Beneath the Blood Moon

Chapter Five: A Helpful Hint

That little twat.

Nnandi was back in her quarters, pacing. Back to where she started from, but somehow energized. Sarai's disappearance, or her escape, was more than a little inspiring. The girl managed to use the same distraction and timing to make her move. She was quiet about it too, from what Nnandi figured. No guards or other Ram suspected she would make such a play.

There was a bit of anger on the back of her awe.

She could have told Nnandi-

But no, I wouldn't let her.

Biting her lip, Nnandi recalled the times Sarai followed her around, a puppy begging for attention. All the times Nnandi gave her the slip in the farajah, refusing to acknowledge the girl's burning gaze and death grip on her arm. There were plenty of signs. And plenty of times it seemed she wanted to include Nnandi in on her plans of escape.

Shit.

Nnandi plopped down onto her bed and drew her legs up under her body, trying to generate some kind of warmth. Since hearing the news, she'd had a chill that refused to let go. Something disquiet in the pit of her stomach that spread out and into her bones. A certainty that the girl was in trouble and on her way to being dead in a less productive way.

I've got to get out there to her.

With Sarai's escape, there was no more wiggle room on the security detail. There was even a guard posted out in the hallway. She could travel within the comfort of the farajah, but any attempt to exit would probably be met with the lowest levels of force tolerated in the coven. Still much more than she was certainly capable of enduring with her pride intact. And with Carthage as her personal attendant, there was even greater chance of suffering on her part.

The silent giant had never said anything cruel or otherwise to her, but made it known, in his own way, he wasn't fond of her or her kind. There had to be a way.

Pacing the floor, Nnandi traced over her own steps that night. There was only a finite amount of time that Sarai could have had to escape, and only so many exits would have provided her the freedom to leave the building. The exit Nnandi took was one, and the other was sealed off for construction. If she had left through that part of the building at that time, they would have seen each other.

There's another way.

In all her years in that building, Nnandi knew every inch of it by heart. The only areas she hadn't stalked were a handful of bedrooms that were either frequently occupied or closed for maintenance. There was always some form of work being done on the building, add-ons and new amenities to make their "stay" more "comfortable".

Sarai hadn't had time to explore the house in its entirety, not like Nnandi had. Which meant her options were limited. The way she escaped from the building was most likely in her room. It was one of the few Nnandi wasn't familiar with, despite being a floor above it.

That's where I'll start.

She crossed the floor and went for the door, only to stop on the balls of her feet, hand on the doorknob.

There was no way that her room wasn't filled with Sentinels investigating. Searching for the very thing she needed. And there was no way that she would be allowed near the traitor's living quarters to poke around. Her body went numb as she slumped against the door, pressing her forehead against the cool wood. It was only getting more and more difficult. With every second, more eyes would focus on her and the certainty that Sarai was in danger nestled deeper in her thoughts.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Sh-

That was it. The idea swung down on her in a violent fit of brilliance. Backing away from the door, she steadied herself in the middle of her room and closed her eyes. The only sound filling the space was that of her deep breaths. In and out, in and out, until the world stilled under her feet. It was the same, simple magik she'd used in the library. Starting a small fire. She felt it burning in her fingertips, quicker than before.