by Wendy Wang
“About being in the prison? I promise you these men cannot get to you.”
She laughed but it came out as a nervous titter. “It's not that. Just going to see my husband.”
The warden's face fell. “Oh.”
Her heart sped up thinking about what she was about to do. “Oh, it's not like that. We've been separated for a while now. It's just he's going to die tomorrow and I don't know how I feel about that.”
“Oh,” the warden said his face lighting up again. “Of course you don’t. It must be very hard.”
“Yes.” She batted her eyes at him, hating herself for resorting to such behavior. It was for a good cause though. She resisted the urge to blow out a deep breath and it made her lungs heavy with stale air and guilt.
He smiled and his face softened, his gray eyes full of sympathy. “What did he do?”
“He killed a boy and tried to kidnap the Queen.”
The warden’s eyebrows tugged close together and a deep line formed between them. “Oh.”
“We met when we were very young and he swept me off my feet. But he became obsessed with power and when the Emperor declared himself, he was determined to become part the Emperor’s elite forces.” She sighed, finally breathing freely again. It felt good to say the words out loud. “He just wasn't the boy I fell in love with anymore.”
“You're awfully pretty to be let down like that. I’m really sorry.”
Heat rushed into her cheeks and she smiled. “Thank you. It's been a long time since anyone's called me pretty. You’re rather handsome yourself.” His lips curved slightly at the corners, and she could see the shine of lust in his eyes. Her skin thrummed from the excitement of such a lie.
“You should be told and often.”
Air escaped her in a rush and she quickly glanced away, not wanting things to get too out of hand. The timing needed to be right for this plan of hers to work. “Thank you.”
They rounded the corner and stopped in front of the metal door leading to Egan’s cell block. He touched his baton to the lock and it clicked. She eyed the shiny black weapon in his hand. She'd never held a warden’s baton, not even Egan's. He smiled and gestured for her to pass through first.
Egan stood in the middle of his cell with his hands stuffed in his pocket. His sharp blue eyes watching her every move.
Her heart beat in her throat. “What did you say your name was?”
His cheeks colored pink. “My name is Seth.”
She stepped into his space, too close for it to be misinterpreted, and gazed into his pale gray eyes. His sandy blond hair flopped over his forehead and his breathing became short. He took a step back towards the cell. He glanced over his shoulder at Egan who was scowling at him.
“Thank you so much for the conversation,” she said, taking another step forward. “I really appreciate it. She pressed her hand to his chest, surprised to find there was no protective plate.
His face reddened in earnest, making his blond peach fuzz stand out. “You're welcome. I — I enjoyed it.”
“I did too,” she whispered, pressing her body closer. He took another step back and ran into the bars of Egan's cell. He glanced back again. Panic shadowed his face as he realized that Egan now stood right behind him. Egan stuck his hands through the bars and wrapped his arm around the boy’s neck. Cilla backed away, and covered her mouth with her hand to keep from making too much noise.
The boy clawed and struggled against Egan’s strong grip. The warden’s face turned a deep shade of red, bordering on purple. They fought over the baton, but the boy was no match for Egan’s strength. The weapon discharged a white bolt of energy into the warden’s ribs. Tears pushed their way onto the boy’s cheeks and his gaze swept over her. Egan shot the boy again and he stopped struggling. The warden's eyes widened and he slid down to the floor, his head raking against the metal bars. The look on his face sliced through her and her heart twisted in her chest. The whole scene blurred and she covered her face with her hands.
“Cilla,” Egan said, touching her arm. “Cilla, honey look at me.” She couldn't seem to stop her body from shaking. What had she done? “Cilla.” The smell of heat and ions stung her nose. Egan's arms were around her and he was forcing her to look into his face. “You're all right. Do you hear me? Nod if you can hear me.”
She nodded her head frantically, sniffing back her tears. He caressed her cheek and kissed her.
“I am so proud of you. I know how hard that was for you.” He kissed her and it was a salve to her guilt and fear. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and tucked her head into the crook of his neck, breathing him in until she felt calmer. He really had changed. She could feel it. “I need you to go back to the palace now. Can you do that?”
“Yes, I think so. “
He stroked her hair. “Go get the boys ready and wait for me.”
“Is he dead?” she asked, her eyes locking on to the warden.
“No. No, of course not. I just stunned him. I don't want you to worry about him.”
“Are you going to kill him?”
His thumb stroked her cheek. “No, of course not. I am going to strip his clothes though.”
She nodded and threw her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his, kissing him deeply, wanting him to understand how much she loved him.
“Go,” he said pulling out of her arms “I'll see you soon.”
“See you soon.” She shuffled forward, stepping around the warden and scurrying back towards the exit of the building as fast as she could.
Twenty-Two
Egan waited until Cilla was out of sight before aiming the baton at the guard and shooting a bolts of deadly blue energy into his head. Then he walked over to the cell across from his. The four men sharing the cell all looked at him wide-eyed. He only focused on two of them — Pohlse and Gaffrey.
