Page 31 of Knave

A low chuffing reverberated from the opposite direction—through the doorway, muffled. “It’s coming from over there.” Ferris crept out the door and glanced down to the first floor from the railing that overlooked the front entrance. A large shadow passed outside the main doorway, the dark silhouette spilling into the palace. “Oh, shit.”

“What?” Mouse asked, peeking over his shoulder.

“It’s outside.” He snuck down the hallway, his back against the wall. When Mouse followed, he extended an arm in front of her, so he could easily pull her behind him if anything attacked, and peered over the balcony railing.

The shadow moved again, the tip of a tail swishing across the dusty ground outside. Then a sharp, surprised roar echoed into the broken palace. Ferris froze, pressing Mouse against the wall beside him. A furred, darkened snout shoved into the doorway. Nostrils flared on a long inhale. Once. Twice. Then its lips wrinkled into a snarl. Razor-sharp teeth bared. A low growl burst through the front entrance carrying the stench of death.

Fuck.

The beast withdrew from the doorway and replaced its snout with a large furred foot. It reached inside, dragging its talons along the floor with a resoundingscreechthat left cavernous gouges in the stone. Ferris swallowed hard. Why hadn’t he kept a weapon on him? Not that they were very helpful against the monster back in Ivory, but he needed to make sure Mouse didn’t fucking die.

After moving its clawed foot around in search of something that wasn’t there, the Jabberwocky growled, deep and guttural, before pulling back. The cracking of wings reverberated, piercing Ferris’s ears. He let out a long breath and dropped his arm from in front of Mouse.

Ferris listened hard to the sound of wings as they drifted farther away. Searching the rest of the palace wasn’t as important as safeguarding their lives and he wouldn’t let anything happen to Mouse. He took her hand in his. “Come on.”

Mouse followed close behind him as he led the way down the stairs to the main floor. They needed to find a safe place to hide. Somewhere they wouldn’t be seen, heard, or smelled until the Jabberwocky left.

A heavyboomcame from the roof. He froze as dust rained down from the ceiling, his body tense, waiting. Scrapes and thuds echoed through the palace. As if someone—or somethingwas punching the ceiling.

“Ah, fuck,” he hissed. They were no match for this thing alone. “Do you know if there’s a basement?” If they could close themselves off below ground, it might hide their scent long enough for the beast to leave in search of another meal.

“Tunnels, like in … in the Ruby Heart Palace,” she said with a wince. “Maddie and I found them when we snuck in for a tea party once.”

He ran a hand through his hair and released a short breath. “Okay, I’m sure there are other places to hide. Do you—”

“It’s fine. Rav never took me down there to…” Mouse trailed off as the Jabberwocky let out a frustrated screech overhead, the palace walls shaking. “I only know about the tunnels because I visited Imogen with Ever before and… And that’s how Rav brought me to his palace the day he locked me up.”

Ferris shook his head. No matter the time she’d spent in the tunnels, he didn’t want to remind her of that damn place. Didn’t want to remind himself of it either, though he knew he could disassociate from it long enough to keep them safe. He’d become an expert at it over the last couple years.

“Ferris, it’s okay. If it’s safest there, let’s go,” she said softly.

“All right, luv,” he conceded. A portal might even be hidden down there which could get them the fuck out of here. They could check in with Ever and come back later.

Mouse jogged down hallways, glancing inside doors and taking turns with hesitation. Ferris kept an eye on the ceiling as the stone fractured overhead. The Jabberwocky seemed to be following their movements on the roof, but that would be impossible since it couldn’t see them. Maybe it could track their footsteps. Acrackfilled the air, stone splitting, and the hair on Ferris’s arms stood up. He lifted his gaze upward. They were out of the main part of the palace and the ceiling beneath the roof wasn’t visible.

“Are we getting close, luv?” he asked, attempting to keep his voice steady, but he was sure the Jabberwocky was making progress.

“Here!” Mouse called and bolted through an open doorway, down a narrow staircase with spiderwebs crisscrossing.

Ferris glanced over his shoulder as a series of louder cracks tore from above. Then a moment of silence filled the air before chaos descended. The booms and crashes of falling stone and glass. The victorious cry of the beast. A single heavy beat of its wings. Quick, heavy footfalls as it barreled in their direction.

“Fuck!” Ferris shouted, and squeezed into the stairwell.

Mouse made it to the bottom of the steps just as the stench of the beast wafted down behind him. It was far too narrow for the monster to follow, but if it could break through the ceiling, what was stopping it from going through the floor?

Ferris joined Mouse, wrapping an arm around her and propelling her farther into the cavernous room. “Where are the tunnels?” he asked, scanning the circular room.

The walls were rough red stone, just like the floor, but there was no exit. Above, thick metal bars made a tight grid over the ceiling with a large, unlocked padlock dangling over what looked to be a gate.

“Mouse, where are the tunnels?” he asked again when she remained quiet.

Still, she didn’t answer. He turned her to face him and froze at the horror in her expression. Eyes wide. Mouth parted. Breaths coming too fast.

“Shit.” He took her cheeks in his hands. “Luv, look at me.”

Her violet gaze lifted to his. “I was wrong.”

“It’s okay,” Ferris soothed. He knew the tunnels would be a struggle for her, but now there was something on the ceiling that reminded him of the bars of a cage. She wasn’t wrong about being able to handle it, though—she was stronger than she knew. And he was going to get her out. “I’m right here. We’re fine, yeah? Not trapped. You just need to tell me where the tunnels are and I’ll get us out of here.”

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