Grizelda (25 page)

Jamin was just guiding the last few
stragglers in when they all heard the footsteps coming. In a hurry,
they scuttled down the stairs, crowded together so Grizelda’s
elbows were mashed up against those of a couple of prisoners she
didn’t know. A woman bumped into Mitchell and fell.

They crashed and stumbled their way down the
stairs, all the time listening for the sounds of pursuit. Nothing
came. Still, there would be no working their way up through the
prison levels, freeing all the prisoners of Promontory.
How many
people?
Grizelda thought again, but now helping them was
impossible. They would have to get away with what they could.

It was a difficult journey to the meeting
tunnel, but finally they made it. It was an unusually dry, broad
place in the sewers not far from the cells. Geddy had discovered it
on a scouting mission and they’d soon made it their breakout home
base – a place to store their supplies and the place to go to if
anything went wrong.

Once they were there, there was still much
work to do. Undergrounders whispered instructions to the prisoners
as they organized them into groups and handed out warm coats, food,
money. Those who were strong enough for the days and nights of
hiding in the forest would go on foot. Where they would go was
their choice. Some of them had relatives who would take them in and
hide them; others decided to risk resettling in Corvain’s outer
provinces, where hopefully they would not be recognized. Or they
could try getting over the border. For those who were not strong
enough for crossing country, and that was many, there were the
train tickets.

Grizelda kept herself busy tending to
prisoners on the opposite side of the tunnel from Toby. Still, she
couldn’t help glancing up at him now and then. How much longer
until he told? Probably as soon as the prisoners were outside of
the city. He worked as usual, showing no indication that anything
had happened. He never looked back at her.

All too soon the time came for the scary part
of the mission: the way out. The ratriders said that getting to the
secret exit from Lonnes required a long, winding route through the
city catacombs. When they were all ready, the ratriders darted on
ahead, leaving behind loopy lighting-bug trails from their
lantern-sticks. The Undergrounders and their little procession of
pilgrims moved out.

At first people talked softly to each other,
but the conversation died away when they passed the first shelf of
bones. The ratriders bobbed and wove above people’s heads, calling
out directions, offering encouragement, sometimes falling back to
check nobody had strayed. Grimly they marched on.

Grizelda didn’t like being surrounded by all
these reminders of death; she’d had death on her mind too much
lately already. The bones were sorted according to type; femurs
went in racks on one side of the wall, arm bones went on the other
side. Vertebrae filled in the chinks behind them. There were skulls
embedded in the mortar like bricks. They grinned at her, seeming to
move in the swinging lantern light. She looked away.

She was surprised to find Elisabet squinting
at her, as if she was trying to make her out at a great
distance.

“You know, when I first saw you, I almost
didn’t recognize you,” Elisabet said. “You look so different.”

“How could I possibly look different?”
Grizelda would have chuckled under different circumstances. Really,
how much could she have changed in three weeks?

“You’re taller. No.” Elisabet reconsidered.
“It’s not that, exactly. It’s more you look like you aren’t
afraid.”

Grizelda couldn’t help but snort. If Elisabet
only
knew
. There were so many things she was afraid of, of
the Committees, of Nelin winning the goblins’ election, of Toby’s
revulsion. It seemed afraid was the only thing she felt
nowadays.

But maybe Elisabet was right, in a way. She
wasn’t afraid of the catacombs, she realized. With all those things
out there that really could hurt her, why should she be worried
about bones?

They heard shouts from up ahead. Somebody
must have spotted the exit. Grizelda couldn’t see it from here –
the road through the catacombs was too twisted – but she could hear
the cheering all right. She looked at Elisabet. Hand in hand they
pressed forward, and so did the rest of the crowd. They went up an
incline, the racks of bones ended, and then there it was. A round
opening in the stone, deep blue sky beyond.

“Look, stars!” somebody shouted.

And then they tumbled out into the crisp
grass and snow and brilliant stars overhead. They were on a little
knoll in a plain of snow, beyond the city walls. From this
direction, the exit looked like a sewage drainpipe. In one
direction there were the distant lights of the city, in the other,
an indistinct smear that was the forest.

