“Let’s go before we lose any more time,” I said as I cut a path across the desert, revealing along the way everything I knew about the arena tunnel and tiger cages to drown out the aching in my chest.

CHAPTER

25

The hideout was quiet when we returned. I heard the slight whispers of breath as we passed by small alcoves where boys slept and in the main room, where Dimic and a handful of other boys were also fast asleep.

I stayed in the entryway while Cion crept over the boys to his brother. He woke him with nothing more than a tap on his shoulder.

Dimic rubbed his eyes and sat up. He must’ve understood the need for silence since he followed his brother out into the hallway without a word.

“We’re going after the controls tonight,” Cion said. “I need you to use your lock-picking skills to break into the palace.”

Dimic’s eyes went wide. “I’m assuming you have a plan.”

Cion filled him in as we double-checked our weapons. Then Cion handed me a ladleful of water. I let the coolness slip down my throat. I dipped the ladle back into the bucket and held it out to Dimic. He didn’t take it.

A mischievous smile spread across his face. He grabbed the bucket at our feet and started chugging water.

“Dimic,” Cion hissed.

Dimic released the bucket and wiped his sleeve across his face, getting rid of dirt and water droplets but not his smile. “What? Either we break the controls tonight and get all the water we want, or Rodric catches us and we never get to drink again.”

“Thanks for your vote of confidence,” Cion said. He took the ladle from me and drank. I could see the makings of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

As we carefully made our way across the still-dark desert, Dimic regaled us with everything he was going to do once he had all the water he could dream of.

“First, I’m going to take a bath,” he said. “Then I’m going to build a moat around our house,” Dimic continued. “Big enough to swim in.”

“You should probably learn to swim then,” Cion cut in.

Dimic ignored his brother. “And I’m going to have a fountain I can drink from whenever I want. It’ll be taller than the palace. Everyone will come to see it.”

I was glad for Dimic. His dreams blocked out the reality of what lay ahead of us.

But by the time the city wall came into sight, even Dimic had grown quiet.

The barest ring of light formed a halo around the horizon, hinting that the sun was eager to spread its heat once more.

The city gates lay unguarded, as they had since being blown off their hinges by a sandstorm before I was born. The only things worth guarding in the city were the wells anyway since no army could make it across the desert without kicking up a cloud of dust we’d see miles away.