Instead of the one small boy I’d expected, there were so many faces turned to toward us … so many faces. Both young and old. My breath caught in my throat as I frantically scanned from one side of the room to the other.
They were all dirty as they crouched low to the floor. I swallowed loudly, my hand lifting to press against my rapidly beating heart. I was still trying desperately to take in the entire room. How was this possible? There were children of all ages … even a few infants mixed in with the adults. In the semi-darkness I noticed the large cuffs which secured them to bolts embedded in the floor.
I was suddenly angry enough to scream. I didn’t care what these supernaturals had done, this was the cruelest form of punishment I could ever imagine. My demon snarled at me, along with the wolf, both of them straining to break free of the restrictions I had placed on them, both of them wanting blood for this.
Maximus sounded as pissed off as I felt. “What the fuck is this, Braxton? You said there was one boy. There are … at least fifty here.”
Braxton’s already rigid features tightened. “I never came into this room,” he bit out. “Nash just gave me directions to the place he slept; otherwise we only interacted when he found me.”
Mischa’s low voice sounded close to my ear. “Do you think they’re dragon marked?”
I couldn’t answer, I was trying not to cry. There were babies here. I wasn’t the biggest fan of rug-rats with their whining and sticky fingers, but this was torture.
“Braxie.” A tiny voice echoed through the room, and a boy moved toward us. He appeared to be the only one not shackled down. “You came back.”
As he moved closer, I noted the ragged, shoulder-length brown hair, pale, unhealthy skin which should be olive in tone but was sickly white, and huge brown eyes that dominated his face.
“Why did he not just escape himself?” I had to ask, unable to tear my eyes from him. He’d obviously known there was a way out, he’d directed Braxton on how to get in here.
Braxton had something feral moving behind his eyes. His voice came out harshly. “Firstly, he couldn’t have fit through the exit point without the help of magic, and he has none. And he was afraid. This place is all he has ever known.” He strode forward and swept the boy into his arms. “I promised you I’d return,” he murmured to Nash.
“We can’t leave the rest here,” I said, managing to keep my voice at a low shriek. “We have to save them all.”
The Compasses exchanged glances.
Jacob spoke first. “We can’t, Jessa. For more than one reason. Firstly, their chains look to be carved with runes and I can feel the magic infused. We can’t bust them out of those without the key or some serious power. And secondly, I think this many trying to escape would be noticed by the guards.”
Maximus swept his arm around. “And we don’t know what they’re in here for, we might be freeing very dangerous criminals.”
I exchanged a quick glance with Mischa. We knew what they were, and deep down the Compasses did too. What Maximus was really saying was they wouldn’t risk freeing the dragon marked.
Damn them. Babies … fuck that. I would die before I’d leave them here. But I knew the boys wouldn’t let me stay or put myself in jeopardy. I’d have to be smart about it. My eyes were locked on two little girls, no more than three or four, clinging to each other, just managing to stretch their chains far enough to huddle together. They reeked of fear and desperation. And desolation … as if there wasn’t one ounce of hope in them.
I suddenly swung my head around to the boy that was close to Braxton’s side. “How did you get your chains off, Nash?”
He regarded me solemnly, with eyes too large and weary for a little boy. “I broke my thumb, and now it’s always out of its socket. It fits through the shackles.”
I flinched at the thought of his pain. Although, depending which supernatural race he was from, his pain might have been hidden by his other side. He waved his hand at me and the angle of his thumb was definitely off.
“Do they ever remove everyone else’s shackles?” I managed to ask.
He nodded. “Once a day, guards take us to the bathroom.”
That was my chance.
“Get that look off your face, Jessa.” Maximus was all business and he was standing too much in my personal space for my liking. “We cannot save them. There are lots of hard decisions in life. This is one of them. You have to accept that we have your best interests at heart.”
I widened my eyes and blinked a few times at him, my impression of a brain-dead bimbo. I don’t take orders from anyone, especially not a man who thinks he can demand my obedience simply based on the fact he was born with a penis and I was not. I mean, I’m not a complete moron, I can take advice and ask for help. But blindly following orders, that isn’t me and is never going to be.
Braxton’s deep tones jarred me from my crusade. “I will help you, Jess.” His words eased some of my anger. He had a way about him, that man. “But for now we’re not prepared to rescue this many people. We’ll find the doorway again and the next time we will save everyone.”