by Abbie Lyons
Chapter Five
“GAGE?”
I was literally struck dumb. My lips moved, but no words were coming out. Gage Tremalt was someone I’d known my entire life. Our families had been friends. I’d spent all kinds of childhood days with him, playing together in that “well, we both have kids the same age, they can be friends” way that parents push you together with someone. I’d liked him fine, but always pushed him away out of principle, a sort of “boys have cooties” thing. But in my memory, from the days before April and I left the Invisible Cities, he was a sort of scrawny kid with a tuft of blonde hair and a goofy smile.
This Gage was...more than that. To say the least.
He gave a sharp, militaristic nod. “Emerald.” He wasn’t really smiling, but I couldn’t hold back the grin on my face. I never thought I’d see anyone I knew again, let alone in the actual Enchanted Penitentiary.
“What are you doing here?” I realized as soon as I said it what a dumb question it was. Gage was dressed from head to toe in what I realized quickly was the official uniform of the Azelorian Guard. A close-fitting navy blue ensemble, with black boots and a button-down shirt. Around his hips was a utility belt with all sorts of implements—enchanted too, no doubt—that were clearly designed to keep rogue Fae like me in line. It had the intended intimidating effect; everyone knew that the Azelorian guardsmen were the top-tier officers. Once, April and I had met a human Marine at a bar in LA, and he’d given off almost the same vibes as Gage did now—pride, dignity, respect, and the sense that he could take down anyone who threatened him bare-handed if pushed to do so.
But it wasn’t just the Azelorian uniform that was different, obviously. Gage had shot up almost a foot, and filled out...nicely. His broad shoulders strained the seams of his uniform shirt, hinting at a well-muscled physique beneath, and his face had sharpened and matured, with a strong chin and high cheekbones. That blonde hair was still there, though, peeking out from under his cap. And if he were smiling, I’d bet human money that his dimple would perk back up.
I couldn’t stop staring.
“I’m your personal escort,” he replied. “For your safety here.”
“A personal escort?” I repeated. “Like a concierge?”
Gage’s lips twitched—not a smile, but maybe we’d get there. “Not quite. More like a bodyguard. This place isn’t...isn’t exactly safe, Emerald.”
“You can say that again.” I slumped a little, my hands between my knees. Gage kept his gaze steady on me, and eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore. “What?”
“You’ve changed,” he said simply.
“You think?” I said, slumping even further. “I’m literally in prison, Gage. And you’re...”
You’re hot, I thought. Fine, I’ll admit it.
“I enlisted a few months after you and April left,” he said, though I hadn’t asked out loud for an explanation. “It was the best choice for me and my family. Being in the Azelorian Guard is prestigious and rigorous.”
I squinted, trying to remember what I could about the rules and regulations. I supposed that it was somewhat akin to a human enlisting in some branch of the armed services, except with a lot more enchanted weapons, of course. The training was allegedly as brutal as it was top-secret. But Gage didn’t look too much worse for the wear, even if he’d seen shit. If anything, he looked better.
“I’ll be here to take you through Enchanted Penitentiary during your adjustment period,” Gage went on, his voice back to the clipped tones of official duties. “This is in the interest of allowing you to acclimate without any bodily harm or—”
“Bodily harm?” I interrupted. Goddess help me. Although, given what I’d overheard as I came to my cell, I wasn’t too shocked.
“You don’t have anything to worry about,” Gage said, the official tone softening. “That’s what I’m here for.”
A wave of warmth and gratitude surged over me, and I got to my feet, coming closer to the bars of my cell so that I could see Gage properly, like we were having a real conversation. As I approached, his gaze flickered, as though he wanted to look at me full-on, but couldn’t quite bring himself to.
“I’m not here to help you or befriend you,” he recited, back to his soldierly demeanor even as his expression wavered. “The duty of the Azelorian Guard here is to ensure a smooth transition and a confinement in Enchanted Penitentiary that has the desired punitive and rehabilitative effects.”
“Gage,” I said. “Come on. It’s me. Emerald. Em.”
