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  Gavin snorted at her correction. That was the mistake he had made last time.

  Snitch transitioned to the third ladder, and Terrell and Glantham continued behind her.

  Gavin took a deep breath and dismissed the fact that the railings were underneath them as if they stood on the wrong side of its intended function.

  Toward the top, Snitch abandoned the ladder and reached for the handhold adjacent to their exit point. She slid her right foot onto a bar then swung the rest of her body toward the exit and slipped through it.

  At that point, Snitch had vanished from Gavin's sight. A moment later, her head popped back out, motioning for the others to follow.

  Terrell and Glantham repeated the maneuver.

  Glantham wasn't as limber or flexible as any of Gavin's men, and he was nothing like Snitch, but he never held the group up. Terrell wasn't a hindrance either.

  Reaching the top, Gavin swung into the target tunnel then wiped the sweat off his forehead. The beast that was Rat's Nest was behind them.

  Snitch's pocket bulb exposed a right-hand turn just ahead. She looked back and made eye contact with Gavin. With an exchange of head nods, she turned off her pocket bulb.

  After Gavin stepped through the elbow joint, the hairs on the back of his neck rose. This section was supposed to be dark. He pushed Glantham aside and shoved past Terrell.

  “Get down!” Gavin yelled, scrambling to the front. Something was wrong.

  Chapter Eight

  A Confrontation

  “Undergrounders!” cried a soldier dead ahead.

  Gavin reached for his cross sword, but it wasn't there. The lanterns illuminated four men he didn't want to see, all with drawn weapons.

  Glancing back, he trembled at the thought of getting cut to pieces if they retreated down the ladder to Rat’s Nest. That’s when a plan formed in his head—a crazy one. His eyes locked onto the first soldier as he rushed him.

  The soldier didn’t have time to raise his weapon. Instead, his eyes widened as his mouth parted.

  Wrapping his hand around the soldier’s, Gavin took command of the blade and lifted it over his head. He slammed his other fist into the man’s stomach.

  The soldier crumbled to the ground with nothing but a whimper.

  “Get him,” hollered another.

  Gavin prayed he had hit the leader, but hearing such swift orders sunk his hopes. Without pause, he spun to the right, smashing the next soldier with a back fist. Missing the face and hitting armor instead stung his knuckles, causing a throb of pain to arch from his hand to his arm.

  At the same time, Gavin reached for his dagger. However, before he laid grip on it, the second man shoved him to the floor and a sharp pang shot through Gavin's shoulder.

  The soldier stepped closer with his blade held out. A smile spread across his face.

  Gavin rolled toward him. When the soldier took another step, Gavin slipped his left leg between the soldier's feet and put his right foot on the man's shin. He squeezed his feet together, yanking the man to the ground.

  The third soldier approached, hunkered down, feet spread. No opening for attack.

  Get to your feet or you're dead.

  One of the soldiers pulled the first man up. He was still wheezing.

  “This one's got spirit. Shall we finish him off?” The one shouting orders glared as he clinched his blade.

  “Gavin!” said Terrell.

  Gavin looked back.

  Terrell drew a slender blade from inside his belt and slid it across the floor, straight into Gavin’s hand.

  “And when you're done, get him next.” The leader pointed toward Terrell.

  The soldier bearing over Gavin thrust his blade forward.

  Gavin swung Terrell's knife while sliding out of the way. The tip of the soldier’s long blade grazed his ear, yielding a thin trail of blood.

  The man swung again.

  With his and Terrell’s daggers, he double-blocked the swipe.

  The first soldier shook his head and blinked. He glanced toward Terrell, then back at Gavin. Raising the sword higher, the soldier crashed down on Gavin and broke the spare blade in two.

  “No!” shouted Gavin. Some plan. Their fates were now sealed.

  “Izatolmay bruchnow!” shouted Glantham. He waved his arms in large circles and thrust them in the direction of the soldier approaching Terrell.

