BOOM!
Another aether bomb hits, this time above our heads. Huge chunks of marble fall from the seats above us.
Maeva hauls me down, and we crouch, covering our heads with our arms. My breathing turns shallow, my vision sharpening until all I can see is the woman just ten feet from us, in the path of the marble.
Raising her arms, she throws herself to the side. But it’s too late.
The world seems to tilt, and I’m suddenly frozen, staring at the spot where the woman was just standing.
“Arvelle.”
Maeva shakes me, and I force my gaze away, meeting her somber eyes.
The arena is still shaking, on the verge of collapse. I gesture at the stone beneath our feet. “We need to get the maginari out.”
Realization flickers over her face, followed immediately by determination.
There’s no way we can get to the exit on this level. We’re going to have to drop down into the arena. I can’t see any Zevarians or Torvellens on the sand. I hope they managed to escape.
Linking arms, we make our way back through the heaving mass of screaming, panicking people, to the edge of the arena.
It’s a ten-foot drop, and I land in a crouch. Maeva drops gracefully beside me, and we whirl for the gate.
We reach the holding room within moments, and by the time weclimb through the trapdoor, the screams and shrieks from the arena have turned muffled.
I may have been here once before, but Maeva has memorized the path. She sprints unerringly toward the maginari, never hesitating.
A distinct, rhythmic cadence sounds, and I freeze. Maeva slowly turns.
“The patrol.” Her eyebrows lower. “They’ve sent the guard early to check the maginari are secure. That guard will have the key. We need to split up.”
“No.” The word is sharp, my refusal instant.
Maeva glances back toward the sound of footsteps, her eyes wide. “You’ve got to warn the maginari, Arvelle. Some of them are too injured and sick to move. They’ll need help. Go tell them to prepare.”
“I’llget the key.”
“No.” She’s already moving. “You’ve talked to the maginari. They’ll trust you. I won’t be long.”
I don’t like it, but Maeva disappears into the darkness, and I force myself to keep moving.
The maginari explode into roars and screams when I appear at their cage. Even from down here, I can hear the dim but unmistakable sound of several explosions, one after the other.
Pholus steps forward, and the maginari go silent. “We’re getting you out,” I pant, leaning on the cage bars in an effort to catch my breath. The bars sting my fingers, and I instantly remove my hand. “You need to get ready to escape.”
Linaros’s hooves click against the stone as he approaches. “You have conditions.”
“Yes. I want you to vow that you won’t attack any innocent people here.”
He lets out a bitter laugh. “No one is innocent.”
“I know you can hear the carnage above us. But it won’t be long before the emperor has control again. This is your chance for freedom.”
Pholus angles his head, snapping his beak at Linaros.“I speak for all the maginari here. We accept your conditions and vow not to harm any who do not attempt to harm us.”
“Deal.”
Footsteps thud on stone, and my heart leaps into my throat.
