Sadra says nothing, her face completely impassive. But I know her well enough to see that she has no idea what Cimari is talking about. She keeps her eyes on Cimari, carefully not looking at me. I stand frozen, afraid that the slightest movement will draw Cimari's attention. Her eyes flick my my way despite--or maybe because of--our efforts, and I back away.
"You," Cimari breathes. She looks at Sadra. "And you. But why...the thrall?"
"You have no authority here," Arismendi jumps in, glaring at Cimari.
"I am a member of the House," Cimari says, her eyes still burning into mine. I hold her gaze, though my insides are quivering like jelly.
"The House of Light and Shadow does not rule the Empire," Arismendi snaps. "Or the Garden, or the palace, or me."
Cimari laughs unpleasantly, an ugly sneer on her lips.
"But it does," Cimari says with a smirk. "It always has. You were only too stupid to see it--and too stupid to see what's right under your nose, it seems. Run along, now. This one comes with me. It's caused me enough trouble."
Cimari grabs me by the arm, only to stumble backwards and fall to the ground as if tased. Ari lowers her hand, a self-satisfied look on her face. I look closely and see that a glimmer of light sparkles around her fingers.
"Stars above," Sadra says, prodding Cimari's body with her foot. "Did you kill her?"
"No," Arismendi says, almost regretfully. "Come on--quickly, before she wakes up. I hate to say it, but she's right. With Councilor Orean in charge, the House Premier might as well sit on the throne."
Arismendi leads us down the hall and gestures for us to enter a chamber. Sadra and I step through and she closes the door behind us. When I see who sits stiffly in a chair facing us, I gasp and instinctively reach for the door handle. Arismendi stops me.
"You!" Ismeni gasps, staring at Sadra. She doesn't even look at me. "You helped him, didn't you! You horrible girl--"
"Why does everyone think I've done something?" Sadra cries exasperatedly. "And what is it I'm supposed to have done?"
"Don't bother pretending," Ismeni says. "As if trying to ruin Cimari's career wasn't enough--"
"What in the ten hells are you talking about?" Sadra demands.
"There's no time for this," Arismendi says briskly. "We need to leave. Now."
"How do you propose we do that?" Ismeni sneers. "Even you can't just dance out of the palace with a condemned assassin."
"Actually, I can," Arismendi tells her. "But we're not going out through the palace--we're going under it. I had them put you in here for a reason, my brother's inexplicable beloved. Look."
With our help, Arismendi shifts a heavy chest aside and pushes a stone block into the wall until it reveals a hole large enough to crawl through. It must lead into the tunnels, I realize. Luca said that his sister is the only one who knew them as well as he does...aside from the Prince.
"Go on, then," Arismendi says, gesturing to the hole.
"You can't possibly be serious," Ismeni says, looking at the hole with incredulous distaste.
"I assure you, I am," Arismendi says coldly. "Unless, of course, you would rather be put to death for my brother's murder. If that's the case, we will bid you farewell and good riddance and be on our way."
Ismeni glares at her and gathers her skirts up with great dignity before crawling through the space. I go next, then Sadra, then Arismendi. I find that there's room to stand a few feet in. Ismeni waits for us with a ball of light in her hand, tapping her foot impatiently. I wonder if she's scared. She doesn't look it--she just looks irritated.
"Where are we going?" Ismeni wants to know once we're all through. "Is there a second part to this grand escape of yours?"
"It's your escape, not mine," Arismendi points out. "I only promised my brother I'd get you all out--what you decide to do after that is up to you. Throw yourself off a cliff if you like. Let's go. It's not far."
"Why do you hate her so much?" I whisper to Arismendi as we creep through the tunnels. "I thought you said it was the House that killed the Prince?"
"I don't know," Arismendi sighs, laughing a little. "I've never liked her. I get...feelings, sometimes, and they're nearly always right. Which reminds me, I must ask for your forgiveness. I convinced Coran to tell me--and Costi--about you. I knew he was hiding something important. I knew--I know--you are important. We're all wrapped up in it together--it's hard to explain. And now...now I wonder if I had it all wrong. If I hadn't said anything, would Costi..."
