supposed to open it.
My ears twitched nervously. Was this a dead end? How long were the guards going to remain distracted? I walked over to the door that had no handle, wondering if I could pry it open with my fingers.
“Hey,” a muffled voice came from behind one of the cell doors, making me jump. “Guard-man? What is your name, anyway?”
“Rio?” I whispered, shuffling toward his voice.
“My lady! Are we glad to see – er – hear you...”
“'We'?”
“Naitlya!” Kewyn shouted from the other door. “Can you get us out of here?”
“Y-yes, of course!” I tried my little silver key in the lock on Rio's door, and it seemed to work. A little bit of struggling and the latch was open.
“Heey!” The half-blood grinned and swept me into a awkward hug. I did not feel like telling him that I had no idea what was going on. Once I was released, I went to work on Kewyn's lock.
“Which way's out?” I heard Rio ask. He began to wander toward the hallway that was crawling with soldiers.
“Not that way!” I hissed, sliding Kewyn's latch open. She smiled weakly as she emerged from the cell.
I led them over to the latchless door, my ears ready to pick up any sign of approaching guards.
“I think we can get out this way,” I said. “But…” I trailed off, pressing my hand to the door. I immediately retracted it. That did not feel like stone.
“What is it?” Kewyn said as a smile grew on my face.
“It’s fake,” I said. I pressed my hands to the door again and let a wave of magic rush through them. The wood had been carved and painted to resemble the surrounding wall. As I pulled the magic back toward me again, a simple handle emerged from the faux stone.
“After you,” I said, I little out of breath.
“Nice,” Rio commended as he opened the door.
The three of us slipped through, emerging in a hallway that was very different from the stark prison. The ceilings were tall, and the floor covered in a red carpet. Stairs led upward to our left and downward to our right as the hallway spiraled around