Grizelda threw herself down in the snow. It
bit her skin, but she didn’t mind, it made her feel more alive.
Something went
thump
into her back. She rolled over just in
time to catch Elisabet looking guilty. She scooped up a snowball
and threw it back at her.

All around her, the other people were
celebrating in similar fashion. They had done it! No matter what
happened now, they had done it!

The ex-prisoners hugged the Undergrounders
and thanked them, then one by one they went their separate ways.
Some of them braced themselves and began the hike into the forest.
Others struck out parallel to the forest’s edge. They would
eventually hit the road that would take them to the little town of
San-Marent, almost at the border. The town had a train station that
ran regular lines into Salinaca.

Roughened fingers grasped Grizelda’s arm.
“Are you that fine young lady Grizelda?”

She turned around, and there was Toby’s
grandfather, looking back at her. He was handsome in a
weatherbeaten sort of way. He had a craggy face and fuller hair
than was usual for a man his age, very white. He was actually
smiling at her.

“I–”

“I’m Lionel. Lionel Dunnag.” He offered his
hand for shaking.

Confused, Grizelda held out her own hand and
limply let him shake it. She was at a loss for words.

“Congratulations on doing such a spectacular
job here. Toby’s been telling me all about you. Fine young
lady.”

“All about me?”

Toby was standing a little behind Mr. Dunnag,
half turned away, his hands in his pockets. She tried to read some
sort of answer in that shadow-obscured face of his but could not.
Toby had had plenty of time to tell his grandfather she was a
sorceress. Why hadn’t he?

“So, what do you say?”

Startled, Grizelda turned her attention back
to Mr. Dunnag. She’d been so absorbed trying to puzzle out Toby
she’d almost forgotten him.

“Excuse me?”

“When you come to Salinaca City, you will
come stay with us, won’t you? Toby tells me you haven’t got a
family of your own.”

“I’m not going to Salinaca, Grandpa,” Toby
said, not lifting his eyes to them. But Mr. Dunnag ignored him. He
waited for Grizelda’s answer.

Invite her to Salinaca? What had Toby
told
him about her? She’d get to meet Toby’s mom and dad.
She’d be able to walk around outside without fear. Never have to
endure a goblin’s hate-filled stare again. But … how could Toby
possibly stand to have her near him after what had happened?

“It would be so much, um, trouble…” she
began.

“Nonsense. After all you’ve done for the
family, the least we can do is spare a little house room.”

Again she looked over Mr. Dunnag’s shoulder
at Toby. He still stood as if in the background, looking
uncomfortable. She had to make a decision, fast.

How many people? Probably hundreds.

“In fact, I don’t intend to go to Salinaca,”
she said.

There, the hard part was out. But instead of
being confused, like she expected, Mr. Dunnag was angry.

“Why ever not?”

She pointed to the prisoners who still
remained on the top of the hill. There weren’t very many left now;
they were slipping into the woods as quickly as sand.

“We’re not done here. See these people?
Corvain isn’t really a republic anymore, even though they say they
are. I just can’t leave until we have Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
back.”

Toby looked up at her sharply, as if somebody
had just poked him. Then he looked away again.

“But you can’t do anything more here,” Mr.
Dunnag said, his voice starting to rise. “You’re wanted. They’ll
kill you if you stay.”

“Then I’ll take that risk. I know places I
can hide.”

She could have left. She could have gone to
Salinaca where she’d never have to hide. There was still time. She
could tell Mr. Dunnag she’d changed her mind, and he would still
take her. But she forced herself to keep silent.

Mr. Dunnag opened his mouth to speak, then
closed it again and sighed. “Very well. Luck be with you, young
lady.” He turned to Toby. “Come along. We have a train to
catch.”

But Toby would not move.

“I said I’m not going, Grandpa.”

Mr. Dunnag waved it away. “I’ve had enough of
your foolery, Toby. We’re going.”

