Shi’chen knew his brother was right. At this point, En’shea was only toying with them because he could, not because he expected answers that they did not have. Maybe he had never expected answers at all.
His eyes flicked over to their Father’s head on the table, vacant eyes still staring dully at nothing, mouth lolling in a silent scream that mirrored the one in his own throat that he refused to let out. That was going to be him soon, and Hi’jan would continue to torture his brother until he grew tired of him and executed him, too. He hated feeling so helpless. Maybe he could convince Hi’jan to keep him alive, too, to enslave them both. At least if he was alive, he could try to get A’bbni free. The thought of being on his knees for that pig of a Captain made bile rise in his throat, but it was better than it being his kind-hearted brother.
He gave another yank against the manacles, more out of frustration than an actual attempt to get loose from them. A’bbni gave him a weak smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “No guard training on how to escape those?”
“Shut up,” Shi’chen said, though his tone was affectionate. “I will bring it up with Commander Ahea’a once we get out of here.”
A’bbni was silent for another moment before softly saying, “En’shea planned our arrest for tonight.”
“Why do you think that?” Shi’chen asked.
“Because not only was there a Senate meeting today, but you were planned to be in our rooms, not in the barracks with your guards. He knows that if he had tried to arrest you in front of your Garrison, they would have fought back, as most of them are loyal to you, not to him.”
He had a point, Shi’chen conceded. He had been promoted to Captain of Honor Garrison at seventeen, and while he was not an easy Captain, he was fair, and his troops respected him. Even being the crown prince’s cousin did not keep them from talking with Shi’chen about what the future of Hanenea’a might be like under the young, cruel crown prince’s reign. He felt sick to his stomach as he wondered how much of those discussions had gotten back to En’shea. Not in his wildest dreams had he even considered overthrowing his cousin since En’shea’s older sister Prii’sha had died almost three years ago. Evidently their Father had, but his concerns for the country had never been more than words. Or so he had thought.
A’bbni was shivering badly, and Shi’chen wished he could fold his arms around him. He couldn’t feel his hands anymore; he couldn’t have moved his fingers if his life depended on it. A’bbni let out a soft moan, just as the sound of footsteps approaching down the stone hallway reached them. He let out a whine and curled against the wall, as if trying to make himself small enough to not be seen, and Shi’chen fought back a sob at the terror in his brother’s face. He couldn’t let them take A’bbni again; his brother would not survive. He would come up with something, any lie that could get them to take him instead.
Just outside the door, there were a few muffled words exchanged, followed by a sudden ring of steel, and then the heavy thump of a body hitting the ground. A key creaked in the lock, and the wooden door swung inwards, but instead of the Emperor or Hi’jan or even one of the guards from Courage, Commander Ahea’a hurried in, closing the door behind her. “Commander?” Shi’chen asked in surprise.
“Shh,” she hushed him as she moved over to the cuffs, reaching up with a ring of keys to undo the lock holding his wrists up. “We do not have much time, Captain. I need you to do exactly what I say.”
“Yes, of course,” Shi’chen said as his arms dropped. He tried to shake the blood back into them, wincing at the stinging sensation as they dangled at his sides like lead weights.
Commander Ahea’a moved over to A’bbni, frowning darkly. “Your Reverence, can you walk?”
A’bbni forced his head up to meet her eyes. “Not well,” he croaked.
Ahea’a unlocked A’bbni’s arms and gently leaned him against the wall as he trembled. She reached up and quickly pulled her scarlet cape off her shoulders, wrapping it around A’bbni like a makeshift tunic. She then took the Commander pin from her chest and used it to secure the fabric in place before jerking her head at Shi’chen. “Take one arm, I will take the other.”
Shi’chen slipped himself under A’bbni’s arm, trying to force his own arms to work despite the pins and needles of blood coming back into the limbs. Ahea’a slid A’bbni’s other arm around her neck and her arm around his waist. “Come with me.” She led them over to the door of the room, taking most of A’bbni’s weight on her so his feet would not drag. She opened it and glanced out, then motioned for them to follow her. Shi’chen cast a last glance behind them at their Father’s head, still sitting on the table, seeming to watch them go. He shuddered and followed after the Commander. She closed and locked the cell door again.
The guard who had been watching the door was slumped on the floor, a pool of dark blood forming around his head from where his throat had been slit. Commander Ahea’a led them quickly down the hall into one of the stone corridors. Shi’chen hurried next to her, glancing at A’bbni who was biting his lip to keep from crying out. Ahea’a took a sudden left turn into a short hallway that ended in a dead end. Shi’chen frowned. “Commander—”
“Shh,” she hissed again, shifting so Shi’chen was supporting his brother before moving over to the wall. She placed her shoulder against one of the large stones and pushed, digging her feet into the rough stone floor. The stone suddenly swung slowly inward, showing a flight of stairs leading down into darkness. Shi’chen blinked. Why had he never known there was a passage there?
Ahea’a tossed her head for them to get inside. “Follow the stairs all the way down. At the bottom through the door, there will be a cart. Get into it. The soldier will take you to the port. You will learn more once you arrive there.”
A’bbni looked like he had a thousand questions, and he probably did. “Will they know it was you who helped us?” he asked, his voice trembling.
“Most likely,” Ahea’a said, giving him a small but determined smile. “But the rebellion against the Emperor is more important. Go, now, and push the wall closed behind you.”
Shi’chen ducked into the space, A’bbni following after him. In front of them was a set of stone steps carved into almost solid rock on either side, with no lights along the way, just the light from the hallway. They disappeared downwards into darkness. Shi’chen turned back to her. “Come with us.”
Ahea’a shook her head. “I cannot. Go now, quickly. May the gods grant you wisdom and safety.” She touched her fingers to her forehead, to her heart, and then to his shoulder in the traditional travel blessing.
Shi’chen returned the motion to her before planting his shoulder against the stone door and digging in. The door slid a little. A’bbni reached out and put the last of his strength into helping, and the door swung shut, plunging them into complete darkness. Shi’chen wrapped his arm around A’bbni’s waist to pull him close as A’bbni’s legs gave out, looping his twin’s arm over his shoulder to take the sudden weight. “I can carry you if you can’t do it, i-sha,” he said softly.
“I can,” A’bbni said firmly, his fingers giving Shi’chen’s arm a trembling but reassuring squeeze.
Shi’chen moved tentatively forward in the dark until he found the first stair, then carefully started to descend, feeling for each step in the darkness. The stairs were narrow, and the air around them was thick and stale, as if it had not moved in many years. Perhaps it hadn’t. “Did you know about this passage?” Shi’chen whispered. His voice sounded hollow in the small space between the two rock walls on either side of them.
“Not this one,” A’bbni said softly. After a moment he added, “En’shea will have her executed when he finds out.”When, notif. Shi’chen didn’t respond, just set his jaw more firmly as they took each step, one by one. He had no desire to fall down them in the dark, especially not knowing how far down they went.
The stairs seemed to go on for miles, though he suspected it was not quite that much. Both of their legs were aching when they suddenly hit a flat landing that seemed to be a long, straight tunnel. Shi’chen tested each step going forward, but it seemed like there were no more stairs. “How are you doing, i-sha?” he asked his brother softly, barely able to make out his twin’s outline in the dark but feeling the warm, reassuring presence against him.
“All right,” A’bbni said, though it sounded like he said it through clenched teeth.
“Do you need me to carry you?”
