“Um, okay,” I finally mumbled.
We quickly handed out the Prometheus equipment and showed the Mageia with us how to use them. Using the newequipment we should be able to communicate so that we could all act in concert.
“You promise me you’ll stick close to Rhu?” Elex asked me, handing me a new receiver. Aurelius had knocked mine off somewhere in the Gold Room and I hadn’t realized it.
I rolled my eyes at my brother’s overprotectiveness, but I let it go. At least he felt that Iwouldbe better protected with Rhu at my back, which was progress at least.
“Of course,” I agreed. “You stick close to Hel, right?”
He nodded back at me, his face grim. Of course, it didn’t stop him from approaching Rhu, and I saw his hands move in sign language, his blue eyes ice cold as he stared into Rhu’s green.
He dies, you die,he signed.
I wouldn’t have it any other way, Rhu responded grimly, casting a quick glance at me.
Okay. Baby steps.
We decided that it would be best to place the escape tunnel in the central practice area, which was in the middle of the complex. We would send the Mageia out to their respective element’s living areas and urge them to send everyone to us. The central practice areas was the one area that everyone, even the youngest kids, would know how to get to.
We had made good time, so when I slowly used my Earth powers to finally open the tunnel into the courtyard it was still pitch black out. We filed out of the tunnel, tension highest among the Mageia we had just rescued from the House of Eros, but I even saw Elex wince as he stepped out of the tunnel. This was a house of nightmares for both of us.
I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. I’d never tried anything on this scale before, and I couldn’t help the hitch in my breath.
You can do this, Rhu signed as I took a deep breath.I have faith in you.
I felt the truth of his statement deep in my chest. He reallydidhave faith that I would be able to pull this off. I pulled him in for a quick kiss, then stepped back. I could do this. Ihadto do this.
I sent my awareness of the earth out into the Legion complex. As a first step, I sealed all external exits to the Legion. At this time of night there should be no one coming or going, so no one should notice if a door or gate was “stuck” in position. I slowly unfurled my power and sensed the location of each guard in the buildings.
Next came the tricky part. I needed to move quickly. If I let even a single guard escape, they might be able to raise an alarm.
I used a less intensive form of the spell I’d used on Aurelius earlier. I called Earth to wrap and enclose each guard rapidly in a stone scaffolding. I melted the metal of their own weapons around them to help. It wasn’t like the complete encasement I’d done with Aurelius, but it would keep them from moving.
At my signal the Mageia took off at a run, each heading to the living areas of their respective primary powers. It was their job to get the Mageia out first. I began using my powers to “pull” the guards to us. I figured it would at least speed things up if we could get them into the same area.
The sight of the first kids stumbling through the halls toward us made tears well in my eyes. Some of them were holding tight to each other or to the older Mageia with them as they ran. These were the youngest, kids who had only just been brought to the Legion. Some of them still wore the rough white tunics that showed they hadn’t been made cadets yet.
The number of kids had slowed to a trickle when the first of the adult Mageia started into the training grounds. The adult Mageia came more warily, using their powers to deafen the sound of their movements, stepping cautiously, eyes open for any potential threats.
Some of the faces were familiar, but I had to keep focusing on the spell sealing the Legion off from the rest of Alexandria and pulling the guards through the halls.
The first sharp pain of Suppression hit me and I gasped. It only took Elex a minute to find the Elusian hiding in one of the watchtowers over the training area. I had missed him. I felt a pulse of power from Elex and the Suppression abruptly cut off, then I saw the man’s eyes go wide as a knife of Air cut his throat.
“Thanks,” I said to my brother, clenching my teeth at the amount of concentration this was taking. Elex nodded in grim acknowledgement.
With a push of power I sealed stone over all the windows facing the courtyard so if I missed anyone else we wouldn’t have to deal with that kind of attack again.
“Shit, I should have thought of that before,” I said.
“Not like we had a lot of time to plan,” he said.
Hel was standing at the entrance of the tunnel, speaking to each person. He had gotten through the youngest of the kids already with no problems and had started on the teens.
I saw him hesitate as one of the Mageia answered him and he glanced his head at Maia and shook his head. Before the Mageia knew what had happened Mageia had shoved a dagger between his ribs.Fuck.
Some of the others saw it and began to scream. Others began to back away from us. This was a disaster. I had to do something.
I called on my power to pull me up above the crowd, almost like a stepladder of stone, so that I could see everyone.
