The idea of being instantly killed with little more than a glance didn’t fill Connor with optimism. And he supposed he should’ve considered that earlier too…

  But, in the end, he had to know.

  He opened the panel, sliding it to one side.

  What he saw made his eyebrows rise with stunned surprise.

  He’d half expected to come face to face with a slavering beast of nightmarish proportions the instant he opened the viewport, but instead, he saw a spacious, opulent room not too different from his own.

  It too contained a single cell of similar design, except covered in six times as many runes and with dark iron bars thicker than his legs. He saw a sink on one side, but the rest was obscured by blankets draped over the bars above.

  The contents of the cell made it clear that the occupant was likely intelligent and Connor considered whispering through the door as the open panel disabled the sound suppression in the other cells enough for that to be possible so it seemed reasonable that the same would be true for this one. But, again he found himself hesitating…

  Just because the creature within was likely intelligent and perhaps even civilized didn’t mean it was any more trustworthy or less dangerous than those in the previous cells.

  The blankets rustled and he could swear he heard something sniffing the air, but it might’ve been his imagination.

  “Connor? Is that you?” asked a familiar voice.

  Connor smiled and bit back a chuckle. No wonder they were so paranoid. No doubt Vadik had warned them many times over about Adelia. The only one other than Victor that Connor could never beat in a fight.

  Though even for her, this level of security seemed incredibly excessive and he found himself wondering if this was indeed her… or perhaps some creature skilled in mimicking voices. Perhaps with the ability to sense who he secretly wished to hear from?

  But, then again, he’d escaped.

  So, perhaps their security measures weren’t excessive. And, there were times when she’d pulled off feats that he’d have sworn were impossible. Not to mention her senses which seemed to surpass even his sense enhancing potion.

  He found himself torn, with a relieved sigh stuck in his throat even as his guts twisted with trepidation.

  It couldn’t truly be her… could it? Why would they put her behind so much security? Did Vadik exaggerate her abilities… or does the Syndicate know something about her that I don’t? Connor thought. He was afraid to hope and yet unable to help himself.

  “Yeah,” he whispered, knowing she’d hear him with ease, “it’s me. How’d you know?”

  There was a soft laugh on the other side.

  “Told you, I’d recognize your scent anywhere. How’d you get out?” Adelia asked.

  Her words did little to allay his fears. If this was in fact some other creature that could portray itself as Adelia and had the ability to read his mind, then making such a reference would be easy for it.

  “I’ll explain later,” Connor said, “Trouble is, the way I used won’t work for this door. Your locks are thicker and there are far too many. Trying to pick them would take even longer, especially without my potions. They seem even more worried about you getting out than I’d have expected,” Connor said.

  His voice carried a degree of humor and he partly expected to get a dark chuckle out of her, if this was indeed her, but none came. Moreover… the ‘Adelia’ didn’t rush to explain exactly why she would be bound behind such heavy security.

  “It’s okay,” Adelia said, her voice sounding oddly subdued, “just get out of here while you can. I saw some boats on deck when they brought me down. Grab one and row away from here as fast as you can. Don’t look back. I’ll… find another way out.”

  Her words caught him off guard and he considered them carefully.

  Was the creature truly Adelia? She’d always seemed willing to put herself at risk for his sake… yet she sounded almost as though she didn’t want to be released.

  Yet, she sounded miserable about that prospect too.

  None of it seemed to fit the woman he knew. And yet it also didn’t make sense for a creature pretending to be Adelia to push him to leave her behind… unless that was part of its game.

  Perhaps even now it read his thoughts as easily as breathing and reveled in how easily it tied him in knots…

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Connor said firmly even as he processed his thoughts, “I’m not leaving you behind. Do you know where they keep the keys to your cell?”

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  His mind raced even as he asked the question. He’d heard Erik tell the men to take his things to the captain’s quarters and he wondered if her keys might be there. Though he’d never seen the captain, as far as he knew, so perhaps she had her own guards to bring meals much like he did. And if so, perhaps it was they that held the keys?

  Where would they be? He wondered.

  Though that still didn’t answer the question of if this was truly Adelia. If it wasn’t, it had picked its target to emulate flawlessly as even with his suspicion gnawing at his mind like a hungry rat, he couldn’t bring himself to leave her.

  “You don’t understand,” Adelia said, “just… just go.”

  There was an edge of frightened desperation to her words that Connor didn’t know what to make of.

  “What the hells is going on with you?” Connor hissed through the gap in the door, “we don’t have time for this. Either help me get you out of here or be silent and let me think. I’m not leaving you.”

  The strength of his reaction surprised him and he immediately found himself wondering if the creature had chosen those exact words and that exact emotional tinge to her voice to provoke it.

  He thought he heard a sniffle from inside her cell.

  “Do you promise?” she asked. Her voice was saturated with a thick mixture of emotions that Connor couldn’t begin to understand the source of let alone untangle their meanings.

