Nikto turned to her, or rather, almost to her, because he didn’t see her, and she stood silently, but approximately in the direction where she was. He turned around and waved his hand, as if calling her.

At that moment she heard the sounds of the trumpet and the screams of the guard, still far away, it seemed to her that a whole detachment had run over their head. Karina quickly approached Nikto and saw what he had found. It was a hatch. A small hatch, and a groove to it from a stone coffin. What was supposed to flow into this hatch? Blood? The stool of the unfortunate walled up alive?

In any case, she realized that Nikto was trying to open it, and he needed her help. Together with him she tucked the hatch with a sword:

“Oh no! Nik, a sword can be broken! Wait a minute!”

She remembered a strange thing that reminded her of a poker.

“There it is! Try it, Nik!”

Using the “poker”, or it was some old instrument of torture, Nikto pushed the hatch lid. Karina looked into a narrow black hole. And there, they will be found too, sooner or later.

“There are no exits, Nik. This is not a city sewage system; grilles and wide passages are walled up everywhere. We just get lost there, and die of hunger.”

To her surprise, Nikto shook his head. Then he put his hand to his heart and on, as if he had drawn an arch with both hands. She realized for herself that he was hoping to find a way out.

“Nik, I don’t want to deprive you of hope, but there is no way out…” She said and raised her head unconsciously, crowds of guards rushed over them on the floors.

Nikto took her hand, very gently, making her ashamed of the thought that he would take her hostage or throw her in a stone bag. He made a movement with his other hand, and she understood, gently pulled her fingers out of his hand:

“Now, Nik, hold it,” rummaging in her bag, she handed him a notebook and a pencil.

And crouching on the floor, putting forward one knee, he wrote something and handed it to her.

“I won’t do without you” was written on a piece of paper. And Karina felt ashamed. Didn’t she, just for an hour, or even less, dragged him out of the chamber? She screamed: “I'll get you out! For the sake of Rosa, for the sake of Iness, let's go!” So what? She herself was blown away, as always! She forced him to make this escape, blind, after three days in this stone bag, his voice lost, almost driven crazy. No! She pulled him out, and then as soon as the first problems appeared, threw him away. And they should have appeared. Because her plan was spontaneous and ill-conceived. And now, she, like the last bitch, dives into the bushes, with that excuse that she was bewitched! And Karina became so ashamed, especially because he didn’t write to her: “You let me down!” or something worse. And he didn’t suffocate her after everything that happened, but so gently tried to hold her. He is not limp, he is fighting, he has led them to a place where they will not be searched for a long time, he has led her blindly! Just remembering the way he was taken here. He found this hatch. He did everything!

“I will climb first,” said Karina.

Chapter two

In the dungeon

The hatch was very narrow; she, resting her legs and arms, carefully descended lower and lower into a yawning blackness. Nikto was following her. At some point, she was afraid that his shoulders were wider and he would not get into this hole, but he apparently was emaciated, because with great difficulty, but he squeezed there. Soon Karina heard the murmur of water, the pipe ended and she plopped down into the icy water, painfully hurting her knees.