“Crane,” Gaffrey’s voice shook and he held his hands up in front of him showing his palm's in surrender. “Let's just talk about this for a minute okay let's just wait —”
“Nothing to talk about and no reason to wait Gaffrey.” Egan raised the baton and shot Gaffrey through the heart. Pohlse backed up against the wall. There was nowhere to go. Pohlse’s hands shook as he raised them.
“What did I do to you, Crane?” Pohlse asked.
“You and Gaffrey betrayed the Emperor and you betrayed me. You are both cowards and you know how I feel about cowards.”
“No, no, no, no—” Pohlse’s staccato stopped with a shot of blue fire. Pohlse grabbed his chest, his eyes wide and he slid down the wall. He took one last raspy breath, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Egan scowled and the other two prisoners took a step back. “Don’t worry. I have no quarrel with either of you. Stick with me and I’ll get us all out of here.” The prisoner’s, whose names he couldn’t remember, exchanged a glance. The both nodded simultaneously. Egan’s scowl morphed into a smile. “Good.”
Egan turned and crossed the hallway, stopping in front of Hargett’s cell.
“Wait,” one of the prisoner’s said, a short man with a shaved head and a tattoo of a flaming bird showing through his scalp. “Aren’t you going to let us out?”
Egan touched his baton to the metal lock of Hargett’s cell door. A metallic clang rang out and the door slid to the right.
“I told you I had a plan,” Crane said.
“Never doubted you for a minute boss,” Hargett said.
“Hold out your hands,” Egan commanded. Hargett didn't hesitate. Egan touched the tip of the baton to each of Hargett's wrists and the leather bindings harnessing Hargett's affinities unwrapped themselves, falling to the floor.
“Let me get those for you, boss,” Hargett said.
Egan handed him the baton and held out his arms. Hargett released the harnesses and they fell away. The soft hum of the energy filled every cell in his body flowing in and out freely again, ready to be called and commanded. He had not even realized how much he missed this feeling until jus
t now when it returned like a wave washing over him. He rubbed at his wrists before picking up the harnesses and shoving them into his pocket.
“Good thinking boss we might need those,” Hargett said, handing the baton back to Egan.
“Where do we go from here?”
“The first thing you do is let me out,” D'Raq said pushing his hand through the bars of his cell door.
Egan sneered and stepped in front of D'Raq. It amazed him how unruffled D’Raq always looked, even now as Egan held a baton in his hand.
“And why should I do that D'Raq?”
“Do you really think you can get out of here on your own? Just the two of you?” D'Raq rubbed his hand across his lips and chuckled. “You'll be dead before you even get halfway to the exits.”
“I happen to know my way around this prison a lot better than you do.”
“Do you now? Then you know there is a listener watching our every move right now. It is sending energy to a viewing area that's constantly monitored. Any moment now someone will notice two prisoners out of their cell and the dead guard.”
The hairs on Egan's neck stood up and he glanced towards the doorway leading out of the cell block. He’d forgotten about the listener. He squinted his eyes and saw the milky orb embedded in the wall. He pointed his baton at it and a red bolt of energy hit it a few seconds later. Glass exploded, sending tiny shards spraying across the hallway.
“Well that certainly stopped the feed of information. But it's no guarantee that someone didn't see it. It's also no guarantee that someone won't notice there is no longer a feed from this cell block. They could be on their way right now.”
“You should've told me about this before,” Egan scowled.
“Yes but then you'd have no reason to let me out,” D'Raq said.
Egan gritted his teeth and rolled his eyes. He touched the baton to the door lock and his door opened.
D'Raq stepped into the hallway and took a deep breath. The grin stretched his lips. “You made the right choice.”
“I really should just kill you,” Egan said.
“Yes but then you would never get out of here alive. And your poor wife would wither away from guilt. Let's give her reason to live.” D'Raq said. He held out his wrists and waited. Egan's mouth twisted into a grimace but he touched the baton to the harnesses dampening D'Raq’s affinities. Without question. The leather harnesses fell away and D'Raq pick them up and put them into his pocket.
“Come with me,” D'Raq said.
“Are we going to free the men in here?” Hargett asked. “We still have at least one man on our side.”
D'Raq’s icy gaze swept across Egan and landed on Hargett. “You have to trust me now. Before this is done we will have hundreds of men on our side. But first we have to retrieve my lifestone. Which is going to be a little tricky.”
“I thought you could get us out of here,” Egan growled, gripping the baton tighter.
“You must believe Egan. It is the first tenant.”
Egan clenched his jaw. If D'Raq was going to start spouting religious nonsense, he might just go ahead and kill him regardless of any promises to get him out.
“Fine,” Egan growled.
“The first thing we should do though is strip that guard of his clothes. Hargett I believe they'll fit you. And you're the most,” he paused and scrutinized Hargett from head to toe. “The most ordinary between the three of us.”
“Ordinary?” Hargett grumbled with disbelief. “I'll give you ordinary.”
D'Raq laughed. “Calm down my friend it was not an insult. But I’ve noticed how you blend in. It is one of your best traits and I’ve seen you use it to your advantage to gather information.” Hargett’s frown faded and he unfurled his fist as he appeared to think over D’Raq’s words. “Egan and I however are very recognizable by the guards.”
“We are?” Egan asked.
