Chapter 14 THE SECRET PRISON

Chapter 14 THE SECRET PRISON
ETHAN'S POV
My stomach twisted as we approached the massive iron gates.
Three days of hiding from the Silver Covenant's soldiers. Three days of barely sleeping. Three days of walking through forests and climbing rocky paths until my feet bled inside my boots.
And now we stood in front of the secret prison carved into the mountain itself.
"Remember the plan," Kiera whispered. Her hands were tied in front of her with rope that looked real but would break easily. "You're a guard. I'm your prisoner. Act tough."
"I don't know how to act tough."
"Then pretend I just insulted your mother."
Despite everything, I almost smiled. Almost.
The prison entrance loomed before us like a monster's mouth. Stone walls rose so high I couldn't see the top. Guards with crossbows watched from towers. This place was built to keep prisoners in and everyone else out.
A guard at the gate raised his hand. "Stop right there."
I straightened my stolen uniform and tried to sound confident. "I'm here on orders from Lady Seraphina. I have a prisoner for processing."
The guard's eyes narrowed. "Lady Seraphina? Let me see your papers."
My heart hammered. We didn't have papers. This was the moment everything could fall apart.
But Kiera saved us. She suddenly lunged forward, snarling like an animal. "I'll kill you all! Every last human!"
I grabbed her rope and yanked her back hard. "Quiet, monster!"
The guards laughed. One of them stepped closer. "Feisty orc, isn't she? What'd she do?"
"Attacked a supply wagon," I lied. "Lady Seraphina wants her questioned about rebel hideouts."
The mention of Lady Seraphina's name worked like magic. The guards' faces changed. They looked nervous now.
"Right. Well. Go on in then." The first guard waved us through. "Take her to Block C. That's where they handle the difficult ones."
The gates opened with a horrible grinding sound. We walked inside, and my blood turned cold.
The prison was worse than I imagined.
Cells lined both sides of a long corridor. People pressed against the bars—humans and orcs together. They looked starved. Their clothes were rags. Some had wounds that hadn't been treated.
"Please," a woman whispered as we passed. "Please help us. We didn't do anything wrong."
I wanted to stop. Wanted to free them all. But we were here for Thorne.
A guard led us deeper into the prison. The smell got worse with every step. Blood and sweat and fear.
"Block C is down those stairs," the guard said, pointing. "Good luck getting answers from your prisoner. The orcs here don't talk much anymore."
He walked away, and we were alone.
Kiera broke her ropes easily. "Thorne should be on the lowest level. That's where they keep the important prisoners."
We hurried down stone steps that seemed to go on forever. The air grew colder. Damper. The walls dripped with water.
Finally, we reached the bottom level. More cells. More prisoners. But these ones looked different—they were important people. I recognized a human merchant who spoke out against the war. An orc teacher I'd heard about.
"Ethan." Kiera grabbed my arm. "There."
At the end of the corridor, in the last cell, sat a man who looked like he'd been through a nightmare.
Thorne.
He was thin. So thin I could see his bones. Bruises covered his face. His clothes were torn and bloody. But his eyes were still sharp when he looked up at us.
"Kiera?" His voice cracked. "Is that really you?"
"We're getting you out." Kiera gripped the cell bars. "Can you walk?"
"I can try."
I pulled lock picks from my pocket—tools Kiera taught me to use. My hands shook as I worked on the lock. Come on. Come on.
Click.
The lock opened.
Kiera helped Thorne stand. He could barely put weight on his left leg.
"They tortured me," Thorne said quietly. "Wanted to know about the peace talks. About who else knew the truth."
"Did you tell them anything?" I asked.
"No." Pride flickered in his eyes. "I told them nothing."
A sound echoed from upstairs. Footsteps. Lots of them.
"We need to go," Kiera said urgently. "Now."
We started back up the stairs. Thorne leaned heavily on both of us. Every step seemed to hurt him.
We were halfway up when the alarm bells started ringing.
The sound was deafening. It echoed off the stone walls, filling my ears until I couldn't think.
"They know!" Kiera shouted over the noise. "Someone discovered us!"
Guards poured into the stairway above us. Below us. Everywhere.
"Stop right there!" A captain in silver armor pointed at us. "You're surrounded!"
I drew my sword. Kiera did the same. We stood back-to-back with Thorne between us.
"Any brilliant ideas?" I asked her.
"Fight. Run. Hope we survive."
"That's not much of a plan."
"It's all we have."
The guards advanced slowly. Twenty of them. Maybe more. Their swords gleamed in the torchlight.
We were trapped like rats.
The captain smiled coldly. "Drop your weapons. This is your last chance."
I looked at Kiera. She looked at me. In her eyes, I saw the same thought I was thinking.
We're going to die here.
But then she smiled. Actually smiled.
"What are you smiling about?" I whispered.
"Because I know something they don't."
"What?"
Before she could answer, a guard near the top of the stairs screamed. He fell forward, an arrow in his back.
Then another guard fell. And another.
The captain spun around. "What's happening? Who's attacking?"
More arrows flew through the prison. But none came near us. They all hit guards.
"Someone's helping us," Thorne said, his voice filled with wonder.
Through the chaos and confusion, I saw figures moving in the shadows at the top of the stairs. Figures with green skin and fierce eyes.
Orcs.
At least a dozen of them. They fought the guards with incredible skill.
"How—" I started to ask.
"I sent word before we came," Kiera explained quickly. "Told my people where we'd be. Just in case."
The orc warriors pushed the guards back. Created a path for us.
"Move!" Kiera yelled.
We climbed the stairs. Thorne between us. Guards tried to stop us but the orc warriors blocked them.
We burst out of the prison into daylight. Never had fresh air tasted so sweet.
But we weren't safe yet. More guards poured from the prison behind us. The iron gates started closing.
"Run!" someone shouted.
We ran toward the forest. My lungs burned. My legs felt like they might collapse. But I kept going.
Behind us, crossbow bolts whistled through the air. One hit the ground next to my foot.
We reached the trees. The orc warriors formed a shield wall behind us, blocking the guards' arrows.
I looked back at the prison. At least fifty guards stood at the gates now. And more were coming.
We'd escaped. Barely.
But then I saw him.
Standing on the highest tower of the prison, watching us flee, was a man in black armor with the silver serpent symbol on his chest.
Even from this distance, I could see his smile.
He raised one hand slowly. Made a gesture like he was cutting a throat.
Then he turned and walked away, disappearing into the tower.
"Who was that?" I gasped.
One of the orc warriors spoke up. "That was Commander Vex. He runs this prison for Lady Seraphina."
"He let us escape," Kiera said slowly. Her face went pale. "He could've stopped us but he didn't."
"Why would he do that?" I asked.
Thorne's voice was grim. "Because he wants us to lead him somewhere. We're not escapees, Ethan. We're bait."
My blood ran cold.
The young orc warrior who led the rescue stepped forward. He was barely older than me with a fresh scar on his cheek. The same young orc Kiera had protected during the battle weeks ago.
"We need to move fast," he said. "Commander Vex's trackers are the best in the kingdom. They'll hunt us like dogs."
"How long do we have? Kiera asked.
The young warrior looked at the sky. At the position of the sun. His expression was dark.
"If we're lucky? Maybe an hour before they catch our trail. If we're not lucky?" He turned to face us fully, and fear filled his eyes. "They're probably a
lready following us right now. And when Commander Vex catches prey, he never lets them escape twice."