I shook my head.
I’d find answers about the attackers later. First, I needed to discover if my Family had made it out. My mind flashed to little Emile, his long, curly hair and his bright smile. He must’ve been so scared. Surely, even the members of another Family would pause before slaughtering a child of only four years. . . .
I needed answers. I grabbed my mask, my thumb rubbing over a split on its surface.
I flipped it over and traced the crack near where the mouth would’ve been.
Rafeo’s mask. I’d taken Rafeo’s mask instead of mine in the dark of the tunnel.
Gone were my black flowers and vines, replaced by tiger stripes.
I bit my lip against the building tears. Maybe it was meant to be. Maybe this way Rafeo could live through me.
From the front of the safe house a door opened, followed by the sound of shutters banging aside as the shop owner prepared for business.
I thrust the mask over my face. Time to go.
I stepped away from my cabinet as the shopkeeper pushed his way into the room.
His mouth dropped open before he lowered his gaze. His face blanched white. “Oh! I’d heard you were all killed! That the home had been discovered and the Saldanas slaughtered. Oh, it does my heart good to find you here!”
Word traveled quickly in Ravenna, especially when it involved a fire that could easily spread to other buildings.
I freed a knife and pressed it against his throat. “No one must know I was here, do you understand?”
“Oh! Yes, I do. I will protect your appearance here as surely as I protect this location.”
Someone had sold our Family out to the others. I stared him in the eyes, searching for a hint of betrayal.
No. None of the shopkeepers knew the location of our home. They only kept our belongings safe, to gain favor from Safraella.
I sheathed my knife. It was a testament to the man’s loyalty that he didn’t check his neck for blood.
From the hidden entrance, I slipped into the alley.
I spent the entire day traveling shadow to shadow, searching the hatches for signs of my Family. The first I checked was the entrance the attackers had used, the one hidden by the church.
I didn’t get too close. Someone would be watching, waiting to see if anyone would appear. I wasn’t stupid.
I clutched the key hanging from my neck and examined the entrance from a hiding spot. The bush that hid the hatch had been hacked apart, and the door had been chopped into slivers of wood.
Last night Val had dangled my key before me. And then hours later my Family was dead. Or, if Rafeo was wrong, and it wasn’t the Da Vias, then I must have left the hatch into our house unlocked. Either way, everything had happened because of me.
I wrapped my arms around my stomach, trying to calm my twisting gut. Answers could come later. I lived. It was up to me to try and save what was left of my Family. Failing that . . . I’d cross those fields when I reached them.
The other tunnels remained undiscovered. I traveled through each, following them until I reached the hatches at the other end that led into the house. None would open, even with my key. No one had escaped through them.
I was the only remaining Saldana.
I sat at the bottom of a hatch and removed my mask, breathing freely in the damp air, which stank of smoke and burned things.
I pictured the house. A burned-out wreck, down to the beams. Or maybe the fire had somehow been contained, only burning everything inside. The plush carpets. The furniture and our belongings.
The people . . .
No. Don’t think about it, Lea. Don’t think about them. This couldn’t be happening. Not to me.
I rubbed my eyes and pulled my mask down. Crying wouldn’t lead me anywhere. I needed a plan. I needed to fix this!
My joints creaked as I stood. I also needed sleep. And food and a bath. Those were the first things. Then I’d choose my next steps. Decide who to kill first, and how.
Because someone would die for what they’d done to the Saldanas. And this time I wouldn’t kill just in service of Safraella. No. This time it would also be for me.