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  “No.” Rodrina stared at her without any wrinkled eyebrows or squinting eyes. “I may be able to travel these tunnels without making a racket, but it unsettles me nonetheless. When I think about the courage you’ve shown, it helps me focus. Not because I expect you to be happy. Just sincere.” Rodrina held Clarel’s hands as a smile graced her face. “Anytime you need to talk, you've got me.”

  “Thanks.” A deep calm filled Clarel’s heart. It didn’t remove the anxiety, but it held back the fear.

  “You may not be skilled at these menial tasks, but your willingness to do whatever is necessary is proof of your character. You aren't your father. You are much more.”

  Rodrina stood and quickly loaded her backpack. She extended her hand to Clarel.

  Clarel grasped it. “Does this mean you’ll help me pack?”

  “Sure. Come on.” Rodrina slung her pack over her shoulder and followed Clarel to her quarters.

  Slipping in and out of the city was safer under the cloak of night. This tactic had been Snitch’s idea months ago. Then when Gavin made it standard procedure after moving into the tunnels, she'd grinned at his acceptance.

  Shaking her head, Snitch focused her thoughts on the here and now. It wasn't the last time Gavin accepted one of her ideas.

  The question occupying her mind was whether or not they could get back to the surface before dawn. It would be tight. After grabbing her gear, Snitch returned to the main entrance, waiting on Gavin to depart.

  “You probably don’t want to go the way I just came.” Snitch waited for that familiar head nod.

  “Of course not. An extra hour of city travel at least. Isn’t your warehouse in the other direction?”

  Snitch shrugged her shoulders. No big deal. With everything at stake, Gavin’s military-oriented mind was surely working overtime on efficiency, not stealth. There was little point in arguing.

  They glanced at each other's packs and switched on their darklights.

  The watch officer opened the hatch, and they headed out.

  Crunching gears from the lock filled Snitch’s ears, followed by nothing but silence. She switched off her darklight and proceeded to tunnel walk as fast as possible without making any sounds.

  They went through many passages, lots of twists and turns. But at least they didn’t have to deal with Rat’s Nest. She had avoided that. Up a couple ladders, and she was at the target hatch. The damp air was a sign that the surface was just a few feet away. The lack of sunlight clawing through the edges filled Snitch with relief.

  Gavin lit his pocket bulb and climbed the short ladder. Water droplets hitting the floor echoed through the tunnel as he spun three metal dials until they clicked.

  They turned on their darklights.

  The creak of the hatch as it popped ajar raised the hairs on Snitch’s neck. A fresh breeze drifted into the tunnel, stirring with the stale, still air.

  After a short pause, Gavin pushed the hatch open and climbed out.

  Snitch followed, her hands gripping the ladder despite moisture on the rungs.

  At street level, she hunched, pushing damp hair out of her eyes as the smell of recent rain invigorated her nostrils. Snitch tilted her head, straining to hear anything that might concern them while Gavin closed the hatch and turned the handle.

  That was her signal to turn off her darklight.

  Gesturing to Gavin, she slipped on her hood and move to the end of the alley covered in silt.

  He followed almost as silent as she.

  Snitch kicked the muck off her boots as the first rays of sunlight grazed the tops of the buildings ahead. A quiet clamor caught her attention. Scanning to the right, she spotted a handful of people. Many had a bag or a basket.

  Turning the same direction, Snitch slipped onto the street. She forced herself to drop her shoulders and push the tension from her gut. With the market just a couple blocks ahead, she wanted to appear like any other passerby.

  At first there was whispering. Then it grew to chatting. The hustle and bustle climbed almost in proportion to the height the sun crawled above the rows of buildings.

  Knowing Gavin was close behind, Snitch kept to the edge of the street and avoided speaking. It was better to avoid any confrontations.

  With an occasional glance back, she stayed a few steps ahead, pulling her cloak tighter. Traveling in the daytime always made her nervous. Though, there was no telling how Gavin felt. Reading him was difficult.

