“What’s happening?” Eden asked.
“The Raiders are angry,” Sergeant Dale said. “They’re trying to slow us down so whatever that thing is can get us.”
The closer they got to the prison, the thicker and denser the mist became. It became less like running through water and more like trying to run through mud, and then, finally, solidifying cement. Up ahead, Eden heard the sound of shuffling again and saw a massive black creature lumber in front of her. She couldn’t make out what it was. It looked like an animal, maybe a bear or a massive wolf. Before she could try to make out what she looked at, the creature burrowed into the ground and the earth concaved around it as if it had never been there. Once the creature was gone, the ground began to vibrate again. The monster was going to break apart the earth and make another ravine.
Eden stole a look at the prison, which was close now. Maybe a hundred feet. They could make it. She was determined to. Eden yanked Sergeant Dale hard to the right by pure instinct seconds before the earth cracked again. The vibrations caused them both to tumble and fall, but neither of them wasted time on swearing. Eden was up again seconds later, and Sergeant Dale was right behind her.
The fog was so dense now that had she needed to breathe, the Raiders wouldn’t allow her to. The Raiders were that powerful, and so was the Satan Spawn burrowing below the earth and causing the plates to split. Eden’s mouth clamped shut in determination as she waded through the mist. We’re going to make it. We’re going to make it. I know we can. I can’t afford to let anything happen to me until I find my five.
Up ahead, she saw the gates of the prison swing open, and a group of twenty Demon soldiers poured out.
“They’re going to help us,” Sergeant Dale said. “Once the lanterns get here…”
“But will they do much good against whatever the burrowing creature is out here?”
Sergeant Dale did not respond.
As the new soldiers grew closer, the mist began to grow less and less dense. When the soldiers made it to them, the mist evaporated completely. Eden looked around, desperate to see where the burrowing Satan Spawn was. She didn’t see a large, lumbering creature anywhere, and she also didn’t feel the earth shake either. Maybe it was gone.
A young soldier with blond hair stepped forward and gazed around, wide-eyed.
“What happened, sir?” he asked. “Where are the others?”
Sergeant Dale exhaled. “I’m… I’m not one hundred percent sure.”
Eden gazed into the night and realized whatever had attacked them was gone, but she knew a Satan Spawn like that couldn’t have been afraid of the prison or the soldiers inside. So why did it disappear? Eden thought, frowning. Unless it didn’t want to be seen.
Sergeant Dale grabbing her arm disrupted her thoughts.
“We’re leaving now,” Sergeant Dale said. “I’ll take you to your cell.”
Eden nodded, unbelieving she was actually grateful to go to prison.
****
The gratefulness evaporated the moment she stepped inside the large wooden doors of Cantica with six soldiers guarding her, including Sergeant Dale. All around her were rows of prison cells, plain rooms where prisoners sat with sad, tired expressions on their faces.. Eden had never seen so many unhappy people in her entire life, not even at high school.
Eden paused to look at them. Sergeant Dale tightened his grip and began to pull her forward. She noted he did this gently, not at all like he had before.
There was a flight of wooden stairs leading up to the next floor, and Eden was led up them to the next group of cells. If she thought the base floor was bad, this was much worse. Every person on this floor was infected with Morsus. Their souls were black, and they lay groaning on the stone tiles or on piles of hay while crying out or silently quivering. Eden exhaled a shaky sigh.
“Why don’t you cure them?” Eden asked, tearing her arm away from Sergeant Dale.
“We do this to them,” Sergeant Dale said, seizing her arm again. When he pulled her to him, he dropped his voice. “You saved me, so I don’t want to see you tortured for bad behavior. Just shut your mouth and don’t say another word.”
He squeezed her arm harder in warning and then released her. Eden stared at him for a moment, stunned, before quieting down. It hurt her so much to look at the other suffering souls she shut her eyes and made Sergeant Dale continue to lead her.
