Shelby left, and Justin decided it was a good time for him to do the same. Griffith would take care of Calyx. He always did.
Justin got to his feet and smiled at Calyx. It wasn’t a nice smile, but he hoped Calyx knew that it meant he wasn’t angry at him. He was too sad to feel much of anything, really.
He headed to his room. He could hear loud noises coming from Yancey’s, but he was too tired to deal with his brother. He got more worried when he heard a door slam. It sounded like Yancey was leaving his bedroom, and when Justin peeked into the hallway to quickly check in on him, he saw Yancey going down the stairs, carrying two bags.
He was leaving.
Justin sighed. Honestly, it wasn’t a bad idea. He wouldn’t be against a bit of time away from the house, just until the sharpness of the pain he felt over Caitlin’s death. He had no idea where he’d go since this was the only home he had, but he could get a room somewhere and decide later. He was sure that, if he stayed. Calyx would try to act as if everything was normal,but everything wasn’t. He wasn’t in the mood for Christmas anymore. He wasn’t sure he ever would be again.
He was quieter than Yancey when he left after packing a bag. He didn’t want Calyx to try to change his mind, and he would if he saw him. No, sneaking out was a better way to do this, even though Calyx wouldn’t like it when he realized that Justin was gone.
So he left through the back door, clutching his bag in his hand, and climbed into his car. He couldn’t resist looking back toward the house as he drove away. He’d be back soon. He just needed a little time.
Chapter One
Mynor watched the guard walk past them. He and Alphan exchanged a glance, but they waited for a few more seconds. Once they were sure the guard hadn’t noticed their presence, they crept out of their hiding spot. They had to be quick. The guard would walk past again in about six minutes. Mynor knew because he’d counted them every time he’d spied on the palace over the past two weeks.
He’d been watching the jail for that long. He’d had to stand by, unable to do anything for the people inside. He’d desperately wanted to intervene when he’d seen the guards drag demons in, but he’d known it would be best if he waited. Tonight, all of that would come to an end. He and Alphan would free as many people as they could, but unfortunately, it wouldn’t be all of them. Mynor already knew that their queen wouldn’t be happy. Anya didn’t like anyone going against her authority.
He didn’t give a shit.
They reached the door that opened in the dungeons of the palace, where the cells were located. Mynor took a step back, allowing Alphan to get near the door. Alphan already had the key they’d stolen from a drunk guard in hand when he reached it, and it only took a few seconds for him to unlock it and pushit open. He slipped in, but Mynor glanced back one last time to ensure that no one had noticed them.
There were no guards in sight, and no one was yelling at them to stop moving. They were as safe as they could be in these circumstances.
He stepped into the palace and closed the door behind himself. He didn’t lock it because it was the only way for them to leave, and they’d need to make a quick escape. Mynor wasn’t sure they’d be able to, considering how many people were imprisoned here, but they could try.
He swallowed. Part of him knew that this was going to be a disaster, but what else could they do? They couldn’t leave these people here, not when they hadn’t done anything to deserve it. Some of them were too weak to be imprisoned for weeks at a time. They’d die if no one did anything, and no one but Mynor and Alphan were willing to risk it. Hell, sometimes Mynor wondered if he should do this at all, but then, he saw what Anya did, and he knew that someone had to stand up to her. He didn’t love the fact that it was him, but better him than no one at all.
“Guards?” Alphan whispered to Mynor.
“Nothing,” Mynor whispered back.
They hadn’t seen any guard yet, but they would. Even though Anya was so convinced of her absolute power that she didn’t think people would stand up to her, she wasn’t stupid. She might not believe that anyone would ever consider coming to the palace to free the prisoners, but she wouldn’t risk it. This was just the beginning of this mission.
Mynor couldn’t wait to see the end of it.
They moved as quickly and quietly as possible. They knew where they were going because they’d found old maps of the palace, but things could have changed. They had to be careful not to end up in Anya’s bedroom instead of the central area of the dungeon where the cells were located.
Luckily, they didn’t have to go far. The dungeons were extensive, and they couldn’t afford to go deep. They walked through the first door on their right, and Mynor was only partially shocked to see that all the cells here were occupied.
They were in a circular room with a table and chairs. The room had two doors, one of which they’d come in, the other right in front of it on the other side of the room. A ring of cells surrounded the room. The disposition of the place meant that the guards could see everyone in the cells. No one could hide for any reason. It was safer for the guards, but it was a nightmare for the people in the cells.
Some of them were sleeping, but others perked up when they noticed Mynor and Alphan. Most were silent, but someone was quietly crying, while someone else shuffled toward the bars of the cells to take a better look. The demon cocked his head, his attention on Mynor.
“You’re not a guard,” he said.
“I’m not,” Mynor confirmed as he and Alphan moved around the room. They needed to find the keys to the cells.
“They’re on that wall,” someone else said.
When Mynor turned, he saw a demon pointing a claw toward the other door. Sure enough, next to the door, someone had planted several nails. Each nail held a key.
He and Alphan rushed that way. Thankfully, it looked like the keys had been hung in a way that made it obvious which belonged to which cell, or at least, Mynor hoped so. They didn’t have time to try every key in every lock.
“You take that side,” Alphan murmured. “I’ll take the other.”
They went to work. Thankfully, the cells were easy to open since they had the keys, but even once they were open, the demons stayed in, as if they were afraid. They no doubt were. Even Mynor was scared, and he’d come here of his own volition. He had no doubts that Anya would happily lock his ass up in oneof the cells if she could—or worse—but she hadn’t caught him yet.