  A purple mist appeared from nowhere, surrounded Glantham, and fused into a tight ball. It flew into the soldier, knocked him to the ground, and slid him back to the other soldiers.

  “Izatolmay bruchnow!” Glantham shouted a second time. He extended his palms toward the soldiers, gesturing as if slamming a door.

  Another purple mist appeared, collected into a large vertical sheet, and shoved back the man about to finish Gavin.

  “Izatolmay bruchnow!” Glantham cried a third time. He slammed his hands together.

  A purple mist formed all around and collapsed in on the unit of soldiers. They dropped to the floor and didn’t move again.

  Gavin’s attention shifted to Glantham, staring, his mouth open. “What . . . ”

  Terrell and Snitch had the same gaping look.

  What had just happened?

  Terrell backed away from Glantham.

  Snitch looked up but didn't move.

  A glowing, purple aura surrounded Glantham’s hands. He executed a series of complex gestures while uttering more strange sounds.

  A powerful wind swept into the area, picking up speed and tugging Gavin off the ground.

  He glared at Snitch and Terrell as they were buffeted too. Not the troops, just them.

  In a sudden flash of purple light, the soldiers vanished and the wind was gone.

  “We are—elsewhere.” Glantham dropped to one knee and exhaled a huge breath before collapsing.

  Snitch rushed to his side. “Are you all right?”

  “What did you do?” Gavin climbed to his feet, glaring at Glantham.

  A deep rumbling filled his ears. Everything glowed purple.

  Gavin's eyes narrowed. There were no glowing hands this time.

  Glantham opened his mouth.

  A huge, shrieking sound split Gavin's ears, and he covered them with his hands.

  Snitch and Terrell did the same.

  A giant hole opened behind Glantham and sucked him in along with Snitch.

  “Ahh!” she cried.

  The hole vanished, the purple color evaporated, and everything returned to its familiar dull blackness.

  Glantham and Snitch were gone.

  Palms white from his fingernails, Gavin couldn't process what had just happened.

  He switched on his pocket bulb and stepped to where Glantham and Snitch had been moments ago. Gavin brushed his fingers on the floor.

  “Are they dead?” Terrell asked.

  “I don't know.”

  “You knew something about this. The way you two spoke to each other.”

  “Glantham has special skills. Had. I don’t know. Anyway, I’ve seen him glean information in the past. Stuff that was impossible to know. Kind of like how he knew about the patrols. He said it had to be kept secret, but I never saw him do anything like what just happened. Maybe we just saw why it was risky to share with others.”

  Gavin stared at the walls and the floor, hungry for something to restore his confidence. He drew his mouth tight and shook his head. What could they do without Glantham? His presence amidst the Undergrounders had been key. What would they have accomplished if he had never joined them?

  Gavin and his men were busy conducting exercises, but morale was low. He strived to find something, anything, to lift their spirits. Drilling his men kept a sense of order, but that wouldn’t last forever.

  In the midst of cross sword exercises, he spotted Clarel waving at him from the other end of camp. Gesturing for one of his junior officers to take over, he joined her.

  “One of our scouts spotted motion in the distance, headed this way.” Clarel p
ointed to the right. “I offered to relay his message.”

  “We've already moved twice due to patrol sightings.” Gavin clenched his hands. “Each time, we move farther into the forest. It’s getting hard to put together a counter insurgency. Any further and we might as well give up. Has your new friend, Snitch, gathered any information?”

  “I haven't heard back yet, but she should be here tonight. You know she prefers to leave and return after sunset.”

  “I noticed. Typical behavior for a thief.” He smirked at the thought of relying on this footpad.

  “Gavin.” She glared straight at him with narrowed eyes.

  Gavin lifted his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. Yes, she alerted us to the two previous patrols.” He swallowed as he embraced the truth. Since accepting Snitch into their troops, bits of useful information had trickled in. But one had been a false alarm.