  As a former soldier of the royalists, the man had chased thieves like her. Yes, he had accepted this alliance with she and Rodrina, but it wasn’t a free-for-all. The things that irritated him were unpredictable. Snitch smirked, hoping that this latest source of information would build a stronger partnership between them.

  At the next corner, Snitch looked back and waved toward the rotting warehouses.

  Gavin nodded.

  She didn’t move fast. To blend in, she stopped at various spots, inspecting people’s wares.

  By the time the sun had drifted halfway to its peak, they had moved past all the stands. This was the point that tied knots in her stomach. No longer able to feign visiting the market, she wanted to get off the streets, fast.

  Eyeing a fence covered in vines, she sidled up to it, pressing flat.

  Gavin mimicked her.

  Glancing high and low, Snitch licked her lips. Could she scale it? The last time she was here it had been midnight with no onlookers. She had taken her time to sneak around to the back. In broad daylight, it was best to avoid exposure by climbing.

  Clutching the fence, she felt it loosen at the base. Narrowing her eyes, she lay down and pulled at the edges. With her slender frame, she was able to slip underneath.

  The sound of clinking metal filled her ears, and she locked eyes with Gavin.

  He crouched.

  “Patrol,” Snitch whispered. She pointed in the direction of stomping feet.

  “Hide.”

  She dropped back into the underbrush that licked the fence. Crumpled down, it was no problem for her to vanish. Staring at Gavin’s outline, she bit her lip.

  He unstrapped his cross sword and slipped it underneath the fence. Grabbing the fence, he scaled fast. Jumping down, he hit the ground with a thud.

  The nearby clinking sped up. Two soldiers rounded the corner, closing the distance on the other side.

  Snitch froze in place. Motion was the enemy of hiding.

  “You hear that?” one of them said.

  “Not sure.”

  The soldiers drew their blades and walked along the perimeter, rattling the fence.

  Snitch stared at Gavin’s spot and saw no stirring. The soldiers were seconds away. Would they spot him? She could disappear, but could he pull it off?

  She gritted her teeth as her hands dragged against the ground, her fingertips touching a small rock. Snitch’s eyes widened. Gripping the rock, she scanned the surrounding trees without moving her head. Furrowing her eyebrows, she threw it.

  A flock of birds took off, flapping and squawking.

  The soldiers shifted their gaze to the birds. The second one smacked the first. “Is that what you heard?” Sheathing his weapon, he shook his head, moving back to the street. The first one followed.

  Snitch exhaled.

  Seconds later, Gavin appeared from among the weeds. “Thanks.” He clapped her on the shoulder.

  Snitch shrugged.

  He thumbed toward the warehouses as he strapped on his weapon.

  Grinning, Snitch pulled out her lock picks, scrambling to the entrance of “her” warehouse.

  “One of your safe houses?” Gavin gave Snitch a long look after she jiggled the lock, let them in, and closed the sliding door.

  She smirked at that jab.

  His eyes swept the place. “Looks like it’s ready to collapse. Not surprising with all this rot and rust.” He shuddered.

  She agreed. Upkeep had been nonexistent since the owners abandoned it. “I used it back in the day to store stuff.” The me
mory of past jobs tickled her thoughts.

  “You mean stuff you stole.”

  Snitch twisted her lip. Gavin’s desire to make a point could get annoying.

  “I told him not to leave.” She walked with a fervent pace. Not seeing him upon entry stoked her curiosity. “He was over there when I left.” Snitch pointed at a threadbare mattress on the floor covered in rust stains.

  “What makes you think he stayed?”

  Her mouth trembled. “Because I suggested other exits were blocked by collapsed parts of the building. And I may have exaggerated how often the troops patrol the fence.”

  “Getting details from you is like pulling teeth. Let’s split up and see if he’s here at all.”

  Snitch moved off in one direction as Gavin went the opposite way. She walked to the end of the main hallway, a good eighty yards. Poking her nose in each of the workrooms yielded nothing.

  She checked at each door that led to an exit corridor. The first three were blocked by collapsed wreckage from the upper levels. Perhaps the floors had rotted through.

