Page 129 of The Prison Healer

“What are you waiting for?” Rooke yelled at his guards.“Do something!”

At his command, they stepped toward Mot again, swords raised, while Rooke himself moved closer to Kiva.

“You’re not going anywhere,” the Warden spat at her.

“No,yeh’renot goin’ anywhere,” Mot said, and before anyone else could speak, he threw the vial at Rooke’s feet.

Fire erupted on impact, enough that Naari swore as she, Jaren, and Kiva scrambled backwards to get away from the immense heat, until they slammed into the limestone wall behind them. It wasn’t a blast, like that which had brought down the tower, but the inferno was sudden and violent, forming a barricade of flames between them and the Warden, causing Rooke to retreat or risk being burned alive.

“Go, Kiva!” Mot bellowed from the other side of the fire. “I’ll hold ’em off—justgo!”

Naari tugged on Kiva’s sleeve, and she knew she had to follow, knew she had to honor Mot’s sacrifice even if every part of her wished she could save him, free him.

“I’m sorry, Kiva, but we have to—”

“I know,” she interrupted Naari’s warning, her voice breaking. “I’m right behind you.”

And she was.

As Naari turned her brass key and opened the door, Kiva held Tipp tighter and staggered through the exit after her, with Jaren bringing up the rear.

“This way,” Naari said the moment they were all on the other side of the wall, leading them at a fast clip toward the stables.

Kiva swallowed back her questions—and her emotions—as they entered the large building, praying that Naari had a plan.

And then she saw the carriage.

Kiva would have laughed if she hadn’t feared she’d start weeping.

What better way to escape the perimeter guards than in the Warden’s own private transport?

“Jaren, can you—” Naari started, but she was interrupted by another voice.

“What’re you doing in here?”

Kiva whirled around, Tipp’s legs swinging madly in the air, just in time to see Raz step out of an empty stall, a pitchfork held loosely in his hands.

Half a second later, the pitchfork was gone, and the stablemaster was face-down on the ground, Naari’s knee in the center of his spine and one of her blades pressed to his throat.

“Move, and you’re dead,” the guard hissed at him.

“Naari, stop!” Kiva cried.

Raz made an alarming gurgle sound, but still Naari didn’t release him.

“He’s a friend,” Kiva said, stretching the truth but not wanting to see the stablemaster hurt. “Please, he won’t cause us any problems. Will you, Raz?”

Another gurgling sound was all that came in answer, but it must have been enough to satisfy Naari, since she returned to her feet and sheathed her blade.

Slowly, Raz stood as well, rubbing his neck, his face pale as he stared at them.

“There’s a riot happening inside the grounds,” Kiva told him, as Naari and Jaren moved away to begin preparing the carriage for their departure. “It’s a bad one—really bad.”

“I know,” Raz said, his voice trembling slightly, but not from the news of the riot. “They’ve locked the gates. No one in or out.”

Kiva didn’t waste time explaining how she and her friends had made it through the wall. Instead, she said, “We’re leaving. You should come with us.”

Raz took a moment to reply, still recovering from Naari’s attack. “I’m safe enough out here. And I can’t risk losing this job, Kiva.”

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