Silver Shadows (Bloodlines #5)(68)
Author: Richelle Mead

“Zip-tie this guy,” Eddie told Adrian, “and go release the girl in there since you’re a pro at those tables. I couldn’t make heads or tails of it.”

I gave an encouraging nod to Adrian, who looked reluctant to leave me. After binding the second Alchemist, Adrian disappeared into the room. I glanced at Eddie. “Are you sure there’s not a fire? The alarms are still going off.”

“Oh, yeah,” said Eddie, “there’s definitely a fire. We’re just counting on it not reaching us since it’s a few floors up. At least, it was.”

I turned his words over in my head, making sure I truly understood them and wasn’t just mishearing things in my bedraggled state. I was actually pretty sure I could smell smoke but wasn’t certain if that was just my imagination. A minute or so later, Adrian came out of the room supporting a girl a little older than me, dressed in the same tan scrubs. My first thought when I saw her was: Do I look that bad? No, I decided, there was no way. I looked pretty bad, I knew, but something about her told me she’d been there much, much longer than I had. Her face was gaunt and pale beneath what looked like normally tanned skin. Her scrubs were a size too big, suggesting she’d lost considerable weight since first getting them, and her black hair was limp and in bad need of a thorough scrubbing and a haircut. She reminded me of how I’d looked coming out of solitary, only ten times worse. I hadn’t been on this level for long and had enjoyed the benefit of food and sleep for the last few weeks.

Compassion flashed over Eddie’s face, and then his hardened nature took over. “Let’s go. Can you help both of them?”

I straightened up from the wall and waved Adrian off. “Help her. I can walk, just slowly.”

Adrian looked uncertain, but it was clear this other girl needed him more than me. I walked beside her as our strange party moved down the hall and found myself trying to reassure her about a situation I knew nothing about. “It’s okay,” I said. “Everything’s going to be okay. We’re going to get you out of here. What’s your name?”

Her dark eyes stared blankly ahead, and I wondered if she even heard me. Maybe she’d survived being in torture for so long by tuning out human voices. “Ch-chantal,” she said. Her voice was barely a whisper, and I wouldn’t have been able to hear it over the alarm if I hadn’t been leaning close to her.

“Chantal . . .” I gasped. “I think I know you. I mean, I know of you. I know Duncan. He’s my friend.”

A tiny, barely perceptible spark of life appeared in her eyes. “Duncan? Duncan’s here?”

“Yeah, he’s waiting for us.” I glanced questioningly at Adrian as I spoke, and he nodded in confirmation, emboldening me. “You’ll see him soon. He’s going to be so happy to see you. He’s missed you a lot. He had no idea you’ve been here this whole time.”

A chill ran through me at my own words. This whole time. Duncan had said the Alchemists had taken her away a year ago. Had she been in the “persuasion” area that long? It was horrifying. No wonder she looked like she did. And yet, the fact that she’d survived that and was apparently still enough of a threat to stay locked up spoke legions about her character. Maybe she and I should’ve been flattered to be in that exclusive club.

Eddie led us to the stairwell, and everything seemed clear until we opened the door and stepped out on the solitary floor. A wall of smoke hit us, thick and noxious, blocking the way between us and the control center that held the exit. He scowled. “I didn’t expect it to spread down here so fast—especially if it’s not in the stairwell.”

None of us spoke right away, uncertain of what to do. It was a surprise when Chantal was the first to comment.

“It’s the way the vents are set up,” she murmured. “Where is the fire?”

“The living floor,” said Adrian.

She frowned in thought and seemed to be coming more and more to life with each passing second. “Then this is probably just smoke. Of course . . . I shouldn’t say ‘just.’ People often erroneously think only the fire itself is dangerous, when smoke proves just as lethal.”

“You really are an Alchemist,” said Adrian, with a wry smile. It was cut short as the smoke drifted closer and he began to cough.

I stepped forward, still unsteady on my feet but unwilling to do any less than what my friends had done for me today. Not so long ago, I’d worked invisibility and elemental charm spells . . . but that had been after a few weeks of moderate rest and acceptable diet. Could I do what I wanted to do now, after being in such a physically damaged state? Once again, I had no spell components to help me with the magic. It was all my will and words. Thinking back on my work summoning air for the salt ink, I called to that element now and lifted my hand. A very, very faint breeze came forth and slowly began to push the smoke away from us. It was a painstaking process since I didn’t dare summon anything stronger, lest it feed an unseen fire on this floor. It was also much more exhausting than I’d expected. Even before I was halfway through, my legs began to shake, and I had to use my other hand to support me against the wall. The two Alchemists watched me in disgust and probably would’ve made the sign against evil if their hands weren’t bound.

At last, the smoke was pushed back, opening our path to the control room. Adrian ignored my pleas that I was fine and caught hold of me with one arm, while he continued supporting Chantal with the other. Eddie looked like he wanted to help but didn’t dare drop his guard on the two bound Alchemists. He ordered them into the room and then to the mysterious doorway I’d glimpsed in my nighttime investigation. Another stairwell took us up . . .

. . . and I saw sunlight for the first time in four months.

I was so stunned that I stopped walking, causing poor Adrian to stumble. On his other side, Chantal’s eyes were equally wide as she too stared at the sunlight coming through the room’s one small window. Gold and orange hues suggested it was nearing sunset.

“Beautiful,” I murmured.

“I agree,” Adrian said, and I saw his eyes were on me.

I gave him a smile, wishing I could say more, but the room was too full of other concerns. Like the entire Alchemist re-education staff huddled into a corner, with Marcus, Trey, and another guy standing over them.

“Where is everyone?” asked Eddie.

“Where’s Duncan?” asked Chantal.