There were two things that did have me paralyzed with terror. One, no one was coming for us. Without Tad or Mykel’s help, we had no way out of here. I was never one to believe in fairytales. I never thought someone would come in and save me in the end. Life wasn’t that way. It didn’t care if the bad person won. Though I guess deep down, there was always that part, like a hopeful child listening to her father read stories of good triumphing in the end, you wanted to believe.
The second thing, which was the most devastating, Istvan knew where the nectar was. It was a matter of time before he got his hands on it. Tad and the necromancers were powerful, but I had no doubt Istvan would get his prize. He had no line he wouldn’t cross, no low he wouldn’t go to. And the only thing blocking Istvan’s thousand-man army once he broke through the spells were seven necromancers, a little boy, and an old man.
A shrill alarm rang through the air, triggering my breath to quicken, anxiety kicking in. The cell doors rolled open, the clank juddering through my bones. Climbing to my feet like a conditioned dog, I stepped out onto the walkway, trudging to the restroom with the others in my row. I was two levels above where I had been before, the number of prisoners multiplying daily.
Walking into the bathroom, with the inmates doing their business, I struggled with the feeling like I’d never left to being in denial I was back. Warwick and I knew we might need to get on the inside, but it would have been planned with Tad. This time we were just more inmates in the system, about to be used as animals, pitted against each other to survive. The odds would be stacked highly against us.
“Little lamb?”
My head jolted to the side, my eyes already filling at hearing such a familiar voice. Seeing her signature blue braid trailing over one shoulder, contrasting with the red uniform, I moved without thinking.
“Kek!” My arms flew around her. Kek was always small, but now I could feel her bones. They were starving fae of food and their magic, which might have helped keep their strength up. The more I peered around, the more I noticed how gaunt the inmates were here, no matter what color uniform they wore.
“Hey! No talking or interaction of any kind.” A young soldier I didn’t know barked from his position against the wall.
She squeezed me tight before we both pulled away, her gaze going to my black uniform and back up with wide eyes. “Uniform change?”
I snorted.
“Fuck, little lamb, I didn’t know if you were alive or dead. What happened?” she whispered, jerking her head for me to follow her to the open toilets.
“Long, long story.” And we’re truly fucked. I left the last part out. “What about in here?”
We both sat, looking outward, talking low to each other.
“It’s gotten worse. So much worse since you left. The Games are three times a week now. There are constant beatings and torture. People are getting killed daily. Killian’s guard was executed yesterday.”
“I know.” I swallowed, the memory of Sloane’s crushed face haunting my mind.
Her head darted to me.
“Learned it from Scorpion.”
“Right. I forgot you can be here through him.” She wiped, pulling up her pants. “That won’t stop being weird, by the way.” I followed suit, going to the sink next to her. “It’s not all.” We washed our hands. “The guards...” She lowered her voice even more. “The ones here first. The ones you knew?”
“Yeah?”
“They’ve beco—”
“Hey!” Another unknown guard came behind us, slamming Kek into the metal mirror. “What the fuck did we tell you? Stupid fucking demon.” He put his gun to her temple. “No talking or interacting. Now move the fuck along.”
He shoved her forward, walking her out of the bathroom as another guard pushed me to the exit.
“I’ll take it from here.” Boyd stopped us right at the door, his gaze moving salaciously and hatefully over my body. Grabbing my arm, he yanked me forward, not waiting for the sentry to respond. “It’s so good to have you back with us, Kovacs. Can I say I missed you? This place just wasn’t the same without you.” His fingers bruised my bicep as he tugged me forcefully to the mess hall.
Heads turned, eyes burned into me, a few gasps filled the mostly silent room. All the guards lined up against the wall were new. None I recognized from HDF. They all wore the new uniform, their faces fresh, their eyes focused.
“Look, you’re already creating such a stir in your new outfit.” He stopped us in the middle, turning to face the room right as four guards with guns walked in a massive form, his height reaching far above their heads, an electric collar around his neck as well. His stormy gaze met mine.
“Warwick.” I felt my mind call to him more than I used our connection; the goblin metal around my neck made it harder to link to him. A flood of air exhaled from my lungs seeing he was okay. I could feel him around me, double-checking I was in one piece too. A nerve twitching in his jaw told me he was fighting the barrier of his own goblin collar.
He wore a black uniform as well, as if he had never left Halálház. I remembered when I saw the man in black for the first time across the room my first morning. The power of his glance was similar to a lion looking over his pride. The idea of even getting near him at once terrified and exhilarated me. It still did.
“Hey, assholes! Look who’s back!” Zion jumped onto the food counter, holding out his arms like a carnival conductor. “Aren’t we so happy to have the great legend and the princess of HDF back among us? Oops, I guess her tiara has fallen. Do I spy a different color uniform? Guess the princess has been outcast.”
“Zion, shut the fuck up,” Boyd snapped at him, clearing his throat, his grip on me tightening. “But he is right about them being outcasts. The black uniform means they are nothing. They fit nowhere. This is the only warning you get. You speak or even look at one of them, you will be punished. Severely. They are lepers here. Ghosts. They do not exist to you.” Boyd let go of me. “So, when I do this.” His fist slammed into my cheek, pain exploding through my nerves, the force hurling me to the ground. “You don’t react!”
“Kovacs!” Warwick called for me at the same time I heard him bellow, lurching for Boyd. One step and electricity hummed and crackled in the air. He jolted, his body twitching and straining under the electrocution, dropping to his knees before they relented.
Yells and pleas to stop came from all sides of the room, building up a commotion.
“Hey! Hey!” Boyd screamed, standing over me. “What did I say?” He pulled an object out of his pocket, pushing the button. My muscles jerked and spasmed, my teeth grinding together as pain rushed over me in a steady stream.
The room went silent.
He let the button go, my body easing, but I stayed curled up, trying to breathe.
“The more you respond, the more I will punish them and you.” Boyd shoved his boot into me, highlighting the power he had. The control. “Want to live? You treat them worse than shit on your shoe.”
Glancing over at Warwick, his gaze was already on me, his neck and face strained. I tried to reach out, but I couldn’t. Everything in me was fried and empty, my powers traumatized by the electrocution.
A bell sounded.
“Well, look, boys and girls. Breakfast time is over before you even got any.” Zion snapped his fingers in an ‘out of luck’ gesture, jumping down from the counter. “Don’t worry, we’ll keep it right here waiting as your supper. You can thank them.” He motioned to us, causing more hate and tension to build with those who didn’t know us.
“Get up!” Boyd dragged me to my feet, my head spinning, my muscles trembling.
Warwick rose next to me as shoulders slammed into me, knocking me forward, prisoners moving past. “Kill you myself, bitch.” Hisses and threats were muttered at me. Funny enough, not one went near Warwick, still too afraid of The Wolf.
Once again, I had the target on my back.
Boyd hand delivered us to the factory floor, relishing in every knock and hit I took along the way.
“Sit.” He shoved me down at a sewing machine. “You have a lot to catch up on. And you can’t leave until you finish your quota for every day you were gone.”
I clenched my jaw, trying to keep my thoughts inside. That was over a week’s worth. A typical day’s quota took over ten hours to do.
“Now you better behave, listen to your instructors, and play nice with others.” He patted my head condescendingly before he leaned over, his mouth brushing my ear. “Things have changed slightly in your absence. We have a new way of earning extra credit here.” He stood, strolling away.
Picking up a needle, I glanced through my lashes at the people around the table. Nora was at the far end, Kek and Birdie in the middle, and Rosie and Hanna closer to me.
It was a relief seeing them all, but when I dared another glance up, it was Rosie who peeked over, her face curving enough for me to see it.