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"I think that’s enough sleeping," said a deep voice A powerful hand slapped her cheek Through stinging eyes, she found the hatchet-hewn face of Doneval’s bodyguard sht we didn’t notice you spying on us for days, did you? You ood, but you’re not invisible"

Behind hiuards loitered by an iron door--and beyond it was another door, through which she could see a set of steps that led upward It must be a door into the cellar of the house Several of the older houses in Rifthold had such doors: escape routes during wars, ways to sneak in scandal-worthy guests, or merely an easy way to deposit the household’s waste The double doors were to keep out the water--airtight, and ic to coat the thresholds ater-repellent spells

"There are a lot of roouard said "Why’d you choose the upstairs study? And where’s your friend?"

She gave hi in the cavernous sewer around her The water was rising She didn’t want to think about as floating in it

"Will this be an interrogation, then torture, then death?" she asked hirinned right back at her "Smart-ass I like it" His accent was thick, but she understood hih He braced his hands on either arm of her chair With her own arms bound behind her back, she only had the freedom to move her face "Who sent you?"

Her heart beat wildly, but her s torture was a lesson she’d learned long ago "Why do you assuirl be independent?"

The wooden chair groaned under his weight as he leaned so close their noses were al She tried not to inhale his hot breath "Why else would a little bitch like you break into this house? I don’t think you’re after jewels or gold"

She felt her nostrils flare But she wouldn’t lean infor to torture et it started I don’t particularly enjoy the srin unfaltering "Oh, we’re not going to torture you Do you kno many spies and thieves and assassins have tried to take down Doneval? We’re beyond asking questions If you don’t want to talk, then fine Don’t talk We’ve learned how to deal with you filth"

"Philip," one of the guards said, pointing with his sword down the dark tunnel of the sewer "We’ve got to go"

"Right," Philip said, turning back to Celaena "See, I figure if soh to send you here, then you must be expendable And I don’t think anyone will look for you when they flood the sewers, not even your friend In fact, ht now You capital-dwellers don’t like getting your feet dirty, do you?"

Her heart pounded harder, but she didn’t break his gaze "Too bad they won’t get all the trash," she said, batting her eyelashes

"No," he said, "but they’ll get you Or at least, the river will get your reh" Philip patted her cheek hard enough to sting As if the sewers had heard hi from the darkness

Oh, no No

He splashed back to the landing where the guards stood She watched theh the second door, then up the stairs, then--

"Enjoy your swim," Philip said, and slammed the iron door shut behind him

Darkness and water In the ht leaking in through the grate high, high above, she could feel a sudden gush of water against her legs It was up to her lap in an instant

She cursed violently and wriggled hard against the ropes But as the ropes cut into her arms, she remembered: the built-in blades It was a testament to the inventor’s skill that Philip hadn’t found thes were alht for her to release the for any shred of space to flick her hand The water pooled around her waist They must have built the sewer dam at the other end of the city; it would take a few minutes before it completely flooded this part

The rope wouldn’t budge, but she flicked her wrist, doing as the ain Then, at last, the whine and splash of the blade as it shot out Pain danced down the side of her hand, and she swore She’d cut herself on the da Thankfully, it didn’t feel deep

I while she twisted thes They should have used iron shackles

There was a sudden release of tension around herblack water as the rope gave Two heartbeats later, the rest of the ropes were off, though she cringed as she plunged her hands into the filthy water to cut her feet fros

When she stood, the water was at her thighs And cold Icy, icy cold She felt things sliding against her as she splashed for the landing, struggling to keep upright in the fierce current Rats were being swept past by the dozen, their squeals of terror barely audible over the roar of the water By the ti there, too She tried the iron handle It was locked She tried to plunge one of her blades in alongside the threshold, but it bounced back The door was sealed so tightly that nothing was getting through

She was trapped

Celaena looked down the length of the sewer Rain was still pouring in froh that she could see the curved walls There had to be some ladder to the street--there had to be

She couldn’t see any--not near her And the grates were so high up that she’d have to wait until the sewer filled entirely before trying her luck But the current was so strong that she’d probably be swept away

"Think," she whispered "Think, think"

Water rose higher on the landing, lapping now at her ankles