Slave to Sapphire
Chapter 14

Her room was steeped in darkness. The thin moon hidden by thick briny fog. She slung the coiled rope across her shoulder and chest. Her dagger was secured to her hip along with the long fork she had stolen. Her hair was braided, twisted into a bun, and held in place with the silver hair pin Imogen had given her. She was wearing the thin leather slippers, as they would be better for climbing. She decided to leave her cloak behind reasoning it would be too cumbersome.

Iris crept through the Palace grounds and reached the stone drain closest to the windows of the Capitol Hall without incident. She crouched in the shadowy fog and held her breath, waiting for the guard to pass. As soon as his footsteps rounded the corner Iris darted to the drain and started her climb to the roof. Climbing up the drain was challenging, and her arms and legs began to fatigue; she willed herself to continue without resting. Iris couldn’t risk the guard passing below her again. Her hands were cramping when she finally heaved herself onto the tile roof. Iris allowed herself a moment’s rest before continuing on along the rooftop. The tiles on the roof were slippery from the dense fog and she lost her footing several times as she crossed the roof. Each time Iris stumbled, she cursed inwardly at the sound of her feet and hands scraping across the wet tiles for purchase. She was grateful for the for the thick fog, there was no way to hide as she moved across the roof. She counted her steps so that she knew when she was aligned with the first window into the Capitol Hall. Iris sent a silent prayer into the ether and tied the rope securely to the gutter. Gripping the rope with her hands, she stepped over the ledge.

With her feet braced against the wall she inched her way down to the window. She paused once at the level of the window, her arms trembling with the strain. Iris had planned everything as carefully possible but there were still things left up to chance. She didn’t know if there was a guard placed inside the Capitol Hall. There was also no way for her to take the rope with her since she needed to exit the Capitol Hall, she just had to hope the guards patrolling the outside of the Hall didn’t look up to see it tied to the gutter. She bolstered herself and wrapped the rope around her right arm and pushed off the wall, swinging over to the window. She had to turn her shoulders sideways to fit through the window. Once through the window she continued to use the rope to climb down to the ground. Her hands were raw with rope burn and sweat dripped down her back by the time her feet touched the ground. But she had made it into the Capitol Hall.

She stood still, assessing the Hall. The room was long and cavernous with vaulted ceilings. Most of the room was shrouded in darkness, the light from two lanterns casting long shadows. Rows of benches lined the sides of the room. At the far end, raised on a stone platform, sat a severe stone throne. Behind the throne hung the flag of Orinth, the flag was attached to the ceiling and reached the floor. Iris didn’t see any guards. She exhaled in relief and made her way to the throne. She tried to move as quietly as possible, the smallest noises echoed throughout the hall. She needed to replace entrance to the prison as quickly, it was only a matter of time before the guards saw her rope. She circled the throne looking for anything resembling an entrance to the dungeons, but found none. She continued her search behind the flag. The lighting was poor and she still couldn’t replace a door. Against the wall she found a lever attached to a pulley system. Iris attempted to lift the lever, it was held in place by a heavy chain that was locked to a bolt in the stone floor. A lock was something that she had planned for. Iris took the bulky lock in her hand and studied it. She pulled the pin from her hair and fork from her hip and used them to pick the lock. The lock was well oiled and popped open. She removed the chain and lifted the lever. Iris cringed at the loud grinding noise and froze in place, hoping the guards outside the door at the end of the hall hadn’t heard. The lever had lifted a heavy oak trap door in the floor behind the throne. She went to the opening and peered into the inky darkness below.

Iris looked back to the lever and pulley system and saw that there was an unlit torch on the wall. She took the torch and returned to the main portion hall and used one of the lanterns to light it. Iris returned to the gaping black square carved into the floor that was the entrance to the dungeons. She held the torch in front of her and descended into darkness.

Iris kept a hand on the wall as she went down the stone stairs and the temperature dropped the further she went down. Her foot suddenly hit the cold, packed dirt; she had reached the bottom. She was far below ground. The realization reminded her of the mines and her breathing shallowed, her heart beating erratically. Now was not the time to have a freak out. Iris forced herself to still and took a calming breath before moving forward. She raised her torch to better take in her surroundings. The walls were stone, the floor was dirt, the air smelled of human sweat and excrement. There must be some form of ventilation because mixed in the odor was the salty smell of the ocean. A cool breeze flitted across her skin, but it was so subtle that she may have imagined it. She continued to move forward. To her left was an empty cell with a cot behind iron bars. In the next cell she saw a form sleeping on the cot. Iris pulled her dagger from her belt curling her hand around its familiar leather hilt. She hoped to replace Maddox, but it was more likely she would replace one of Lucious’ men. She needed to prepare herself to silence them permanently. From where she stood, she couldn’t see any details of who lay in the first cell. Iris decided to continue forward, there were likely multiple prisoners in this dungeon. In the next cell she could make out a man sitting on his cot with his back against the wall, his head tilted back and his eyes closed. She lifted her torch to get a better view. The man’s eyes snapped open and he turned to look at her. Iris took in his chocolate brown eyes and crooked nose.

“Maddox?” she rasped. Her grip on her dagger loosened. Could he really be alive? Hands shaking, she returned her dagger to her hip.

The man paused, his face twisted in confusion. Iris could see the moment his features settled with recognition. Maddox stiffly rose from the cot and hobbled to the cell door.

“Iris, is it really you?”