At last, he let his eyes settle on me, and we were staring at each other face to face. Something about seeing him this close, this kid from my childhood who’d transformed into a full-on strapping male Fae specimen...but more than that, someone I recognized, was too overwhelming, and I had to close my eyes.
“Sorry,” I whispered, my voice suddenly froggy. “It’s just so weird to be here.” I clutched my hands into fists, willing my eyes not to get damp.
“It’s weird to see you here,” Gage admitted in a low tone. “How could you do this, Emerald?”
He couldn’t even bear to be informal for more than a second and call me Em.
I jerked my eyelids back open. “What?” I shook my head. “Gage, I didn’t do it. You can’t possibly think that I did it.”
“Fae don’t end up in Enchanted Penitentiary by accident,” Gage said. He smelled crisp and clean, even above the stench of the prison.
“Well, this one did,” I said, desperation clawing up my throat. “You know how much I loved April. Does it make sense that I would kill her?”
Someone in the distance hooted and howled, and Gage’s attention darted away, his hand at a weapon on his waist. When the sound quieted, he looked back to me.
“I...I don’t have a choice, Emerald,” Gage said. “My duty as one of the Azelorian Guard is to assume that the law has been served.”
“Even if you don’t believe it yourself,” I muttered.
“I suppose that...yes.” His throat bobbed as he swallowed. I looked up at him through my lashes.
“You must think I’m a total supervillain.”
He pressed his lips together. “I don’t have personal opinions about the state of prisoners.”
“What about opinions about your childhood friends?”
He swallowed again. Goddess, I wished I could touch him—not in a creepy way, or anything. Just to feel someone familiar, not rough and bureaucratic, but in a genuine, social way.
“Emerald, I...”
“Gage!”
Another male voice barked from behind him—a second Azelorian guardsman, about our same age, but with close-cropped black hair and a narrow gaze. He was much scrawnier than Gage, but the look in his eyes betrayed a certain intensity. “Mealtime’s about to sound,” he went on. “You ready with your new charge?”
“Emerald,” I said. “My name is Emerald. Gage was just explaining things to me.”
The second guard looked from me to Gage.
“The inmate and I know each other,” Gage said. “Knew each other, in childhood.”
The other guardsman stared Gage down, and an unspoken agreement flickered between them, something inscrutable but definite, like they’d made a pact.
“Nice to meet you, Emerald.” The other guard nodded.
“Emerald, this is Cobalt,” Gage said. “We enlisted together, trained together.”
“Brothers in arms,” Cobalt said, although there wasn’t much humor in his almost squeaky voice. “Welcome to Enchanted Penitentiary, Emerald.” He eyed Gage one last time and clapped him on his shoulder. “Just remember,” he muttered, probably only to Gage, but it was easy enough for me to hear. “We took a vow.”
Gage jerked a nod, Cobalt clapped him on the shoulder a second time, and then he marched off as a signal bell klaxoned overhead.
“A vow?” I asked. In spite of myself, I was incredibly curious about the training of the Azelorian Guard. Thinking about it was a welcome distraction from, well, everything.
Gage lifted his chin. “There’s a code of conduct for our order. We’re forbidden from most indulgences, to keep our wits and attention sharp and training attuned.”
“Indulgences?” I cocked my head. “What, like booze and clubbing?”
To my surprise, and inner delight, Gage’s cheeks went pink. “That. And...companionship.”
He looked away. It didn’t take too long for the jigsaw pieces to fit together in my mind.
“Oh my Goddess,” I said. “You guys can’t date? Or...”
“There’s a vow of celibacy,” Gage said shortly. “And for good reason.” A second klaxon sounded. Gage waved a glowing, gloved hand over the front of my cell and the bars dissipated with a crackle. Fancy trick. “Mealtime, Emerald. I’m to show you to the mess hall.”
“Okay,” I said, because short of “what a damn waste,” that was all there was to say. As Gage led me down the hallway, I studied him from behind, contemplating. Gage had always been the upstanding type, even if he was a little bit scrawny and small back in the day. I could see him easily devoting himself to a cause like this—to justice.
