Fateful Signs (Ballad of the Seer, Book Three)

Chapter 8 - Seeing the Light

It was still dark in the cell when Lily awoke again to a clicking sound. At first, she thought it was just in her mind. A remembered noise from her dreams. With her eyes shut tight, she listened to the room. There was a low humming from the ceiling, probably the heater warming the facility, which she hadn't noticed before now. A steady thump on the wall, shared by the next cell, had persisted since they were locked away. Always at three second intervals. The soft purring of Duncan's snores beside her, as he finally got some much needed sleep.

    Then, she heard it again. The clicking, followed by three quick beeps. The door gave way, opening just a crack, letting in the light from the hallway outside. Before she fell asleep earlier, someone had closed the shutter over the small window in the door that allowed them light - which was why they had gone to sleep in the first place. Now, Lily could see again. She removed Duncan's arm from across her stomach, laying it on his side, and, carefully, she got up. The tile floor was freezing to her bare feet. She crossed to the door, flattening herself against the wall beside it, to peek through the crack.

    From her vantage point, the hall looked clear, but that was only part of it - a part that dead-ended a few feet down from their cell. She would need to open the door if she wanted to see the other way.

    With her heart pounding rapidly in her chest, her pulse beat loudly behind her ears, Lily slipped her fingers through the crack in the door, opening it enough to stick her head out. Her hair fell over her shoulder as she leaned just far enough to check things out. The hall was empty, so Lily ventured outside her cell. Her hands trembled as she cautiously moved toward the only exit, not at all sure what she would do once she got there. She doubted she could overpower the guard outside; he was a big muscular man. And even if she could, she would not make it far beyond. There were dozens of guardians roaming around in the subterranean base. One of them would notice her.

    "Lily," someone whisper-screamed, startling her.

    Lily turned. Duncan was making his way toward her. Even his socked feet sounded too loud to her vigilant ears. "You almost gave me a freaking heart attack." she whispered when he drew closer.

    "Well, I didn't know what to think when I saw the open door and you were missing." Duncan said. "I had some seriously dark thoughts for a second there. How the hell did you even get out? Did you use magic?" His question was skeptical, because he knew that their cell would not allow that. Still, his curiosity made him ask.

"I didn't open it. It just happened."

    "Doors with locks like that," He pointed to the electronic box beside one of the cell doors, closest to them. SECURE was written across the top screen in bold red letters. "They don't just open."

    Lily looked back over her shoulder, to the door at the end, wondering. "Do you think someone in here is trying to help us?"

    "Or get us killed." Duncan suggested, offering a more rational explanation, dashing her momentary surge of hopefulness. "If they found us out here, they could shoot us and say that we escaped. No messy drawn out trials to deal with then."

    "Oh my God," Lily pushed her hair back out of her face, clutching a handful in the back as she thought about what he said. It made perfect sense. What better way was there for Camilla to get rid of her? And, like an idiot, she had walked right into the trap. "I'm such a moron." Her words came out too loudly and she threw her hand over her mouth. Lowering her voice to barely a whisper, she said, "We have to get back into that cell before someone finds us."

    He nodded, grabbing her hand. They moved as quickly as they could, while trying to stay quiet. Unfortunately, their efforts were in vain. Lily heard the whooshing of the door at the end of the hall being opened.