“Now tell me what happened. You were gone for three days. I thought you were dead and no one would tell me anything.”
“You asked about me?” I asked.
“Of course! I went to Miss Kemp like every day. We all did,” she said.
“She didn’t mention you at all. Only Brendan,” I said. Lorelei’s eyes filled with pain.
“Did you think I didn’t care? That I didn’t look for you?” she asked. I nodded and hung my head. “I did everything I could think of to try to find you. We even tried using magic to locate you, but it was slow going. Teal thinks the warden added more bindings to the prison.”
This didn’t make sense. I couldn’t wrap my brain around why Kemp didn’t tell me the others were looking for me. Maybe she honestly didn’t think it was important.
“I don’t understand why Miss Kemp didn’t say anything about you coming to look for me.”
“She is Brendan’s caseworker, so she knows him pretty well. Maybe that’s why she mentioned him and not us,” Lorelei said. She twisted around the base of her fingers and slightly bit her bottom lip. She didn’t even believe her own words. She saw me staring and stopped. “I’m just happy you’re back. What did they do to you?”
“They put me in a room, forced some purple liquid down my throat, and told me I would relive my worst memories. But that’s not what happened,” I said. Lorelei’s jaw dropped.
“They put you in the fucking Madness Room?” Her eyes widened.
“They didn’t tell me what they called it. The warden told me I would relive my worst memories. But I relived his.” I stood and paced the room. Lorelei played with the nonexistent ring on her finger and chewed on her lip.
“He was friends with my dad when they were my age. And they had a falling out because my dad chose to leave the magical community and live as a human.” I sat on our little table and folded my legs in front of me and played with the fraying hem of my pants.
“I don’t understand. How could that happen?” Now Lorelei stood and paced the room.
I shrugged my shoulders and leaned against the wall. Lorelei continued to pace. Her nose was scrunched up, which she only seemed to do when she was in deep thought. She stopped abruptly and stared through the gaps between the bars of our cell. I hopped from the table and walked over to her, placing my hand on the middle of her back. She slowly turned and looked at me.
“Something isn’t right.”
“I know.” I rested my head on her shoulder and we stood in silence, watching guards walk past our cell without even giving us a glance.
“In other news I kissed Brendan. That’s what made the warden decide to throw me into the Madness Room.”
“That seems a little fast.” Concern contorted her features.
“I guess. I’m just trying to enjoy the moment. There’s so much shit happening, just let me have this.” I crossed my arms and Lorelei shrugged.
A loud clang echoed through the cell. We both turned and, in the doorway stood a man so large he almost completely covered the cell door. He seized hold of the cell bars and stuck his face in between them. His rotten breath wafted out and I had to suppress a gag. His jagged tooth smile sent chills down my spine.
“I have a message for you, crossbreed. Either join The Blood Coven or say goodbye to Daddy.” He pulled back from the cell door and snickered. A guard called out down the hall and Jagged Tooth took off running. I sprinted to the cell door just in time to watch him turn a corner and disappear.
“Do you think The Blood Coven really has my dad?” Panic strained my voice and my eyes lined with tears. Lorelei’s face went pale. A storm brewed behind her dark eyes.
“I don’t know. But you have bigger problems. They know you’re a crossbreed. That alone can get you killed.”
“I don’t care about me, Lorelei! My dad, they have my dad!” Her eyes avoided mine and she fidgeted from side to side.
“Your dad seems like a pretty tough dude. I don’t think you have to worry about him.”
“How would you know?” I paced along the bunk, turning on my heels, criss-crossing the tiny space, over and over again.
“I need to tell you something.” Lorelei sat on the bunk, head in her hands. I reached for her, but a booming voice stopped me in my tracks and I spun to face it.
“Farrington.” A guard appeared. “Your lawyer is here.” The door lifted open and I stepped out. I turned around and placed my arms behind my back. The cool metal of the golden cuffs almost burned the skin around my wrists as their binding magic pulsated into me, deadening my powers even further.
“I’ll be back soon. And then you can tell me whatever it is.”
Lorelei nodded and fell back onto the bed.
The guard took me to the meeting room and a man slightly older than my father waved me over. He was already sitting at a table in the corner. A few of the other tables were occupied with orange-clad inmates either arguing or crying with their respected lawyers. The guard removed the golden cuffs from my wrists and huffed as he waved me away. I hurried over to the man.
“Are you my lawyer?”
“Yes, Jewels. My name is Mitch Michelson. Your father hired me to represent you. We are longtime friends.”
“Then how come I’ve never met you?” I leaned forward and propped my elbows on the table before resting my chin on my upturned palms.
“My understanding is there are a lot of things your father kept from you.” My stomach dropped and suddenly I wanted to hurl. He emptied the contents of his briefcase onto the table. “You have bigger problems to deal with right now than your father’s lack of communication.”
I huffed. “When did you last talk to my dad?”
“Yesterday. Why?”
“No reason.” I shrugged. I had no idea if I could trust him. For all I knew my dad didn’t even really send him. I sat across from Mitch as he sorted through the stack of folders in front of him. When he finally looked up his dark eyes were grim.
