He got down to business. “Prove yourself useful, and you will find I can be a generous employer.”
Or an even harsher prison master if the malicious gleam in his eyes was any indication.
A sharp knock interrupted their staredown, and the tension shattered. “Enter.”
A young woman open the door, and Raven recognized her as the resident in the cell across from hers. The girl stopped a foot inside the door, her focus on her feet, her hands behind her back, her posture both submissive and obedient.
Frankenstein gave a nod of approval. “This is Josie. She will be your trainer, and teach you the rules.” To make sure that he got his point across, the doctor pinned her with his pale green eyes. “Should you fail or disobey, I’ll assume she didn’t instruct you properly, and you will both be punished. Understood?”
Raven nodded, not planning to go anywhere until she found her people and shut this place down for good.
“Very well.” He began to organize his desk, waving them off. “You’re dismissed.”
Raven followed Josie meekly out the door. When she opened her mouth to speak, Josie gave a quick, small shake of her head, and Raven became conscious of Igor and Quasimodo following closely behind as the foursome headed toward the back of the mansion.
The farther they traveled into the building, the shabbier the interior. The rugs were stained and threadbare, while the curtains were nothing more than moth-eaten rags. Stone dust was everywhere, the building deteriorating, as if it couldn’t contain the horror anymore.
Josie led them down a narrow, single-file staircase to the basement. The security lights were dim, covered by filthy glass, the area more of a tunnel than a room. Bare pipes ticked and pinged overhead, a steady drip of water leaving puddles on the floor, the lack of ventilation filling the concrete space with steam.
The tunnels were suffused with the smell of dirt and sour sweat. Despair tainted the air and with every breath, it tried to crawl into her lungs and set up residence.
They traveled at least fifty feet before reaching the end of the tunnel. An old, rickety elevator shaft that looked like it hadn’t been used in a hundred years stood waiting for them in all its dilapidated glory. Josie pulled up the gate and entered the wobbly contraption without hesitation. When Raven didn’t follow fast enough, Igor placed his meaty hand on her shoulder and shoved. She stumbled forward, only her quick reflexes keeping her on her feet instead of taking a header into the concrete wall.
Quasimodo snorted, and both men smirked, but neither followed them into the shaft. Which was just as well, since she wasn’t sure the rusted metal box could hold their combined weight without plummeting them to their deaths.
When Josie reached out to help, Raven jerked away, afraid what a simple touch might reveal. Josie stiffened at the rebuff, then pulled down the gate, locking the elevator, and pressed the only button available.
The machine rattled so loudly, Raven expected parts to start raining down on them. Instead, they dropped a few lurching inches at a time, the metal cables squealing like they were being tortured while they were lowered into the pits of Hell. With every foot they traveled, Raven felt the weight of more and more layers of rock press all around her.
The connection to her pack thinned even further, though it had to be a figment of her imagination. Only death would sever the cords that bound her pack together. Her skin prickled with unease as the tiny box lurched lower and lower, the ball of dread in her gut knotting tighter and tighter, until she was struggling to get enough air into her lungs. It took everything in her not to rip apart the metal cage holding her captive and crawl back up to the surface.
There would be no tracking her this far below the earth.
Even if she could unleash every ounce of her power, the impenetrable rock surrounding her would block any attempts to contact her pack.
A concerned expression crossed Josie’s face, but Raven wisely kept her distance, pressing her back against the cage, getting as far away from her as possible, as if she were a bomb about to explode…which might well be correct.
Raven had to remind herself that this was what she wanted, but she had a hard time quieting the instincts that urged her to run. Her lips tingled as claustrophobia sank its claws deeper into her spine. Fighting her body’s panicked reactions, she closed her eyes and forced herself to slowly inhale and exhale. The erratic beat of her racing heart thundered in her ears, threatening to beat its way out of her chest with each painful thud. Using a trick she learned in the labs long ago, she tapped her finger against her leg. It took a few seconds of concentration before her heart began to slow and follow the soothing rhythm.
