Emilie & the Hollow World - By Martha Wells Page 0,54
shuffle as the guard got hastily to his feet and greeted Lord Ivers respectfully. Then Lord Ivers said, “Open the door, Cavin.”
Uh oh, Emilie thought. She heard the jingle of keys, clicks as the man fumbled with the padlock, then the door creaking open. Rani said, “Finally. I was wondering if you had planned to settle here permanently, perhaps take up reed farming or some other useful occupation.”
There was a moment of fraught silence, then Lord Ivers demanded, “Where is the girl?”
“What girl?” Rani said, sounding completely unperturbed. Emilie wondered where Rani had hidden her boots and the sack, the only evidence that she had really been in the cell.
Lord Ivers must have looked at Cavin for confirmation, because the man said, a little desperately, “Semeuls, Rail, and I put her in there, My Lord. They can vouch for it.”
Rani said, complacently, “He is lying. You should hire better henchmen.”
“Perhaps you're right.” Lord Ivers' voice was tight with fury. “Let's go.”
More footsteps. Emilie risked a peek around the pillar and caught a glimpse of Miss Marlende, Rani, Lord Ivers, and three uniformed men with rifles, two of whom must have come up the stairs with Lord Ivers and one the unfortunate Cavin.
“And where are we going?” Miss Marlende asked.
“Back to the surface.” Lord Ivers' voice sounded more distant as he started down the stairs. “I've persuaded the Queen to accept Lord Engal's help instead of mine, and I have no reason now to linger.”
“Ah, you will be dropping me off on the way, then?” Rani said, still sounding as calm as if she was having this conversation at a garden party, or the Cirathi equivalent.
“No, you'll be coming with me,” Lord Ivers said. “You'll provide incontrovertible evidence of my achievement.”
Emilie gasped in outrage. Rani's reply was drowned out by Miss Marlende's angry protests as the group continued down the stairs. I can't let them get on the airship, she thought. Emilie stood and ran to the archway, then to the top of the stairs. The group was about two floors down. She needed a weapon. She didn't even have anything to throw.
She went to the archway to the other corridor and looked down it just to see if there was anything helpful left behind. The metal camp stool still sat beside the wall. It was better than nothing. Emilie hurriedly retrieved it, then started down the stairs, her bare feet noiseless on the smooth steps.
She reached the third floor landing, and looked over the open banister to see Lord Ivers and the others on the second, just turning down the stairs. The bottom level of the structure was an open area two floors high, with no floor, just narrow walkways level with the water and big pillars supporting the upper structure. One more stairway down and they would be out on the platform next to the airship, with the rest of Lord Ivers' men. Miss Marlende was still protesting loudly with occasional profanities, and one of the men had her arm, dragging her along. Rani's shoulders looked tense, and the other two guards watched her warily.
Emilie went to the top of the stairs, aimed at the man on Rani's right, and slung the camp stool at the back of his head. “Rani! Run!” she yelled.
The stool hit the man right between the shoulders and sent him jolting forward to tumble down the last set of stairs. It was poor Cavin, Emilie noted. Lord Ivers was knocked into the banister, and Miss Marlende shoved against the man who held her, knocking him off balance. Rani moved like lightning. She grabbed the rifle of the man on her left, slammed the barrel into his face, twisted it away and vaulted the railing to land with a splash in the water below.
Struggling with her guard, Miss Marlende yelled frantically, “Run, Emilie, run!” and Emilie realized she really should be running. Lord Ivers turned toward her and Miss Marlende's guard tried to get his arms free to shoot at her. She turned and bolted back along the corridor, hoping there was another way down. It's a big building, she told herself, panting more from fear than exertion, surely there's more than one stair!
There wasn't, at least not off this corridor. The guards shouted behind her and a bullet rang off the stone wall. Emilie yelped and ducked into the room at the far end, praying that there would be a window. There was - a big one, which looked out over an open waterway