When he slowed down, she was forced to open her eyes again. They had come to yet another flight of stairs, but they were smaller and they had to walk single file. Eden went in front of him but behind a trio of other soldiers, who led her up the wooden steps.
The next floor shocked her. There were no metal cell doors, with bars where she could see the prisoners, just long rows of rooms with heavy wooden doors. She stole a worried look at Sergeant Dale, who grabbed her and began to lead her down the hallway.
“This is a special floor,” Sergeant Dale said. “We only have one other person on it besides you, and he’s locked away tight.”
Eden didn’t say anything as she was led to the door at the end but her chest ached with foreboding. She was going to be locked away all alone. While her sentence would give her time to try to figure out how to get out of here, she would still be immersed in silence. At least before she had been with Adanna, and Aaron had been able to visit her occasionally and talk to her through the bars. There would be no way Aaron could do that here without a door key.
As Eden stood silently, Sergeant Dale dug around in his pocket, pulled out a thick set of keys, and unlocked the door. The door sprung open and Eden gazed around a small brick room with piles of sand in it. She wrinkled her nose at the foul smell of moss. She noted right away there were no windows, just stone. She would be all alone in her cell, and she had a feeling that soon, she could add being tortured to her list of problems.
“Go on,” Sergeant Dale said, pushing her forward.
“How long am I going to be locked in here?” Eden asked, wide-eyed.
“Trust me, there will be few times when you are let out, and when you are, you will wish you’d been left inside.”
Eden gulped and stepped forward into the cell.
Chapter Three
Eden sat on the floor, staring straight ahead, thinking of Adanna. What if the burrowing Satan Spawn got to her? She shuddered at the thought. Yet there was nothing she could do while being locked in here to help her. As she frowned, gripping her pants between clenched fingers, she heard the sound of loud banging outside of her cell door. She looked up, frowning.
To her surprise Sergeant Dale stood outside the door, frowning down at her.
“You okay?” he asked, stepping inside and leaving the door partially ajar behind him.
“Yes,” Eden said, struggling to her feet. She was so grateful for company she was happy to see him. “Thank you.”
Then a horrifying thought struck her. She remembered Sergeant Dale’s words. “Trust me, there will be few times when you are let out, and when you are, you will wish you’d been left inside.” Was he coming here to torture her? Perhaps he was.
“You aren’t here to do something to me, are you?” she asked in horror, nervously tugging her hair as if he might string her up against the cell wall right then and there.
Sergeant Dale shook his head. “No. I came here to check up on you.”
“You don’t have to check up on me because I saved you, you know,” Eden said. “Most people wouldn’t have let you fall.”
Pausing, Sergeant Dale gazed at the ground. Eden wondered whether she had said something wrong.
“It was just at that moment, when you saved me, I started to question how I ended up here,” Sergeant Dale said, but then he looked up and stared at her furiously. “But don’t you dare tell anyone I told you.”
“Who am I going to tell?” Eden asked, waving around at the cell. “The moss?”
“No wonder Satan and Donovan are trying so hard to keep you encaged,” Sergeant Dale said, gripping his head and narrowing his eyes
in confusion. “One day with you and you already have me questioning—”
“Hello? Eden?” a voice said from behind Sergeant Dale. “Eden, are you okay in there?”
It was Aaron. Why is he calling me? He could get in big trouble if he’s caught. Sergeant Dale appeared confused, and she wouldn’t trust him, even though she doubted he would tell she had an accomplice in this place. She went rigid with fear.
Aaron opened the door and went still. Sergeant Dale whipped around, appearing just as horrified to be caught visiting her as Aaron was. The two of them eyeballed each other, and Sergeant Dale cleared his throat.
“What are you doing here, Corporal?” Sergeant Dale asked.
“I’m sorry, sir,” Aaron said. “The door was open.”
Eden gazed from Sergeant Dale to Aaron and then back again. The two of them shifted positions awkwardly.
“I have something to do downstairs,” Sergeant Dale said, cutting his eyes to Aaron and appearing gruff again. He shoved Aaron aside and walked out the door, but he did not shut it. Eden heard his footsteps as he disappeared.
