She sawed through my chains with her sunstone blade like they were mere rope. She thrust a sunstone club into my hands. “Fight, Aiden,” she growled.
A shadow shifted over us. Kiera looked up and blanched, shoving me to the side. Dracles’s sword screeched against the rock between us.
“Go!” I shouted, rolling to my feet. “Get them out!”
The general’s eyes widened when he realized this was about much more than an assassination.
He roared, spittle flying from his mouth as he attacked me. We fought furiously. I had no blades, but the club protected me from his steel blows.
People shouted and fled around us. More soldiers poured down the main tunnel.
It was time.
I ducked and whirled away from Dracles’s blows. His face was nearly purple with rage. He swung wide, and I bashed my club into his sword hand. He released it with a howl. I snatched it up and drove it through his armor into his chest.
“For Pravara,” I whispered.
I withdrew the sword before his last breath. I didn’t care to watch him die. I cared only for my people.
“Aiden!”
I glanced over to see Nikella and Maz racing toward me in a throng of soldiers.
Then an explosion rocked the whole cavern.
Chapter 48
Kiera
The ground trembledbeneath my feet, but I kept running. I’d sliced through my chain the moment I saw them haul Aiden to that platform.
After the supervisors had taken him, another one came and tossed me into the empty cell. He didn’t even bother to search me—possibly because I was sobbing hysterically. It took little effort to be convincing.
He locked me in, glared at the dead supervisor, then walked away, muttering that he’d find someone else to clean up the mess.
Ruru had found me just as I’d unlocked my cell. I told him what happened, and together, we opened the rest of the cells.
We freed the prisoners from their shackles, but told them to wait for the first explosion before fleeing. Ruru handed our two stolen Wolf knives to a few Dag women, instructing them to cut anyone’s chains they could. I also passed out a few of my small knives.
We hurried back to the main cavern, where I fully intended to search for Aiden. But then they’d dragged him out and ordered everyone to gather around for an execution.
I’d given the keys to Ruru, telling him to unlock as many shackles as possible and to arm the prisoners with whatever tools and weapons they could find.
But I couldn’t leave Aiden to die, no matter what he told me.
Now I prayed to all the Four that he was close behind me. Along with Maz and Nikella, after they lit the bomb fuses in the main cavern.
Ruru was somewhere ahead of me, leading the prisoners to freedom amid the anarchy.
Soldiers shouted, eyes wide and wheeling. Some ran back toward the explosion. Others kept stampeding toward the beach. They shoved the prisoners out of the way to reach the greater threats.
They probably figured there was no escape regardless.
But enemies on the beach? Thathadto be Jek and Skelly and the others.
A woman running next to me stumbled and lost her grip on the sunstone pick she carried. I grabbed it and shoved it back in her hands. “Keep going! Split any prisoner’s chains you can before we reach the water.”
She nodded, her face determined despite the blood smeared on her cheek.
