A Country Falls (Greatest Thief 3)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The knights made moving through the river seem easy. None of them were wearing their big, bulky armour, but I had to imagine that the leather was still heavy. At first I tried to act like I wasn't having trouble. That lasted until Mandell offered me his arm, and I gratefully clung to him. In the darkness, I had trouble picking out the cave until we were nearly upon it. Kor and Ender, by far the best swimmers of the group, disappeared under the water. The rest of us waited quietly for their signal. It didn't take them long, although somehow it felt like it had been ages.

The rest of us moved into the cave and climbed out of the water. As Kor helped pull me out, I cast a quick glance towards the small guard room. Equal parts relief and confusion flooded through me to see it empty. There should have been guards.

At least there was no one to sound an alarm. I started towards the dark doorway, but Tannix reached out a hand to stop me. He looked like he wanted to say something. I did too, but there wasn't time. It felt almost like it had in East Draulin, before he'd ridden off with the army.

Although, we actually did have a bit of time, because the knights weren't going to move until I led them forward. I stepped closer and wrapped my arms around Tannix's waist. We were both soaked, but he still felt warm and comforting. The knights stood around, quietly trying to wring water out of their clothes.

After a moment, Tannix gently pushed me back and held me at arm's length. "Tomorrow, let's watch the sunset together. It's absolutely beautiful across the desert."

It was nice to pretend he could promise me something like that. I nodded. "That sounds amazing."

He leaned in and kissed me. It was quick, but we had already wasted time. I took a deep breath, trying to force my thoughts back in line. Then I pulled away from him and crossed to the door.

As soon as we started up the stairs we were plunged into darkness. I trailed a hand along the damp stone beside me as we climbed. Behind me, the knights really were trying their best to be quiet. They almost managed. Luckily, the hallway that the staircase opened into was empty.

Despite the missing guards downstairs, part of me was still surprised. Kassia had known exactly how I was getting out, and she was too smart to think I wouldn't tell anybody about a secret, barely guarded door. Things in the castle must have been more chaotic than I thought.

I pictured the halls in my head and led the knights deeper into the complex. The prison was eerily quiet. I kept expecting to see soldiers, and cautiously peered around every corner we came across. There was no one, and slowly, against my better instinct, I started to let my guard down.

I wasn't thinking when I crossed an intersecting hallway and caught sight of bodies to my right. I froze. I didn't want to look but it was hard to drag my eyes away from the three soldiers. How long had it been? The last few days were a jumbled mess in my head. Long enough that their blood had dried, black against the stone floor. Long enough that flies were crawling over them. Long enough that the hallway smelled. Why hadn't anyone moved them?

Jalor walked closer to inspect them. "I'd say about two days," he answered the unasked question. "I wonder if they're turning on each other. This might be easier than we thought."

I shook my head and willed my voice to keep steady. "No. It was us. Me, Castin and Kovin. We each killed one of them."

I didn't know what reaction I was expecting, but it wasn't for Jalor to nod briskly. "That timing fits. Still, very odd that they haven't been dealt with."

"Kalvahi's struggling to manage his men," Tannix said. "This is good."

I couldn't look at the bodies anymore. Just as I'd hoped, as soon as I started walking the knights followed. We continued on without crossing paths with any Deorans, and then the moment arrived.