Or what he thought was justice.
So I supposed it made sense that he’d give himself over to this. But still, for him to think I was guilty...that stung.
How had our lives deviated so far from what we used to be?
“Food,” Gage said simply as we reached the end of a hallway. Through another glowing, heavily armored door that Gage opened with a brisk gesture, was what I could only describe as the saddest cafeteria ever. Not that I’d ever been in a human high school, but I’d seen plenty of teen movies, and this looked like all the worst cliché elements of the facilities combined into one: dingy linoleum, crappy lighting, chipped tables, and a smell that was...well, food-adjacent.
Gage led me to a line of inmates, reciting instructions and practices I was only half-listening to. I accepted my trayful of...whatever it was and settled at a table. Alone, of course. I quite literally wasn’t here to make friends. And based on the need for a personal bodyguard, it didn’t seem like the odds of forging a friendship any time soon were that good anyway. Especially since everybody was under the mistaken impression that I literally killed my closest friend. What a drag.
I took the opportunity, as Gage stood dutifully by me, to take in some more of my fellow prisoners. There were all kinds of wild-looking Fae, from the seriously deranged to the quiet and probably lowkey psycho types. As I stabbed forkful after forkful of nutrition, I inadvertently caught the eye of one of them: a girl about my age with wild red hair and a twining tattoo of leaves on the side of her face that shimmered when she turned her head. Noticing me, she stuck out her tongue and crossed her eyes, sending a spark of actual fire out from each of her ears.
“Shit!” I dropped my fork in shock, and Gage moved to attention.
“Inmate!” snapped another guard—Cobalt, as it turned out. The girl blinked in faux innocence and returned to her meal.
So did I, taking pains to direct my gaze literally anywhere but her. There wasn’t much else for me to look at that didn’t feel less dangerous, though. Still, it had been so long that I’d been in a group of actual Fae that I had to take everything in, from the occasional flutter of wings to the various colors of hair to the general light haze of magic that permeated all of the air around us.
After who knows how much time, the bell sounded again, and Gage marched me to the tray repository and then back to my cell.
“This is just so...” I whispered as we walked down the hallway. “I mean, you’re Gage.”
“I know that.”
Was he actually joking around with me? I cast a sidelong glance at him, but he had his eyes forward. When we reached my cell, and he waved me in, I turned to him instead of flopping right on my bed in despair.
“Gage...” I didn’t even know what to say. “Thank you?” It came out as a question.
Gage nodded. “It’s my duty. But...” his tone softened. “You’re welcome, Emerald.”
Those eyes. The most familiar part about him, even with the uniform and bulked-up new physique. I smiled.
“You like doing this?” I said softly. “Even with all the rules?”
Gage shifted his weight, as though this was a question he didn’t even have a prepared answer for. “It is my duty,” he said a second time, but he didn’t sound so confident now.
“I’m innocent,” I blurted out. I just had to make that clear. I couldn’t stop telling people that. I wouldn’t let being here brainwash me. “You have to know that, Gage. The killer’s out there and it’s not me.”
His gaze held mine.
“Good night, Emerald.”
The lights in my cell dimmed as he walked away. I sank onto my bed and flung an arm over my eyes.
I had someone here—a friend. Almost. But so much had changed with him.
Unbidden, a memory flooded back into my mind. Gage and I as children, at a picnic, running through the soft blue-green grass of a meadow, chasing each other and firing harmless missiles of sparks at each other. His smile, his joy, even as he darted around me much more quickly, chasing me through brush and even up a tree until I wailed for freedom.
It felt like a lifetime ago. It was a lifetime ago.
Was that boy I knew still there in this boring, dutiful guard?
And would he ever be willing to believe me, let alone help me?
Chapter Six
“RISE AND SHINE, INMATES!” the warden practically screamed.
In my old life, it was the California sun sneaking through the shades that woke me up each morning. It made me happy to be alive and absolutely thriving. Now, I supposed, the voice of a deranged authoritarian would be my wakeup call.
