Nakasi climbed the arrows she had embedded into the wall, marveling at their toughness. Secretly, she had doubted that they would hold her weight, but luck had come through for her once again.
Up on the surface, the hornet's nest had burst open. Helicopter noises slashed through the air, and Nakasi could hear the gunshots and screams echoing against the roof of the jail hut.
This wasn't as much chaos as she had hoped for to cover her escape, but she wasn't about to sit down and wait for a better chance. Ramuldari the native climbed just beneath her, with that Saber, Keesha Slide, bringing up the rear.
Now Nakasi clung to an arrow she had stuck in the wall of the pit, while her feet balanced lightly on a second one a little below. Frantically, she dug at the dirt on the wall above her, sending dust and pebbles showering down on the women beneath her, until she had enough of a hole for her to stick the next arrow in. She tested it, making sure it wouldn't give under her weight, then kept climbing.
"Nakasi," whispered Ramuldari. "I've got your next arrow up here. Take it."
Nakasi reached down, and a shaft pressed into her palm. The three prisoners were pulling out the bottom arrows as they climbed past them. It was the only way for their meager supply to get them all the way to the top.
Nakasi kept her balance as she scraped out the next hole in the wall, feeling the same cold tension she did when she had an arrow at full draw on her bow. With a grunt, she embedded the next arrow in the wall and climbed up a step.
Only four more arrows, it seemed, before they could reach the top, and so far the guard hadn't made any signs that she had noticed. Nakasi scraped at the dirt some more, ignoring the soreness in her left-hand fingers, and planted another arrow.
She had made enough holes in the wall that she didn't have to think about it. On their own, her hands went through the motions: scrape, push, climb. Her fingers stung more, her muscles became a little weaker, and she gritted her teeth a little harder and went on.
Finally, she was just finger-widths beneath ground level. Before she grabbed the edge of the hole and pulled herself out, Nakasi grabbed her next arrow from Ramuldari and tested its head. It was one of her broadheads, just as she had hoped.
As if she were about to make a shot, she breathed deeply. Then she yanked herself up, grabbed the side of the hole and pushed up with her legs. She took one moment to see the guard sitting in the corner, staring concernedly out at the embattled jungle. The guard saw Nakasi and started. She reached for her gun.
Not fast enough. Nakasi leaped on her, arrow clenched in her fist. Nakasi's empty hand clamped over the woman's mouth and the other hand drove the arrow into her throat. The Mauve arched her back like they always did, and her hands shot out at Nakasi, instantly forgetting the gun. The Mauve's jaw locked open, trying and failing to scream, then she started trembling.
Any minute, Nakasi expected the Mauve to lose her strength, but this one was tough. Her fingers pried at Nakasi's hands, then swiped at her throat. Through it all, Nakasi stayed patient. She twisted the arrow, then yanked it out, pulling it straight up so it wouldn't make too much of a mess. A few more seconds, and the Mauve finally began to tremble. Her muscles relaxed, and she expired.
"Got her," said Nakasi, standing up. "It's been a while since I've done that." She snatched up the guard's rifle and knelt by the hole. Reaching in, she helped up Ramuldari, who pulled up Keesha slide.
In the lamplight, Nakasi got her first good look at Ramuldari. Before, Nakasi had pictured her as prim and aloof, just like every other native. Instead, her filthy, knotted hair blended into her ratty clothes, making her look just as pitiful as any vagrant.
