Flame (Fireborn) (38 page)

"You okay?"
she asks softly, stopping to wait for me. Her voice is huskier, and
my eyes travel to her lips, wondering if it's to blame.

"Yes. Chloris,
this is crazy. Are we really escaping?"

"Yes," she
replies firmly. "We are." She takes my arm, and pushes me
along. Never in a million years did I ever think Chloris would be the
aggressor in our escape, but her firm hands guiding me forward is
unmistakable.

When I look at her, a
hundred questions fly through my mind, but deep down the question
burning the brightest inside is how can I move on from the memories
of this desolate prison? I'm terrified when I close my eyes, I'll
never really leave this place even if my body is a thousand miles
away. I shake my head, trying to bury the secret fear.

"What about the
rest of them?" I suddenly ask, realizing how briskly we're
passing by the cells.

Chloris doesn't meet my
eyes. "Um-"

"We can't take
them with us," Nymphora answers for her, coming from behind.
"Enough talking." She brushes by me. "We have a prison
to break out of."

"No." I stop,
touching Chloris's hand. "We can't leave them. It's inevitable
they'll go to the crystal."

She looks torn.
Nymphora glares at me. I ignore her.

"I've seen what
the crystal is, Chloris. It's horrible; more terrifying than you can
imagine," I whisper fierce and fast. "You get
sucked
in. Your whole body melts into the crystal. You
become
a part
of the crystal."

She looks horrified.

"We can't leave
them." My eyes scan the corridor even as I hear Nymphora object.
"There has to be a button or something to open the cell doors,"
I press. Our doors always opened at the same time in the morning.
"There's a control room somewhere."

"This is
ridiculous, Kenna!" Nymphora explodes. "We're risking our
lives for people who will never do the same for us."

"We're not walking
away." I look her straight in the eye.

"I know for a fact
any human in there would turn me over to the Saguinox in a second,"
she hisses.

"Not me," I
answer quietly.

"What are you
ladies doing?" Kaiden rushes back to us. He gestures ahead.
"Keep moving."

I shake my head. "We
have to get the rest of the prisoners out."

He raises an eyebrow,
but doesn't object right away like I expect him to. "That's
probably going to get us killed."

"Probably, but
maybe not."

He chuckles.

I'm confused.

"Danger, and a
high chance of death with a flurry of blood," he muses. "All
right. I'm in. "

"
What?
"
Nymphora shrieks.

Chloris looks worried.

I nod. "Let's find
a way to open the doors and take any who want to go with us. Do you
know if they have a control room of some sort?"

"Not that I saw,"
he answers.

"We don't have
time to go around searching for something we're not even sure is
here, Kenna." Nymphora's trying to be calm.

She's right, but I
can't leave. It'll haunt me forever if I do.

"Where do the
guards sleep?" Chloris asks.

"On the other
wing," Kaiden answers.

"I'll, um, kiss
whatever guards are here, and we'll just try not to make so much
noise when we break them out," Chloris suggests.

"What are we going
to use to break them out?" I ask. Then, "Kaiden, is there a
storage room of weapons somewhere?"

"Probably, but I
don’t have access to it."

"So let's think
about this," Nymphora's sarcastic voice breaks in. "We have
no time, no access to equipment, no weapons, and no way of getting
everyone to safety. Still think this is a bright idea?"

I gasp.

"What?"
Chloris looks around frightfully.

"Actually, I have
something that might help us," I say slowly. Turning to Kaiden,
I ask, "can you take me to the caves?"

"How are Braxi
crystals going to help us?"

"Braxi crystals
won't help us," I reply. "But sledgehammers might."

Kaiden leads us, his
lean body like a beacon through a storm. I wonder how long he's been
here, and why I haven't noticed him before. Even in the darkness, he
doesn't hesitate, strategically walking through corridors and rooms
like he's studied their interior for days. There is an antique
pitcher of some kind in one room. He pretends to knock it over. We
all freeze in absolute terror until he catches it before it can drop
and make a sound.

"We don't have
time for that!" Nymphora hisses.

