dumb. He might half-believe Kira would wreck a chance for alliance by attacking Luathan guards in the misguided notion she was helping him—she really wasn't that foolhardy or brash—but there was no way Finn or the other Tuann would have helped her.
Which meant there were only a few reasons for her presence here. None of which were the sort you wanted to consider.
"We need to go," she said. "Right now."
Jace didn't argue, picking up on some of her urgency. He looked at his people. "Let's move."
Finn backed into the room quickly. "This way is no longer an option."
"All the windows are guarded," Blue said quickly.
Kira gave the three Tuann a considering look. They'd been so handy in disposing of the first two guards. No reason they couldn't do the same to the ones outside the window.
Finn shook his head, already guessing where her thoughts were going. "I'd like to avoid harming any more Luathans than we already have."
"Perhaps now is a good time for you to break down the situation for us," Jace said.
"Maybe later. Suffice it to say, the Tsavitee are here, they're working with the Tuann and all of us are first on their to-do list."
"We knew that," Jace said.
"Not the last part," Blue corrected.
"They're also planning to bring down the defense grid. Tonight," Kira finished.
Jace nodded, his lips tightening. "Good enough. Blue, show them our exit strategy."
"Roger that," Blue said, grabbing several of the items she'd tucked under her leg before scrambling over to a decorative table.
"What are you doing?" Isla asked.
"She's going through the vents," Jin said, sounding impressed.
Blue shot him a crooked smile. "Right you are, Tin Man. They go on for miles and are big enough even Tank can fit through if he doesn't mind crawling."
"The escape tunnels," Finn said thoughtfully. "They're a defensive feature of the Citadel."
"Are they safe to travel through?" Kira asked.
He nodded slowly, his mouth set in a thoughtful frown. "Yes, as long as we don't linger. They're an escape route if the Citadel is overwhelmed and its people need a hidden way out. They've never been used."
"Stupid of Roderick not to have placed someone up there to make sure his prisoners didn’t use them," Kira said.
"I doubt he remembers they're there. Most Luathans don't. They've fallen out of fashion."
Isla and Noor traded glances, a faint trace of scorn in their expressions. Kira agreed. A good head of security would have made it his business to search out any potential security threats and neutralize the danger they presented. That he hadn't was good news for them, bad news for the Luathans.
Blue finished fiddling with her device. There was a hissing sound and then the red glowing outline of a square appeared on the ceiling.
Seconds later a giant chunk of it fell to the ground with a crash.
"Let's move, people. They would have heard that," Jace ordered.
Outside Kira could hear the sound of running footsteps as voices shouted in Tuann. The door rattled against the furniture Finn and the other Tuann had secured against it.
Tank and Raider went first followed by Blue and Jace.
"You're next," Finn told her.
"Let the rest through first. I'll bring up the rear."
He gave her a sharp smile. "I don't think so."
Before she could protest, he grabbed her and lifted her easily up to the ceiling. Not willing to argue when they lacked time and because she was already up there, Kira grabbed hold and pulled herself up.
Jin tucked himself in after her, his running lights illuminating the shadowy space.
Jace and the others had already started moving, giving those following room. Kira crawled after them.
Blue and Jin had misled them about the size of the escape tunnels. They were little more than a narrow crawl space, setting off every claustrophobic instinct Kira had.
Her head didn't quite brush the ceiling as she moved forward, but it was close. She couldn't imagine how much worse it was for Tank or the Tuann behind her who both dwarfed her.
"You would think they could have made these a little bigger given how tall they are," Kira muttered as she neared Jace's feet.
"Only children and those who can't fight would have used these," Finn said.
Kira glanced to see if everyone had made it into the ceiling tunnel, but couldn't see past Finn's bulk.
Kira faced ahead again and wiggled forward. They wouldn't be able to stay in these long. Crawling this way took effort and stamina. She made it less than the length of one hallway before she had to rest again.
She reached