"Don't think that," I say, squeezing her arm. "It's the House's fault and no one else's."
But what she says gets me thinking. If she hadn't said anything, Luca might have kept my presence a secret and we wouldn't be in this situation. This is true, though I would never say that to her. But what if I had said something? What if I had trusted Luca enough to tell him everything? He would have understood why I couldn't involve his brother. He would have understood why I had to leave.
What if this is actually all my fault? I try to take my own advice and put the blame where it really belongs, but it's hard, especially since a nasty little voice in my head still insists that it was the Prince himself who ruined everything. I was so close to leaving...
"Coran!" Arismendi calls, and runs forward.
Luca catches her in his arms, dripping water all over her, but she doesn't seem to mind. She clings to him, her slim shoulders shaking. Luca holds her tightly, tears glistening in his eyes. I look away. Their brother is dead because of me. Finally, Arismendi steps away and wipes her eyes.
"Lucoran will guide you from here," she says. "I have to go. Guards are coming, and they can't find me with you. As it is, it will be my word against Cimari's and I honestly don't know whose counts for more."
"Goodbye," I say softly.
"And thank you," Sadra adds, touching Arismendi's arm. "We won't forget."
Arismendi smiles at her. "I know. Goodbye for now. We'll meet again one day."
"Ari, you have to go," Luca tells her. "Be careful."
"You be careful," his sister retorts, but she hikes up her skirts and dashes away into the darkness.
"Let's go," Luca mutters to the rest of us. "We need to hurry."
"Why are you all wet?" Sadra asks suspiciously as we follow Luca further into the tunnel.
"You'll see," he says cryptically. "Be quiet."
"Secret," I murmur. Luca's shoulders stiffen, but he doesn't look back.
Soon I can hear rushing water, though I can't see anything but the damp stone of the tunnel walls. I realize with a stab of fear that I also hear voices echoing faintly in the passage behind us. I exchange a wide-eyed glance with Sadra and walk more quickly.
"Here," Luca says finally. His light falls on the edge of a lake much like the one I still think of as ours. "Get in."
"And go where?" Ismeni demands.
"There," he says. He points to a space between two bulges in the cavern wall. "There's a passage beneath the surface. You need to go through it to the other side."
We all stare at him in horror. He can't mean it.
"It's only a few feet long," he says impatiently. "You'll be fine."
"This is absurd," Ismeni snaps. "There must be another way--"
"There isn't," Luca says. "Now, go!"
"But--"
"Go!" Luca roars, and turns to meet the three guards rushing toward us.
Ismeni's eyes widen and she plunges into the water without further protest. Sadra and I follow, and the three of us grope our way along the cavern wall, trying to find the passage. Luca's light doesn't reach us. It floats above his head as he moves away from the edge of the lake and onto the flatter ground of the tunnel.
I stifle a gasp as a knife flies from Luca's hand and into the throat of one of his rapidly approaching attackers. I didn't even realize he had the knife. Sadra tugs at my arm, hissing at me to keep moving. I follow her blindly, my eyes fixed on Luca as he scoops up a rock and flings it right at the second guard's eye. He ducks under the guard's sword and smashes his head into the man's chin, pushing them both into the path of the third guard.
"Sasha," Sadra says urgently into my ear. "You go next--Ismeni's already gone. Sasha!"
"You go," I tell her, tearing my eyes away from Luca. "Go! I'll be just behind you."
"You'd better be," she warns me. "Or I'm coming back and dragging you by your ears."
Sadra takes a deep breath and disappears beneath the inky surface after one last, stern look. I turn back just in time to see Luca snatch his knife from the body of the first guard and plunge it into the stomach of the third. He crouches over the body, panting. His eyes glow like an animal's in the dim light.
"Go," he says harshly. "Go now."
I go.