Judd crept along the firebreak, lined with stones, which could either be filled with water if the fields were on fire or, if filled with oil, could provide barriers of fire. Despite the frantic need of monsters to devour humans, even they baulked at firewalls. It was harder to walk silently on the stones than it was on the grasses, however, Verne suggested he make the effort to move quickly and quietly on the firebreak as the stones would not give away his tracks going towards the wall or the tracks of many Mauls hurrying away from the wall.

  He glanced over his shoulder, unable to see Verne in the darkness. Xenon had been quite indignant that Judd was going somewhere without him. Verne had to hold tight to his reins. Thankfully the big stallion had a soft spot for the archer and conceded…somewhat.

  “Petulant child.” Judd eyed his horse and Xenon winked at him.

  Verne promised to stay with the horses in the closest cover they could find near the firebreak and the wall. Since then, Judd was on his own.

  But it wasn’t like he was bereft of thoughts.

  There were many things his mind wanted to ponder.

  The discovery of Verne’s true gender.

  The enormity of the task he faced in rescuing the Mauls.

  The unlikelihood that he would succeed with so little to go on.

  The fact that he was indeed stealing from Sir Donimede, committing a very serious felony.

  His own heartbreak when Aalis had told him that his love for her would only ever be one sided.

  All of which were nipping at his concentration, wanting to be heard and deliberated upon at length.

  However, Judd closed the lid on everything, even anything to do with the rescue of the Mauls. He had to keep his eyes cast upward to the top of the fast approaching wall yet remain completely silent in his approach.

  Eventually he could no longer keep an eye on the soldiers patrolling the top of the wall. He was so close he had to be even more careful at being quiet, sometimes hearing them exchange words as the patrol routes crossed paths. He was relieved when he made the base of the wall, knowing it would be very difficult to see him unless the moon was shining directly on him and the soldiers looked straight down. Judd paused to catch his breath then turned, heading for the first door. The going was slow, the grass was dry, rustling at every movement and the little stones liked to burst beneath his boots.

  He reminded himself over and over that the nights were long and there was still plenty of time…

  …until he reached the first door, thick, wooden panels reinforced in a metal frame…with a big padlock hanging from it.

  Judd looked at it and swore.

  Suvau hurried his people from the more used corridors and into the passage that went around the outside of the pit. And as he counted their number, he was relieved to see that it was indeed all of them. Gustin was the first, then Oska and one by one the Mauls peeled themselves from the terror of the dungeon that kept them bound with fear, out into the corridor. Even Palo.

  Suvau put the door back in place so that it looked like nothing was wrong. Even the door itself hadn’t been damaged. The first anyone would know of their disappearance would be if someone attempted to open the door and it fell inwards.

  Since Jole had doled out rations, Suvau was relying on the habit that no one would even be close to the dungeon for many hours until ration slop was due again at daybreak.

  By then, Suvau hoped to be long gone.

  And not just long gone.

  Long, untraceable, gone.

  Thankfully there were no guards assigned to the Arena that they had seen. Donimede had probably assigned extra soldiers to the top of the fort, imagining they would be able to see anything heading towards the battered Arena as they had done in the past. There were crates and sandbags piled up against the doors that led directly into the Arena but they were removed quickly with the many hands that were starting to shake with the notion of freedom.

  Suvau opened the door and, after a quick scan through the pit, waved the Mauls in to join him. They clustered together, all having had done some time in the pit and no doubt, remembering every painful, terrifying moment in vivid detail. The monster corpses hadn’t been removed to burn. Ermaus’ body was hidden beneath and while Suvau hated that the elderly slave would receive the same fate as the monster corpses, he was grateful that his fellow Mauls wouldn’t have to see what had befallen the kind man.

  He led them towards the gate. It was pitch black outside. Not even a faint glow of the fires of the mount of Maul reached them. There were no stars either so while the mount might be quiet, it was still smoking.

  “I’m going to need someone to climb up that rubble,” he pointed to the broken pillar and half collapsed balcony, “to reach the gate mechanism. We need to lift it.” He looked at Oska. “Well?”

  “I thought you said we weren’t going into Maul.” Oska hesitated.

  “What I said was, we were escaping through the pit.” Suvau’s ire was rising at Oska’s clear reluctance. “Get up there and lift the gate.”

  Oska shifted on his feet. “Why don’t you lift the gate?”

  Suvau glowered at him, leaning towards his brother in law. “Because I’ll be down here, holding it up for you.”

  Oska swallowed and nodded, turning towards the rubble. He had only begun to climb when they heard applause. Suvau turned to the pile of rubble and looked up at what Oska was staring at. To their dismay, Urik stood on the balcony, Jole behind him, the slave driver clapping slowly with a mocking expression on his face.

