Endure - Sara B. Larson Page 0,63

to put my hand on his arm, stopping him.

“What are you doing?” he whispered angrily.

“He’s helped me. I can’t be the one to kill him — or to watch him be killed.”

Rylan stared at me. “He is one of King Armando’s top sorcerers. He’s the enemy, Alex.”

But something inside warned me to leave him be. He didn’t deserve to die — at least not by our hands. “I’m not sure what he is. But I’m not killing him.”

Rylan shook his head in frustration. “Fine.” He knelt down and hit Akio on the head with the hilt of his sword, making sure he stayed unconscious for a while yet.

“Let’s go,” I whispered as I stepped toward the door, leaving behind the destroyed cell. The wall still smoked where the sorcerer’s fire had hit, and bodies littered the ground. I shut the door and turned to face Eljin’s cell. There were multiple keys on the ring, and Rylan kept watch while I tried one after another, until finally one slid in and the lock turned.

When I swung the door open, Eljin was standing there waiting. When he saw the robes, he stiffened, until I hurried to pull the hood back so he could see my face.

“Alex,” he breathed, with wide eyes. “What happened? What have you done?”

“There’s no time to explain. Put this on and be prepared to fight.”

Eljin did as I asked, his eyes flitting to Rylan, who held his injured arm awkwardly at his side. I couldn’t imagine how he was able to handle the pain he was in right now. I knew the agony of a black sorcerer’s fire. Had I made the worst mistake yet, in trying to attempt this escape? We were so close, though. So close to freedom. At least, from King Armando’s palace. If we didn’t try, it would have meant a sure death. At least we had a chance of living this way. Even if it was slim.

“What now?” Eljin asked once his robe was on.

“Now we go back into that tunnel.” I hated the thought of willingly descending back into that dark, terrifying place. But my fear of staying here in Armando’s palace and letting him take my blood was stronger.

Eljin’s dark eyes widened. “There are two black sorcerers guarding the door. And even if we make it past them, it took days to get here from the wall dividing the two kingdoms. We barely survived with those guards, and we won’t have food or water this time. And even if we did survive, and didn’t run into any more black sorcerers down there, how would we get back through the wall again, into Antion, without being discovered and killed?”

“Do you have any better ideas?”

He was quiet for a moment, and then: “No.”

I glanced around the cell, at the dirt and stones that made up the dungeon of King Armando. The mad king who wanted to rule the entire world with blood and terror in his left fist and ultimate power in his right. “If we stay here, we’ll all die. They’re going to take my blood. The king thinks it will make his sorcerers invincible for some reason. He’s done all sorts of terrible experiments with his black sorcerers. And he wants to use me now.”

“I’ve heard the guards through the door,” Rylan added. “Armando’s gathered a huge army. Vera and some other powerful sorcerers’ deaths have got him spooked, according to the rumors I overheard them talking about. He’s convinced that Antion and Blevon are going to war again, and that now’s the time to make his move before he loses anyone else. He’s going to invade Antion very soon, and once he defeats us, he’s going to continue on to Blevon.”

Images of Damian trying to fight his uncle’s massive army, led by black sorcerers and a deranged king, with his own diminished forces, without me or Rylan or Eljin by his side, threatened to tear apart the little courage I’d managed to dredge up to attempt this ill-fated escape.

“If any of us has a chance to make it — even if it means leaving the other two behind — you go.” I made my voice firm, refusing to let them hear the fear that I struggled to subdue. “No matter what,” I continued, when Rylan tried to protest. “Damian has to be warned. He needs to take our people and retreat to Blevon. If they band together, perhaps there will be a small chance of winning this battle. He has