Iris placed the torch in a sconce next to the cell. She reached her slender arms through the bars and grasped his familiar hands, resting her forehead against the cold iron. Iris fought to hold in a sob of relief that threatened to escape.

“I thought you had died.” She whispered, “Maddox I am so sorry; I don’t know what happened that night.”

Maddox’s grip on her hands tightened “Cora, is she okay?”

“As far as I know, I made sure she had enough coin to buy another year of life.”

“How? What are you doing here?”

“It is a long story, but I am working for one of the Grand Ruler’s sons.”

A look of concern crossed his face, “Are you okay?”

If the situation were not so dire Iris would have smiled, “I am not the one in the cell. It’s not bad, he treats me well.”

Maddox did smile, “He must be one of the good-looking sons.” Apparently, Maddox was still able to replace humor in the situation.

Iris grunted, “Never mind that, I need to figure out a way to get you out of here before you stand trial. Do you know when it is?”

His face dropped, “They tell me it is in two weeks; I am to be executed.”

Iris’ hold on Maddox intensified with her desperation. Seeing him alive before her, Iris was overwhelmed with the need to free him. “I won’t let that happen; I promise I will get you out of here.” There was a small spark of hope in Maddox’s dull eyes.

The spark vanished and Maddox looked down, dropping her hands. “I can’t let you do that, it’s too dangerous. Someone has to take the fall for the azure shipment, it might as well be me.”

Iris grabbed the collar of Maddox’s tunic and pulled him closer to the bars. “There is no way in hell that I am letting you take credit for all my hard work and careful planning,” she growled.

Maddox nodded and gave her a sad smile. “You better leave before someone sees you down here.”

Iris nodded but seconds passed before she was able to let go of him and back away from his cell. Iris snatched the torch and raced up the stairs and back into the Capitol Hall. She snuffed out the torch and returned it. Iris strained to lower the lever as slowly as possible so that the trap door leading to the dungeon did not slam shut. Placing the chain and lock back on the lever, the gravity of everything began to sink in. Maddox was alive. She had a chance to save him, but if she was caught, she would be executed alongside him. She sprinted down the hall to where the rope was still dangling from the window. She grabbed the rope and started to climb, her hands screamed in pain from the fresh rope burn and her muscles already ached with exhaustion from her earlier climb. Iris reached the window and pulled herself through. It was then Iris heard the doors to the Capitol Hall open. She frantically coiled up the portion of the rope that hung down into the Capitol Hall and moved herself to the side of the window. The footsteps of two people entered the Hall, their voices drifting to the window. Iris paused; she was extremely exposed as she hung on the side of the Palace. But she couldn’t resist eavesdropping on the conversation. Any conversation that happened at this time of night in a secure part of the Palace would be filled with secrets.

Their echoing voices became louder as they moved closer to where Iris waited outside the window. A familiar weighted presence leaked out the window and brushed against her.

“We need to make sure that members of the guild and some respected members of the city are present for the trial. And we must make a big show of the execution. Have gallows built at the port for a public hanging.” Iris recognized the soft voice as the Grand Ruler.

“Everything will be done as you wish,” though the other man attempted to speak with his voice lowered. It was loud in comparison to the Grand Ruler’s.

“The people need to believe that their Ruler does not tolerate the usage and sale of azure.”

“Understood.”

“Was all of the azure successfully delivered to Lucious?” Asked the Grand Ruler, his whisper of a voice projected clearly into the darkness of the hall.

“Everything was done as you instructed.”

“Do you think he can be trusted?”

“I would not trust a man like Lucious. But as long as his interests are aligned with ours, he will not betray us.”

“Lucious is useful for now. When he is no longer useful, have him terminated.”

“Yes, Grand Ruler.”

Their voices became muffled as they moved further down the hall to the throne and the dungeon beneath.

Iris was in a daze. What had she just overheard? She would digest everything once she returned to the safety of her room. Her muscles were flooded with adrenaline as she climbed the rest of the way to the roof. Iris pulled her body onto the roof; her breathing having become strained from her exertion. She worked to untie the knot that held the rope to the gutter. Her hands were stiff from climbing and she fumbled several times before she was able to untie it. Hands raw and trembling she coiled the rope and looped it back over her shoulder; keeping low she moved along the roof. When Iris reached the drain, she stopped, the fog was too dense to see the ground, she stilled her heavy breathing and listened for the passing of the guard. Once she was sure that the guard had passed, she grasped the sides of the drain and shimmied down towards the ground. Her adrenaline was wearing off and her arms and legs were sapped, shaking from the effort. She was halfway down the drain when her foot slipped. Her arms were too drained to hold her weight and she fell to the ground.

Iris bit down on her tongue and swallowed a scream. She landed hard, her right ankle folding beneath her. Iris crawled over to the wall and sat with her back against it. She clenched her jaw breathing through her nose, tears spilling from her eyes, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth. She needed to get moving before the guard looped back to where she sat. She would just take a couple of seconds to recuperate. Iris thought back on the conversation she had just overheard. They had given the azure shipment to Lucious. Which meant Lucious was in contact with the government and the Grand Ruler. He had been the one to set her up that night. The thought filled her with rage. Lucious had murdered her family. Lucious had forced her into Exodus Gang. When she had finally had a chance at a future, Lucious had taken it from her. Iris vowed that she would save Maddox and then make Lucious beg for the mercy that death could bring.

Iris rose from where she stood and limped back to her room. She was so consumed with fury that she could barely feel the pain in her ankle.