  “Go and load your things. I'll tell the others.” Gavin headed back. “Looks like another patrol is headed this way. Pack up and be ready to move out in five minutes. I’ll fetch our scout.”

  Everyone dropped what they were doing and prepped for departure. With little more than weapons and clothing, it wasn’t hard to depart. Having moved three times already, everyone kept their packs ready to go.

  Gavin hiked to the scout's position on the hill by camp and slid next to him to see the scout's point of view.

  The soldier pointed at some moving brush. The movements were getting closer.

  Gavin tapped him on the back, and they both slid out and returned to camp. With everyone suited up, they headed out.

  “What about Snitch?” Clarel asked.

  “No choice.” Gavin shook his head. “We have to move, or there won't be anyone for her to find. Besides, she seems pretty adept at tracking us. Good thing she isn't working for Melicose.” That last sentence stuck in his throat. Did he just acknowledge he had a thief on his payroll?

  Two days hiking to a new area, and they were farther than ever from Kelmar, maybe a whole day away. No one could find them now, right?

  The first few nights after Melicose’s uprising and purge had been rough. No fires. No talking. Nothing that might alert enemy troops. Though now they were far enough away that an evening campfire and open discussions were commonplace.

  At their new encampment, Gavin called his senior officers and Clarel to join the evening council. His junior enlisted aide finished building the fire and departed.

  “Let's start off by reviewing weapons. Then we'll go through provisions, training, and logistics,” Gavin said.

  “Is there room on your agenda for new business?” boomed a voice from behind.

  Gavin leapt to his feet, cross sword drawn.

  The others seated around the fire responded almost as fast.

  “Please. I am unarmed.” The voice stepped in closer, hands open. Firelight lit up an old man’s bearded face and plump lips, pinpoints of flame reflecting in his blue eyes.

  Gavin stared at him before waving at one of his men. “Search him for weapons.”

  The stranger held up his arms, and the soldier patted him down. With this ceremony complete, the mysterious person took a seat by the fire.

  “So, who are you, and how did you find us?” Gavin asked. “No, wait—I know you. You're Glantham. One of King Bainerd's advisors.”

  “Something like that.”

  “Still, how did you find us?”

  “I would have told you that yesterday, but I appeared to have scared you.”

  “You were the one we spotted?” said one of the officers.

  “Indeed. I had heard there was a contingent of the old guard gathered in the forest. With no more royal court, I thought I could offer my counsel here.”

  “Did someone tip you off about our whereabouts?” asked another.

  “I have ways of finding answers. It's one of the reasons I was on the king's staff for so long. I would be happy to share any information I come across. By the way, I remember you as well. Gavin, captain of the royal guard. Well, latest captain. I have known a few. In fact, I knew your father.”

  Gavin wrinkled his eyebrows at that comment. His father? This man knew quite a bit of history. Could this man have worked for the king for so long? “It's a bit rough out here. We don't have much. Are you able to handle that?”

  “I can make do.”

  This wasn't as hard as allowing Snitch to join the group. Advisor to the king was a much higher reference than street ruffian.

  Gavin quirked a brow. “I hope you brought a mat to sleep on. We don't have any spare gear.” He extended his hand.

  Glantham grasped it as the corners of Clarel’s mouth rose.

  “As I asked earlier, does your agenda have room for new business?”

  “I thought you were the new business.” Gavin tilted his head. Where was this going?

  “I wish to bring up the fact that your camp is quite far from, well, everything.”

  “We're aware of that. It's not by choice,” said one of Gavin’s officers. “We need a suitable place to hide. Are you aware that most of the military has been rounded up and executed?”

  “I am quite familiar with that situation. What if I told you about another place we could hide that wouldn't be so inconvenient?”

  “Such as?”

  “The tunnels beneath the city.”

  A silence fell upon everyone.

  “You mean the hatches sprinkled around the city? You know how to get into them?” That was outrageous. Gavin couldn’t believe the man was serious.

  “Getting in is not the problem. They lock from the inside. What’s of value is that I know the codes for a handful of access points.”

