“Autonomy has access to… some very specialized troops,” TwinSoul said. “Hard to control. Dangerous to unleash. I know their destructive power personally. While I’m more frightened of that bomb, an invasion by Autonomy’s forces could also be catastrophic. Fortunately, the local perpendicularity—the portal to reach this world—is far to the south and carefully controlled.”
“There’s no other way?” Marasi asked.
The two shared a look.
“There are planets,” Moonlight said, “where Autonomy has created such portals unexpectedly, and against all understood mechanics. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s done that here, or is soon going to. Providing a means for her armies to attack.”
So if Wax succeeded in stopping the bomb, there would be an invasion instead. Marasi took a deep breath. Even more reason they couldn’t run—not until they knew what was happening with that army. For now though, she unlocked and yanked open the cell door, spilling light across the ragged prisoners. They pulled back from the light like mistwraiths in the night.
“I’m Marasi Colms,” she said, fishing her credentials from her pocket. “Elendel Constabulary.”
“Oh, thank the Survivor!” a man said, stumbling forward and taking her hand. His suit had once been nice, and he had a few tufts of hair on an otherwise bald head. Did she… recognize him?
“You’re in Bilming politics,” she said. “You served as the local advisor to the Senate.”
“Y-yes,” he stuttered. “Pielle Fromed. I was head of the opposition party for the Bilming Council. I still am… I think…”
Most of the others looked like ordinary citizens, but there was a Terriswoman in the rear with kinky hair. That was… yes, she was a major newspaper owner, wasn’t she? Editor of theSeasons? Marasi had been interviewed by her staff the other year… It was a newspaper that had been sympathetic to Elendel interests.
Preservation… Entrone hadn’t merely been experimenting on his citizens, he’dbeen experimenting on his political opposition. It was shockingly brazen. How had he made these people vanish without anyone getting wind of it?
The editor of theSeasonsaccepted Marasi’s help as Moonlight ushered the captives into the main room. “Listen,” the woman said. “I think they have an army of some sort! I’ve… I’ve been taking notes…”
She almost fainted as Marasi helped her stand. But she pressed a notebook into Marasi’s hands. “There isn’t much. But youmustbelieve me.”
“I do,” Marasi said. “We’re here to stop them.”
“Locate a place they call the Community,” she said. “I think it’s where their barracks are.”
“We’ll stop them,” Marasi promised, leading her to the others. “We have to get these people out of here,” Marasi then said to TwinSoul. “Immediately.”
Together, the three of them ushered the poor captives along. They were slow, they were tired, and they were underfed. It took a dangerously long time to get them all into the tunnel. And as Marasi was preparing to lead them back toward the elevators, she heard noises from that direction.
With a sinking feeling, she saw a good two dozen guards—soldiers, really; probably the ones who had been standing watch in the building above—come piling around the turn in the tunnel.
This had just gone from quiet infiltration to full-on war.
51
The Set soldiers, spotting Marasi’s group, immediately organized in the tunnel, using the natural curve as cover. Fortunately, this bought Marasi and her team a few precious moments—the enemy didn’t know what they were facing, and so took up a defensive posture.
Marasi ushered the former captives back toward the room, though the flimsy drywall would offer very little protection against gunfire.
TwinSoul, however, knelt and put both hands on the ground. “Moonlight,” he said, “I’ll need extra fuel. Water will not be enough for this.”
She swiftly dug out one of the glowing jars and tossed it to him. A line of crystal grew from him and around the jar, opening the top. His crystals began to grow faster—in moments he’dcreated a chest-high wall of roseite in front of them.
Gunfire rang out from the other end of the tunnel, making the former captives cry out as they crowded back into the room. Rifle in hand, Marasi threw herself against TwinSoul’s improvised fortification next to Moonlight. She risked a glance over the roseite mound—he’dmade this one opaque, perhaps to give the enemy less information.
She ducked back down as a bullet blasted a few chips off the front of the fortification. TwinSoul clearly had to concentrate to keep this large a barrier up. He had settled down with his legs crossed and his hands in fists, knuckles pressed together in front of him, his head bowed. Thecrystal-stone had grown up over his arms in an odd way. Marasi turned to Moonlight.
“Can you make a door in the ground?” Marasi said. “There might be tunnels beneath us.”
Moonlight shook her head. “Even if there were, the thickness of the stone would be far too great for my stamp.”
“I believe, my lady Marasi,” TwinSoul said, “that you should allow me to take the people we’ve freed and hasten them to the exit. It seems these soldiers were guarding the shipping bay above. So if I can push through them, I can get the civilians to safety.”
“That would be good,” Moonlight said. “Marasi and I can escape farther into the tunnel complex—and the enemy might be so focused on you and your escape that they don’t notice us.”