  After several minutes of scrounging, one particular door caught her attention. “I got something!”

  Gavin’s clomping boots filled the hallway. He slowed on approach, staring at her. “What is it?”

  “There used to be something blocking this door. See the shift in dirt?” Snitch pointed at the groove on the floor.

  With Gavin’s signal, she pried it open and proceeded down the corridor. At the end was a double doorway with bits of light at the edges.

  “Guess he didn’t buy my story.” She glanced at Gavin, unsure of their next move.

  Gavin stepped past her and grabbed the doorknob, ready to open the door.

  A voice boomed from behind. “I went along with your story, Snitch, but I guess a story is all it was.”

  Snitch turned and took a step away from the confronting voice. She’d heard the same voice forty-eight hours ago, give or take. Not knowing how its owner would react to her confession spooked her.

  Gavin released the doorknob and turned, moving his hand to the hilt of his weapon as he tracked her reaction.

  Her face turned red.

  “Who are you?” Snitch’s contact glared at Gavin.

  Gavin’s attention shifted to Snitch’s guest, hand still poised on his weapon. “Gavin, former head of the royal guard. And you?”

  “The name's Terrell, but I never carried a lofty title like that. What are you doing hanging out with Snitch?”

  He had no weapons that she could spot. Good. Alone, she would have panicked. But with Gavin armed and on the ball, she feared less.

  Gavin’s hand moved off his hilt as he stepped closer to Terrell.

  She hugged close behind.

  “I appreciate you providing me cover, Snitch, but I’m about to bug out. Do you have a way out of the city, or was that also just a story?”

  “We can get you out of here, but—” Her eyes glanced toward Gavin. Could he take a hint?

  “I first need to hear what you told Snitch.” Gavin didn’t flinch, didn’t sweat. The man had wanted to interview her contact, and it was going down now.

  Terrell stared at Snitch with pleading eyes.

  She gestured at Gavin.

  Terrell’s eyes squinted. “Can you get me out of here or not?”

  “We know the tunnels under the city. We can certainly show you the way.” Gavin sported a half smile.

  “The tunnels! Are you crazy? I'm not risking my neck to stroll into some rabid blood drinker.” Terrell half-laughed. “At least when Snitch tells a story, it's believable.”

  Gavin crossed his arms and stared at Terrell without lowering his eyes.

  Terrell bit his lip. “No. No. You aren't. You're the Undergrounders?” Terrell squeaked as his voice evaporated.

  “Tell us what you know and how you came to know it, and maybe we can make a deal.”

  Terrell ground his teeth.

  Gavin slid his right hand to his dagger while rolling onto the balls of his feet.

  Snitch’s eyes widened as she looked between him and Terrell.

  “Okay. OKAY!” Terrell blinked and waved his hands in the air.

  Gavin crossed his arms again, nodding.

  “I was hired to do odd jobs for Melicose and this unknown advisor of his. Never heard the guy’s name. They were tight. They paid me to steal documents, plant evidence, and tip them off about undercover contacts. My most recent job was passing secret orders to some Captain Tor outside the chain of command. Those orders were written and sealed for security, but I snuck a peek from across Melicose's desk before he finished. It mentioned invading the tunnels. And it said either four different units or four-soldier units. Something at the end about three days.”

  Gavin scowled. “You were across from Melicose?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You’re saying you read all of this upside down, right to left?” Gavin quirked an eyebrow.

  “It’s true.” Terrell extended his arms, palms up. “Upside down speed reading is one of the most useful tools of the trade.”

  Gavin shook his head. “He's making that up, isn't he?” He glared at Snitch, eyebrows raised.

  “No. I know a couple counterfeiters that can do it.”

  Gavin’s eyes darted between her and Terrell before he tilted his head. “What about this other person you saw. Can you describe him?”

  Snitch’s eyes widened. Knowing Melicose's right hand man would be invaluable. It may help correlate intelligence.