“Whoa,” Aaron said, his head still down. “What was he doing in here? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“I think he’s on our side, Aaron,” Eden said. “Or, at least, he’s beginning to be. I’m not one hundred percent sure what’s the matter with him. But more importantly, tell me what’s happening with Adanna. Is she okay?”
“Yes, she’s in a cell on the bottom floor,” Aaron said.
So the digging Satan Spawn didn’t get her. Thank heavens. Eden sighed in relief. At least she didn’t have to worry about Adanna anymore, but she did have to concentrate on getting out of this cell before General Yuri got here — or before she became crazy. Whichever came first.
Eden bit her bottom lip and stared at the floor. Aaron walked over and hugged her before she had time to digest what was happening. For a moment he patted her back and she felt so awkward she moved her hands over his back several times, unsure of where to place them. Finally Aaron let her go and she exhaled a sigh of relief.
“What was that about?” Eden asked, frowning at him.
“I just thought it looked like you needed it,” Aaron said, grinning at her.
I hope he doesn’t do that again, she thought, running her hand through her hair.
“Listen, have you figured out how to get me out of here?” Eden asked.
“Only the sergeants and above have keys,” Aaron said. “I’m trying to figure out a way to get one permanently. I didn’t lie to Sergeant Dale. I’ll be suspected if I use this key and let you out, so I think it would be best to figure out a better plan of action.”
Her eyes widened as a plan formed. She knew how to get out of here. She just had to figure out how to do it.
“No, Eden, do not try to get the key off of Sergeant Dale,” Aaron said. “He’s been here a long time. He won’t give it to you.”
“It’s the only way,” Eden said, staring at Aaron in determination. “And besides, he owes me. I bet, in some time, I can convince him to get us out of here.”
“Remember what happened with your plan with the Raiders?” Aaron asked. “You were going to lead them down to the camp and then you’d rescue your friends? Well, you did that, and you got captured anyway. It’s going to happen again. Do not risk it, Eden. General Yuri is coming tomorrow and he is bringing a hundred men. On top of that, he’s known for being paranoid. You won’t be able to get around him with a scheme like this.”
“Do you have any better ideas?” Eden asked. “You know I have to get out of here. I have to do whatever I can.”
****
That night, she heard somebody knocking, loudly, outside of her door. Eden walked over to it.
“Who’s there?” Eden asked. “Aaron? Sergeant Dale?”
“No,” said a male voice she did not recognize. “But you have to help me.”
“Who are you?” Eden asked, shuddering. The man had so much desperation in his voice.
“My name is Don,” the man replied. “I’m one of the—”
The sound of loud banging erupted at the end of the hallway, which interrupted Don’s words. Footsteps carried down the hallway, and then Eden heard a door slam. Eden frowned and realized something. She had just met the other person who lived on this floor; he had somehow managed to get out of his own door without causing trouble.
Eden gasped and began to pull at her door. Nothing happened. She was going to have to face General Yuri tomorrow, whether she wanted to or not.
Chapter Four
The next day, Eden heard the sound of someone unlocking her door; she sat up quickly and then watched as Sergeant Dale opened it. At first she thought it was a personal visit and grinned at him but then she saw the dark, tense, expression on his face and knew he was in her cell for work purposes. It made her cringe.
As Eden gazed at him, Sergeant Dale said, “General Yuri’s here, and he’s going to meet with you. Now.”
Eden gulped as fear filled her from her toes to her head. She imagined General Yuri. Probably he was a lot like Commander Donavan with hard, cold eyes and pale, pasty skin. The type of man who would eat his own children for breakfast.
Sergeant Dale walked into her cell and grabbed her arm, knocking her from her thoughts. He pulled her forward into the hallway where she was met by guards, ones she had never seen before. They each wore a pendant with two swords crossing each other, and they all wore serious, no-nonsense expressions. Yuri’s men, Eden realized, shooting a worried look at Sergeant Dale.
