Page 29

A mix of hope and terror flooded me. “He came for me.”

Kael ran a hand through his hair, his movements sharp, restless. “Yeah, well, now we have a bigger problem.”

I stared at him, trying to keep my voice steady. “What do you mean?”

“What I mean,” he hissed, stepping closer, “is that we’re completely outnumbered. If he’s out there, fighting his way in, there’s no way we’re getting out without being seen. No way we’re slipping through unnoticed.”

I gripped the bars behind me, my nails biting into the cold metal. “Then we have to figure something out.”

Kael let out a sharp breath, pacing now. He looked like a man ready to tear something apart. “Do you have any idea what happens if we’re caught? If they realize what I’ve done?”

I swallowed hard. “You didn’t have to help me, Kael.”

He stopped, pinning me with a look that made me freeze. “Don’t you dare.” His voice was low but fierce. “Don’t you dare act like this is your fault. I knew what I was risking when I came here. But if Lucas dies trying to save you because we weren’t ready—”

I cut him off, stepping closer. “He won’t die.”

Kael let out a bitter laugh. “You can’t know that.”

I refused to let the fear creeping up my spine take over. “He’s stronger than you think. Smarter, too.”

Kael’s expression softened, but only slightly. “Maybe. But strength and smarts won’t save us from numbers, Annika. You don’t see what I see. The guards. The patrols. The sheer scale of this camp.” He shook his head. “Sneaking out was already going to be close to impossible. Now? With a fight breaking out? It’s a death trap.”

I felt my resolve harden. “Then we’ll have to make it possible.”

Kael stared at me, his eyes searching mine for something, maybe a hint of fear, maybe weakness. But he wouldn’t find it.

His shoulders sagged slightly, though the tension in his body didn’t leave. “I’m not giving up either,” he said. “But I need you to understand what we’re up against. This won’t be easy, Annika. It won’t be clean.”

I nodded, even as the weight of his words settled deeper in my chest. “I don’t care. I just need to get out of here. I need to see Lucas.”

Kael paced the cramped cell, his footsteps sharp against the stone floor. He was thinking, calculating. I could see it in the tight line of his jaw, the way his eyes darted toward the door every few seconds.

Finally, he stopped and turned to me. “We can’t wait for Lucas to come to us.”

His words hit me like a slap. I stepped back, gripping the edge of the cot to steady myself. “What? No. He’s already here… I heard the fighting. He’ll find me.”

Kael shook his head, eyes sharp with frustration. “You don’t get it, Annika. This camp is too big, too chaotic. By the time he reaches this cell, if he even makes it this far, you’ll already be gone. Or worse.”

I swallowed hard, the weight of his words sinking in. “So what are you saying?”

His voice softened, just barely. “I’m saying we have to meet him halfway. We have to get out of here now… before it’s too late.”

The panic flared in my chest, but I shoved it down. “How? We’re surrounded. They’re everywhere.”

“That’s why we’ll slip through before the guards regroup,” he said, stepping closer. “They’ll be focused on the fight, distracted by the chaos Lucas is causing. It’s risky, but it’s our only shot.”

He glanced at the cot in the corner. “Make it seem as if you’re sleeping there. Shove the pillow under the cover. Make it look believable.”

I didn’t think it would help much, but I did as he asked. Worst case, it would buy us a minute or two. In situations such as this one, a whole minute could be the difference between life and death.

“There,” I said once I finished. “What’s the plan?”

Kael exhaled slowly, his gaze flicking toward the door. “We’ll slip out through the storage area at the end of this corridor. It’s less guarded, but it leads straight into the camp. Once we’re out, we keep to the shadows and head toward the eastern edge, where the tents thin out. That’s where Lucas is most likely to be coming from.”

I nodded, committing the path to memory. “And if we don’t find him there?”

“Then we keep moving until we do.”