Restored (A Caleo Selection)

29 ~ A Panic So Sudden

"They drew away a bunch of your forces," I reminded him. "It may not be that easy."

"I refuse to believe they'll succeed. One way or another, we win in the end." Leo paused. "I know they can cause a great deal of destruction..."

I shuddered. "Are the Selected safe? Thalia said you brought them all back here for safety precautions."

Leo winced. "Evidently that was unwise. After Sam's betrayal....we didn't want to take chances, even though we knew it would be incredibly awkward for the girls still remaining. We were so sure they'd never attack the palace directly..."

"Where are they?"

"I don't know," Leo answered, frustrated. "They were all staying on the second floor. I'm sure they've been rushed off to safe rooms, but no stronghold is a guarantee."

I leaned back against the wall, thinking of all the friends I'd made. Eliza, Lavinia, Juniper, countless more. All in grave danger. "Where would they be most likely to go, in case of an attack? What area?"

Leo frowned. "There's a large safe room at the bottom of the stairs by the east corner that's well-hidden. I would guess they'd have been brought there."

"But you don't know for certain."

"In an attack this sudden, I told you, we have no guarantee of anything." Leo tugged at his dark hair. "I don't even have any clue how they got so close to the palace grounds without being detected."

"I don't know," I said aloud. "I don't know."

Leo fidgeted with the edge of his suit jacket. "I don't like being trapped in here without any means of communication. If I could -- " he froze.

I snapped my fingers in front of his face. "Leo?"

He jerked forward, his hands in fists. "I've got to help them."

"What?"

"That's it. I have to -- I could turn the outcome of this whole fight," he murmured. "I've got to get out there."

"They'll kill you on sight!" I exclaimed.

Leo wasn't paying attention to me. If the room was large enough, he would've been pacing. "North passage, west stairs..."

"Talk to me, Leo!"

"I have to leave. I have to go help. There's something I can do that would even the odds." Leo grasped my wrists suddenly. "Promise me you'll stay here."

My jaw dropped. "I'm staying with you!"

"No. You can't. Stay here, okay? I'll come back to you. I promised, remember?" He pressed a kiss to my forehead, and then released me, snatching up one of the guns. "Do me a huge favor and stay alive."

He'd slid the door shut before I could even register he was gone.
I screamed into my arm, my teeth clenched. Jerk.

It took me a minute to pull myself together. Once I had, I picked up a .380 myself and readied myself to leave. Pressing an ear against the outer door, I heard a wall that caused my stomach to drop. Opening the same door Leo had exited through, I slipped into a darker, dustier tunnel.

Feeling my way through, I considered going back for a flashlight, but decided it wasn't worth it now. I kept on half-walking, half-crawling with my hand tracing the wall until I felt a ridge under my fingers. I stopped and listened again. Heading nothing, I messed with the cracks of the door until something clicked and it swung outwards.

I froze, praying I hadn't opened it right into a group of rebels. Thankfully, the room was empty.

Hauling myself out, I dusted off my pants, taking in the area. Apparently I'd stumbled upon a small parlor of some kind, with several couches, chairs, and paintings. The door to the hallway was shut, but I could hear the pounding of feet running by.