I take a step but Jhamal stills me with the slightest touch. “Why are you here, Kai?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. To rescue you, of course.”

Silence.

“Don’t be silly. We were kids. I harbor no ill will to the boy who dumped me. I’m here to free you, Jhamal, and the Ancestors’ Chosen.” She smirks, turning to me. “Have you been stuck in here with this arrogance this entire time?”

I scrub the surprise off my face and resist laughing because Jhamal probably wouldn’t appreciate it and I don’t know this girl like that.

We step out of our cell into the dimly lit hallway. A chill washes over me like I’ve stepped through an icy waterfall, and something that was on my chest like deadweight lifts. My fingers titillate with warmth. I whisper a spell and my magic answers, flames dancing on my fingers. A smile tugs at my lips.

“I’d missed this. My magic. Thank you,” I say. “For coming and finding us. I’m sure it was no easy task breaking in here alone.”

“Oh, never alone.” She dips her chin when I walk past. “My girls are clearing the exit point. Never enter and exit the same way. Misdirection is its own magic.”

Jhamal side-eyes her on the sly, but I don’t miss it.

“We should go,” I say, fragments of broken memories playing in my head like a pile of puzzle pieces calling to me. I need to see the state of things aboveground, figure out where the Chancellor and my people are, decide what’s next to take him down.

“After you.” Jhamal gestures for her to lead the way, and she stares at him for a second, stuck at my side. If the childhood crush was nothing, what’s this awkwardness between them? I don’t have time for the bullshit. Jhamal’s only got eyes for me, I know she sees that. Without another word, Kai takes off, and we stick close to her heels.

The tunnels wind in every direction and my legs throb. Sleeping in such confined quarters and on such a hard surface for so long has made me weak. My muscles cry with each step, and my eyes burn from the flames dancing in orbs overhead.

“The Web, underground tunnels, runs from Yiyo to the Capital and all across the island. That’s how we found our way in.” Kai hangs a left and Jhamal and I keep pace, my hands dangling at my side, fingers loose. Ready for anything. She’s so close, I can smell her, a mix of jpango wood and something acrid like burnt rubber.