Florian nodded, trying to keep his manner calm as his thoughts raced. This certainly wasn’t good, but they also didn’t have the time to fret about it. They’d gotten what they came for. Now they needed to get out before the trap closed around them.
“Come on,” Florian said. He didn’t stop to see if Yvette followed him as he led them back to the stairs, though he could sense her there behind him.
He stopped for a moment at the end of the hall and listened before emerging. A wise precaution. A lucky one. Florian flattened his back against the wall, and Yvette mirrored him only a second before a crowd of guards raced past them down the steps.
Thank the Fate that none of them decided to look back.
Once they were gone, all but the echoing of hurried footsteps, Florian turned back to Yvette.
Her brown eyes were wide, terrified.
Florian slipped on a smile. “That will be our exit party,” he said, hiking Keira back into his arms. “Best not keep them waiting, eh?”
Yvette swallowed and nodded, resolve masking her fear.
Florian didn’t waste another second before he was on the stairs. They ran, not bothering to hide the sound of their steps. Their endeavor could no longer rely on stealth. Their escape would be a matter of speed. Prisoners on either side of the passage began to notice them, calling out curses and cheers and pleas that all blended into noise as they circled down and around. It seemed like they’d be descending forever when Florian heard a shriek behind him. He turned at once.
Yvette had fallen, one of the prisoners holding her cloak in a tight grip. Florian saw no more than a filthy outstretched hand. He stilled, prepared to set Keira down and draw his thin sword when Yvette drew the borrowed knife from her belt. She slashed out, cutting her attacker’s wrist with a yell. They released her, and she scrambled to her feet, dagger still in hand.
She did not wait for him before taking off at their original pace. Around and down they went again, through calls and threats and shrieks of madness. Until they came face to face with what Florian had dreaded. Four guards emerged from the side hall just ahead of them.
There wasn’t time to think as he handed Keira over to Yvette, who struggled under the unexpected weight. He put himself between them and the guards, who were already arming themselves with their clubs. Florian drew his slender blade.
The first came at him, all bravado, no grace. Florian easily dodged his clumsy swing. However, while his focus was torn, another took the opportunity to strike, bringing their clubdown hard on his shoulder. Instinctively, his nondominant arm cradled inward as he planted his foot into his attacker’s chest, sending the guard stumbling back down the steps into their companions. Florian lashed out with his rapier, knocking aside an oncoming club only to take the opening to land a disabling blow to his gut. The guard staggered against the wall, concerning himself with stopping the bleeding as the others rallied.
Having found his rhythm, Florian deflected their swings, his motions barely registering as he kept them at bay. Their predictable blows did not strike him, but outnumbered as he was three to one, they were driving him back, first one step, then another. He was too much on the defensive. Eventually, they would break through to threaten Yvette or Keira.
Florian gritted his teeth, pushing a second wind into his constant motions. His left side rewarded him with a dull roar of pain that flared and lingered on the edge of his senses.
He raised his rapier to parry another blow, but it never came. Midswing, his opponent was flung suddenly backward, losing her footing as she began to fall, tumbling down the stairs. Florian barely caught a flash of movement before the next looked down at his chest and the blade protruding from it in horror. But a glance was enough.
Florian dispatched the third and final guard as Knox pulled his blade free.
“What are you doing here?” Florian asked.
“You’re taking too long. We need to move,” Knox said. He was already striding over to Keira and hoisting her easily into his arms.
Of course, it was obvious Florian wouldn’t be capable of carrying her, not as he cradled his injured shoulder. The swelling pain was already spreading down his arm. The joint was likely dislocated.
Knox turned and led the way back down the stairs without another word. The guards on the floor were bleeding liberally, though it was clear at least two of them were not dead. As they continued, the scent of fresh sea air grew stronger as the passage opened to a large cavern. There had been an iron gate barring the way, but it hung open. What lay beyond was chaos.
The cavern itself was home to a small crescent of rock surrounding a sheltered bay. Beyond the mouth, the channel was visible, though it was blocked by an iron portcullis. There were two dinghies tied off in the bay. Just before them, Rhea and Gareth were sheltering behind an upturned rowboat that was embedded with at least a dozen arrows. They were surrounded by their recent kills.
“Knox,” Rhea shouted the moment she caught sight of him. “The archers!”
Florian followed his gaze to the slats cut into the rock on the far wall above them, a perfect vantage over the bay. Without hesitation, Knox held Keira closer to his chest. He dashed for cover, reaching the shelter of the boat only after two arrows clattered against the stone, missing him by a matter of inches. He set Keira down and immediately drew his bow.
“Florian, get the gate up!” Rhea’s command stole his attention just before Knox stood and fired.
He did not wait to see if his arrow found its mark. Florian dashed for the tip of the crescent, to the gate mechanism. He slipped twice on the slick stones, but he did not falter in his pace. Thankfully, his destination was relatively sheltered from the archers by the masts of the ships in the dock.
Florian put his weight into the gear that raised the portcullis, it moved reluctantly beneath him. His shoulder flared so painfully that he was forced to release his effort, hissing as the mechanism shifted back into place.
“Let me help,” Yvette sounded beside him breathlessly.
Panic overwhelmed his pain as he looked to see Yvette was not safely with Rhea and Gareth, who were now beginning to untie one of the small ships as Knox continued to fire on the archers whenever they dared to show their face.
He had no time to argue and wasted only a second on his fears. She was already taking a firm hold of the gear. Florian set himself against it, and together they pushed. With her help, it moved easier, but the agony that ignited over his shoulder flared as horribly as before. He gritted his teeth and pushed through as the gate broke the surface of the water.