  “And you’ve tested this out?”

  “I’m confident they’ll work. We can verify it with little effort.” Glantham’s eyes twinkled in the firelight.

  Gavin grinned. Maybe his idea wasn’t so crazy. “There are all sorts of rumors. I’ve never met anyone, gang or otherwise, that uses them. And I've chased plenty.”

  If this old man had the means, the opportunity was incredible. But could he deliver on such a big promise?

  “It would be the perfect cover for us to both hide and plot resistance missions.” Glantham tilted his head.

  Of course the military benefits were inestimable as it would beat camping far away. This newest team member was already producing valuable information.

  “Let's assume I go along with this. What must we do to get everyone there?”

  “I think we should first enter with a small group. I suggest myself, you, and isn't there some small girl around here? Snitch?” Glantham glanced around. “That should be enough to scout out a suitable location. From there, we can coordinate bringing in the others.”

  “How do you know about Snitch?” Clarel asked.

  “As I said, it has been my job to know things for a long time. Trust me,” Glantham said with half a grin on his face.

  Trust me. Those words rang in Gavin's head as he rose. Did the king ever know how powerful of an ally had served him? And just what depth of knowledge did Glantham possess? He might know the entire history of the tunnels.

  Might have known.

  Whatever Glantham knew was gone. Gavin swallowed hard at that thought.

  “Glantham was an amazing man. Mysterious, but able to supply some of the best information we ever had. And now he’s gone. We're on our own.” Gavin looked Terrell in the eye. “It's up to us to find the others and work from there.”

  “What about Snitch? I haven't heard you say much about her.”

  “Snitch and I have a—checkered past. Before all this we were on opposite sides of the law. It's taken me a long time to accept her. The truth is, she has helped us in more ways than my pride has let me recognize.”

  “Sounds impressive.”

  Choking back the loss, Gavin changed the subject. “So, tell me, how much of Snitch's training is sticking?”

  “I think I have a handle on moving silently.”
<
br />   “Put it to good use. We'll have to roam around a bit so I can figure out where we are. Glantham's last maneuver threw me off. After that, we can seek the others.”

  Terrell nodded.

  With that, Gavin turned off his pocket bulb and began tunnel walking. He could find their position, but it would be hard without Snitch.

  The day was coming to a close. Over the past several hours, Colonel Braknow tossed and turned with the thought of what to do next. It was clear, but he tried to talk himself out of it. He had to find out what Everdell did and didn’t know. The danger wasn’t what irked him. It was the consequences he’d face if he was wrong.

  “Sir, anything else I need to handle?” She had slipped in unnoticed.

  “Huh? Oh, no. That will be all. In fact, I have a little extra work to do tonight.”

  “Good evening, sir.” She departed. Her desk rumbled as she grabbed her things and headed out.

  He stood and walked over to the window. In another minute or so, he spotted her crossing the courtyard. Standing by the window, Barknow silently counted to sixty before heading out. He didn’t want to be too close.

  Passing through the complex, he emerged at the same courtyard. Many officers and enlisted personnel crossed to the main gate. Things dialed down at night to a smaller complement.

  His eyes scanned the men and women ahead, looking for Everdell. This was tricky amidst the rush of people headed home for the day, but there was comfort knowing it was just as hard to pick him out.

  Making his way to the exit, he waved at other officers as they bid good night. Camaraderie in the ranks was something he had always relished since signing up, but it had soured with the discovery of Melicose’s power hungry nature. Finding those who felt the same had been hard with the near fanatical loyalty Melicose commanded.

  Past the gate, he worried. Had he missed her? What if he had mistaken the gate she was exiting? Maybe she was meeting with friends at a pub on the other side of town. What if she had moved since the last time she had said anything?

  “Hah hah! That is funny,” came that familiar voice across the wind. “You’ll have to tell that to Vickers next time you see him. So, any of you want to hit The Black Pony for a round?”