“I’m afraid I don’t have the best news, Jewels. I’ve been trying to get you a trial date and I haven’t been able to secure one from The High Council. The Deputy of the Defense insists he needs more time to collect evidence.”
“How can they keep me here when they are still collecting evidence? Can’t I get out on bond or something?”
“Our legal system isn’t the same as mortals’. When awaiting trial people are rarely released. However, I’ve been told you’ve been placed in general population and that is highly irregular. I have requested a transfer for you to a lower security area of the prison where the other inmates who are awaiting trial reside. I suspect it will be granted quickly.”
“No. I don’t wanna move.” My heart raced at the thought of being on my own in Spellbound and having to form new alliances. I had a feeling it wouldn’t be as easy as it was with Lorelei.
“Are you sure? You would have many more freedoms in the other part of the prison and you would be safer.”
“I’m sure. I’ve made friends. I like my cellmate. I don’t wanna move.”
“I highly advise against it. But I’m here to represent you, so if that’s really what you want. I’ll revoke my request and let your dad know.”
“Thank you. When can I see him, my dad?” I asked.
“At the next family day in a couple weeks. I already know he plans on attending. Now, let’s talk about your case.”
“I’m innocent.”
“No, you are not. There’s no question as to if you did what you were accused of doing. The question that must be answered is if you deserve the punishment given your unique circumstances. I do not believe you do. You’ve never been given a chance to learn to control your magic or even educated about its existence. This is the defense I have planned for you. I think it’s your best shot.”
“So, what are my chances of walking out of here? My caseworker, Miss Kemp, told me I could get life in prison, stripped of my magic, or even put to death.”
The corners of his mouth tur
ned down and his eyes glided over his papers. He flipped open a manila folder and turned it to face me. He slid it my way and then clasped his hands on the table. The folder was filled with one-sheet summaries of previous cases where someone was accused of using forbidden magic. They all were found guilty and given one of the punishments Miss Kemp had told me about. Not a single person had been found innocent. And the cases went back to the early 1900s.
“Jewels, I won’t sugarcoat it. Your chances aren’t good. But I will fight for you.” He pulled the folder back in front of himself before closing it and adding it back to the stack. “What I need from you is your version of the events. Not just what happened with both your brother and your mother, but how you felt when it happened.” He opened a notebook and set it between us. “I’m sure you’ve learned by now magic is directly connected to one’s emotions. I hope to prove that now that you are aware of magic’s existence you will be able to control the tie between your emotions and your power. Therefore, you will no longer be a threat.”
I nodded and rested my folded arms on the table. My chest tightened and I felt an anxiety attack coming on. I found myself chanting Dr. Shay’s mantras in my head, drowning out whatever Mitch was saying. My necklace warmed against my neck in a gentle calming way unlike anything it had done before. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as I repeated my favorite Dr. Shay mantra in my head. I am bigger than my fear.
The calming effect of the necklace spread across my body, relaxing my muscles. My heart rate slowed and the tightness in my chest receded after a few moments. I rested my hand flat against my starfish and thanked it in my head. I opened my eyes and looked at Mitch. At some point he had stopped talking and was just staring at me.
“Let’s do this,” I said.
At least an hour flew by as I recounted my mom’s death and Ben’s resurrection to Mitch. He took pages of notes using magic to keep the pen moving across the paper. It moved with such determination and accuracy. It was even able to keep up with my rapid speech. Every once in a while, he would ask me questions, but for the most part he just let me talk. Soon a guard was behind me, applying the golden cuffs to my wrists, and Mitch was gathering his things. Mitch waved me goodbye as I was led from the visiting room.
The guard placed me on a smooth wood bench in the hall and told me someone would be by soon to return me to my cell. He attached the chain that tethered my cuffs together to a hook on the wall above my head so I couldn’t leave before he strolled away down the hall, quickly exiting my view. I leaned against the old stone wall and felt a slight vibration.
My arms went numb from being hung up above me, but I ignored it and stayed focused on the rumbling wall. The longer I pressed against the wall, the more the vibrations flowed through me and I realized it wasn’t an actual movement at all, but magic. Magic coursing through the building itself as if it was a living being. There was so much I didn’t understand and if history repeated itself I’d never get a chance to.
Soft voices caught my attention from down the hall. I looked in the direction of the sound, but a large pillar was in my way. I stood up and twisted my body around so I was facing the bench and then leaned back as far as the chains would allow. I peeked around the pillar, straining to see who the voices belonged to.
Evan’s broad physique stood in a dark corner at the very end of the hall. His face tight with anger and his fists clenched at his sides. The person he was speaking with had their back to me. But they were tall and wide with a dark tattoo on their neck. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but the intense look on Evan’s face told me it wasn’t a pleasant conversation.
Evan handed tattoo man something and the man looked it over in his hands before thrusting something toward Evan. Evan snatched it and hurried down the hall in the opposite direction of me. I quickly lost sight of him in the long, dim hall. The big man turned around and I realized I knew him. Jagged Tooth. Ice filled my veins and my stomach dropped. Jagged Tooth disappeared down a separate corridor and I was left alone in the hall. I twisted myself back around and sat in my seat again. My mind raced trying to make sense of what I just saw.
