It had been a good hour before Ember managed to detach the iron handle from the door of the woodburning stove.

When it had finally slid off of the bolts, she made a small sound of triumph before taking it over to the doorway. Taking the narrow end of the handle, Ember slid it into the gap of the doorframe near the latch and started to pry it carefully. She didn't want to make too much noise and get caught in the middle of her escape.

With ...