Oh shit.
There’s more head chatter but I don’t pay it any attention, just pull open the door and charge.
My centaur is close to erupting out of my skin, and the campus blurs as I whizz along. In under a minute, I’m charging down the basement stairs.
—They’ve broken into squads. They’re closing in.—Cosmo’s voice has a rare hint of panic.
—I can see them as well—Theo adds—Hurry—
I don’t know these tunnels, but my feet do. Left, straight, duck a low beam, right. The stone floor barely touches my soles. Speed is as natural as breathing.
Then I round a corner and hit a wall of light.
Ludo stands like a man-tower over the huddled group. “Give her to me!” I yell. I don’t slow down. I don’t negotiate. “Get yourselves safe back to wherever.” Without waiting for a reply, I snatch up the kid and keep going.
She lets out a startled yelp. “Sorry, kid. Needs must.”
Without being conscious of a decision, I head towards the aquatic center.
—Go under the diving pool— Alexis’s voice booms in my skull.—The water volume will amplify your signal and drown out hers.—
—Already on my way—
Literally, like a handful of seconds later I’m directly below the swimming pool and skid to a stop.
Seems like I’ve picked up some of Bully’s tunnel-sense from somewhere. Cool.
I plonk the little girl down onto the floor.
She’s tiny, wrapped in a Communis hoodie that’s thirty sizes too big.
I squat down on the floor next to her, ignoring the damp stone, and look at the girl. She’s clutching a wooden bird. No idea where that came from. Her small knuckles are white as she grips the hand-carved thing so hard.
"That's nice," I say, making my voice the most friendly it can be. “Do you know what kind of bird it is?”
I don’t get an answer, but she does release her grip on it slightly, almost as though she’s showing it to me. “Huh, looks like a kingfisher. Is that right?”
The kid keeps staring at her toes.
“Did you know kingfishers are great at hiding because they look like just another piece of the sky. Kind of like how dirty we aremakes us look like a part of the tunnel, right?" I point at the dust and grime on her legs and my pants.
The girl’s head tilts just a fraction. Her eyes are like those big jawbreakers candies you get at the fair. Those things are really too big for your mouth, and in the same way the girl’s eyes look way out of proportion with her face.
—Sparkles?—Max reports in. —I’ve got Willow, Ludo, and Dunc. We’re doubling back to Communis first then I’ll take Dunc to Defectivum. Guards missed us by a hair—
—Me and the kid are under the dive pool— I reply-all —Tell us when it’s clear to meet River—
—Is she OK?—Theo asks.
—Is she freaking?—Willow adds.
—All good here—
“I'm Donovan, by the way. What's your name, little bird?"
I don’t get an answer. The poor kid is terrified, she needs a distraction. "Imagine if a kingfisher was actually, like, bird royalty," I say, staring at her tiny fingers. "Would they be able to fly if they had to wear little crowns? And maybe they’d start taxing the other birds and shit. What would a bird palace look like?” I ask, warming to my topic. “Nests seem a bit too twiggy for the monarchy, don’t you think?”
I glance up at her and see her eyes are fixed on my face.
