I’m reminded of last night and the decision to split up at Luna Park. That didn’t work out too well. But my energy is flagging despite the food I just ate, so I’m willing to try.

“Do you know how to get to there?” Cami asks, her tone bordering on suspicious.

“I told you, I’ve come and gone from Lengard too many times to count,” Arryn says, again withholding details as to why. “I know exactly where I’m going.”

It would seem I’m the weak link in this equation, with Arryn being the Remnant’s well-informed spy and Cami having grown up here. I’m glaringly aware that I’m essentially the muscle on this rescue operation, not the brains.

We reach the end of our passageway and come to a stop before a solid door. On our right, the tunnel continues, disappearing into shadows, but this appears to be the end of our journey.

“Be careful when you find Ward,” Arryn warns us, her dark eyes solemn. “He might still be under Manning’s control, so make sure you’re ready for anything.”

Grimly, both Cami and I nod.

“And you be careful with the breakout,” I warn in return. “He’s a wild card—we have no idea what ability he has or how well he can use it. All we know is that he wanted nothing to do with us last night.”

“Hopefully spending time locked down here will have given him some perspective about that,” Cami says.

Arryn says nothing, just offers her own grim nod. “Once we have them both, there’s another exit we can take with an elevator up to the surface that’s hardly ever used, but I didn’t want to risk it twice. Meet back here and we’ll head over to it together.”

The relief I feel at knowing we won’t have to ascend the unending rusty ladder all the way back to the surface is overwhelming.

“Piece of cake,” Cami says, though I can hear the strain in her voice.

“Last thing,” Arryn says. Her tone commands attention. “As hard as it is, you need to remember why we’re here. Ward and this other guy—that’s it. I know you’re worried about your friends”—she eyes us both, but her gaze is particularly focused on Cami—“but for today, we have to leave them. Stay on task. Understood?”

I want to say something about how she’s not in charge of us, but I resist, since I know she’s right. I haven’t forgotten Kael’s reprimand, the knowledge that all actions have consequences, and until we know how to deal with what’s ahead, we have to move using baby steps. Getting Ward out is one such baby step. Freeing the breakout, too.

“Understood,” I voice my agreement and Cami does the same, if a touch more reluctantly.