When she was sure she had herself under control, she pried open her eyes.
To find Josie watching her with wide blue eyes, her hand outstretched as if she could feel the current in the air. Raven cursed herself for such a foolish mistake, and yanked back on the raw energy that had seeped in the air when she allowed her fear to take hold.
She had to focus on the here and now, and mentally braced herself to witness the cruelty of the labs. What she hated most was that they deliberately built the labs underground. Not only did it help keep their secret, but what better way to imprison a shifter beneath thousands and thousands of pounds of dirt and rock, taking away their every freedom? If anyone tried to escape, the tunnels would bottleneck, where they could easily be killed…or they could just detonate a bomb to get rid of them all and begin anew with a fresh batch.
The jerky ride stopped so abruptly, they were nearly thrown to the ground. Josie peered up the dark shaft, then blew out a heavy breath, her shoulders relaxing. “We’re clear. We only have a few moments before we’ll be caught on camera again. Whatever game you’re playing, you must be careful. They monitor us at all times. If you don’t obey, they will force one of the witches to drain you. If you don’t die right away, you’ll end up as one of the living dead in his hall of horrors upstairs.”
Chapter Fourteen
As they exited the deathtrap they called an elevator, Josie nodded subtly to the cameras. “They can see us, but can’t hear us down here. We’re about two hundred feet down. They remodeled the natural cave setting to create their own workshops.”
The cave had been transformed. Thin sheets of metal, hastily hung, created an underground bunker of sorts, the ceiling and floors still mostly stone. Glass laboratories, little cubicles, lined the back of the cave, resembling a futuristic, dystopian setting. Metal steps clanked as they walked, and the tinny recycled air left a bad taste in her mouth.
Magic brushed against her skin like thick cobwebs, the sticky residue clinging to her until she felt cocooned, just waiting for a spider to return and consume her. She unconsciously rubbed her arms, shuddering at the gruesome image, unable to help search the room for any giant arachnids.
Surprisingly, the place, though cut off from above, was fully operational, complete with plenty of electricity. Raven drew a little bit of current toward her, absorbed it through the soles of her feet, then followed the cables back toward the source…at least a half a dozen antiquated generators were hooked up together.
The cavern was mainly empty, no guards or orderlies in sight. “How many prisoners are being held here?”
Josie just shrugged. “Everyone upstairs is human. We are stored in the upper level, the luxury suites.” Her face twisted bitterly. “There are currently seven witches in residence—those of us who are still sane, anyway. No one on that wing lasts more than a few weeks. When they burn themselves out, Dr. Percy consigns them to the lower floors, out of the way, but a reminder of what awaits us. The staff are located a floor below ours.”
Most people believed when a witch burned through their magic too fast, they aged rapidly, but in reality the reverse was true. It was magic that kept them young. With the magic spent, their body reverted to their true age with a vengeance, which, in most cases, was a death sentence. It was a sad and painful way to die, being trapped inside a rapidly deterioratin
g body, your mind completely sane while your body systematically rotted and decayed around you. What normally took place over a span of decades would be condensed into just weeks or even days.
Raven shivered at the grim thought and followed Josie, who was walking toward one of the glass labs.
“There is no telling how many shifters he’s captured. They are kept down in the dungeons. They’re not allowed on the upper levels, because they’re too difficult to control. Dr. Percy is in charge of us here, while the shifters have their own hellspawn to deal with down below. We are constantly watched by nine nurses and twenty or so orderlies. They all know what’s happening, and specifically requested to work here…anything to advance the cause of ridding the world of us evildoers.” She wiggled her brows up and down, twisting her invisible mustache for effect, and Raven found herself liking the girl.
Unable to resist, Raven concentrated on the lower levels of the tunnels, searching for any sign of Durant or Rylan. Unfortunately, the air was infused with so much magic, it was like trying to run underwater. Given enough time, she would eventually find them, but not without drawing attention to herself.
