Chapter 29

The tunnels are rough-hewn and smelly. The odor is so bad we've all wrapped clothes around our noses, but it's barely a token, doing almost nothing to hold out the stench. All the sewage of the city dumps into these tunnels.

Cuha chitter at our disturbing of their space as we march through. Dirty water and other debris clutter the center, forcing us to stay close to the sides. Muda leads us, carrying a flickering torch that is our only source of light. He seems to know his way well enough, walking with confidence and choosing each turn with certainty.

"How much further?" I ask.

"Almost there," Muda says, "one more turn."

I growl but there is nothing else I can do. I am struggling to keep my thoughts focused and in the moment. Every time they begin to drift, all I can think about is Gweneth being tortured and that does nothing but fill me with rage. Rage that has no target is worthless. A distraction.

"Here," Muda says.

He is pointing at the ceiling. When he lifts the torch, it illuminates a grate over our heads. Khiara and I look at each other and then at Muda.

"You could have mentioned we'd need a ladder," I say.

"Oh," Muda says, his face falling. "Yes. I didn't think of it. You have rope?"

"What difference does rope make?" Khiara asks.

"Lift me up. I'll tie it off, you two can climb through."

Khiara grunts then takes a length of rope from his side. He hands it to Muda who wraps it over his shoulder.

"How heavy is that grate?" I ask, musing aloud.

"I don't know," Muda says. "Never lifted it."

Great. This is a terrible, half-baked plan that is going to end up with all of us dead. But Gweneth needs me. Needs us and I cannot give up.

I grab Muda around his waist and lift him up. He kicks his legs wildly as I do, striking me in the cheek. I grunt with pain and almost drop him. He yelps loudly. If there are any guards above this grate, they'll know we're here now for sure.

I lift him up again and he gets his feet onto my shoulders. Khiara steadies him from behind and Muda pushes on the grate. It doesn't move at first, but he bends his knees and tries again. It scrapes loudly then pops free, sliding with a loud screech.

"Gada," Khiara curses. "Could you be any louder?

"Sorry," Muda mutters, then he scrambles through the opening.

My heart is loud in my ears as we wait. Straining my neck to stare up at the opening, hoping that this isn't a trap. That Muda didn't alert the guards with the noise. That this really is a way into the tower. Most of all, that Gweneth is okay. Time crawls past as slowly yet inevitable as the coming of the next world.

I can't hear a thing. It's as if nothing is happening. Is Muda still up there? Did he disappear? Did he run away or worse, get dragged away? Are there guards flooding into this sewage tunnel to capture Khiara and I right now?

The rope drops through the hole and dangles in front of us. Khiara and I exchange a grim smile. He motions with one hand for me to take the lead and in that gesture is more of his acceptance that the competition over Gweneth is over. Not in a way that I won as much as it is the way it is.

I grab the rope and haul myself up towards the opening. Muda pops his head over the edge right as I pull through and we bonk heads. I curse and he falls backwards onto his ass.

"Sorry," he yelps, one hand holding his head.

"Shhh," I hush him, holding onto the edge of the hole to keep myself from falling back down.

I look around the room we're emerging into. The torch Muda was carrying lies on the floor to one side, casting its flickering light on barrels that cover one wall. I pull up and slide myself out the rest of the way, making room for Khiara.

I roll to one side and come up in a crouch, ready to fight. Muda groans and stands up then Khiara comes out of the opening. Once he is through, he and I put the grate back into place while I point for Muda to untie the rope. I don't want them to know how we came in if we get caught. We might need this route again.

Picking up the torch I make a quick inspection of the room. The barrels look like they have alcohol or water. The stories say the tower was set to withstand a siege so it could be either. It was originally meant to serve as a last-ditch defense against an attack by the lizards. Before the Shaman twisted it to his own ends.

There is a solid door with no window and it's the only exit from the room. I hand the torch to Muda and silently point for him to go to the back of the room. He nods, still rubbing his head, and retreats to the far corner, ducking in next to one of the massive barrels.

I go to the door, Khiara stays all but glued to my hip. I work the door open. It sticks part way and I have to jerk to get it to open far enough I can look out. It makes a loud scrape and creak as I do, causing both Khiara and I to inhale sharply and wait for an incoming attack.

When nothing happens, I press my eye to the slit. I'm looking out onto a hall lit by a single torch. As far as I can tell it's empty. I pull back and whisper as much to Khiara who nods then he turns to look at Muda.

"Wait," Khiara says.

"No, I'm going to help," Muda protests, his eyes wide.

"It's too dangerous," I say.

"If we don't return in one hand, slip back out," Khiara says. "Save yourself."

"No," Muda says, squaring his shoulders and puffing out his chest.

The defiance is written into every inch of his face. He shakes his head side-to-side. I look at Khiara and I both have the same thought. If we don't bring him along, he'll follow. That would put him and us in even more danger than we already are.

"Fine," I say. "But follow orders. You understand?"

"Yes!" he says, his voice too loud again. He responds quickly to my frown and growl, looking sheepish. "Sorry."

He apologizes in a whisper, and I nod approval. Then I turn and open the door. I wait for a heartbeat, listening for any reaction from someone who might not be in sight. When I hear nothing, I peek around the corner, looking both ways.

The hall is empty, so I step out and try to figure out which way to go. There are no signs or anything to recommend one direction over the other. Khiara steps out, bumping and pushing me forward. He looks both ways too then grunts, shaking his head. Muda squeezes between us, moving in front.

"This way," he says, cheerfully.

"How do you know?" I ask, whispering.

"You always go left," he says with a certainty and confidence that I don't understand or feel.

"Why?" Khiara growls.

Muda looks at him as if he's grown a second head. His face goes from confusion, to dismay, then to something I can't read. His brows furrowing together, his lips turning down into a deep frown, then he shakes his head.

"Because," he says, shrugging as if that is the answer to everything. An answer only a child could give, or an exasperated parent, which is what the tone of his voice sounds like. "You do. Everyone knows that."

He rolls his eyes at the last bit as if he made the most obvious statement in the universe, such as the sky is red. Khiara growls and takes a step forward, but I put my hand on his chest and stop him.

"Fine, left," I say, before the situation escalates. We, no Gweneth, doesn't have time for this nonsense.

Muda nods with self-important satisfaction and takes the lead. Khiara gives me a questioning look and I shake my head. He grunts and we follow Muda.