“We will take the girl from here,” one of the men said, stepping forward.
“I think it’s best I come too,” Sergeant Dale said, squeezing her arm. Protecting her.
“No, those aren’t your orders,” the same man said. “Leave the girl.”
Before Sergeant Dale could protest again, the man reached forward, seized Eden, and forced her arms painfully behind her back before she had time to blink. She felt rough rope around her wrists and whimpered as the man bound her. Eden shot a fearful look at Sergeant Dale who watched her with his arms slack at his sides. She was forced to turn away from him, though, as Yuri’s men began to march, dragging her with them.
They reached the end of the hallway where there was yet another flight of wooden stairs. A soldier pointed a sword at her back.
“Go up them,” he said.
Eden scurried up the stairs, startled by how much having her hands bound could cause a problem for her balance. Once she reached the top step, she gazed down the hallway and saw there were no cells here. Unused doors remained open, revealing that the rooms inside were similar to a doctor’s examination room. She heard the distant sound of buzzing and whispering, as if she was not alone. Realization struck.
I’m about to get tortured, aren’t I? She gulped.
“Keep going,” the soldier said, kneeing her forward.
Eden scurried forward and walked down the hallway. The party stopped at a door that was ajar, and Eden saw the hands of a man balanced on a wooden table inside. His knuckles were clenched.
Before Eden had time to react, one of the soldiers opened the door all the way. She was pitched forward into the room. She lost her balance and fell over. As she straightened up, she felt fear radiate through her entire soul.
“General Yuri, this is the girl,” the man said.
“Thank you, Lieutenant Murray,” Yuri said. “Shut the door. I don’t need you for this.”
“Yes, sir.”
Squeaking with fear, Eden straightened up and got her first view of Yuri and was stunned. She had expected an older, cold-eyed man. Instead Yuri was young, probably in his mid to late twenties. He had light brown hair and blue-green eyes. He was thin and tall, probably about six feet. He and Commander Donovan were different, she realized. Donovan had coldness and emptiness in his eyes, and Yuri had sadness, melancholy, and anger.
“So you’re the woman who has been giving us so much trouble,” Yuri said, frowning at her.
“I am surprised.”
“So am I,” Eden blurted out.
Anger filled Yuri’s eyes, and she knew she had said the wrong thing. She bit her bottom lip and stole a fleeting look at the door. She wasn’t sure what Yuri was capable of. For a moment he shut his eyes as if to calm himself and then opened them again, appearing less agitated. He was in control of his anger. His control didn’t mean, though, that he was unwilling to hurt her.
“Don’t think about it,” Yuri said, also looking at the door. “I would catch you before you even had it open.”
She frowned at him. So Yuri was cocky too.
“I wasn’t planning on going anywhere,” she said.
“Yes, you were,” Yuri said, narrowing his eyes at her. “Now sit down at the table and I am going to explain the way things are going to be now that I’m here.”
Eden gazed down at the counter with a wooden chair next to it. The idea of sitting down while Yuri loomed over her was frightening, but she backed up and sat on the chair anyway. He eyeballed her, as if the fact she was actually obeying his instructions meant she was up to no good.
As he glared at her, she stared back at him without blinking. Just as Yuri opened his mouth to speak, the sound of yelling carried down the corridor. Eden stood up and stared at the door. The person yelling was the same man who had visited her room in the dead of the night.
“Don,” Eden said.
“I’m out,” Don said. “Come out of your examination room and come get me, why don’t you?”
Yuri glared at her as if this was her fault. “A friend of yours? I know what’s going on, and I’m not going anywhere.”
Eden stared at him. It was a good thing Yuri knew what was going on, because she didn’t. Yuri began to pace in front of her, making her even more nervous than when she had been sitting down and he had loomed over her.
“So you thought you could have one of your friends distract me and you’d be able to escape your fate, am I right?” Yuri asked. “Why else would he be on this floor now?”
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