Curiosity got the better of her. “Has no one tried to escape?”
Josie blanched, then picked up her steps. “One or two, but everyone else knows better. Now.”
Raven cocked her head. “Explain.”
She smiled bitterly. “They don’t have locks on the front doors. They don’t need them. If someone is missing at the bed count, they release the animals they’re training below. In a matter of hours, those who escaped are hunted down.” Josie swallowed repeatedly, her skin turning a chalky white. “They never return with a body, because there is no body to return.”
“Down here, there is only one exit or entrance.” She pointed to the dilapidated elevator. “No way to sneak about with that thing creaking and clattering and groaning every time you hit the button. The tunnels are about three levels, nothing more than a maze of crawl spaces and hidden passageways. The only escape is death.”
The cavern wasn’t big, the ceiling several feet above her head, but the place was so well-lit, not even a shadow would dare enter. “What happens here?”
“Munitions.” The one word carried a heavy weight. “We cast spells to create weapons humans can use without all the nasty side effects.”
Half the glass cages were occupied, but the four other witches barely glanced up when they walked past, defeat bowing their posture as they worked on something at their desks. One witch, a little older than the rest, glared at Raven with hate-filled eyes. The face was lined with wrinkles, the hands shook with age, the skin almost translucent.
They knew they were dying, and had given up hope.
But not Josie.
So either she was really strong, maybe a newcomer, or she was working with Frankenstein. “You’re in charge.”
Josie scowled, her tiny hands curling into fists, as if she wanted to deck her. “I’m trying to help.”
Beneath the defensiveness was a tinge of hurt, and Raven cursed herself for alienating her only ally. “Sorry.”
And she was.
The labs were a tough, vicious place. Patients who managed to survive the guards had to watch their backs around their fellow inmates.
Raven noted a second tunnel around the bend, almost hidden at the back of the room.
A tunnel that led below.
If she was caught sneaking around, she would be thrown to the wolves…literally.
She needed to find a way to get herself invited below without raising suspicions. Something told her they wouldn’t have much time.
“This will be your station.” Josie stopped before an empty room similar to the others. When she pulled open the door, a heavy, charred scent slammed into her, and Raven didn’t have to wonder what happened to the last occupant.
Inside, the room was constructed of sleek metal and glass. It was a little larger than a cell, furnished with a table and chair, but nothing else…unless she counted the scorch marks of spells gone horribly wrong that stained the floors and walls.
The metal and glass door wasn’t locked. Josie opened it and stepped inside. When Raven followed, she walked into magic so strong it was like being pelted by invisible insects. She stopped and shivered when the swarm of bugs swirled around her, both curious and deadly.
The door snicked shut, startling her back to the present.
“When the cuffs are removed, the door will seal shut. It will allow us to use magic again.” Josie held her wrists under the cupboard, then pressed a button. A machine scanned the cuffs. A series of symbols flashed in sequence, and the manacles clicked open. Raven followed suit, and in moments, her cuffs clunked to the counter.
Raven rubbed her wrists, glad to have the weight removed. “What is our job down here?”
“Like a first-level wizard, we make charms.” Josie gave a bitter smile, then walked toward the desk and opened the drawers. Snug inside lay a series of stones—diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and more—each set in different arrangements from rings to amulets, even a set of earrings.
“Each stone has to be perfect to hold magic. If there is too much imperfection, the spell will slowly leak out.” Josie reached into the drawer and pulled out an amber stone the size of her thumbnail. “Amber is the easiest to manipulate.”
Josie curled her hand around the stone, then began to chant softly.
Static immediately lifted the hair on Raven’s arms. Energy gathered in the room and began to swirl on an invisible wind. A slight tremor shook Josie’s hand, her complexion paling under the strain, her face tightening in concentration.
