“I think so.”

“Then lead on.”

“Wait . . . you’ve both been here before?” Rito says.

“Long story. Let’s get our prince through this gala alive, and then we’ll tell you.”

The storage room is too small for all of us, so several stay behind in the secret passage while Iván and I peek into the corridor.

I’ve barely cracked the door open before I yank it shut. A group of men marches by, blocking our way. I glimpse rawhide armor and daggers and the kind of thick-soled sandals worn by people of the southern countships.

“I heard marching,” Iván whispers. “And armor.”

“I didn’t recognize a single crest,” I whisper back.

“What should we do?”

“What’s going on?” Pedrón whispers from inside the corridor.

“The only way out from here is blocked by soldiers I’ve never seen before,” I say. “Wait here. After they pass by, I’m going to get a closer look.”

Iván says, “Red, are you sure—”

“I’m the only one not wearing a recruit uniform,” I say. “If I get caught, I’ll just say I’m delivering a message.” I wave Rosario’s note in front of his face.

He frowns. “Be careful.”

I wait for the sound of marching to fade. Then I crack open the door and slip through into the corridor. I follow the oddly dressed soldiers, sticking close to the wall.

The sound of marching ceases abruptly. I freeze, trying to disappear into the sandstone.

“All right, boys,” comes a gruff voice. “No one gets into the Sky Wing. We hold this intersection no matter what. When the bells signal, we attack. Do our jobs right, and there’s a fat purse waiting for us, hear?”

“Hear!” a dozen voices echo.

I know this accent. These men are from the southeastern part of the empire. Maybe even the free villages. Which means they’re probably mercenaries.

I tiptoe back to the storeroom and slip inside.

“The way is blocked,” I tell the recruits. “Mercenaries. They said something about holding the intersection until the bell signal.”

“We were right,” Iván says. “It’s a coup.”

“That’s the only way back to the upper levels,” I say. “The empress had any branching corridors blocked off years ago.”

“Does that mean we’re trapped down here?” Rito says. “We have to reach the prince. Somehow.”

“Let’s fight our way through,” Pedrón says. “We’re Royal Guards, right? The best of the best.”

“They have weapons and armor,” I say. “We don’t.”

“Then we go through the catacombs,” Iván says. “And up through the Wallows.”

“We can do that?” says one of the Basajuaños.

“That’s why Elisa blocked off this passage,” I say. “It might be the most important corridor in the whole palace.”

“Making it easier to guard also turned it into a potential trap,” Iván points out.

“It will take more than an hour to exit through the secret hideout and circle back,” I say.

“Then we’d better get started,” Iván says.

“What secret hideout?” Pedrón says.

“You’ll see soon enough,” I say. “Follow my lead. Remember: fast and quiet.”