Kaiden only grins at
us, wiggling his eyebrows humorously.

He takes us through
mostly bare and grim spaces that look similar to the cells we've been
locked in.

"This building
used to be a storage warehouse," he explains.

It makes sense. Each
cell is small enough for someone to rent storage space.

"It was bare when
the Saguinox bought it, but they didn't really bother doing much with
most of it. Just the bathrooms." He gestures around. "Whatever
is finished has been done by the prisoners and the Saguinox slaves.
Like this room."

He opens a door.

We enter what probably
had been a meeting room. I'm instantly reminded of the bath room from
earlier in the day.
This must be the room for men.
Cream
colors adorn every inch of space, but the décor isn't feminine. Lush
paintings depict Saguinox warriors in tightly fitted metal armor
defeating their enemies. A scene shows a Saguionox man standing over
a headless corpse, holding the mutilated head of his opponent in one
hand, and a small pale sheet in the other. Passing by, I'm offered a
closer look and I take it, scrutinizing what sort of sheet he could
be holding. When I realize what it is, I feel sick to my stomach.

Skin.

He's holding pieces of
skin.

I look away, trying to
erase the gruesome sight from my head.

Shower stalls are to
the left of us, and instead of a Greek fountain there's a small
sitting area with masculine chairs neatly set up side by side. There
are a few wash spots where people can clean their hands and feet with
scented oils.

"They haul all
this stuff in their ships," Kaiden informs us. "They drop
it here for the prisoners to set up. The crystal was the last thing
to arrive. That's why you're digging for Braxi crystals instead of
playing maid."

"All this work for
a bathroom?"

"Saguinox culture
values cleanliness," Kaiden answers. Chloris and Nympohora don't
look interested because they probably already know this information.
"Cleanliness before meals, or ceremonies, even before death.
They believe in purity of the blood, body, and soul." His hand
gestures to encompass the entire room. "As you can see this
thought lends itself to their prisons, too."

"So they're
basically alien germaphobes," I summarize.

"
Bloodthirsty
alien germaphobes," Kaiden corrects with a grin.

"Are you sure the
cameras are all down?" Chloris breaks in.

"Of course. The
cameras aren't here anyway," Kaiden replies, motioning us to
keep moving.

I'm stunned. "They're
not afraid of us at all," I say.

"No," he
agrees. "This place is nothing to them. You're here because they
need a couple extra workers. That's why they left you all with the
guards. They've got bigger fish to fry."

What are they
planning?

I feel sick inside.

"Anyway, what's
there to be afraid of?" Nymphora asks. "The Saguinox are
physically stronger, and they're all enhanced by the crystal. We're
like mice to them." Her eyes go to my scarlet dress. "
Red
mice."

Kaiden motions us to be
quiet because we're coming to a door. It's gray, like the walls
beside it, and so ordinary looking I would've missed it had Kaiden
not stopped us.

I move to the head of
the pack right next to him. "This is the door to the outside?"

He shoots me a lopsided
grin, and nods. His eyes are sparkling when he says, "Can't wait
to stick it to them."

I agree. "What are
you doing?" I ask.

"Shutting down the
cameras and overriding their systems." I watch him punch in a
few numbers before the door opens. "Like magic," he grins.

"
This
magic
I'm not afraid of. It's the other magic that's frightening," I
mutter, stepping out. Already the air feels less stale to me, less
confined. With a shaking body, and rapid footsteps, I follow Kaiden's
lead. My heart's thundering with adrenaline, and the rancid taste of
fear. The night air makes me cold, but the danger of what we're doing
makes me colder.

Everything feels
strange, and gradually I begin to understand why. There are no animal
sounds. Not even the chirping of crickets can be heard. I realize in
this place that silence might be the most chilling sound of all.

In the shadows the
caves ahead are the darkest part of the night. We head toward the
largest cave, and the one we work in everyday. When we're standing
inside the entrance, Kaiden pulls out a match from his pocket. He
lights it, but it barely penetrates the blackness in front of us.

Disappointed, Kaiden
says, "It's not going to be much help."

"No," I
agree, sighing. "But it's better than nothing."