As she spoke the last word of the spell, the stone shimmered, sucking in every drop of current Josie had gathered. The process took twenty minutes, but the toll on Josie was obvious. Her hair lost its sheen, she appeared more gaunt, her eyes not as luminous.
“You’re killing yourself.”
Josie ignored the comment. “You have to create five charms a day…unless you can successfully manage to charge a diamond. The purity of the clear stone makes the task nearly impossible.”
“And if you don’t?”
“If you don’t meet your quota, they will take your magic by any means necessary.”
Raven studied the other occupied cubicles. All the women sat at their stations, exhaustion slumping their shoulders. “How?”
As far as Raven was aware, nothing could take magic from a witch—other than a stronger witch. It would explain why there were so many patients upstairs…they were weaker witches who had their magic torn out of them.
No wonder they were insane.
Magic was part of a witch’s essence, and removing it would be like ripping out their soul.
Josie didn’t answer her question, but stepped away from the desk. “Your turn.”
Raven shook her head and backed away. “I don’t do spells.”
“Then you’re going to learn.” Josie’s mouth tightened, her eyes grim. “Pick a stone and give it a try.”
Raven reluctantly walked over to the desk, biting her lip as she hesitated over the drawer of stones. The ruby sparked slightly when her hand hovered over it, so she snatched it up. Copying Josie, she clutched the stone in her hand and closed her eyes.
Calling up the raw current from the generators, she forced the energy down her palms and slammed it into the stone. Heat built in the ruby so swiftly, it seared her fingertips. Raven quickly pulled back the current, the static biting and snapping along her skin, then sinking into her bones in retaliation for being disrupted.
Raven opened her eyes, uncertain what she would find. She cracked open her fingers, then gasped when she saw the ruby appeared to be lit from within. Instead of pure red, tiny sparks flashed inside the gem, as if it was alive.
Raven carefully set the stone on the desktop, then clenched and unclenched her hands, trying to work circulation back into her sore fingers, brushing her thumb across the tiny calluses that deadened her fingertips.
>
“Is it supposed to be getting brighter?”
Josie didn’t say a word, her mouth hanging open, her eyes riveted on the ruby.
The stone began to pulse, and Raven hastily backed away.
Instead of settling down like the amber, the ruby flared bright, then exploded, tiny shards peppering the room. Whirling, Raven covered her face, wincing when the shards of stone sliced her skin. When she worked up enough nerve to look at the workstation, only a pile of powder remained where the stone once sat. The red was charred black. The charge stored in the stone slammed into the room, rattling the glass with its force. Her ears popped under the pressure, and her skin tingled like she’d been in the sun too long.
Josie edged forward, a tiny cut on her face drawing a thin line of blood. She didn’t seem to notice as she touched the fine powder. All the other witches had stopped working to gawk.
Embarrassment heated Raven’s cheeks. “I told you I don’t know how to cast. I have the raw power, but not the finesse to manipulate it the way you do.”
Not to be deterred, Josie plucked another ruby from the drawer. “Again.”
Heaving a sigh, Raven reluctantly accepted the stone.
On the third try, the stone didn’t incinerate like the others, but neither did it fall dormant like the amber. “Did it work?”
Josie bit her lip and carefully nudged the stone.
Then sucked in a sharp breath, clutching her scorched fingertips.
The stone vibrated like a tuning fork, then cracked in half, the insides charred black. The current pulsed through the room like a wave, smashing into the walls once more, until the metal creaked under the strain.
A headache gathered at the back of her eyes, and Raven threw her hands up in frustration. “We’re going to run out of stones before I figure this out. I can’t refine the magic in order to bind it to the stones the way you can.”
“You’re not trying hard enough.” Josie’s initial excitement had faded.
“Your stones aren’t strong enough.” Raven snipped back. Current built under her skin like a fever. It didn’t want to be contained.
Electric series- Raven Investigations BoxSet Page 42
