Page 53 of A Fractured Song

“Trina, right?” Marieke said the name cautiously. “What do you want with us?”

“To help you escape,” said Trina. “And we need to be quick if you want to get away with it.”

Zev had expected Marieke to jump at the chance, but her voice grew even warier.

“Last time I got that offer, the person tried to throw me off a cliff halfway up the canyon.”

“Sure,” Trina said practically. “But he wasn’t with you that time, was he?”

Her eyes flicked to Zev, and Marieke’s followed, her brow furrowed.

“No,” she said cautiously, as if expecting a trap.

Trina shrugged. “Well, that was quite a different situation, wasn’t it? Of course Gorgon thought he could overpower you. He always was too confident of himself. But have you looked at him lately?” She gestured with her head toward Zev, her eyes passing over his form in a way he found highly amusing. “Those are some serious muscles. I wouldn’t be taking him on in a hurry.” The girl’s face split in a sudden grin, her voice turning cheeky. “At least, not in the sense of fighting him for the right to harm you.”

“All right.” Marieke sounded put out for some reason. “You’ve made your point.”

“I’m not sure if my opinion counts here,” Zev said, still a little entertained by the monarchist girl’s manner. “But I’m willing to follow you if it means getting out of this latrine.” Hefelt his voice grow more serious. “But if you’re trying to trick Marieke with your assurances, proceed carefully. I really won’t let you hurt her.”

Trina sighed. “Strongandprotective. Are all the men up on the surface like that?”

“No.” Marieke’s tone was hard to read now. “None of them are like Zev, actually.”

“That’s a shame,” said Trina philosophically. “Now come on, let’s go.” She flashed Zev another grin. “Although I’m afraid you won’t be getting out of the latrine so much as going into it.”

Zev couldn’t quite keep the distaste off his face, but he didn’t protest as Marieke lowered herself into the hole from which Trina’s head had just disappeared. He followed, his broader shoulders barely making it through. He found himself on a flat stretch of stone, illuminated by a lantern Trina had brought. The space was too small for him to stand as Trina had been doing.

And he’d thought it smelled bad in the room above.

“When they cut the initial holes to align with the underground stream, they missed with this one,” Trina explained cheerfully, her voice as bubbly now as the water running through the darkness somewhere close by. “They tunneled through to empty space, but not directly above the path of the stream. People do occasionally ignore the sign and use it if they’re desperate, so it has to be cleaned down here periodically. Not enough to get rid of the smell, though.”

“So why are we here?” Marieke asked, covering her nose.

“Because,” said Trina with relish, “once when I was on cleaning duty with a friend, we were messing around and discovered something cool. If we shift this boulder like so…”

She started heaving on a large stone, and Zev moved forward to help her. He couldn’t help noticing that Trinaquickly stopped trying, apparently content to watch him lug the stone on his own. In particular, she seemed quite intent on the muscles straining in his arms. His lips twitched again. How old was this girl? Fifteen? Sixteen? He didn’t envy her parents.

“Behold,” Trina said dramatically, as Zev cleared the boulder from its place with a grunt.

Chapter

Thirteen

“What are we supposed to be looking at?” Marieke asked blankly. Zev had to agree. He saw nothing but a further small alcove.

“I’ll show you.” Trina squatted down and crawled into the space. She turned her head back to them, her eyes flashing with mischief in the lantern light. “If he’d like to give me a boost, that is.”

“I’m sure Marieke can help you,” Zev said unemotionally. “She’s stronger than she lets on.”

“Shame,” said Trina, but she accepted Marieke’s help nonetheless. Zev couldn’t see much from his vantage point, but the girl disappeared from view upwards.

“And here I am.” Trina’s voice, faint but triumphant, echoed down. “Connected right through to one of our old, abandoned tunnels.”

“Impressive,” Marieke acknowledged. “You’d never know it was there unless you crawled right in here.”

“Come on, then,” encouraged the disembodied voice of Trina. “And bring that one-of-a-kind man of yours, too.”

Marieke didn’t reply, instead drawing in and releasing adeep breath as if summoning patience. She lowered her head enough for Zev to see her face through the alcove’s opening.

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