Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 127722 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 639(@200wpm)___ 511(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127722 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 639(@200wpm)___ 511(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
“I don’t think tonight is ideal either,” Ryker said. “I feel like shit. You look like shit. But if they don’t take Effie tonight, they’ll take her tomorrow, and then they’ll take us the following day…it’ll just keep going. It’s never going to be a good time. One of us is always going to be weak.”
I turned to Effie.
She gave a slight nod in agreement.
“We can’t even wait a couple hours. That guard is going to realize his dagger is gone once he changes out of his uniform.”
“Shit,” I said. “You’re right…”
“As always.”
I looked at the glass ceiling above, trying to select the place where I would begin to carve our escape. “Effie, you think you can help me stack the beds?”
“I’m on it.” Effie got to her feet and immediately started working, tugging one of the beds across the floor directly underneath the corner of the roof.
“I’ll work on this,” I said. “And you rest.”
“That works for me.” He lay back and got comfortable.
Ryker wasn’t the lazy type to excuse himself from hard labor while women did it instead. That meant he still felt terrible, that he needed as much rest as he could get at the moment.
I worked with Effie to stack a bed on top of the first, and then tilt a third one on top of that. It was a linear pile, but it was high enough that someone could climb on top and reach the ceiling.
With the dagger in my hand, I climbed up the wooden frames then stood with my head just a foot beneath the ceiling.
“Careful,” Ryker said. “It’s swaying slightly.”
I went still so it wouldn’t tilt and fall over.
Ryker gave me directions from his spot on the bed. “Go for the corner first. That’s where it’s the most stable.”
“Yes, I know.” I pressed the dagger right against the corner then tapped the hilt with my other hand, giving a tiny indent so the seam was split. It was thick, really thick, so I had to hit it a couple times before I made a dent.
A chunk of glass fell, shattered against the stack of beds, and then hit the floor.
“Stay back, Effie,” Ryker called.
I did the same thing again, sticking to the edges, chiseling away pieces and letting them fall to the floor where they shattered into tiny fragments. The hole became bigger and bigger, big enough for each of us to pass through.
“Shit, you did it.” Ryker appeared below, looking up at my work.
I glanced down and cast him a glare. “I do a lot of things, idiot.” I slipped the dagger into my pocket then kneeled down. “This thing will topple down if we all get on it at once. So, I’ll go first and help you up, Effie.”
“Got it,” she said.
“Don’t cut yourself,” Ryker said.
The chiseled glass would be against my back, so I had to make sure I didn’t accidentally scrape against it. Otherwise…that would hurt like a bitch. The very top of the ledge was another foot above the glass, so I had to squat down and prepare to jump to catch it.
“Whoa, hold on.” Ryker went to one side of the structure. “I’ve got this side. Effie, you hold onto the other.”
“Okay.” She moved to the other and secured the base. “Go for it.”
I squatted down then jumped as high as I could. My hand gripped the ledge and held on, squeezing it tight so I wouldn’t slip. My feet dangled before my boots caught the wall, and I slowly pulled myself up. The cool air hit me right in the face, and it was refreshing like cold water against my cheeks. I pulled myself until I was over the edge and on the roof of the building. It was an overcast night so there were no stars, making it dark. Really dark. I leaned back over the ledge and dropped my arms down so I could catch Effie when she came up.
Effie started at the bottom, climbed up, and then balanced on the very top.
I leaned as far as I could go without tipping back into the room. “Grab my hands and climb up.”
Ryker was directly below, stabilizing the base so it wouldn’t topple over and wake up all the Teeth…if they even slept.
Effie gave a small jump and clamped down on my hands. She had enough upper-body strength to pull herself up and toward the ledge.
I groaned. “Damn, girl. You’re strong.”
She reached the ledge and pulled herself the rest of the way. “That’s what happens when you help your dad at the forge.”
Ryker made his way to the top, the beds swaying slightly underneath him with his additional weight. He went still and waited for it to stop before he looked up at us.
We dropped both of our arms down so he could grab on to us both.