  “Well done,” Urik said dryly and the Mauls whimpered and gathered behind Suvau who put his hand out to protect them, “out of all the escape attempts…this would have to be the most inventive. Out into Maul…quite frankly I can’t believe this one,” he sneered at Suvau, “talked any of you into it. As bad as you might think you have it in Mavour, I guarantee you, it’s ten times worse out there. You’ll be a walking buffet, a feast for the monsters…who’s going to protect you then? Him?” Urik snorted. “He’s already damned you twice, once for refusing to break in the Arena and now, tonight, in the bedchamber of Jocasa Donimede,” Suvau felt Oska’s eyes flicker to him briefly, “do you really think you don’t all suffer when one of you rebels?” Urik sighed and shook his head. “Perhaps I have been too kind. Perhaps you need to be reminded of just how good you have it…and how precarious that goodness can be. Ah!” He snapped as Suvau took three steps towards him. “You won’t make it before I sound the alarm…would you care to damn them a third time? Or have you forgotten what happened to that old Maul that survived so many years only to be killed when you defied me? Now on your knees, all of you! Put your hands behind your heads!”

  Suvau bristled, knowing they were well and truly screwed. Oska dropped to his knees and Suvau could hear the others doing the same. Suvau saw Urik’s deadly smile and felt his knees quiver. He didn’t want to submit. He didn’t want to let this despicable man win…but if he didn’t…how many more of his people would suffer?

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  “Yolana,” he whispered, falling to his knees, putting his hands behind his head, “forgive me…”

  “Jole!” Urik said over his shoulder. “Bind them and take them back to the dungeon…except for that one,” he pointed at Suvau, “he’s going to stay near the Arena so he can hear every scream, every whimper, every monster’s thrilling cry as it sinks its teeth into the flesh of his people.” Urik leaned forward. “And when you’re well and truly broken, I’ll toss you to Jocasa as a plaything. After all, I have come to enjoy my little bonuses.”

  Suvau’s eyes glittered, his throat so tight that when he heard the snapping sound of a neck, he thought for a moment that he had snapped his own.

  Urik sagged over the balcony’s edge, his head flopping lifelessly as Jole stood over him. Those brutish eyes took a moment to survey the corpse of his master then he looked at Suvau and nodded. He moved out of sight, Suvau scrambling to his feet.

  “What was all that about?” Gustin breathed.

  “I’m not sure…”

  “You think he’s gone to raise the alarm?” Oska hissed.

  Suvau didn’t have to answer as the gate began to rise. Suvau darted towards it, waiting until it was high enough that he could slide beneath.

  “Hold it!” He called as loudly as he dared and the gate stopped. Suvau slid into the lefthand side of the wall, squeezing past the counterweights and into the space beyond. His heart leapt joyfully and he ducked back out. “All of you, into the wall.”

  “Into the wall?” Palo whimpered. “You can’t be serious! It would take a miracle for us to get out of there.”

  “One miracle down,” Suvau gestured to the gate, “just one to go…come on.”

  “I’m in.” Gustin announced and led the way, all the Mauls following him, their order determined by the degree of their hesitation. Oska was last and he paused by Suvau.

  “What are we going to do about him?” Oska asked, pointing at Jole who was at the balcony’s edge again.

  Suvau looked at the man. “Come with us.”

  “What!” Oska snapped. “Suvau, a single act does not erase all that he has done! Urik might have been our master, but he couldn’t have brutalised us without Jole.”

  “It’s remarkable what people will stoop to in order to survive.” Suvau said flatly and Oska recoiled. “Get into the wall with the others and keep them quiet.” Oska did as he was told. Suvau looked up at the balcony where Jole watched him. “Whatever you did to keep the gate from dropping, let it go slowly. I’ll hold it up until you come through…but be quick about it.”

  Jole nodded and disappeared again. Suvau braced himself against part of the wall and as the gate began to drop, he put his shoulder beneath the bottom bar and grasped it with both hands.

  “Jole…run!” He grunted.

  For a hefty man, Jole was surprisingly fast to scramble down the sloping balcony onto the rubble and thudded down into the pit, running towards Suvau.

  “Hurry!” Suvau heaved and panted.

  Jole ducked his head and put his hands beneath the gate, pushing it up. Suvau gasped in relief and they shuffled along the gate towards the narrow passage between the walls.

  “We’re going to have to run.” Suvau warned. “Ready…go!” He darted from the gate, scraping against the wall as he tried to put as much space between himself and the gate for Jole to get through. However, when he looked behind, Jole was not there. Suvau darted forward, finding a crack in the wall to peer through. To his horror Jole was on the Maul side of the gate. “How’d you manage that?” Suvau shook his head. “Never mind…I’ll try to lift it and if you do the same…” Jole shook his head at Suvau. “Jole…”

  The hefty man stepped back, smiling for the first time, possibly in years. He pointed at the tracks through the Arena which faded at the barren rock the gate was driven into. Then he moved his fingers, as though someone was walking away from the gate into Maul.

  “You…you’re going to make tracks…so that anyone who finds Urik and follows our tracks…will think we escaped into Maul…” Jole nodded. Suvau closed his eyes. “But…you’ll die.” Jole shrugged and Suvau suddenly saw a man who had done what he could to survive…by turning himself into something he despised. “You’re saving us…to make amends.” Suvau breathed as Jole nodded then gestured at him to go. “Jole…thank you.”