Evan had promised he wasn’t helping The Blood Coven and I had believed him. I had even vouched for him with Lorelei. My raspy breath quickened as I clenched my hands into a ball and pounded them against my head. Stupid, stupid, stupid. The lights in the hall flickered and the stone wall at my back seemed to pulsate with power. The necklace vibrated and a tingling rush overtook me. Magic. A power unlike anything I had felt before, not that that was saying much for a baby witch like me. But I knew in my gut what I was feeling was not ordinary magic.
I replayed Evan and Jagged Tooth’s interaction over and over again in my head. My blood boiled with rage. The lights above me sparked and glass rained down on me. I covered my head with my hands and let out a scream.
A brief visit to the medical wing filled with a few small healing spells and the cuts from my busted lightbulb shower were gone, but the anger remained. As soon as I was cleared by the medical staff I stomped off in search of Evan. Thankfully it was free time and the guards didn’t question anyone on their comings and goings too much during that time. I kept my head down and moved with purpose. I prayed that none of the guards I passed would decide to actually do their job and question me about my roaming the halls.
It didn’t take long for me to realize I had no idea where his cell was. I headed to the one place I knew he might be. The new makeshift laundry room since the last had been turned to ash in some mysterious fire that tragically took the lives of a few inmates. Go figure.
I was surprised by the lack of people, particularly guards I saw along the way. No one paid any attention to me as I navigated through the twisty halls. Once I arrived at my destination I cracked the laundry room door and peeked inside. Empty. I kicked the doorframe and spun around in a huff. I took a few steps before dropping down on a nearby bench. My thoughts drifted to my dad. I needed to know if he was okay. Interrogating Evan would have to wait. Teal’s cell was nearby and I hurried off in that direction.
She was tying her shoes when I arrived. Her blond hair was piled on her head in a messy bun and she had a prison issued jacket tied around her waist. I leaned against her open cell door and waited for her to stand up.
She looked up at me and smiled. She finished tying her shoes and tightened the jacket around her waist.
“What’s up, Jewels?” She adjusted her bun.
“Do you know a way for me to get in touch with my dad?”
“Well, you can ask your caseworker,” she said.
“No, like, without anyone knowing,” I whispered. Teal smiled and her bun bobbed back and forth as she nodded.
“Follow me.”
We weaved through the halls. Inmates were walking the halls and huddled together in small groups. Even as we rushed by it was easy to tell contraband was exchanging hands. A few guards lined the halls but were more interested in talking about their weekend plans than the shady deals going on right out in the open in front of them. We turned down a short empty hall and she pushed open a set of double doors labeled ‘Supplies’.
Stacks and stacks of crates were everywhere. Neatly grouped together by what area in the prison they needed to be transported to. She ushered me over to a stack and I followed her lead as she crouched down next to it. She pointed across the door. Two more double doors, but they were unlabeled. A bright, white light seeped out from between the door cracks.
“What time is it?” she asked in a hushed voice.
“How should I know?” I whispered back.
The doors opened and the bright light saturated much of the room. Teal jerked me to the side so my body was hidden in the shadows of the crate. Two chatty guards walked into the room and headed for the door back to the hallway. Once they were out, Teal pulled me forward, toward the open door filled with white light.
“Hurry, we only have about thirty minutes before they come back.” She darted across the room and I struggl
ed to keep up with her.
“Where are we going?” Before she had a chance to answer she leaped forward, crossing the doorframe, and was absorbed into the white light. I skidded to a stop at the edge of the white. It was the same whiteness that had brought me to Spellbound. I was not interested in taking that ride again. I started to back away when Teal’s head popped out from the white. She looked like a bodiless head floating in a milky sea.
“If you want to try to contact your dad, you better hurry,” she said before her head disappeared again.
I took a deep breath and stepped into the white abyss. Instantly I was in a forest full of tall birch trees and singing birds. I fell to my knees as I exited the portal. Teal helped me to my feet. We stood in a small clearing that had a few crates lined up along its borders.
My stomach tightened and for a second, I thought I might lose my lunch. But the nausea faded quickly. So much better than the first time I was forced to use one of these things. My body was more prepared this time.
“Where are we?”
“This is where the staff picks up supplies,” she said.
“If you’ve known about this all along why haven’t you just left?”
“This clearing is armed with death and containment spells. If any inmate exits its boarders we die, instantly. Becky and I have been working on ways to break the spells. But every time we figure out how to break one, a new one appears. For now it’s just a nice place to come visit.”
“And this will help me how?” A cool breeze blew across my skin and I couldn’t hide the look of disappointment on my face. Teal frowned and kicked at the dirt.
“Well, while this area is armed with spells to keep us in, it does not have any binding spells on it. Meaning within this clearing magic can be freely used.”
I stared at her, waiting for her to say more. She sat at the center of the clearing and pointed to the ground in front of her. I lowered myself to the green grass across from her and she took my hands.
The Siren Jewel: Spellbound Prison Saga Page 10