The One

TWENTYFIVE

They whispered overloud about the things they could do with the individual girls.
How they would secure Mere's hands or she'd take your eyes out.

Onida was trying hard to listen,
so she could at least form a plan in advance. She wasn't great on her feet.

Then she felt something,
she looked around to find Siu missing. Not just Siu, Mere was gone.
She looked around, seeing Libby's back, wanting to grab her as she got pulled down and away.

It was Teddy, he had a finger to his mouth as he carefully shut the floorboard.
Onida turned around to see Siu moving away.

She wanted to protest, they had to get Libby out of there but Teddy shook his head looking daggers at her.
The friendly young boy had changed in the few hours since this had all gone bad.
He actually shoved her and sternly pointed down the narrow space.

He was right, they had to move and fast.

They shuffled as fast and quietly as they could, to her relief an absolute maze of pathways was under the floor. She wondered how Siu and Mere were navigating.
But it meant that once they were deep enough in it? They'd be hard to find.

They ended up in a bit of a hallway, within the walls.
They had room now and Mere was holding a piece of rope.

Teddy whispered,
"We need to get as far away as we can, go!"

But Mere moved, giving the rope to Onida.
She embraced Teddy, surprising both Siu and Onida.

"Good boy, surviving this!" She said, stepping back from him.

"Learned from the best." He smiled.

She put a hand on his cheek,
"good, my little assassin, let's get going. Keep those daggers close."

Onida just decided to walk at that, she pulled on the rope a bit which regained tension and pulled her ever so slightly.

Someone was reeling them in.
Ivana! Onida thought.
Ivana was smart, this kind of rope smart.

It was a long way, with many turns and horrific little staircases.
They ran as much as they could, the spaces were so tight sound traveled poorly. Which gave a continuous claustrophobic feel, a feeling like they were right behind them.
Or at least could be.

She had felt they been underground and out of the council building for a while when a staircase up confirmed her suspicion. She ran up it, not waiting for the others.
If things were bad, she wanted to be the one to encounter it.

But instead she found a open hatchet she had to climb.
A big, cut up freckled arm lifted her out easily and she stumbled.

"Agnus!" She said.

He looked up at being addressed by his actual name by her.
Both of them looked around at a cry.
Siu had been pulled up by Kur and she was absolutely delighted by the fact he was still alive.

They started kissing right after her sobs and unintelligible words.

"Guys, there's two more people down here?"
She turned to see Morten standing with Ivana and a guard,
Morten not able to life apperantly.

"Kenan! Ivana!" Onida blurted out.
Completely scooting over Morten.
She ran and embraced Ivana.

Teddy and Mere were lifted out by Agnus, who looked at Teddy afterwards who shook his head.
He somewhat angrily threw the lid on the escape.

Morten whispered, "Was five not with you?".

Onida shook her head, looking concerned.

Morten walked over to Agnus, "Hey, at least she's not captured."

Agnus turned towards him, "Maybe she's being raped in the woods... "

The dark expression on Agnus's face made Morten swallow. He seemed to want to say something but was unsure.

Onida had to be honest this whole courtship nonsense hadn't been completely pointless.
Agnus seemed to live for Aya at this point, nearly bizarrely.
Siu and the Sand, Kur? Had legitimately fallen in some kind of love.
Mere had found a protegee in Teddy.
And Morten was a legitimate nice guy.

She looked at Ivana, who stood next to Kenan.
Her lips tight.

"Ivana," Onida started.

"They are both gone." She replied.

Onida nodded.

"I'm not sure how we made it out."

Both her and Ivana looked around at Kenan.
"I think most of the men I work with have... not."

He wasn't wrong.

Agnus moved, "They are going to put one and one together, they are going to look for my wolf."
He said, moving away from Morten.

"I don't know what you're all going to do, I suggest you seek safety. I have a girl and a couple of wolves to find." He said checking his weapons.

Onida protested, "My grandmother is in the middle of those man pretending to be a senile old lady. I can't leave-"

Agnus cut her off so strongly it was almost violent,
"hundreds of men sacrificed themselves today, for you. Think before you say more stupid shit"

" What am I supposed to do? Let her be murdered by an angry tyrans! What then is the point! " She snapped.

Agnus stepped at her, making her cringe back,
" I thought you were chosen for a reason. Because you had good values and half a brain on you! Get your head out of your ass!
You stand for something your grandmother would risk everything for!
And you are willing to throw it all away? So you may feel better!? " He spat.
" If that's the case, I can show you exactly what they plan to do with you for the rest of your life while telling you their vision of the world which you will allow them to realize if you go back! "

Onida swallowed, Agnus was a terrifying man suddenly.

Morten spoke, not in support either, " He's right. There's worse things than death. "
He sighed, "But, I will see if I can get Libby out. Maybe there's other people worth saving."

Kenan stepped forward, "Yes, let me join you."
Ivana winced,
Kenan looked back, "I have to"

Onida frowned at this little interaction, what was going on here?

"It's settled then," sniffed Agnus, "Teddy, Kur, One? Get them safe?" He gestured at Onida and Ivana.
"I'm going to look for Aya and you two are going back in? "

Morten nodded, Teddy made a sound of agreement while Kur clutched Siu against him.
Onida wanted to argue more but Agnus continued.

" When I find Aya and get her safe, I'm going after Ualan. "

" Who? " Asked Teddy.

" The big guy, the leader. " Agnus sighed.

At this there was some protest.
But Agnus rolled his eyes at all of it,
"He is going to rage around and start an all out war if we don't deal with this.
He's in the open now. We need to take this chance! "

They couldn't exactly argue, but Onida had preferred to strangle the nose-less creep in his sleep herself.

" We've been in one spot too long, they will eventually find their way here." Said Ivana.

Onida grunted in frustration, grabbed Ivana's hand and walked towards Teddy.
" Let's go people! We have shit to do! "