“No.”

For the first time since Grizelda had been
with them Mr. Dunnag looked at him, really looked at him, full in
the face. Toby was serious.

“Now, look here!” Mr. Dunnag blustered. “I
have a responsibility to see to it that you get to your parents
safe!
”

“I’m fifteen years old, Grandpa! I can look
after myself!”

“What am I supposed to tell them when I get
there?”

Now Toby shifted position. It was almost
imperceptible the way he did it; he turned a little, took a step.
Grizelda had no idea what he could possibly be up to. He folded his
arms.

“Tell them I’m staying behind to help
Corvain. Mom would agree with me.”

“Well, your mother–”

Something had changed on their little knoll.
Grizelda saw it, and a moment later, so did Mr. Dunnag. The way
Toby had moved – now there were two fronts. Toby and Grizelda were
on one side, and Mr. Dunnag was on the other, alone. He was
outnumbered.

Grizelda could not understand it. What was
Toby doing? But she folded her own arms and took a step toward
Toby.

Mr. Dunnag stared at the two of them. “Very
well,” he said finally. “But you will regret it, the both of
you.”

Toby and Mr. Dunnag shook hands stiffly. He
even gave Grizelda a little nod. Then he turned and joined the last
remaining group of prisoners, who were waiting for him.

This last group was bound for San-Marent.
Elisabet was among them, and as Grizelda hugged her a tearful
goodbye, Elisabet didn’t say a word to her about the staying,
though she must have overheard the argument. She just squeezed her
tight and told her to take care. Grizelda could have blessed her
for that.

It was time for them to go. Grizelda stood
back, Elisabet waved to her one last time, and they started to
move. Toby stood a little way down the hill watching his
grandfather. The group diminished, passing out of the range of the
Undergrounders’ lanterns, and they became impossible to see before
they had gone very far.

Abruptly Toby turned and started heading back
up the hill. He blazed past her without a word. She wanted to call
out after him, but she knew she’d never get him to stop. Instead
she ran up the hill and caught up to him. He didn’t speak to her,
but he suffered her presence. Why hadn’t he told on her?

They started walking side by side, very fast
up the hill. The Undergrounders packing away the last of their
things at the top were shocked to see the two of them still there
and heading away from San-Marent. Jamin called after them, but
neither answered. They were practically flying by the time they got
to the drain. Side by side, but still not looking at each other,
they descended together back into the hall of bones.

Warden Calding stumbled into the lobby of the
main building of Promontory. He was still not fully awake, but he
was already scanning the room for signs of trouble. The runner who
had just dragged him out of bed would not explain what was going on
as he led him across the courtyard, only saying that something had
gone wrong at the prison.

And something was definitely wrong here. It
seemed like the whole gendarmerie was up and milling about in the
lobby. Some of them ran to and fro on apparently urgent errands,
but most of them just looked up at him, paling as he entered the
room. He snagged the nearest one as he ran by and held on.

“What’s all this about?”

“It’s the prisoners on level five, sir.
They’re all gone!”

“
What?
” Convulsively he brought the
young man forward in a death grip, but then he let him go.
Whatshisname. He had to find that officer Whatshisname.

He stalked off in search of his prey and the
gendarme gratefully ran off. It didn’t take long for him to find
his man. Plenty of the officers had been woken along with the
regular grunts, that new lieutenant Whatshisname included. He stood
against one of the walls, baggy-eyed.

“What
happened?
”

Whatshisname looked like he would have liked
to flee. Now he was pinned, though, and escape was going to be
impossible. He saluted as best he could.

“I don’t know everything yet, sir, but
Delauney was the first to see it. All the cell doors were pried
loose, and they were gone. There wasn’t any trace in the whole
floor.”

“Didn’t you post guards down there? Why
didn’t they see something?”

“This was their first night. Delauney was one
of them. They’re searching right now, and they haven’t found
anything human, but – mind you, I only just heard this – they found
something else.”

Calding raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”