He holds the lit match
higher as if angling it down might magnify the light.

It doesn't.

"What are we
waiting for? Let's go," Nymphora urges.

"No," I
object. "It's too dark. We'll be able to move faster with only
two. Both of you can stay here and keep watch."

"Be quick."
Chloris looks troubled.

Walking close together,
Kaiden and I head deeper into the cave. "I hid some
sledgehammers here. I dug up a hole and buried them."

He whistles, impressed.
"How'd you manage to do that?"

I shrug, but he doesn't
see it. "It's this trick I have. People don't really seem to
notice me."

"Really? If I was
down here, I think I'd notice you."

Remembering how easily
Lenora forgot my presence, I replied, "I doubt it."

He doesn't respond.
Giving me a friendly smile and a pat on the back, he says, "Lead
the way."

It's difficult to see
where we're going, and the darkness becomes heavier the deeper we go.
I know we don't have much time, and it weighs heavily on my mind even
as we agree to run ahead. Eventually, the match becomes a drop of
light in an abyss of black. Ordinarily, I'd be petrified, but now I
know there are scarier things than darkness.

We go down a small
slope, and everything starts to feel familiar again.

I stop.

"Maybe here."
I gesture in the blackness.

"Are you sure?"

I shrug. Maybe he feels
it because he says, "This spot's as good as any."

We kneel, using our
hands to dig. I feel like a dog searching for his bone. Kaiden holds
the match over us with one hand, while maneuvering the soil below
with the other. The dirt is smooth and smells metallic. I dig faster,
but I don't find the hardness I expect to feel. After a few minutes,
I grab Kaiden's hand, stopping him.

"It isn't here. I
think we need to go further in."

He helps me up. "Just
tell me where."

He intertwines his
fingers with mine and I sprint ahead, knowing we're running out of
time.

"Okay," I
stop, breathless. "Let's try this spot." I see faint
outlines of a familiar table. "It's got to be--"

The light goes out.

We freeze.

Even though I know
Kaiden's here I suddenly feel completely alone. "Kaiden?"

"Yeah."

My shoulders brush
against his, and I'm relieved to feel him so near me. "Hand me
your light and matchbox."

"It's out."

"Let me try
anyway."

His hands leave mine
for a few seconds. When they return he slips something small and
bulky in my palms. The matchstick is thin and coarse, and my thumb
touches the head of it. Holding the matchbox with my other hand, I
swipe the stick across it. The motion makes a ruffling sound, but no
light appears. I try again, feeling the stick sweep across the box
and scrape past my fingers.

Again, no light.

I swipe harder, feeling
the head rub harder against my index finger. It creates a strange
buzzing sensation, and instinctively I swipe past the matchbox and
onto my skin, pressing deeper. The buzzing grows louder, and my skin
feels hotter.

A cackle.

Excited, I sweep across
the box one more time. It brushes against my finger--

Fire.

I hand the bright flame
to Kaiden. "You just had to put some muscle into it."

He grunts.

Bending down, I feel
the cold soil beneath my palm. We break the earth with as much
ferocity as we can muster, moving rocks and dirt debris. My arms are
tired, but I don't let up, digging with all my strength.

I'm breathing hard when
Kaiden finally says, "I think this one's a false alarm."

"No." I'm
stubborn. "It's here. I know it!"

I keep digging. He
sighs, but continues. I don't know how long we go at it. It's
probably minutes, but it feels like an hour.

After some long
moments, Kaiden says, "We have to go, Kenna". His voice is
gentle as if he knows how precarious I'm feeling. I pretend not to
hear. "Kenna! We need to leave when it's still dark."

I stop.

Panic and guilt sprout
inside me. Panic, that we've taken too much time, and guilt that we
might have to leave the other prisoners after all.

Angry, I stand,
stomping on the ground beside the hole we've dug. "Damn it!"
I stomp again and again. It can't end this way-it just can't!

Again, my foot lands
hard on the ground.

I yelp. "Ow!"

I still.

My eyes are wide when I
turn to Kaiden. "It's here!" I exclaim excitedly.