“Wait here,” says Dee-Dum and leaves me in the shadows while he walks to the desk clerk.
I wonder how many resistance members have infiltrated the aerie?
They talk briefly, then Dee-Dum heads toward the entrance, waving for me to follow. His pace has picked up, his walk more urgent than before.
I’m a little surprised when Dee-Dum takes us out of the building. The crowd waiting outside has swelled and the guards are too busy to notice us.
I’m even more surprised when he leads us around the building and into a dark alley. I’m half-running to keep up.
“What’s going on?” I whisper.
“Plans have changed. We have almost no time. I’ll show you where to go, then I have things I need to do. ”
No time.
I trot after him in silence, trying to stay calm.
For the first time, I’m unable to control the doubts eating away at me. Can I find Paige in time? How will I ever manage to get her out of here on my own without a wheelchair? I can carry her on my back, piggyback style, but I won’t be able to run or fight like that. We’ll just be a big, clumsy target in a shooting gallery.
And what about Raffe?
To our right, there’s a gated driveway down to the underground garage of the aerie. Dee-Dum leads us towards it.
I’m acutely aware that we are unarmed humans on the street at night. I feel even more vulnerable when I catch a glimpse of watching eyes along the alley where dark lumps of people lie huddled out of the wind. Nothing about those eyes strikes me as preternatural, but I’m no expert.
“Why didn’t we just go down from the lobby?” I ask.
“Someone’s always watching those stairs. You have a much better chance of getting in through this back way. ”
Beside the gated driveway is a metal door that leads into the garage. Dee-Dum hauls out an impressive ring of keys. He flips through the keys and hurriedly tries a few.
“You don’t know which one it is? And here, I thought you were the prepared type. ”
“I am,” he says with a mischievous grin. “But these aren’t my keys. ”
“You really have to teach me that pickpocketing trick sometime. ”
He glances up to reply, but his face morphs into a troubled expression. I turn to see what he’s seeing.
Shadows slip out of the dark alley, approaching us.
Dee-Dum moves out of his corner and loosens into a fighter’s stance, the way a wrestler might get ready for impact. I’m still trying to decide whether to run or fight when four men surround us.
With the moon peeking in and out of storm clouds, I get impressions of sour unwashed bodies, tattered clothes and feral eyes. I wonder how they got into the restricted area near the aerie? Then again, I might as well wonder how rats get into places. They just do.
“Hotel skanks,” says one. His eyes take in our clean clothes, our freshly showered bodies. “Got any food on you?”
“Yeah,” says another. This one plays with heavy chains, the kind you see hanging from mechanic’s garages. “How about some of those fancy whore’s d’oeuvres?”
“Hey, we’re all on the same team here,” says Dee-Dum. His voice is calm, soothing. “We’re all fighting for the same thing. ”
“Hey, jerk-off,” says the first guy closing the circle tighter around us. “When was the last time you went hungry, huh? Same team, my ass. ”
The guy with the chains starts waving them around like a lasso. I’m pretty sure he’s showing off, but I’m not sure that’s all he plans to do with it.
My muscles brace for a fight. I wish I could have had some practice with the sword before using it in a fight, but it’s my best bet to deflect the chains.
I unlatch the thumb strap and slide the sword out of its scabbard.
CHAPTER 35
“Penryn?”
Everyone turns to see the newcomer.
One of the lumps lying in the alley uncoils and steps out of the shadows.
My mother opens her arms wide as she walks toward me. Her cattle prod dangles from her wrist like an oversized charm bracelet for the insane. My heart drops to my stomach. She has a huge smile on her face, completely unaware of the danger she faces.
A cheery, yellow sweater flaps in the wind around her shoulders like a short cape. She passes through the men like she doesn’t see them. Maybe she doesn’t. She grabs me in a bear hug and spins me around.
“I was so worried!” She strokes my hair and looks over me for injuries. She looks delighted.
I wiggle out of her grasp, wondering how I can protect her.
I’m about to bring up my sword when I realize the men have backed off, widening the circle around us. The men have suddenly gone from menacing to nervous. The chain that was being used as a threatening lasso only a moment ago is now being used as worry beads as the guy anxiously fidgets with the links.
“Sorry, sorry,” says the first guy to my mother. His hands are up as though in surrender. “We didn’t know. ”
“Yeah,” says the guy with the chain. “We didn’t mean any harm. Really. ” He eases back nervously into the shadows.
They scatter into the night, leaving me and Dee-Dum to watch in wonder.
“I see you’ve made friends, Mom. ”