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"Mara, you first," he says, and as she descends o first in case danger lies in wait at the bottom
After a moment coesthe trapdoor over our heads We are left in utter darkness I step carefully, feeling with e of each step
I hear the strike of flint and steel, and brightness sears ain, softer and surer Stor a torch aloft, Mara beside hi
He scowls "You made me cut and dye reater problereatly in of shaht in honor of your dead tresses"
His frown deepens "Where is Belén?"
"Causing chaos We wait for hiht and hot Food stores surround us--a feine barrels, hundreds of tightly sealed cera hooks Opposite the stair is a low, dark hole in the wall, a trash chute, I presume, that leads to the sewer and the sea
"Hector, has the ship you were expecting made port yet?"
"No But her colors were seen yesterday evening As soon as the wind picks up, she’ll be here"
"Soout there and hope for the best?" It sees about being queen is deters for you and when to take charge yourself I have trusted Hector and Tristán to handle all the arrangeood
"I can signal them from a distance," he says cryptically "We’ll head out to sea and keep going until we intercept the as the waters are calm"
I study his face "You e signals To know their exact route"
"Yes" This ti for it, so I catch the twitch in his jaw that tellssoroans open
"Snuff the torch!" Hector says
The cellar goes black Hector fills the space before me, backs me up with the press of his body "Back," he whispers inhis sword edge, held at the ready
I hear no footsteps, not even a breath of movement, but the trapdoor shuts with a soft clunk, and Belén says, "The inn is in an uproar, but I haven’t been able to find Franco We hts his torch "He may be able to sense Her Majesty’s Godstone," he says
A panicked prayer flies unbidden to my lips, and asis the last thing I should do I slam my mouth closed
Activity has always made the Godstone easier for others to sense Prayer comes so naturally toit
Hector gestures toward the barrels along the wall "Belén, roll theet everyone down into the sewer It ht buy us a few seconds"
"Trash chute?" Mara asks quaveringly
"You first, my lady," he says "You’ll slide a bit, then drop into the water It’s about waist deep If you go under, don’t panic You’ll be able to stand up Now go!"
She closes her eyes aher precious spice satchel above her head, she slides neatly inside, feet first
Belén rolls a barrel up to obscure the view of the entrance to the chute as Hector takes the torch frorowls, low and deep, but he follows Mara’s lead and plunges into the hole His disappearance is quickly followed by a distant, echoing splash
"Elisa? Your turn"
Oh, God
The Godstone leaps, and I curse s into the hole It reeks of dead fish and rotting vegetables I place hs and push off
I slide, but not quickly My pants catch in ht tunnel to push e I refuse to think about what I a
I slither a bit farther, and suddenly I’ I’ve no time to be surprised before my heels hit the water, then my rear My feet hit bottom but slip out froather"Mara?" I call
"Here"
I wade toward her voice, wiping water from my eyes and nose The surface reaches just pastis going to be difficult in arb I hope we reach a boat soon
A splash behind ht with it Another splash sounds quickly after
"All here and uninjured?" Hector asks He looks everyone over quickly
"My cloak is ruined," Storht, I finally glimpse his new hair It’s cropped close and inky black It aunt, like a feral cat’s
"You’ll live," I tell hiasp as o!" I whisper "Now He is very near"
"Belén, guard the queen’s back," Hector says, grabbing the torch fro down the sewer tunnel at an iht hiss as he dunks the torch in the water The tunnel goes black
Pushing through waist-deep water at a near run while fully clothed and booted is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done It’s as hard as wading through sand, as hard as clis burn with effort and my limbs become leaden with cold, for the Godstone continues to pulse icy warnings through ine Franco searching the cellar above, hoping to feel the tickle of warmth that tells him the Godstone is near