stumbled along. I was fervently praying they wouldn't separate us into individual cells, even if that meant leaving us chained together. The passageway was not very well lit, but at least it stayed on level ground. I had feared the cells may be underground.
After a while, at regular intervals along the passage, I saw narrow doors, which I guessed were cells, but Kano kept leading us on. Eventually he turned right down another passage and finally he stopped and unlocked one of the skinny wooden doors and, to my relief, gave us both a hefty shove inside so we fell in a jumble of arms and legs on the hard packed earth floor. Kano gave a harsh laugh as he slammed and locked the cell door.
We looked at each other, and I saw the relief and joy break out on Liander's face. Before the laughter I could see bubbling up inside him broke out, I put a finger to his lips and mouthed, No. He frowned, and I cupped my ear and mouthed, Wait. He nodded and we listened carefully, and after a moment, we heard them moving away, Kano's voice clear as he told one of them to take up a position at the end of the passageway.
"Okay," I whispered, "but keep it quiet just in case. Any thoughts?"
"You mean besides carnal ones?" he asked huskily.
"Oh Lords, Liander." I closed my eyes, trying to shut out the image his words brought. "Not now, Liander, please. As much as I would like nothing better, I need to get us out of here, and I need your help." I opened my eyes and saw...a smile.
"I'm sorry," he said, not sounding the slightest bit repentant. The bastard was playing with me.
"Oh, you'll pay for that," I said smiling.
"I'd ask you how, but I think perhaps I should wait and see." Liander smiled, looking up at me from under his lashes, and I felt a rush of emotion for him. I wanted to hold him close.
He interrupted my pleasant thoughts as he continued, "Thoughts, you asked. First of all, this is much older than the city out there. Not sure what happened here, but I think the people living in the city are not the original inhabitants. I got no more than a glimpse of the outside, but it was huge, Hollis, and I think the walls are only about half the height they were. There's an indication of towers and did you see the construct at the end of the lead wall? And then there was..."
I let him wax lyrical and selected the important facts. It made a lot of sense that these people were scavengers who made a lifestyle out of robbery and violence, and perhaps later turned to stealing people to make into slaves.
I realized he'd stopped talking and I looked up to see him scowling at me.
"Ah, you're back with me. I knew you tuned me out sometimes, but I thought this time my observations might be important?" he complained.
"I was listening, most of the time. You make a lot of sense, as usual." I grinned. "They've obviously repaired the main parts they use and, at first glance, the cells seem pretty secure."
"Er, exactly what I was saying."
"Ah, okay." I shrugged. "We'll have to bide our time and see what they want from us. Watch and learn."
"Learn what though?"
"More about this place, in particular its relation to the docks and, hopefully, for me to come up with a plan to get us out of here."
"For us to come up with a plan. I'm going to be looking and thinking, too."
"We will likely get very little warning when our chance presents itself."
Liander looked as if he was about to say something, but changed his mind. After a minute or so, gesturing at the only window in the cell, he asked, "Can you see out?"
"Come here," I said as I moved toward it. It wasn't very big and too high up to be of much help. Liander had to give me a leg up as it was a little too high for me to see out, but the chain being at full stretch made it difficult, and I only managed a quick look before I slipped down again.
"Couldn't see much," I muttered. "Mostly scrub land, a few trees in the distance and off to one side, the edge of the city. The city must branch off this way or
After a while, at regular intervals along the passage, I saw narrow doors, which I guessed were cells, but Kano kept leading us on. Eventually he turned right down another passage and finally he stopped and unlocked one of the skinny wooden doors and, to my relief, gave us both a hefty shove inside so we fell in a jumble of arms and legs on the hard packed earth floor. Kano gave a harsh laugh as he slammed and locked the cell door.
We looked at each other, and I saw the relief and joy break out on Liander's face. Before the laughter I could see bubbling up inside him broke out, I put a finger to his lips and mouthed, No. He frowned, and I cupped my ear and mouthed, Wait. He nodded and we listened carefully, and after a moment, we heard them moving away, Kano's voice clear as he told one of them to take up a position at the end of the passageway.
"Okay," I whispered, "but keep it quiet just in case. Any thoughts?"
"You mean besides carnal ones?" he asked huskily.
"Oh Lords, Liander." I closed my eyes, trying to shut out the image his words brought. "Not now, Liander, please. As much as I would like nothing better, I need to get us out of here, and I need your help." I opened my eyes and saw...a smile.
"I'm sorry," he said, not sounding the slightest bit repentant. The bastard was playing with me.
"Oh, you'll pay for that," I said smiling.
"I'd ask you how, but I think perhaps I should wait and see." Liander smiled, looking up at me from under his lashes, and I felt a rush of emotion for him. I wanted to hold him close.
He interrupted my pleasant thoughts as he continued, "Thoughts, you asked. First of all, this is much older than the city out there. Not sure what happened here, but I think the people living in the city are not the original inhabitants. I got no more than a glimpse of the outside, but it was huge, Hollis, and I think the walls are only about half the height they were. There's an indication of towers and did you see the construct at the end of the lead wall? And then there was..."
I let him wax lyrical and selected the important facts. It made a lot of sense that these people were scavengers who made a lifestyle out of robbery and violence, and perhaps later turned to stealing people to make into slaves.
I realized he'd stopped talking and I looked up to see him scowling at me.
"Ah, you're back with me. I knew you tuned me out sometimes, but I thought this time my observations might be important?" he complained.
"I was listening, most of the time. You make a lot of sense, as usual." I grinned. "They've obviously repaired the main parts they use and, at first glance, the cells seem pretty secure."
"Er, exactly what I was saying."
"Ah, okay." I shrugged. "We'll have to bide our time and see what they want from us. Watch and learn."
"Learn what though?"
"More about this place, in particular its relation to the docks and, hopefully, for me to come up with a plan to get us out of here."
"For us to come up with a plan. I'm going to be looking and thinking, too."
"We will likely get very little warning when our chance presents itself."
Liander looked as if he was about to say something, but changed his mind. After a minute or so, gesturing at the only window in the cell, he asked, "Can you see out?"
"Come here," I said as I moved toward it. It wasn't very big and too high up to be of much help. Liander had to give me a leg up as it was a little too high for me to see out, but the chain being at full stretch made it difficult, and I only managed a quick look before I slipped down again.
"Couldn't see much," I muttered. "Mostly scrub land, a few trees in the distance and off to one side, the edge of the city. The city must branch off this way or
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