Web of Secrets - Chapter 41 Part 2: Escape

Step five: get out of Elegan.

Kalden followed Akari through the crawl space, dodging pipes and wires along the way. It still felt wrong to leave Darren behind, but they'd known this might happen. His friends had helped him escape, but they had no desire to leave Arkala themselves.

Understandable. They hadn't heard Relia's story about the outside world, and Kalden couldn't tell them without serious consequences. The less they knew now, the less they had to lie when the Martials came knocking.

Even Akari hadn't wanted to leave until they backed her into a corner. As for Kalden, he'd been preparing for this since his brother left. But these last few months had tipped the scale in earnest. It wasn't just about how the state treated Akari, but the way they chose ignorance over knowledge.

Akari had become a Bronze Mana Artist—something they'd claimed was impossible. And how did they react? They ignored it. They didn't even try to deny it or reason it away—they knew that would only fuel the fires. Instead, they'd hidden her away without a trial, just like Relia's master.

How many more discoveries had they buried?  What happened to the scientists of the past who sought to prove themselves wrong?

If this was the world they lived in, then Kalden wanted no part of it. But he couldn't expect his friends to find that same drive so quickly. Even if they didn't, who wanted to brave the hundred-foot tides of the Inner Sea? Not to mention all the fights between here and the shore.

I'll come back for you, he thought as he crawled over another pipe. He and Akari would train until they were strong enough to oppose these unseen enemies. They'd become stronger than Relia—stronger than her master, even. Whatever it took, they would free the people they'd left behind. Not just Darren and Maelyn, but all their friends and family. Everyone they'd ever known.

After another minute of crawling, Akari stopped and perched on a wooden support beam, gesturing to a particular ceiling tile on their left.

"Girls' bathroom is down here," she whispered.

The bathroom wasn't the only exit, but it was definitely the safest. The toilets gave them an easy way to climb down without damaging the ceiling tiles. They also reduced their risk of being spotted here.

But if he'd realized that, then so could others. What if Grandhall had placed a dozen guards beyond the door? That seemed a little dramatic for a high school, but Kalden was done underestimating his enemies. He still didn't know why they'd closed in on the computer lab. Had they gotten a tip from Emberlyn or Tusk? How long Darren would keep them busy?

"You're up," he whispered to Maelyn. "Scout ahead, and radio us what you find."

Maelyn gave him a half-salute as she shifted the foam-like tile aside

"And whatever you do," Akari said, "don't drop your glasses in the toilet."

"Speaking from experience, are you?" Maelyn grinned, but she took Akari's advice and held onto her silver frames as she lowered her head.

"So far so good." She placed both hands on the support beam and climbed backwards through the opening.

Kalden moved the tile back into place behind her and pulled out his handheld transceiver. If this went badly, they'd have to seize Maelyn's distraction and make a run for it.

"All clear," Maelyn said through the radio a few seconds later.

"We'll be right down," Kalden replied as he moved the tile again.

The corridors were empty like Maelyn said. He couldn't even hear the guards banging on the doors anymore. Hopefully, that meant Darren had bought them more time, and not that they'd given up and started looking elsewhere.

They went their separate ways when they passed the school's main entrance. Once Maelyn got a head start on the road, she would re-enable Akari's cuffs and draw the Martials' attention toward the east. If all went according to plan, she'd be halfway to Tidegate by then.

Meanwhile, he and Akari would head west toward Ironhaven.

Kalden held up a hand when they reached the school's back door. Unlike the sliding glass doors in the front, this one was made of hollow steel, and it would trigger an alarm without the proper keycard.

He reached into his pocket and produced the custodian's card they'd copied earlier that week. The light turned green when he swiped it, and the door popped open on its own. Kalden pushed it open several more inches, then he used a pocket-sized mirror to peak around the corner.

This side of the school was empty as usual—just a few dumpsters and recycling bins. But a white van sat parked directly across the street.

"Martials?" Akari whispered.

"Can't tell," Kalden replied, "but it's too risky. We'll never get out of town if they spot us."

"Great," she muttered. "Any ideas?"

Kalden considered that for a moment, then reached for the transceiver he'd clipped to his belt. "Maelyn? You still there?"

In hindsight, they should have invented codenames in case the Martial's tapped into their channel. He'd always wanted his own codename—how had they forgotten that?

"Still here," came her voice among bursts of static. "Just admiring your car."

"We need a distraction," Kalden said. "There's a van parked across Timber Street. Could be the Martials—we're not sure."

"Need me to turn the cuffs back on?"

"Negative," Kalden snapped back. "That's a last resort. For now, just be as conspicuous as possible."

"Copy that."

Thirty seconds passed, and the only sounds were the echoing voices from the quad's closing ceremonies. Finally, Kalden heard the familiar purr of his car's engine. Maelyn pulled behind the school, straight toward the white van. Then—as if she'd just noticed it there—she did a U-turn in the road before tearing off in the other direction.

Not bad, Kalden thought with a grin. He could practically see the gears turning in his opponents' heads. Was this group of teenagers smart enough to make a diversion, or were they dumb enough to run away?

They must have chosen the latter option because the van started moving.

Once it was out of sight, Kalden and Akari headed for the real getaway car.