The sound of a man who had screamed himself hoarse days ago and had nothing left but that pitiful, animal noise.
I didn't slow down.
The air grew colder as we descended deeper. Moisture clung to the walls, mixing with the metallic scent of blood.
The prison had been designed to hold heat when Totoro was active, but when dormant, it became a tomb of damp stone and endless shadow.
No toilets in these cells.
Just holes in the ground where prisoners pissed and shit like animals.
Dignity was not a luxury afforded to those who betrayed the Dragon.
Somewhere to our left, fingernails scraped against concrete—a slow, rhythmic drag that set my teeth on edge. Whether the prisoner was trying to escape or simply losing their mind, I didn't know.
I didn't care.
Reo’s voice came out calm. "We have a report from Paris.”
“Go ahead.”
“The Butcher has killed two of our spies."
I tensed, yet my stride didn't falter.
Two of my spies. Dead.
Reo continued, "Jean-Pierre is smart. When he learned about the bombs, he possibly knew that you had set him up this way and so. . .he tested his theory and found two.”
My voice came out harder than I intended. "He hasn't found and killedallof the spies. That’s good."
We passed another row of cells. The fluorescent lights flickered overhead, casting strobing shadows across the bars. Somewhere in the distance, water dripped in a slow, maddening rhythm.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Like a clock counting down to someone’s death.
A voice drifted from a cell we neared—barely audible, trembling, speaking words I recognized as prayer.
I didn't know which god they were begging.
It didn't matter.
No gods answered in this place.
Only dragons.
Hiro spoke from my left. "And has our father called him?"
“Several times. Now we know the Butcher is not answering due to him thinking that we put spies in Paris.” Reo shrugged. "However, the Fox texted Jean-Pierre asking why he hasn't returned his calls."
I glanced at him. "And what did the Butcher say?"
"Jean-Pierre texted back that he had some house cleaning to do first and then he would call in the morning." Reo's jaw tightened. "Hours later, he killed two of our spies."
