"I suggest we sort all this out in the brave new world Outside. Before the Prison quakes again."
Finn said, "He"s right. How do we do this?"
She swallowed.
"Well ... I suppose we ... use the Keys."
"But where"s the gate?"
"There is no gate."
This was hard; they were all staring at her.
"Not... as you think."
"So how did you get here?"
Keiro asked.
"It"s ... difficult to explain."
As she spoke her fingers moved on the hidden controls of the Key; it hummed, lights moved inside it. Keiro jumped forward.
"Oh no, Princess!"
He s.n.a.t.c.hed it from her; she jerked after it, but he had his sword drawn and pointed at her throat.
"No tricks. We all go together or not at all."
Furious, she said, "That"s the plan."
"Put the weapon down," Gildas snapped.
"She"s trying to take him. And leave us here."
"I"m not-"
"Stop talking about me as if I was some object!"
Finn"s snarl silenced them all. He rubbed a hand through his hair; his scalp was wet and his eyes p.r.i.c.kled. His breath seemed short. A fit now would be impossible, but his hands were shaking and he felt it creeping over him. And then he knew he was falling into it, he must be, because behind Gildas the wall shivered away, and looking out of it, huge and shadowy, was Blaize.
The Sapient"s gray eyes surveyed them; his image was enormous in a white room of clean walls.
"I"m afraid," he said, "that Escape is not as easy as my daughter seems to think."
They were still. Keiro lowered the sword.
"So that"s it," he said. "And look how pleased she is to see you."
Finn watched Claudia turn to the image. He saw now that though the Warden"s face was familiar, the scabs had left it; it was thinner, and there was a refined tension about the eyes.
Claudia looked up at it. "Don"t call me your daughter." Her voice was hard and cold. "And don"t try to stop me. I"m bringing them all out and you-"
"You can"t bring them all out."
The Warden held her eyes. "The Key will bring only one person out. Their copy, if it works, will do the same. Touch the black eye of the eagle. You will disappear, and reappear here."
He smiled calmly. "That is the gate, Finn."
Appalled, she stared at him. "You"re lying. You brought me out."
"You were a baby. Tiny. I took a chance."
There was a voice in the room; he turned, and Claudia saw Jared behind him, standing pale and tired.
"Master! Is it true?"
"I have no way of knowing, Claudia."
He looked unhappy, his dark hair tangled.
"There"s only one way to find out, and that"s to try."
She looked at Finn.
"Not you."
It was Keiro who moved.
"Finn and I are going first, and if it works I"ll come back for the Sapient."
He whipped up his sword as Claudia drew hers.
"Drop that, Princess, or I"ll cut your throat."
She gripped the leather hilt tight, but Finn said,
"Do it, Claudia. Please."
He was looking at Keiro; as she lowered the blade she saw him step closer and say, "Do you really think I"d go and leave them? Give her back the Key".
"No way."
"Keiro ..."
"You"re stupid, Finn. Can"t you see this is a setup! You and she would vanish and that would be it. No one would bother coming back for the rest of us."
"I would."