Paper and Fire (The Great Library, #2) - Rachel Caine Page 0,87

now . . . He deliberately left us all behind while he went off to the Senate. We’re out of time.”

“But we didn’t bring all our things,” Khalila said. “Can we go back for them?”

“No. You can’t. If you turn back, you stay behind. Are you staying?”

“Don’t rush us,” Dario snapped. “It’s a big decision, you know, to turn our backs on our futures. Our families. Everything we’ve ever believed.”

“No, it isn’t,” Khalila said, and took in a deep breath. “We’ve been thinking about this for a long time, Dario. I thought we’d already decided where our loyalty had to lie. Mine is with them. Is yours?”

“Sweet flower . . .”

“Don’t. If you want to go, just go. This isn’t the time for your charm.”

Dario studied her and then slowly nodded. “All right,” he said. “All right. Yes. We go.”

Santi looked grim, and never more in command. “We go. Now.”

The timing is terrible, Jess thought; he had everything he would carry for a duty patrol, but no extras. The rest of his kit was still back stowed beneath his bunk. It will have to stay there. He’d abandoned more things than he’d kept in his life, anyway.

“The hallway Wolfe talked about is on the other side of the far wall, the one with the statues,” Jess said. “Probably some access. I’d guess behind the statues, through one of the alcoves.”

“According to Wolfe, there will be guards and an Obscurist on duty in the Translation Chamber on the other side of the wall; Glain and I will take care of that. At the end of the hall, there’s an automaton and a door. I have Greek fire for the automaton . . .”

“No,” Jess said. “I can get us past it.” Santi looked at him and frowned. Jess met his gaze and held it. “I can, sir. We both know using Greek fire in a confined space is risky at best.”

“All right.” Santi didn’t sound convinced. “Jess will get us past the automaton. After that, the locked door.” Jess nodded at that, too. “And then we go down into the tunnel. There will be more automata. Three of them, according to Christopher. Two sphinxes and a Spartan. Can you disarm those as well?”

“I can get the sphinxes,” Jess said. “I don’t know about the Spartan, sir.”

“That’ll have to do. There are four High Garda on duty in the prison. If I know any of them, I’m going to try to save them, but if not . . . If not, we may have to fight. If it comes to that, let me, Glain, and Jess take the lead.” He turned to Jess. “You scouted the tunnel exit that Khalila and Dario discovered,” Santi said. “Is it clear?”

“How did you know I—”

“I know you. Is it clear?”

“Yes.”

Santi took in a breath. “Then we go.”

As simply as that, they were abandoning all they’d planned for their lives, all they’d worked toward. For Santi, it meant throwing away an entire career spent gathering honor and trust within the Library. For Glain, the destruction of a dream she’d held since childhood. For Khalila, a future so bright, Jess couldn’t bear to think of snuffing it out. Even Dario was giving up something priceless.

I’m the only one who has nothing much to lose, he thought. He’d already lost all the illusions that had brought him to this moment. What he had left now was just a hope that whatever came after this would prove to be better.

One by one, they nodded.

And they headed for the hallway that Jess and Glain had been assigned to patrol.

“What about Wolfe?” Jess asked. “He’s alone in Alexandria. Anything could happen to him there, especially once they know what we’ve done. He’ll be executed.”

“No,” Santi said. “It’s taken care of. Now spread out and find the entrance.” He stepped up to the nearest statue—the one of Minerva—and felt around behind her in the alcove. Jess held back, letting his gaze move over the gods in succession . . . and settling on one in particular. Pluto. Roman god of the underworld.

He stepped up and felt behind, along the smooth plaster of the alcove. Nothing. But as he did, he braced himself on Pluto’s marble arm, and it moved beneath the black toga the statue wore.

The alcove clicked open.

“Here,” Jess said. “Come on.”

“Dario, bring up the rear. Keep watch,” Santi said. He had his weapon ready, and, Jess realized, so did Glain. Jess quickly followed their lead and waited at the opening.