She had two more explosives on her, but she really didn’t want to waste them. It was likely that she wouldn’t have another opportunity for Florence to restock before they fled into the Underground. And using a bomb assumed it would damage the lock enough to crack it without injuring the prisoner within.
First things first, she had to get into the lock to disengage it. Fortunately for her, this wasn’t a job that required discretion. She ran the pads of her fingers along the seams, searching for a weak point in the welding. The prison’s inners had been exposed to the sea and salt air since its construction in the early days of Ter.4, and if there was one thing metal didn’t like, it was the combination of time, moisture, and salt.
Her nails fell into a hairline groove on the side—a fatigue failure. She went for her thinnest golden tool, driving it into the crack and twisting the flat head, widening the gap. Keeping one pin in place, she reached for a second, repeating the process hastily until the front was halfway off. Unfortunately, the top part of the weld proved to be much stronger.
She needed more leverage.
There was enough space now for her slimmer, sharper dagger to fit. Arianna inwardly winced at the idea of sacrificing the edge of her blade like this and made a mental note to sharpen it later. She twisted it, grunting with the strain. The cover bent just enough for her to get a look under.
It was as she suspected: several pins at different intervals, waiting to be lined up. That was the design flaw. Unlike a normal lock that required pressure on the pins throughout a turn to disengage, this only required the pins to be engaged correctly at the same time for the bolt to be pulled back. Ari could see why it was effective given the circumstances—mostly enclosed design, unique key to discourage people from trying to pick it, unconventionally shaped access to the pins. But once it was cracked, it put up no fight.
“What in the Five Guilds are you, lady?” Helen asked as Arianna pulled open the door.
“Someone who’s looking for a favor from you.”
“Get me out of here, I’ll do anything you want.” The girl grinned, taking Ari’s invitation and strolling out of the cell onto the landing. She took an instinctual breath of air. Though it was chemically no different than what she had been breathing through the bars for two years, Arianna could only suspect that it was a little bit sweeter in that moment.
“I need you to take me through the Underground.”
“Tall order,” the girl hummed.
Ari smirked, admiring her cheekiness. She was negotiating with the woman who had freed her as though it were nothing. “Florence is waiting for you now at its entrance.”
Helen froze. “Flor? She made it?”
Ari nodded. “Now, run down. Head for the tunnel out.”
The girl stared skeptically for one long moment, but she didn’t have many options—linger and be jailed again, or flee and trust Arianna at face value. Ari greatly appreciated that she was the sensible type. As Helen ran, Ari hooked herself into the bars and jumped over the ledge down to the landing below.
She ignored the calls of inmates pleading for their freedom. There were real criminals mixed among those who had been jailed for failing to follow the Dragon King’s mandates, and she had no record of who was who. For all she loathed the Dragons, Ari wouldn’t spite them at the risk of putting someone actually dangerous back on the streets of Loom.
Helen was slow, and by the time she had made it around the large loop of the walkway Ari had finished unlocking the door of Will’s cell, explaining the same overview of the situation in the process. They were just starting down when the explosion she’d been waiting for rattled the enclosed hall below, blowing out chunks of stone and cement. Dust plumed skyward and Ari looked for a certain blue shadow to emerge from its curtain.
Coughing, Cvareh didn’t disappoint her.
“Took you long enough!” she called over the increasing volume of shouts from the other prisoners.
“It’s not like you were waiting,” he noted as they reached the cement floor at the ground level.
“I can still judge you for taking that long to figure out a simple bomb.” The corner of her mouth twitched upward in what could dangerously be called a grin.
“Bent axles, what in the five is a Dragon doing here?” Will blubbered.
“He’s a friend,” she answered without a thought, stepping into the hall.
Cvareh’s golden eyes squinted at her. Arianna didn’t even need to turn her head to know his expression. She was just as shocked as he was. The word slipped out before she’d had time to think it through. He is nothing more than the Dragon who offered you a boon, Ari insisted privately.
A well-kept speedboat was docked in one of two open slots protected either side by rocky outcroppings. Arianna looked to her companions. “I trust one of you can captain this thing.”
Will and Helen’s heads snapped to face each other.
“Helm?” Will asked.
“You get engine.” Helen grinned in reply.
The two sprinted up the gangplank, assessing the ship as quickly as Ari did a clockwork machine. She had no doubt they already knew the top speed, drag, handling—everything about the vessel. Florence might not have been a born Raven, but from what she’d said of her friends, they were. And these were things that, once trained, were never forgotten.
“You sure it’s safe?” Cvareh followed her aboard. He took a step closer, adding softly, “To let them drive?”
