Eira couldn’t count on the Swords to help them. She couldn’t count on anyone to help them. They exploded out of the wall of fog and into the square of the Archives. Eira glanced around, heart beating hard in her throat, nearly making her sick from the sensation.
Where could they go? What could they do? Her instinct had been right—the Pillars were everywhere. They had infiltrated Lumeria’s knights and attendants. They had infiltrated the manor and the Archives. The whole city was under the oppressive gaze of the Champion and his nameless, faceless zealots.
“Stop them!” a knight shouted from behind them.
“This way!” Eira pulled her friends as she began running again, dropping their hands so she could pump her arms, praying they could keep up.
“Where are we going?” Noelle asked as Eira leapt off the first step of a stairwell she knew all too well by now.
“The one place where that man can’t see.”
“What? Who? Where?” Alyss panted.
“Trust me.” Eira glanced over her shoulder. “We’re going to have to take the long way to lose them.”
“Let me help.” Alyss flicked her hand over her shoulder and bars of stone rose from the ground, blocking the end of the stairwell as their feet crossed onto the steps below.
Eira swung right, trying to keep her bearings. As long as the Archives were behind her, and the castle was in front, she was headed in the right direction. Two more turns and they were out onto a major street. The three women darted across, heading down another alleyway.
“Hold—Hold—I—” Alyss didn’t get to finish. With one hand on her side and the other flat against a wall for support, she barely refrained from upending the contents of her stomach.
“Sorry for the pace,” Eira said guiltily, just as breathless and body aching.
“What in the Mother’s name is going on?” Alyss demanded.
“Those men were Pillars,” Eira said with confidence.
“Why else would they attack us?” Noelle seemed to begrudgingly agree.
“But they—” Alyss was interrupted by a shout echoing to them from the street.
“They went that way!”
Eira cursed. “Come on, we have to keep moving.”
“Where are we going?” Noelle demanded. “You said the manor’s not safe. And if they’re in the Archives…”
“I know somewhere we can lose them—Pillars and Swords. We can catch our breath and figure out next steps there.” Eira just hoped it was empty.
As they reached quieter, more rundown streets, the three slowed their pace. It was agonizing to move slowly, but running like they had hounds on their heels only made them more conspicuous. Eira’s eyes kept darting around just like when she had walked this path for the first time with Deneya. The Pillars could be anywhere—anyone.
When the doorway that connected to the secret passage between buildings was in sight, Eira heaved a sigh of relief. She skipped two steps over to the door and prayed the combination hadn’t changed.
It was the same.
“In here, quickly.” Eira closed the door behind Alyss, plunging them into momentary darkness.
A flame appeared over Noelle’s shoulder, illuminating them with the brightness of candlelight. “What is this place?”
“I can’t tell you.” Eira pressed her hand into her side, massaging away the pain. Noelle gripped her shoulder.
“They’re going to think we’re criminals now. We ran from the law.” Noelle shook her head and cursed. “Didn’t we just sayno more secrets? I think you owe us an explanation.”
“You don’t want to know what this place is.”
“I’m with Noelle.” Alyss straightened, finally catching her breath. “I’d rather know everything at this point, regardless of the danger.”
“You don’t know what you’re saying.” Eira ached all over and not just from their sprint through Risen. It hurt her to think about the web she was trapped in—that her friends were slowly but surely becoming further and further tangled in. Sooner or later, there’d be no way out for them.
