Free Mine to Fear by Janeal Falor Page A

letting him come with
us.
    Jack closes the door to her room and stacks
some chairs against it while Tawny darts into the passage to where
I can no longer see her. He moves toward the passage as well, and I
let him. I guess Jack is coming with us. Doesn't mean I'm not ready
to drop him a hex at a moment's notice, though.
    I hurry in after them, and Annabelle puts
the panel back on the wardrobe.
    “ Do you want any sort of spell on it?”
I ask.
    “ No. It would probably just draw their
attention here more.”
    True. She's clearly thought about this
escape a lot more than I have.
    We hurry down the tunnel, attempting to keep
our steps quiet, which isn't an easy feat at such a rapid pace in
the dark on a rock path.
    There's a muffled bang behind us, followed
by several more. They must be breaking into Annabelle's room. My
heart clenches. Now's not the time for losing it. I have to keep
them safe. I have to. We can't go to all this trouble only to be
caught.
    It's hard to focus on my steps, to think of
where we're going, when at any moment they could discover the
secret passage. The noise behind us, while still muffled, grows
louder. We move faster, using the noise to cover our own. My nerves
feel as if they're trying to jump out of me.
    We come to a set of stairs that Annabelle
warns us of. It's hard to use them in the dark, but once we've gone
down a ways, Annabelle stops and lights a torch. The tunnel is made
of dirt, stone steps beneath our feet and wooden beams above our
heads. We continue to wind our way down them, the noise fading with
every step. I want to think we're out of danger, that we've made
it, but we're still in the same house as them. There's far to
go.
    A few tunnels branch off the main corridor,
but Annabelle continues down the main path, twisting, turning, and
descending. Soon the walls have roots growing out of them. It grows
cool, the crisp air a welcome contrast to my hot skin.
    Annabelle looks back every so often to make
certain we're all still following, but otherwise, we press on
through what must be an underground passage. The fact that there's
been passages off of the main tunnel makes me more confident we
won't be found. That we might just make it.
    The passage comes to a room with several
packs in it, blankets, and a ladder leading up.
    “ Everyone grab a pack. We should be
hidden by the forest out here, but we will check to make certain
it's clear before coming out.”
    “ I'll peek,” I volunteer.
    “ Let me,” Jack says, but I'm already
climbing the ladder.
    I'm sure he would, and then declare our
presence to the enemy if the opportunity presents itself. He's a
Chardonian warlock. What else would he possibly want to do? So
while staying quiet and careful, I hurry to open the door on the
roof. I crack it open, just a pinch. There's nothing in sight but
trees and a squirrel.
    “ I think we're clear. Let me check for
certain. If I don't return within ten minutes, stay here and be
prepared for anything.”
    With the borrowed pack on my back, I check
one final time before escaping out into the world. I glance around
at the cleverly hidden trap door and make note of what it looks
like so I can find it again.
    I creep as quietly as I can. Mom and Dad
didn't teach us stealth for nothing. The immediate area is clear of
anyone except me, but I don't trust it. There's nothing but trees
in sight. We must be in the forest near the house, though it isn't
in sight.
    The woods are so quiet. I slink around it.
Maybe none of the warlocks from the house suspect us to be out here
yet. And they wouldn't realize we'd make a break for it, so they
didn't set up guards outside the perimeter. Or if they did, they'd
still be looking for us at the house.
    I suppose it's possible, but it doesn't fit
with what I know of the Grand Chancellor. Especially with such
changes like those he just made. And with Zad— I can't allow my
thoughts any further down that path. Now is not the time to lose
it.
    I'm just about to