Chapter 16
1508 Words
Chapter Sixteen
Taylor shuddered as another guard collapsed. Her hope that there wouldn’t be any more guards dissolved when she unexpectedly collided with one as they were both rounding a corner in the lower catacomb.
She had reacted instinctively, raising her knee and driving it into his groin. The guard’s surprise at her sudden appearance and her immediate reaction were the only things that gave her the edge. A harsh curse escaped him at about the same time as the wave of pain washed through his body at her blow. His eyes had widened in shock before he bent forward and grabbed his groin. As he sank down to the floor, she had stepped back and swung the end of the torch. The blow had caught him in the temple and he toppled over.
“PT Taylor,” one of the Trivator warriors called out.
Taylor jerked in surprise to hear her name and grinned. Stepping over the unconscious guard, she fumbled for the keys she had retrieved from the other man. Within seconds, she had the locks to the cells open.
“We’ve got to get out of here,” she said, glancing at the guard she had just knocked out. “There was another one upstairs. I’m not sure how long he is going to be out.”
The sound of shouts from above sent a shaft of fear through her. The guard had either been found or had raised an alert. She watched as the Trivator warrior named Cain hurried over to the unconscious man and searched him. He pulled a weapon from the man’s waist.
Taylor looked away when he stepped back and fired a shot into the man’s temple. There would be no prisoners from the look on the men’s faces. Pulling the other laser pistol from the back of her pants, she held it out to the other Trivator warrior that she remembered was called Ace.
“We need to find a way out of here,” one of the Eastern captives said in desperation.
“Follow me,” a voice said, stepping out of the darkness behind Taylor.
Taylor gasped when she felt the cold metal of a pistol against her temple. She wanted to turn her head, but at the moment, she didn’t dare. She was trapped between the man holding the gun to her head and the two warriors pointing their pistols in the direction of her chest.
“Shoot!” she whispered before stiffening. “I didn’t mean it that way. Don’t shoot. I meant this is not where I want to be, not that I want you to really shoot! Argh! Just shut up already, Taylor!”
A soft chuckle in her ear sent another shiver down her spine. She was glad someone was finding this amusing. Her eyes widened when the two warriors raised their weapons.
“I know a way out of here,” the man said. “There are also more Trivators in the fortress. I would suggest if you want to get out of here that you listen.”
“You lie!” Ace snarled.
“No, he doesn’t,” another voice said.
Taylor looked out of the corner of her eye. Two more warriors that she didn’t recognize stepped out from the darkness. She staggered back against the wall when the pistol at her temple disappeared and the man stepped to the side. Swallowing, she turned and backed up until she was standing behind the two Trivator warriors she did know.
“Thunder! Sword!” Cain and Ace both hissed at the same time. “How many forces are here?”
“Seven warriors, plus you two,” Thunder replied, glancing at the group. His eyebrow rose when he saw Taylor peeking out from behind the men. “We were told that you were locked in the tower.”
The man who’d held the gun on her shrugged his shoulders. She couldn’t see his face because he had it covered with the same headdress that Achler wore. A shiver went through her when he nodded his head at her.
“She was supposed to be,” he said. “She escaped.”
“How did you…?” she started to say when she heard the sound of footsteps running in their direction.
“Time to go,” the man said, waving his hand toward the end of a short corridor. “There is another hallway at the end. Turn left. It will take you to the underground drainage system. Go!”
“What about the other warriors?” Cain asked, ignoring the fact that the other prisoners were already running down the corridor.”
“I will assist them as much as I can without compromising my assignment,” the man replied through gritted teeth.
“Which other warriors?” Taylor asked with a sinking feeling in her stomach just as several of Achler’s men came around the corner.
“Go!” Cain yelled, turning and firing at the guards.
The man who had held the gun to her head pulled on her arm. He raised his own weapon, firing two shots and killing the other two guards. Taylor looked on in confusion as she was forced to turn down the short corridor.
“What about those men?” she asked as she jogged down the passage.
The man shrugged his shoulder and pushed her when she started to turn around. The group of captives was frantically trying to figure out where to go at the end of the second corridor. Taylor heard the man release a savage curse.
“The floor! You are standing on the drainage gate,” he pointed out. “You! I’m putting you in charge. Open the gate and help the women down. Keep to the left at all sections. You will eventually come to the base of the mountains. You are on your own from there. If you head east, there is a rebel camp not far over the border in the Mountains of the Crescent Moon.”
The man nodded and hurriedly waved the others off the grate. He and three of the men pulled it back, letting it drop with a clatter to the side. One of the men sat down on the edge before jumping, another quickly followed. Within seconds, the women were disappearing through the grate.
“Wait! Where are you going?” Taylor asked when the strange man started to turn back the way they came.
“I have to get back upstairs without being seen,” he replied with a frustrated sigh, turning to pierce her with his dark purple eyes. “I’ve compromised my position as it is. I should have killed all of you instead of taking the chance to free you. Now, I need to go save the lives of a couple of crazy Trivator councilmen.”
“Councilmen!” Taylor exclaimed, her eyes widening.
“Yes, now in case you haven’t noticed, there is a battle going on,” the man replied sarcastically.
Taylor nodded and stood back. Her gaze flickered to the man guiding the captives. There were five left, not counting her. In the background, she could hear the sound of the Gartaians snorting and…
“Come on,” the man said, standing alone.
Taylor started, but something held her back. She heard something. She glanced at the man. He was staring back at her with an impatient frown. She started to take a step when she heard the sound again. It sounded like the soft cry of a child.
“I hear something,” Taylor said, looking with a plea at the man. “Don’t you hear it?”
“No. Listen, if you are coming with us, you need to do it now,” the man said.
Taylor took a step back and shook her head when he started to reach out for her. Now that she knew what she was listening to, it was clear that not everyone had been freed. Shaking her head, she backed away from the drainage hole.
“You go,” she said. “I’ll catch up. There is someone else still here.”
The man glanced down at the hole, then at her, before he shrugged his shoulders. “I have to think of the others,” he said in apology before he sat on the edge and disappeared through the opening.
Taylor headed back down the short corridor and turned right. The fighting sounded like it was moving upward. She paused at the end of the long passage to make sure it was clear. Her gaze swept over dead guards. Turning away, she listened. The crying sounded like it had come from further down the arched corridor.
She gripped the torch she was still holding tightly in her hand and followed the sound. At the end, she could see the entrance to the dome where Achler had released the Gartaians earlier this morning. Her footsteps slowed as she drew closer. She could hear the creatures in their cages nearby snorting and moving restlessly, but there had been another sound, she was sure of it.
She almost missed the door where the crying was coming from. A small square window with bars across stood eye level. She paused and looked down the hallway again before she walked forward and peered into the dark room.
“Who’s there?” she whispered, holding the torch up in case she needed it.
“PT Taylor?” A small voice sniffed.
Taylor’s eyes widened in horror as a familiar face came into view. The shaggy sand-colored hair, dark brown eyes, and pale, dirty face stared back at her in silence. Her heart melted at the look of hope in his eyes.
“Oh, Lonnie!” she whispered, reaching for the metal bar locking him in.
- Writer