  Jole shook his head as if Suvau’s thanks were unnecessary then turned his back and walked away from the gate, keeping to the shadows as he disappeared into the chasm. Suvau watched until he could see him no more then forced himself to turn and chase after his people. They weren’t too far in, waiting for the one who had promised to lead them to come to the front of their line. It was almost entirely black inside the wall but oddly enough, there was a little light from the lanterns that sat on top of the wall, used by soldiers to warm their hands and light their path. These little streams of light were like rays of hope between long stretches of darkness.

  There was some rubble and a fallen beam or two that they had to take great care to not knock or trip over. Suvau guessed that they were the remains of the wall when the earthquake that tore into Fort Mavour, allowing Donimede to construct the Arena, damaged the wall. After they clambered past the beams, Suvau was relieved to discover that the way was relatively easy going, the gap between the walls widening to its original width. However, dust sprinkled down from above as soldiers patrolled back and forth, crossing over, sometimes talking and the real challenge of being quiet began. Palo gave a muffled snort, clasping both hands over his nose, unable to stop the sneeze. Suvau held his hand up for them to freeze. Those that did not see his hand, bumped into the person in front of them.

  “You’d better put your feet in hot water when you get back to Mavour.” The soldier above their heads replied. “Sounds like you’re getting a cold.”

  Suvau cringed and waited.

  “Funny, I was just thinking you sound like my mother.” The other soldier retorted, walking back towards Mavour.

  “Yeah, yeah…”

  He breathed out and swallowed. He had to wait a moment to let his heart sink back down into his chest, having leapt into his throat.

  As they passed from beneath the soldier’s post, the space in the wall became maintained and even reinforced. There were racks on the wall, spears and weapons hanging from hooks, shields resting in piles and swords in barrels. It was a wall armoury, something Sir Fereak mentioned weeks and weeks ago. Unfortunately, while the maintenance of the armoury meant the ground was at least clear of rubble, there were suddenly metal rods, blades and shield stacks that would make an inexcusable racket should they fall.

  Suvau led his people past them, his pulse racing when he spied the doors then he heard the familiar sound of metal being drawn out against metal. He spun around and yelled silently at Oska who had begun to pull a sword out of a barrel. The blade had scraped against the edge of another but now, even though Oska had frozen and the sound had stopped, there was a terrible decision to be made. Continue to pull the sword out or to slide it back in, each option making silence an impossibility.

  Suvau pushed past Gustin and gestured furiously at Oska who shrugged at him as if Suvau was being unreasonable but began to put the sword back in. There was a scrape of metal and both men froze. Suvau glowered at Oska then put his hands on the hilts of the other swords, holding them as still as he could. Oska shifted the sword gently, out of contact with the rest of the blades, able then to draw it out without touching anything else. Suvau pointed at the sword then at the ground. Oska sighed but did as he was told, leaving the sword by his feet.

  Suvau was losing track of the amount of times he was going to have to thump his brother in law for being an idiot. He turned to the door and put his hands on it. Unsurprisingly, because they were the entrance into the part of the wall that was being used as an armoury, the doors would not budge with a light press. Suvau clucked his tongue and tried to peer out around it.

  “What are you doing?” Oska demanded in a whisper. “Open the doors!”

  “They are barred from the outside.” Suvau explained.

  “What?” Palo said, standing behind them. “You mean…we can’t get out?”

  “Calm down.” Suvau ordered. “I have help coming on the other side.”

  “Help?” Oska was aghast. “What help?”

  “Judd LaMogre.”

  “LaMogre? The one whose knighthood got Ermaus killed?”

  Suvau glowered at Palo. “Donimede and Urik got Ermaus killed. LaMogre will come for us.”

  “How could you possibly know that?”

  “Suvau?” Suvau’s spine nearly liquified in relief. He knelt, hearing LaMogre’s voice near the bottom of the door. “Is that you?”

  “Judd, we’re here.”

  “Thank Terra…I was starting to wonder if I got your message wrong. Listen, Suvau, we have a problem. I can’t open this door. It’s not barred. It’s locked.”

  Suvau swore softly. “Donimede takes his weapons storage seriously.”

  “And his doors. These things are fortified. There’s no way to force them open so close to Mavour without alerting the patrols.”

  Suvau closed his eyes. “How far away is the second door, do you know?”

  “It’s not close…but I doubt Donimede has an armoury at every set of doors. Even if they’re locked, I’ll have a better chance of getting it open without bringing Chael, Roust and every soldier and guard down on us.”

  “Then that’s what we do.” Suvau decided.

  “You know,” Judd paused as a soldier walked overhead, waiting for him to move away, “you have to get to the second door, get out and travel across Mavour territory without being spotted by dawn.”

  “Which is why we must make haste…silent haste.”

  “And if the way is blocked?” Judd listened but Suvau didn’t answer. “What if you can’t make it? How will I know?”

  “If you need to leave to avoid being seen, you leave.” Suvau ordered.

  “Then know I’ll be back tomorrow night, and the next, until I get you out of there.”

  “I’d argue with you,” Suvau sighed, “but it’s kind of hard to do so when I can’t intimidate you from in here.”

  Judd gave a soft laugh. “To the second door. I’ll meet you there.”