  “I never saw him face-to-face. He was always turned around with his back to me. Real reclusive. Had a silky voice that scared me. Couldn’t figure out his angle. Wore a monocle. Hmm . . . anything else? Oh yeah. Anytime he was deep in thought, he nibbled on his finger.”

  “A monocle?” Gavin’s voice rose as his hands tightened into fists. “Nibbled his finger?”

  “Yes.”

  Snitch squinted. What was stirring in Gavin?

  “I knew someone, but he’s been dead for years. It couldn’t be him. Still . . . ” Gavin’s eyes darted back and forth. Looking again at Terrell, his voice boomed, “You might not be safe. Not here, not anywhere.”

  Terrell’s mouth opened.

  Gavin turned to Snitch. “We need the fastest route back to Base, above or below ground. I don't care how tricky.”

  Snitch bit her lip and furrowed her eyebrows. Her thoughts drifted back to that rusting fence.

  Turning back to Terrell, Gavin added, “It’s a long shot, but if I’m right, he will find you. Everyone else I know that tried to escape him ended up dead. Come with us, and maybe we can offer you an alternative.”

  “What do you mean, no safe path out of the city?” Sweat beaded up on Terrell’s forehead.

  Gavin checked his gear and looked at Snitch.

  She returned to the main corridor and moved to the far end, to the last service door. If she was right about her new route, there wouldn’t be any patrols.

  Gavin followed her.

  Terrell up and jutted in front of him.

  Snitch paused, staring between Terrell and Gavin.

  Gavin held out his hands. “Listen. There is no safe place—anywhere.” He raised his eyebrows.

  Terrell glared back. His eyes darted to Snitch as he licked his lips before staring at the ground. “Okay. But just for now.”

  Gavin tapped her shoulder while pointing at the exit, and Snitch was out the door, headed back to the tunnels.

  Chapter Four

  A Miscalculation

  Captain Tor strode out in front of his assigned units, his skin bristling in the crisp morning air of Kelmar. Rising a half hour before dawn everyday was part of his regimen, something burned into his nature. It served him well, allowing him to appear before his men as the beginning of the day broke.

  However, the special orders he had received in the middle of the night while still stationed in Nartosis weren’t standard procedure. His missions were usually dispatched with the sign
ature of Colonel Braknow.

  Not this time.

  He had opened the sealed envelope, delivered hand-to-hand from someone he’d never met, to find a handwritten message from Melicose himself. The signature and seal confirmed its authenticity.

  It was not the first time he’d been tapped for a secret mission, but such handcrafted orders signaled this would be do-or-die.

  “Listen up,” he barked.

  The fifteen men talking among themselves snapped to attention, eyes locked forward.

  “You have all been handpicked for a special mission. We are going to root out this resistance once and for all.”

  Their eyes widened.

  “We will break up into teams of four starting now. And no one will hear a whisper of this until we are through.”

  Due to security leaks in the past, he’d lost over a dozen men. Not today. These orders had arrived straight from the top, and no one was going to stop them.

  “I can see you are most eager. Good! I expect everyone to do their finest. I have word from Melicose himself as to who is responsible for all the misinformation.” Captain Tor paced, his hands clasped behind his back.

  The soldiers’ eyes glanced back and forth with their eyebrows raised.

  “This so-called resistance has sent intelligence about past operations to enemy forces. But they have made a fatal error. We captured their spy, and he revealed the Undergrounders to be his source.”

  The captain stopped pacing and squared his shoulders to face everyone. Sweeping his gaze across the whole unit, he bent his lip. “And that’s not all. This spy identified their hideout. The tunnels.”

  “You mean . . . the blood drinkers?” The timid voice in the back drifted across the whole contingent.

  Tor shifted his focus straight at the soldier and the man's face slumped, though he still stood at attention.

  The captain's legs stiffened as he leaned forward, not dropping his eyes. “I've heard my fair share of outrageous superstitions. So, listen close. We will invade the tunnels at four key points. From there, we seek out their base of operations and crush their resistance. I promise you when we get down there, we will find a handful of corrupt royalists.”

  That’s what his instincts told him. When in doubt, follow your gut.