“Oh, precious, thank Atlantis.” Ivy’s sobbing voice cut me to the core. “I thought for sure you were dead.”
“Ivy…” My stomach churned as I gazed over their battered appearance. Their clothes were torn, and they had two black eyes, along with an allotment of bruises up and down their form.
Somebody had hurt them badly. Worse than that, they were covered in dried blood. Their clothes were strained red, skin bloody up to their elbows. Around Ivy’s mouth and running down their face and neck was the worst of it. It looked like they’d used their fangs to tear a whole room apart.
“I’ve been through worse, precious. Don’t worry about me,” Ivy choked out. “I’m just glad you came.”
“Ava, how’d you make it?” Marcus winced and held his arm as he stumbled closer. He, too, appeared absolutely shaken and completely mistreated. More than a few people had gotten some good hits on him down in Cellblock 9. By the way he was holding his arm, I figured it was broken.
“I managed,” I whispered. Chancey stood beside him, and although the angel sported fewer injuries than the other two, the place had definitely made him worse for wear. He kept glancing around, jumping at every drop of moisture that slid from the ceiling onto the floor.
“You don’t know what it’s like in there, man,” Chancey said, and he gave a shiver. “No light, complete silence… hell would be better than that.”
A groan came from an open cell door, and Marcus ducked in. I heard a hissing sound, like a brand being pressed to skin, and the sharp scream of a woman as Marcus carried someone out of it with one arm.
It was Kallie. Her skin was covered in what looked like fresh burns that’d been carved into it. Her fae blood had made crossing through the iron door incredibly painful.
I peeked into the solitary cells, and saw that they were empty rooms devoid of all windows, sealed off with a silencing spell so no light or sound could enter.
I couldn’t imagine what it’d been like for them, sitting there in complete silence and darkness for hours, nothing but the sound of their own breathing to remind them that they were still alive.
They were braver than I was. I would’ve lost my mind.
“The doors here are made of pure iron,” Kallie gasped. “I couldn’t cross it, but they threw me in anyway. It burned me, and made me so weak. I thought I was going to die.”
“It’s all right. I got you out,” Marcus said, and he embraced her with his good arm. She returned his hug with a quiet shiver.
As I took each of them in, I felt relieved, and terrified. They were here. They were all here… but one. My heart leapt and dropped at the same time.
“Ava, why do you have a gun?” Marcus asked, his voice cracking.
I wouldn’t answer him. “Where’s Charlie? Does anyone know?”
“The Warden probably took him to drain his powers,” Chancey rasped.
I absolutely wanted to panic— to open my mouth and scream as loudly as I could, right then and there.
“Charlie’s a fighter. He’s gotta be out there,” Ivy insisted, grasping my shoulder. “We just have to get to him.”
Marcus took a short breath. “They must’ve taken him to a containment room to be tortured. It’d be the same room I was in. I…”
He cringed and held his broken arm tighter as he continued. “I remained conscious after they drained me. I memorized the route, just in case.”
“Then take us to it. Does anyone have any magic?” I asked desperately.
“The Warden drained us, just like you,” Kallie said glumly.
“We got noxite in our system,” Chancey mumbled, gesturing to himself and Ivy. “Our magic is as useless as yours is.”
“Great. Fucking perfect.” As if things could get any worse.
“Give me the pistol,” Ivy said. “I know how to use it.”
I handed it off without question. I didn’t want to touch it anymore. Ivy loaded the spare bullets, and Kallie said, “We should get moving. Charlie’s in danger.”
I looked up at Chancey, and he got my signal that I was too tired to move on my own. He grabbed the handles of my wheelchair as he pushed me after the others, while Marcus led the way. Marcus groaned as he cradled his broken arm, and Kallie hissed as her jumpsuit brushed up against the burns on her skin. I really wanted to heal them… all of them… but I couldn’t until I got my magic back, and getting these cuffs off wasn’t as important as finding my husband.
“Gods, Ava…” Kallie whispered as we passed the body of the guard I’d shot, but she didn’t say anything else. Nor did the rest of them. We remained quiet and stuck to the wall, until Marcus held a hand up to stop us.