“Once again a new day is upon us,” he continued. “This morning, I encourage you to think about the mistakes you made that led you here. I hope you feel the full weight of those mistakes resting upon your shoulders. You deserve to bear that burden. It serves as a reminder of how much better off Fae society is without you in it. Should you ever make it out of the penitentiary, perhaps you’ll be less likely to make such costly mistakes. I doubt that. More likely you’ll end up right back here.”
And that was that. Even without the pep talk, I woke up feeling like I’d been flattened under a boulder. Usually, I was pretty good about springing out of bed and getting about my day, but that had been back when April and I were living together and she was downstairs in the kitchen, making espresso and singing to herself and I felt like there was something to actually get up and live for.
Goddess, Em, emo much?
Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I pushed myself to sitting and looked around my cell. Home sweet home. There didn’t seem to be any kind of privacy to change into clean clothes, and I had no idea when or if I’d be allowed to bathe, so I just decided to tuck myself into a corner as best I could to swap out my orange pants and white tank top for identical, but clean, versions that I’d found in the bureau. The, ahem, toilet facilities were at least partially concealed by a wall of magic that activated as soon as I stepped over, so I could at least take care of business and wash my hands and face. In the small, oily-looking mirror that floated above the one-drawer bureau, I surveyed my face. I looked...tired. Drawn. My cheekbones were sharper, maybe from barely eating that terrible food last night, and my pink hair was wavier than usual. I would have killed for some leave-in conditioner and a little concealer. Or...
I snapped my fingers, hoping for the best and squinting my eyes shut. But nope, when I looked at my reflection, I was still as weary-looking as before.
Well, it didn’t matter anyway. Who was going to see me?
“Emerald?”
The rich, masculine voice rang out into the spartan confines of my cell. I whipped around to see Gage, standing tall and proud in a freshly pressed Guard uniform. I smoothed my hair with my hands in a last-ditch attempt to rid myself of bedhead.
“It’s nearly mealtime,” he said, his to
ne the more commanding one he used when he was being all Guard-ly. “Are you ready to leave your cell?”
I took one last sweeping gaze around me. What else was there to do in my morning routine?
“Ready,” I confirmed.
He waved me out of the cell and I was once again treated to the clean-linen-and-musk smell of him as I sidled out into the hallway. The warmth of his presence, even if he wasn’t actively offering me any comfort, was almost overwhelming.
“So I’m guessing that appearance-enhancing magic is off-limits here?” I asked Gage as we walked together, the clamor of early-morning prison noise rattling around us as my fellow inmates got ready for breakfast under the klaxon bell.
“What do you think?” he said, a hint of mischief in his voice. Then he shook his head. “I apologize. That was inappropriate.”
“It’s nice to hear a little sarcasm,” I said honestly. “So...that’s a no, then.”
“That’s a no,” he confirmed. “But there’s really no need for inmates to be concerned about their appearances at Enchanted Penitentiary.”
“No, I guess not,” I said. Could he read my thoughts? “Just gonna take some getting used to, I guess. I’m just used to looking good, you know?”
His eyes darted in my direction. “You do look good, Emerald.”
I almost tripped in surprise. “I do?” I hadn’t slept or eaten well in I forgot how long, and with the aforementioned lack of magical enhancing abilities...
“Yes. Very healthy and regulation.” Gage’s eyes went forward again. Oh, well, in that case.
Then again, maybe that was the only compliment he could pay me. If it even was a compliment. I guess the whole “vow of celibacy” thing made sense to keep the Azelorian guardsmen at their sharpest, but still. It seemed like a shame. And how did Gage feel about it? Didn’t he get...lonely?
Because that was the thing. I knew that he had an official role here, but at the same time, I realized that Gage was maybe my only hope in this dismal place. He was the only one who knew who I really was, knew that I wasn’t a killer by any stretch of the imagination, and even if his official role meant that he had to believe I was guilty...I just didn’t think he really believed it.