Gilene had always walked out of the maze of hallways through the main entrance, but she’d been one woman with the benefit of an illusion spell to aid her. Getting a large group of people out without being noticed required another plan.
Bird Woman raised her hand. “I do. There’s an even lower level than this one that can be reached through a storage chamber. It’s from when the first capital stood, when it was still just a fortress. Three tunnels lead outside the walls. Two are impassable, full of rubble. The third is narrow, and you have to crawl in places, but you can get out of the city that way.”
One of the other women spoke, her tone and expression both hopeful and suspicious. “Are you certain?”
A shadow passed over the shade speaker’s features, a grief blunted but not gone. “My father was once a Pit gladiator imprisoned in the catacombs. He told me.”
Gilene wondered whether such knowledge had been passed on while the woman’s father was alive or if she spoke to his shade the way she’d spoken to Pell’s. “If I could get us out of this cell, could you lead everyone to the tunnels and out of the city?” At the other’s nod, a spark of hope ignited.
“You don’t have a key!” one not-so-helpful voice chimed in.
“No, but I know of a way to get it. We’ll have to work together, and I’ll need one of you to scream as loud as you can.” Her gaze settled on the woman whose shrieking had brought the guard and his threats in the first place. She bowed her head and hunched her shoulders, doing her best to make herself as small as she could.
“That will bring the guard back,” another woman said.
Gilene nodded. “I’m counting on it.”
A tall woman, of similar height to Gilene, sporting vibrant red hair streaked with gray, stepped forward. “I’ll do it. The gods know I’ve had plenty of practice with that worthless husband of mine.” She grinned.
The woman who warned of the guard’s return frowned at Gilene. “Why don’t you scream instead of her? This is your idea.”
“I don’t have a strong enough voice.” And she needed it in working order to invoke her illusions. She glanced at the redhead. “Scream as loud as you can. When the guard arrives and demands to know who’s making noise, I’ll say it’s me.”
“What will you do?” Bird Woman stood in front of her now.
“What I should have done a long time ago.” Gilene gestured to the hallway beyond the cell’s bars. “Which way to the tunnels?”
Bird Woman pointed straight down the hall. “Two cells past these and then to the right. A short passage leads to a row of storerooms. At least it did then. The last one takes a person to the tunnels.”
“Is it guarded?”
Bird Woman paused, as if listening. “No.”
Someone in the crowd protested. “We’ll die if we try to escape!”
Bodies moved out of the way until Gilene had a clear view of the frightened speaker, a young girl, no more than fourteen. She stared at Gilene, face pale with terror.
Gilene wished she could offer something more encouraging to buoy the girl’s courage. But there was only hard truth to cling to if they had any hope of making it out of the catacombs alive.
“We will die if we don’t try. If we stay in this cell and do nothing, we won’t see the sun set today.” The girl blanched even more and whimpered. “I wish I could tell you otherwise.”
The redhead came to stand next to the shade speaker. “What do you want us to do?”
Gilene’s heart beat hard in her chest. Fear, resolve, even a sense of relief. These women and children might survive today. She would not, but she would die knowing that at this Rites of Spring, she helped people to live instead of to die.
“Remember your instructions,” she said. “Most important, back well away from the door, no matter what.” She pretended not to see the curious looks those peculiar words inspired. She turned to Bird Woman and the redhead. “I’ll get the key. Once I have the door open, lead the others to the tunnels. I’ll take up the rear and hold off any guards who might give chase.” She didn’t have much hope they’d follow her next directives, but she had to try. “If you face a guard or guards at the storerooms, you will have to kill him. He can’t get away. You can’t just injure him. He’ll warn others. You kill him. Or them. Whatever it takes.”
The redhead’s stare raked her. “And you plan to guard our backs? By yourself? You don’t look like a warrior. How do you plan to hold off a couple of Kraelian guards?”
Magic burned under her palms, eager, waiting. “You’ll know soon enough.”
Gilene glanced at the movement of the shadows created by the sunlight spilling across the wall. It grew brighter with each passing moment. It wouldn’t be long before midday arrived and a retinue of guards came for the sacrificial tithes. She nodded to the redhead, whose first shriek made everyone wince and clap their hands over their ears. The small children and babies, frightened by the noise, added their voices to the cacophony.
The woman even rattled the cell bars for emphasis, all the while wailing at the top of her voice, “Let me out! Let me out! I’ll die in here! Let me out!”
As Gilene had hoped, the guard who had threatened them earlier returned, rounding the corner of the corridor, his face savage, the whip already half-unfurled. Gilene waved the women back and took the redhead’s place at the bars. She lowered her head and whispered a spell under her breath before raising her head again to meet the guard’s furious gaze. Shocked gasps rose behind her.
What had been simple rage instantly changed to feral lust. Gilene’s illusion spell had done its job, transforming the plain mask she wore to a visage of breathtaking beauty, even through the layer of grime covering her.
She rattled the bars as the redhead had done. “Please,” she cried out in her most plaintive tone, hoping to coax him closer. “I can’t stay in here. Just a moment in the hallway. I’ll do anything.”
He couldn’t unhook the key ring off his belt fast enough, fingers fumbling as he cursed his clumsiness. “A moment, no more. And I’ll put that mouth of yours to better use than screaming me deaf.”
The whip unfurled at his side as he unlocked the cell door and pulled it open. His bleary-eyed glare swept the cell’s occupants. “The rest of you stay there and keep quiet.” With that, he grabbed Gilene’s arm and yanked her out of the cell, slamming and locking the door behind her.
Several gasps echoed in the hallway, and Gilene prayed no one would give away their plan. She had kept her part of it mostly secret for just that reason. She stumbled after him as he led her toward the center of the corridor, the grip on her arm unyielding. He finally stopped and turned to face her.