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.As the two women descended lower and lower in the ever-downwards spiral, Marisa started to become dizzy and paused for a brief moment, leaning against the wall.They had left her chambers in such a hurry that she had forgotten to take a candle, but the glow from Eman’s amulet was just enough to light their way.She grabbed Adalina’s hand and gave it a soft squeeze.Two pairs of feet moved quickly down the stone steps until they reached a vaulted tunnel that stretched out far ahead of them.A cold breeze whistled through the dank corridor as the tannic aroma of fermenting grapes permeated the air.Without a sound, they crept past the wine cellars filled with bounty from the Fiore vineyards until the passage finally ended at the base of a spiral staircase.Marisa stopped to glance behind, but no one had been following them.“Quickly, up here,” she urged, hoping against hope that the main gate and portcullis had not already been sealed off.Adalina followed her up the spiral staircase, tripping occasionally from the impractical shoes she was wearing.By the time they reached the top, both women were out of breath.Marisa motioned for her to stay back before cautiously opening a wooden door at the rear of the stables.Peeking out into the courtyard, she saw a steady stream of warriors rushing up toward the castle and searched for a place to hide.She spotted a low wall with drinking troughs used to water the horses.“Over there,” she whispered.Adalina nodded.As they sprinted the short distance and ducked behind the wall, the battle chant of the gigantic warriors filled the air.Wave after wave of the mega-sized warriors charged past them, their bronze breastplates flashing and their cloaks billowing out behind them.Marisa peered up over the wall into the main courtyard and her heart sank knowing that they were utterly defenseless in the face of this monster army.The citadel guards were still trying to defend the main gate with their half-sized swords, but they were no match against the spears, swords and arrows of the most powerful warrior tribes on Carnelia.A few brave sentries tried to hold their posts with shields as arrows flew straight at them, but it was no use.The Crocine guardsmen were dropping like flies, hopelessly outnumbered.The Crimson knights had followed Darian in the attack on Abbadon, leaving the regular force behind to guard the castle.She ducked down behind the wall and leaned her head against Adalina’s, huddling against her as hundreds of warriors continued to storm on past them.The squeaky sound of wagon wheels echoed under the rampart tunnel not far away.Cautiously, she peered over the wall to take a look.“That’s the same wagon that took my uncle, Mark and Eman!” she whispered.“I recognize the warriors too!”Adalina peeked over the wall.“Do you see them?”One of the warriors opened the door and ordered the prisoners to come out.Mark, Eman and Alessio jumped down from the wagon one at a time, their hands and feet still clapped in iron manacles.“Oh, they’re still alive.” Marisa sighed in relief.“Should we not try to save them?”Marisa watched the warriors drag their prisoners up toward the citadel and shook her head sadly.“No.If we’re caught, we’ll be executed on the spot.Savino is probably only keeping them alive until he finds us.They’ll be all right, at least for now.”“What about my mother and the others still in the castle? Do we just allow them to be captured too?”“Think about it, Adalina.You’re a Fiore princess.I’m the Princess Regent.We’re the ones Savino wants, not them.”Adalina pursed her lips.“But—”“We can’t just walk in there and give ourselves up—we’ve got to find someplace where it’s safe and figure out what to do next.”“You are right.We cannot go back now.”“Your mother is safe for now.I don’t think Savino will hurt her and the others as long as he’s still looking for us.”“He must be around here somewhere.”Marisa ran through the options in her head.Finding a place to hide at the citadel was not a good idea.Neither would it be safe for them at Beauriél.But where else could they go? She peered down the tunnel under the rampart, noticing that both the inside gate and portcullis were open.“Look! There is no one guarding the gate!”Adalina bit her lip.“But what if there are guards posted at the outer entrance?”“We have no choice! We have to risk it!” She grabbed Adalina’s arm, pulling her along.They dodged the parked wagon which was now empty and sprinted toward the entrance of the long tunnel.Adalina slipped on the thin layer of ice covering the stones but Marisa moved fast to catch her and kept her from going down.She whispered a small prayer under her breath.Protect us, Garon.Show us where to go.When they were only halfway down the tunnel, a tall, dark figure loomed near the entrance, blocking their only way of escape into the city and freedom.Telltale signs of exhaustion were beginning to show on the men’s faces.They had ridden straight through the night and in less than an hour it would be daybreak.Darian sensed that if he did not call for rest sometime soon, he would pay for it later.Hearing a woman’s stifled giggles behind him, he turned and saw Bruno riding next to Mattie, leaning over and whispering something into her ear.The way she looked at him told Darian that she felt something special for him [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]