moldy towels and mouse feces to fall over my head. My mouth opened in expectation of a scream, but I shoved my fist heavily into my mouth, desperate to keep myself quiet.
If I was going to fight, I needed surprise on my side.
I heard his footsteps stop, and I knew I had made too much noise. As quietly as I could, I shoved myself into a corner, placing my body as much behind one of the large shelving units as possible. I cringed as my foot stepped on something soft, closing my eyes as I shut my mind off, not wanting to think about what it could be.
As soon as I had moved myself into the corner the door flew open, my body flattening even further against the soft, damp wall. I hoped that I was back enough that he wouldn’t see me. The light from the open door caught the eyes of more than a dozen large rats, each lifting their head toward the light in expectation.
The light illuminated the stacks of molding towels, mildewed sheets were dotted with feces, and cleaning supplies rusted through their containers leaving glistening patches of dried chemicals underneath them. Everything lit up dimly as Cail stood with the door open, his breath flowing through the room in silent puffs.
I kept my breath trapped inside me, focusing on the random objects around me so as not to think about the pain that was beginning to seep through my chest. My eyes widened when I saw the long, rusty length of pipe hidden in the piles of rot.