Kady just looked irritated. “You gave that guy my cell phone!”

“What did you want me to do? I couldn’t give him Dad’s watch. It’s our only hope of getting out of this desert.”

Kady frowned, still upset. As she and Bach’uuk used the remaining keys to free the other prisoners, Jake quickly shoved his feet into his socks and boots. His raw ankles kept him hobbling.

They all gathered at the door. Jake found a pile of their gear stacked there, including his backpack. Kady discovered her sword and happily retrieved it.

The other prisoners collected weapons from among the torture tools. They were men and women, young and old, even a pair of red-headed twins who looked a couple of years younger than Jake. Twelve in all.

Even the laughing maniac was set free from his isolated cell. He was a scarecrow of a man with a hooked nose and a gray beard that had grown so thick that it covered most of his face. His left arm ended in a soiled bandage. The hand was missing. His right knee was locked stiff, forcing him to swing his leg wide with each step. Madness still danced in his bright eyes, but he gave Jake a sly wink when no one was looking.

A middle-aged woman stood a few steps ahead, hugging the twins—clearly their mother. From the way her clothes hung on her, she was once portly. But no longer. Even her slave collar seemed too large.

“Thank you, Outlander,” she said. “But what you’ve done will put you in great danger. There will be no place in Ka-Tor, no place in all the lands of Deshret, where you will be safe. The Blood of Ka will never stop looking for you.”

Another man stepped forward. He was Egyptian and wore no collar. A bandage over his left eye marred his rugged features. From under it ran a jagged scar, poorly healed. Fire lit his words.

“There are those who will help you. Those who resist the Blood of Ka. We must get you to them. They will help keep you hidden.”

Pindor brightened. “Anywhere but here sounds good.”

“Follow me,” the man said. He cracked open the door, made sure the way was clear, and waved them all through. He glanced back to Jake before leading the way. “My name is Djer.”

As the woman headed out with her boys, she touched Jake’s shoulder. Her words were full of sorrow. “Djer is Kree’s cousin. He dared speak against the Blood of Ka. Protested the resurgence of the Blood Games.”

Shock made Jake look upon the man with new eyes. If this is how Kree treated his own family …

As a group, they spread into a thin, scared line and wound their way toward the surface. For the moment, the spiraling ramp was empty of guards.

“They must think no one could ever escape this place,” Pindor whispered.

A soft cackle came from behind them. “No one does. Once you go down, you never come up.”