I had no idea what was exploding outside. I only knew one thing; at the back of this cavern was an opening and through it was a winding, sloping path down to a boat tied safely in the slow current.

I led the people carefully toward the fissure in the rock wall. We all had to turn sideways and slide through the gap. My small flashlight lit the twists and turns as the vast amount of land above us swallowed the sounds of war.

The path leveled to a sloping shore with a short dock and a squat row boat. We barely fit. It took several minutes of rearranging limbs, changing positions, and entwining before we were all comfortable and secure enough for the trip. I helped push off and steer, while the strongest gentlemen rowed, no questions asked.

The occupants of the boat rode in stunned silence. They realized they had narrowly escaped. They gazed ahead, watching for some clue to our destination.

I was directing us toward the safe house. It was more a village inside a mansion, half underground. A compound.