“Indeed we are. We’re very distinctive looking and we’ve both gained a reputation. But Hargett looks like any one of 1,000 prisoners and the uniform will fit him I think.”
Egan and Hargett both looked at the dead guard. He was too tall and slim for the uniform to fit Egan, but Hargett was almost a perfect match.
“No more wasting time talking. Get that uniform on Hargett and let's get out of here before they notice they have no window into this cell block.”
Egan sighed. “He’s right. Do it.”
Hargett gave him a quick definitive nod and went to work getting the uniform off the guard.
******
Hargett walked behind them holding the baton to their backs. Even with D'Raq's tendency to smile and nod at every guard they passed they made their way through the prison without question. D'Raq seemed to be enjoying himself even going so far as to salute two fingers at several of the guards. It was as if he wanted them to discover he had no harness on. Egan rolled his eyes and kept his hands in his pockets. They all seemed to like D'Raq.
“Turn right Hargett,” D'Raq said.
“Why?” Egan asked. “We have to go straight to get out of here.”
“Do you think they're going to allow Hargett to just walk the two of us out?” D’Raq scoffed.
Egan stopped and settled his gaze on D’Raq. “I thought once we got your lifestone —”
“Yes once I have it leaving will be easier. But getting there will be almost impossible without a distraction.”
“A distraction?” Hargett asked.
“You'll see,” D'Raq said. “But we have to go right to get there.”
Egan pressed his lips together and the corners of his mouth tugged down. “Fine,” he grumbled. “If I find out your leading us on it wild goose chase I will kill you myself.”
D'Raq chuckled. “You have to learn to trust my friend.”
“So, right boss?”
“Yes,” Egan said. D'Raq smiled. Part of him wanted to punch that serene look off of his face and another part of them envied him for his ability to control his emotions so well. Nothing ever seemed to get to him and under different circumstances, they might have been friends.
They headed right down another long corridor of cell blocks. Seeing them agitated the prisoners. Enough to draw them to their doors. Some shouted others rattled their cell doors. While others made guttural noises, whistles, or any sound they thought might get someone's attention. Egan kept his eyes straight ahead ignoring them.
D'Raq wore a smirk on his face. Whatever this distraction was he just hoped to the goddess it wouldn't get them killed. Once they passed out of the cell block they came to a small alcove.
The hair on the back of Egan's neck stood at attention and his belly coiled into a knot. “What is this?”
“Get ready Hargett,” D'Raq said softly. “There are three of them.”
Hargett adjusted his grip on the baton, his eyes glancing around unsure of where to look.
D'Raq waited. His lips stretched into a wide grin and he chuckled. “Now.”
Stone scraped as the center of the wall pulled in and slid to the side. A warden looked up, his eyes growing wide. His hand automatically went to his baton. Hargett released a bolt of blue energy hitting the man in the head knocking him backwards. Two more wardens were on their feet and Hargett struck another one in the chest. Egan took the baton from the warden lying in the doorway. He struck the other warden in the chest.
“Let's get them inside,” said D'Raq pointing to the dead warden in the doorway. Hargett picked up the warden’s arm and dragged him inside. “Does it look like any of these uniforms will fit you Egan?”
Egan glanced at the three dead guards and chose the shortest and began stripping his uniform. “What about you? Are you gonna wear a uniform to get out of here?”
“The uniform is not for you to get out of here. It's for you to get into the palace.”
Egan stopped and scanned the room. Two chairs sat in front of a tiered table. Each tier held a small square stone. “What is this place?”
“The viewing room.” D'Raq picke
d up one of the warden’s batons and touched it to a silver plate built into the tiered table. The first row of squares began to glow and images appeared suspended in midair above each one. Egan moved in closer. The first one he looked at focused on the entrance into the cell blocks.
“Sweet Jerugia's crown,” Egan said under his breath. “Listener viewing?”
“Yes,” D’Raq said. “This tells us where all of the guards are.”
“There’s Cilla,” Egan said. She kept her head down and walked towards the exit. No one seemed to notice her.
“Let's wait until she's out,” D’Raq said.
The three of them waited and watched until she disappeared through the door. “Egan how far is it from the prisons to the palace?”
“Not far maybe 10 blocks.”
“How quickly does she walk?”
“Why?”
“Because I can't have you distracted, wondering if she’s safe or not.”
“Safe from what?”
“Safe from this,” D’Raq said. He positioned himself in front of a panel of silver plates on the wall. Each one was numbered from one to fifty. D’Raq touched the baton to the plate for number 50, then touched the silver plate on the third tier of the table, lighting up all of the listeners. “Look.”
Egan moved in close to see better. His stomach wrenched tighter. Cell block fifty’s doors all slid open and the prisoners began to venture out of their cells.
“What are you doing?” Egan muttered, his heart hammering in his throat.
“Creating a distraction.” D'Raq touched the next silver plate releasing the prisoners and cell block forty-nine.
“Are you insane? They will lock this place down!” Hargett said.
“You’re assuming they’ll be able to lock this place down. Some of those men are incredibly powerful.”
“That wouldn’t be why they’re harnessed, now would it?” Egan said spewing sarcasm.