I broke the surface of the water to chaos. The kids were screaming, flailing in the water. Ruth was trying desperately to lead them to the stage, but it was obvious Bethany couldn’t swim and Caleb was hysterical. A few feet away, Zeke was at the other cage, trying to work it open. I saw the flash of keys in his hand—taken from the dead raider, probably—a second before he pried the door open, letting the captives swim out.
As I hauled Teresa’s unconscious body onto the stage, the curtain behind me parted, and a raider came through, probably drawn by the racket of the kids and gunfire and falling cages. For just a moment, he stared at us in shock, then turned to shout a warning. But that second was all the time I needed to lunge in and drive a sword between his ribs. His shout turned into a startled gurgle, and he dropped to the stage with a thud.
But other raiders would soon be arriving. I could see them through the holes in the curtain, clambering over the seats toward the stage. I glanced back, seeing Zeke emerge from the water with a shaking, hiccuping Bethany, Caleb clinging to his neck from behind. Near my feet, Teresa began to cough up water.
Ruth pulled herself up to the platform and, as Zeke set Caleb and Bethany on solid ground, flung herself into his arms. “You’re alive!” she sobbed into his chest, as he held her close and the kids plastered themselves to his waist. “We were sure you were dead! Oh, God, it’s been horrible, what they did to us. Darren—”
“I know,” Zeke said, his face tightening. “And I’m so sorry I couldn’t…” He closed his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “That won’t happen again, I swear.”
“Zeke,” I warned, and his eyes flickered to me. “No time for this. The men are coming. We have to get them out of here.”
He nodded, composed and businesslike again, but Ruth turned on me, eyes blazing with suspicion and fear.
“What is she doing here?” Ruth hissed, still clinging to Zeke, one delicate hand on his chest. “She’s a vampire! Jeb told us to kill her if she came poking around again.”
“Stop it, Ruth.” Zeke’s voice was hard, and we both blinked at him in shock. “She saved my life,” he continued in a calmer voice. “And yours, too, in case you didn’t notice. I wouldn’t have gotten this far if she hadn’t come back.”
“But…Jeb said—”
“Save it,” I barked at her, and she cringed back, eyes wide. “We’re not out of here, yet. And, now that you mention it, where is Jeb? He’s not here, that’s for sure. Where did they take him?”
“I’m not telling you, vampire!” Ruth shrieked, on the verge of hysterics. “I’m not telling you anything!”
I snarled, ready to smack some sense into her, but Zeke held up a hand, stopping me. “Ruth.” He shook her gently, bringing her attention back to him. “Where is Jeb? Did they say where they took him, where he’s being held?”
The girl nodded, clinging to his shirt. “Jackal’s tower,” she whispered. “They said he’s being taken to Jackal’s tower.”
The words were barely out of her mouth when Bethany screamed and another raider came through the curtain, followed by a friend. I spun, blade flashing, and quickly beheaded one, making Bethany and Ruth scream again, but the other got off a yell before I could silence him. As their bodies hit the stage, I spun toward Zeke.
“Move! Get them out of here!” I swept a hand toward the catwalks, to the door the guards had used. “Don’t wait for me—I’ll catch up when I can. Just get them out of the city and don’t look back.”
“Catch up?” Zeke had started ushering the group up the ladder to the catwalks but now turned back with a frown. “You’re not coming with us?”
“No.” I shot a quick glance at the curtain, hearing the crowd rushing the stage, the splashes as the raiders plunged into the water. “I’m going back for Jeb.”
He stared at me. “You? But…no, I should be the one. He’s family. It should be me.”
“You’re still hurt, Zeke. Besides—” I nodded to the group as the last of them scrambled up the ladder, peering down at us “—you have to lead them out of here. I’ll have the best chance to find Jeb if I’m alone.”
“But…” Zeke hesitated, torn. “Even if you find him, he might not go with you. Allie, he might…try to kill you.”
“I know.” I stepped away from him, toward the curtain. The raiders were climbing the stage now, hauling themselves out of the water. “But if I don’t do this, I’ll be the monster he thinks I am.” Spinning, I slashed at a raider who charged through the curtain, splitting him open to the shrieks of the kids. As he staggered and fell into the water, I whirled back on Zeke. “If Jeb is alive, I swear I’ll find him! But you need to get them out of here, Zeke! Go, now! If I’m not back by dawn, don’t wait for us, because we’ll be dead. Go!”