“But plants still grow. A cloud cover doesn’t mean there’s no sun, just that the sun isn’t getting through as well as it would in, say, a desert.” She fished her phone out of her pocket, checking the screen, and pulled the stairwell door more tightly closed. “The lights are going to go out in a second. Stay quiet, and don’t panic. This is all part of the plan.”

“There’s a plan? Was anybody going to tell me that there was a plan?”

She smiled quickly. “There’s a plan.”

The lights went out.

The stairwell was plunged into immediate, absolute darkness. There was a rustle as Mandy stepped closer, clapping her hand over my mouth just before the wail of an alarm split the silence. It was loud enough to make my head, which had never stopped throbbing, hurt even worse; I moaned before I could think better of the sound, and was suddenly glad for Mandy’s muffling palm. I shrank back against the wall like I could somehow physically move away from the alarm. It didn’t help. I couldn’t think of anything else to do. If I moved, I would either collapse or fall down the stairs. Either way, I was going to be in an even-worse position than I was already.

The door opened.

Dim, watery light spilled into the stairwell. Mandy shoved herself closer to the wall, hauling me with her, and the door blocked us from the view of whoever was there.

“Clear,” snapped a voice. My nameless agent friend. “Keep moving.”

The door slammed shut. Mandy didn’t move. Five seconds later, the door slid more slowly open, and someone stepped into the stairwell. I closed my eyes against the dark, waiting for the bullet, waiting for the blow, and smelled chicory and moss, a sharp, vegetable combination that reminded me of sleeping forests and green places.

I opened my eyes.

“Rampion,” said a soft voice.

“Fiddleferns,” Mandy replied.

The door closed again, this time with the newcomer on our side. Still soft, the voice asked, “Is she awake?”

“I am,” I said. “Who is this?”

“Not important.”

I swallowed a flood of irritation. It damn well was important. If I was being asked to trust somebody, I wanted to know who they were. This spy bullshit was a waste of time, and it was going to get us all killed.

It had also gotten me out of the room where I’d been held for the last however long, and gotten me closer to freedom than I’d ever expected to be again. I glanced uneasily in Mandy’s direction, even though she couldn’t see me any more than I could see her, and asked, “So what is important?”

“Getting out of here.” There was a click as our guest turned on their flashlight. The beam was aimed at the floor, but there was enough backlight for me to recognize—