Page 61 of Dark Shaman: Eternal Hope
"Does Tula often get like that?" Eluheed asked.
Tamira nodded even though this time it wasn't about Tula's volatile, habitual moods. This time, she had a good reason to be upset.
"Did the lord summon you to connect to the enhanced soldiers?" she asked in a whisper.
Eluheed nodded. "They're evolving rapidly,” he whispered back. “The change from when I saw them last is startling." He moved to sit on the couch.
She joined him, taking his hand and putting her head on his shoulder so she could whisper directly into his ear. "In what way are they evolving?"
"They are becoming more coherent. They also sensed things about me today. The soil under my fingernails fascinated them. They wanted to know more about me. They are bored."
"Well, that's obvious. They are being kept in isolation with nothing to do."
"They are not idle. They keep working on improving their network." He rubbed his face with his free hand. "They're becoming more perceptive. Each contact is more dangerous than the last, and Lord Navuh wants me to repeat this every other day. He wanted me to do it every day, but I managed to convince him to let me rest between encounters."
Tamira squeezed his hand and leaned closer to his ear so he would hear her soft whispers. "We need to leave before theydiscover what you are. I got Areana to show me how to enter the tunnel. She showed me the disarming sequence."
His eyes widened. "Just like that? How did you convince her to do that?"
"First, I got her to admit that the tunnel existed, then I told her that all the ladies should know about it in case of an emergency, when leaving the harem through the pavilion is not possible. If we are attacked or if there is a fire, the tunnel might save our lives. Areana agreed and took me to show me where the entrance is. She said that if there was an emergency, we shouldn't worry about the alarm, and just open the door, but she didn't put in any real effort to conceal the disarming sequence."
Tamira described the hidden door behind the bookshelf, the specific books that needed to be pulled out, and the pressure plates in the carpet pattern.
"Third rose from the left, a third of a meter from the wall," she repeated. "Herodotus, Plato, Marcus Aurelius, then Ovid pushed instead of pulled. I memorized it as Heroes Plot Military Overthrows," Tamira reiterated.
He smiled. "Clever."
"It is, right? The sequence needs to be completed within thirty seconds of stepping on the pressure plate, so there is no time for hesitation."
"That sounds easy enough. All mechanical triggers instead of electrical ones, which is smart. As we know from experience, electricity on the island is not reliable, and that's even more true in the case of an emergency like a fire or an attack on the harem." He was quiet for a moment. "She really let you see all of this?"
"She made a perfunctory effort to hide it, but I think she wanted me to know the sequence."
"Why would she do that?"
Tamira had been wondering the same thing. "Maybe she just wanted someone else to know in case of emergency."
"Or maybe it's a test," Eluheed suggested. "To see if you'll betray her trust."
That thought made Tamira's stomach clench. "Areana isn't that calculating."
"She's survived five thousand years as Navuh's mate. She has to be calculating."
He was right, of course. Areana's survival depended on navigating Navuh's moods, managing the harem, and keeping everyone safe while maintaining the illusion of perfect loyalty. She was a master manipulator by necessity.
"Even so, we know how to get into the tunnel now."
"Yes, but that only solves one problem." Eluheed's expression darkened. "The tunnel will have surveillance cameras. The moment we enter, Navuh will know."
The brief flame of hope in Tamira's chest guttered out. "Of course. I should have thought of that."
Every step forward seemed to reveal two more obstacles. The tunnel existed, they could access it, but they still couldn't use it.
"There has to be a way," she said, though the words sounded hollow even to her.
"There has to be." Eluheed pulled her against him, but she felt the defeat in his posture. "We will figure it out."
"How?"
