Goddess Of Ashes and Sun

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN (Titus)

After the woman, Shea or whatever her name was, left, we carefully made our way into the dank dark dungeons. The only sounds were of a woman whimpering softly and water dripping. I went up to the first cell and peered in. Inside was a man who looked to be in his early thirty with salt and pepper hair that fell across his face, obscuring it.

"Get the keys," I hissed at Pharaoh.

The man's head snapped up at the sound of my voice.

"Titus?" he croaked.

"Do I know you?" I asked.

The man winced as he tried to sit up. Chester snatched the key out of Pharaoh's hands and elbowed me out of the way.

"Grey?!" he hissed, jamming the key into the cell lock.

The man frowned. "Chester?"

"Yes it's me." Chester threw open the cell door and rushed to the man's side, "We're here to get you out of here."

"Chester, who is that, how does he know me?" I asked, a little on edge.

"Lemme guess, you never showed her your face to protect her, didn't you?" Chester said, sighing through his nose. Grey grunted.

"I wish you didn't take after me so much," Chester said, wrapping an arm around Greys waist and lifting. With a stifled groan, he stumbled to his feet. Chester tossed me the key.

"I will explain later, but for now, just go unlock everyone's cells, tell them to be quiet. Find out who can and cannot walk, and come back to tell me. Pharaoh, go with her, there are a few things I need to discuss with my friend Greyson here."

I nodded and grabbed Pharaoh.

"I'll unlock, you do inventory," I said and moved to the next cell door. Inside was a terrified young woman, as I moved on I heard Pharaoh explaining everything in a soothing tone. I mindlessly unlocked the next few cells, hardly even looking at the miserable people inside. I reached a cell with a distraught young man. I paused frowning at him. He squinted at me and lifted his left hand to show me the tattoo of a black triangle. The old mark of the Freenlander rebels. I turned to Pharaoh.

"He's a Freelander."

He nodded.

I turned back to my work. I'd reached the last cell, which was empty. I remembered what the woman had said about it possibly being a secret entrance. I quickly decided to unlock the other cells before checking it out.

When we had finished, we had the able-bodied waiting in a line, and the severely wounded sitting with their backs against the wall.

"Some of them might not make it," I whispered to Pharaoh.

"Don't tell them that." He glared at me, "Chester, we're ready to go, we still have to check that last cell, but we should hurry, we don't want to get caught."

Chester nodded. "Pharaoh, you stay here with them, try and talk to them, find out if there are any Freelanders here. Titus and I will go check out the last cell."

"Gotcha."

Chester and I quickly made our way to the cell. Inside looked to be the same as the others, perhaps damper.

"Can you see anything?" Chester asked, pressing a hand against a damp wall.

I closed my eyes and followed the maze of water droplets. It took a bit of searching, but eventually, I found the strongest and heaviest flow of water, and it was coming from...

"Something's above us."

Chester frowned. "Yeah, nice to know, but how do we get up there?"

I scowled at him. "I'm working on it."