“You won’t die tonight,” River says with confidence. “Nanny Spider is coming.”
I hear his footsteps a few seconds later, the tapping of multiple palms against the stone floor. I scramble to my feet and grip the iron bars. Timothy appears in the dim and narrow hallway. “Are you all okay?”
“Yes,” Lyla says. “You have a way of getting us out?”
“Remy gave me a key. He’s waiting for us at a place called The Morning Cliff.”
“Isn’t Remy working with the king?” I ask. “This might be another trap.”
“He’s working with me,” Lyla says.
We get ourselves free in less than a minute. Timothy says he snuck past the guards by the stairs after he’d created a distraction, but it will be harder to sneak on our way up.
“We don’t need any more distractions,” River says and runs up the stairs. We wait a minute, then climb up to find him standing next to three unconscious guards. I’m glad he didn’t kill them.
“Grab their weapons,” Lyla says. “The cliff is not far, but I’m the one who set up the alarm system around here. If we’re spotted, we’ll have a hundred guards after us in no time.”
I pick up a rifle, hating the weight of the thing. We follow Lyla through quiet hallways, staying clear of the ballroom area where servants should still be cleaning. Lyla walks with confidence, leading us through pathways and occasionally telling us to wait as she listens to movement up ahead. We finally reach the front garden, where there are too many guards for us to not get noticed. I wait with Timothy behind a bush while Lyla and River take care of the guards. They manage to do so without anyone firing a single shot. We continue walking low until we reach a path that curves around the mountain and turns into a steep climb. I can barely see a thing, but River holds my hand and guides me. We reach the cliff where Remy is waiting for us next to the ledge, holding a lamp. Behind him, the full moon is half covered by clouds. Two jetpacks are lying on the ground.
“I couldn’t carry more than these,” he says, his brow shiny with sweat.
“It’s fine.” Lyla picks one of the jetpacks from the ground and starts strapping it to my back, while the rifle I took is hanging at my front. “I’m staying here for now.”
“No!” River calls.
“Shh. I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for a long time, brother.”
“I… I don’t think it’s the right time,” Remy says, breathing heavily.
“I won’t be allowed to return here after today, so it’s either now or likely never. You’re ready for this, so put away your fear and follow the plan.”
“What’s the plan?” I ask, barely able to stand with the weight of the jetpack. It carries an unpleasant scent of fuel.
Lyla straps the second jetpack to River’s back. “The plan is to dethrone a king.”
I’m not sure I’ve heard her right. “What?”
“I told you that he’s been acting strange for the last year, but he’s also been making people disappear if they ask too many questions. I like this city, and I’m not about to let it fall because of a corrupt king.” She taps Remy’s shoulder. “We might have a new king soon.”
Remy rubs his face, looking ghostly under the light of the moon.
“Find us when you can,” River tells Lyla. “I can’t wait for you.”
“I know. You just make sure to—”
A shrill alarm cuts through the silence of the night.
“Took them long enough,” Lyla says and picks up Timothy from the ground. She hands him over to River.
“I don’t know how to fly a jetpack,” I say.
Lyla quickly explains to us how to hold the hand grips, how to make the jetpack go up, and how to land. She warns us about pushing the speed up to the max because it will make navigating difficult.
“River, you go first. Finn, you stay close to him and make sure to land wherever he’s landing. From up high, every shift in direction can end up with miles between you two. If you need to get free in a hurry, pull this buckle hard, but make sure you’re not too high, or it won’t end well.”
I try to take it all in, but there’s too much to remember. “Are you secured, Timothy?”
“I hope so, but your heart is beating too fast. Focus on remaining calm, like when you wake up.”
