A soldier ran into the hall, hurling his body in front of the queen. The knife flipped hilt over blade, embedding into the soldier’s side. Shock rolled through Allyssa. She’d struck an innocent man.
Jana screamed, the savage sound echoing through the hall. “What have you done?” The queen fell to her knees. The soldier yanked the knife free. “Bring her to me.” She pointed at Allyssa.
“Run!” Odar shouted, bringing her out of her stupor. Allyssa spun and awkwardly sprinted toward the corridor. Odar’s eyes widened, and he frantically waved her on. Shouts rang out behind her. She dared not look back—she could feel the soldiers closing in. When she reached the corridor, he shoved her in front of him, and they ran for their lives.
She pushed her body to its brink, hoping they weren’t struck in their backs. At the door to the dungeon, Odar produced a key, hastily unlocking the door and throwing it open. She flew inside and sprinted down the narrow stairwell.
“There are two guards up ahead. Let me take the lead.” He stepped around her. At the first landing, he dispatched the two men with lethal proficiency.
Soldiers pounded on the steps in their pursuit of them. If they were caught, Jana would tear them apart. She would cause them as much pain as possible and revel in it.
“We’re almost there,” Odar said. “Don’t lose faith now.”
After descending three more levels, they went down the hall on the right.
“There should be a grate in the floor right around here,” he mumbled, looking at the map.
Shouts came from the levels above as the soldiers searched the dungeon for them. “They’ll be here any minute,” Allyssa said, examining the floor.
“Here it is.” Odar lifted the wooden grate that had been built into the floor. “Go!” Not having time to think about it, she slid her feet into the dark hole and jumped, plummeting through dank air. A moment later, her body slammed into frigid water. She kicked, fighting her way to the surface where she gasped for oxygen. It felt as if tiny knives were stabbing her all over. The weight of the cape pulled her under. She struggled to untie it and narrowly escaped drowning.
Odar hit the water not far away. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” A rancid smell permeated the air, making her stomach queasy. “Where are we?”
“The sewer.”
She gagged. “How do we get out of here?”
“Kerdan’s instructions said to wait.”
For what? The soldiers above to arrest them? Bloody hell. She was going to die in a rat-infested pool of poop. Panic started to take root as the water moved, pushing her.
“Don’t fight it,” he called out. “The current should take us out of the castle.”
As she tried to keep her head above the water, the current shoved her along toward a dull light up ahead. A roaring sound echoed around her.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Odar muttered, not far behind her.
That made two of them. “If we get out of this alive, remind me to thank Kerdan for such a lovely experience.” If she wasn’t so terrified, she would have vomited by now.
The water picked up speed, pushing her body forward. And then she was falling. Her heart squeezed, and her stomach dropped as she tumbled in the deafening waterfall. She slammed into another body of water, her torso feeling as if it had been trampled on by a horse. Once clear of the pounding water, she resurfaced, gasping for clean air. The moon shone bright overhead, illuminated by the lake.
“Odar!” She didn’t see him anywhere. “Odar!” He popped up out of the water and swam over to her side. Her body went numb from the frigid air and water.
“We have to get out of here before the current takes us into the river.”
“Where are we?” she asked, swimming to the closest bank.
“We’re on the backside of the castle.”
She hoisted herself out of the water, thankful to be on land. “I can’t feel my hands or toes.” Or, for that matter, her injuries. Her teeth started chattering.
Odar stood, helping her to her feet. “The stables aren’t far from here,” he said. “We don’t have much time before we freeze to death or someone spots us.”
Allyssa forced her legs to move. Her wet clothes stiffened as the fabric began to freeze. Thankfully, they reached the stables. No light shone from inside, and no one stood guard at the doors. “Do you think anyone is in there?” she asked.
“Kerdan said only the stables inside the wall are guarded.”
It was hard to believe they’d not only made it out of the castle, but also past the surrounding wall. Odar pushed the door open, and she snuck inside the stables, making her way to the back. The familiar smell of hay and the nickering of horses reminded her of home. Of riding alongside her mother as they raced to the forest, of running in the early morning hours with her father, of chasing criminals through the city with Grevik. Would she ever see her family again? Standing in the middle of the aisle, unable to move, tears filled her eyes.
“Allyssa,” Odar said, coming up behind her. “Get moving before you freeze to death.”
She nodded, forcing thoughts of home away so she could focus on making it out of Russek.
At the last stall on the right, she unlatched the door and entered. Two horses were inside, saddled and ready to ride. One came over and nudged her shoulder. She patted its nose while Odar examined the stall. In the one corner, the hay had been piled a little higher. He moved the hay aside and found a couple of bags—just as Kerdan had promised. He pulled them out, examining their contents. “Looks like one contains food, the other pants and tunics.” He handed a set to her and kept one set for himself. With stiff, awkward fingers, she peeled off her frozen clothes and changed into the blessedly dry pants and tunic. When she finished, Odar plucked a cape off a hook on the wall, wrapping it around her, covering her head with its hood. He took their wet clothes and hid them under the hay.
“Let’s mount in here. When we exit, no talking. Head eastward.”
She nodded and lifted her leg to the stirrup, crying out in pain. Odar rushed to her side, helping her onto the saddle and handing her the reins. “Are you going to be able to ride on your own?”
She had no choice if she wanted to live. “Yes.”
Odar mounted, and they rode out of the stables and into the frigid night. He kicked the side of the horse, sending the animal into a gallop. Needing to put distance between themselves and the castle, she urged her horse to follow. Each step the horse took sent a jolt though her body as if she were being repeatedly punched in her ribs. Perhaps she was hallucinating, but she could have sworn Grevik spoke to her saying that he didn’t suffer so she could die, that she had to live.