“Shh,” someone hissed back. “Do you want them to hear you?” The voice was familiar.

“Victory?” Twelve asked, her heart leaping as a figure appeared. “Is that you? What’s going on?”

The weaponsmaster’s face appeared outside Twelve’s cell, the torch casting deep shadows under her eyes. She looked awful: pale and disheveled. A far cry from the perfectly controlled Hunter who Twelve was used to seeing.

“They’ve taken the lodge,” Victory said, without preamble.

“What?” Twelve gasped. “Who?”

Victory went on as though she hadn’t heard. “There must have been more tunnels. A lot more. I managed to get down here and lose them in the passages, but we won’t be—”

“Victory!” Twelve gasped, pushing her hand between the bars to grab the Hunter’s shoulder. “Who? Who attacked the lodge?”

“Goblins,” the weaponsmaster whispered. “Lots of them.”

Goblins. Shock sealed Twelve’s lips. So Oakhammer had kept his promise after all. He had sent them to the goblin stronghold. It just hadn’t been where they expected.

Victory’s eyes were wild, but they calmed as they settled on Twelve’s face. “You were right,” she said. “Hoarfrost was a fool not to heed what you saw down here. We’ve got to fetch help. I have a plan, but I heard them bring you down here and knew I had to get you out.”

Twelve’s heart leaped as Victory refocused her attention on the lock.

“Did . . . did you see Widge when they brought me down?” she asked, half afraid of the answer.

“Who?” Victory asked.

“My squirrel.”

“Ah, I’m afraid not.” Victory didn’t look up, her brow furrowed as she worked.

Twelve nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. Widge would be safe somewhere and she’d find him. The alternative was unthinkable.

A moment later, the lock clicked and the door swung open. To Twelve’s amazement, Victory pulled her into a short, fierce hug. “Can you walk?”

Twelve’s vision was swimming, but she took a couple of tentative steps and nodded. “I’ve felt better, but I’ll keep up.”

Victory’s face broke into a rare smile. “You’re a fighter. Come on!” Taking her arm, the Hunter pulled her through passage after passage until suddenly they were at the foot of the spiraling stairs. Without hesitating, Victory began to climb, dragging Twelve after her.

The weaponsmaster was brave, but this seemed mad, even by her standards.

“What are we doing?” Twelve whispered. “We can’t just pop up in the training ground.”

“Why not?” Victory said grimly, continuing to climb. “It’s the last thing they’d expect. We’ll have the gate open before they even know what’s happening.”

“But we don’t have any weapons!” Twelve hissed, pulling back against the Hunter’s insistent tugging.

“Leave that to me,” Victory said, glancing back at her. “Where are the others? Where’s the Guardian?”