  Connor frowned.

  Again he found himself wondering if this was supposed to be a subtle manipulation by a creature that was not truly Adelia. But, how could he know? And how could he ever forgive himself for leaving her if it truly was her?

  He leaned his forehead against the cold metal of the dark iron door as fear, guilt, and hope chased one another around inside him like feral beasts.

  “I’ve never abandoned you before,” he said softly, “Why would now be any different?”

  Silence stretched on and Connor felt the pressure of time weighing down on him like an anvil. Gods but she was being strange. If this was truly her. And if it wasn’t why would it choose these words? Why these emotions?

  “You’ll wish you had,” Adelia said finally, “we both will.” Her voice sounded mournful and resigned.

  Is that her fear… or some sort of subtle threat? But why threaten me? To make betraying me more interesting and amusing later? Connor wondered.

  None of her or its behavior made any sense no matter how he turned it over in his mind.

  “The guards don’t come with the keys to my cell. Only the outer door,” she said, “they’re careful. I don’t know where the keys would be.”

  “Mine were the same,” Connor said, “I’ll look around the ship. See what I can find.”

  “You don’t have the time,” Adelia said with a harshness more akin to her usual self, “you need to be gone from here. Save yourself. Don’t take stupid risks for my sake.”

  “If our positions were reversed, would you leave me behind?” Connor asked.

  He was answered only with silence.

  “Hypocrite,” Connor said.

  That at last provoked a slight, almost girlish giggle.

  “I’ll track down your keys,” Connor said, “make sure you’re ready to leave.”

  “You should still go without me,” she said.

  Though he could tell from her tone that she didn’t expect him to do so. Her voice sounded slightly less nihilistic now but he’d still rarely ever heard her so hopeless. An errant fear whispered in the back of his mind that perhaps The Syndicate had already turned her somehow. Perhaps she truly didn’t want to leave…

  But if that was the case, why had they not yet turned him? He couldn’t imagine her being easier to break than himself.

  Hells, he almost pitied anyone that went delving too deeply into her mind…

  He shook his head in an attempt to clear the conflicting web of thoughts ensnaring his mind as he heard the door to the higher security area open behind him.

  Connor’s eyes widened and he swallowed hard as he carefully slid the viewport panel of Adelia’s cell closed.

  He heard a pair of boots walking slowly down the hallway behind him. He held his breath, afraid to make a sound, and moved as fast as he dared back up to the thick mast that obscured him from the view of whoever had entered.

  He kept his footfalls as quiet as he could but he was forced to be louder than he wished lest he immediately be spotted the second the newcomer went around the mast. Thankfully, the ship wasn’t perfectly quiet and the groaning timbers helped to mask Connor’s movements.

  Whoever it was, a guard making the rounds no doubt, walked at a slow pace with heavy footfalls that made it easy to tell where he was and granted Connor enough time to reach the mast.

  Connor considered dashing out from around the mast and killing the man but he had nowhere to stash the body. And, if patrolling guards went missing, it would only be a matter of time until suspicions were raised.

  So, Connor waited as the guard slid open the viewport slits one by one. Then, as the guard approached the mast, Connor paid careful attention to which direction the man took around it, and then went the opposite way.

  Connor matched his footfalls to those of the guard’s, using his own heavy movements to cover the sound of Connor’s much lighter ones until Connor stood with his back to the mast, staring at the hallway door that led back toward his own cell.

  He briefly considered making for the door. He thought he might be able to ease it open quietly enough and from there he could slip back into the room that held his cell while he waited for the guard to pass. But, he decided against it. It was an unnecessary risk.

  Besides, he never wanted to go back to that room. A foolish, impractical emotion… but it was there all the same.

  He waited as the guard inspected the other cells and heard as he went up to the one that contained Adelia… or what sounded like Adelia at any rate.

  Connor’s heart thundered in his chest.

  What if she thinks he’s me again? What if she says something that gives everything away? Or what if it’s not her and it decides to amuse itself by betraying me…? Connor worried.

  But, he heard not even a whisper from ‘Adelia’s’ cell before the guard closed the viewport and started walking back.

  Connor repeated what he’d done earlier, matching his footsteps to the man’s as he carefully made use of the mast to hide himself from view.

  The man unlocked the hallway door with a satisfying click of metal on metal and stepped beyond, closing it with a solid thump and another metallic clack of the lock being engaged. Useless and cut though it was.

  Connor waited a moment just in case it was some kind of ruse. Just on the off chance the guard had somehow sensed that something might be about and faked leaving… but he heard nothing further and as he peered around the mast, he saw that he was indeed alone once more.

  He let out a relieved sigh that sounded far too loud to his ears and headed for the door. He crouched at the keyhole and watched the guard leave through the doorway on the opposite side of the lower security hallway.

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