Nyella climbed out of the tunnel behind the prison and moved quietly toward the cells. The torchlight made the stone walls glow orange. She peeped through the bars of the first cell. Empty. She checked the next ward. Empty again. And just like that, she checked all the cells and her mother was not in any of them. Her heart beat faster.
Where could she be? Nyella whispered to herself. She remembered there was a deeper dungeon below, the one for hardened prisoners. That place was very dark, cold, and hard to escape from. She hurried toward it.
She knew guards watched the dungeons, so she moved slowly and carefully. She took them down one by one, using the shadows and the soft part of the wall to stay hidden. A guard by the stairs never heard her coming. Another at the door went limp when she slipped a cloth over his mouth. Her hands were quick and steady. She did not want shouts to wake the whole prison.
