by Ivy Baum
The inside was no less impressive. The rooms seemed to have been carved out of the same, smooth rock. They were almost cave-like, with natural openings for doors and windows.
Sol stepped forward. The man who stood in the center peered down at him.
“You are charged with kidnapping and bringing about the death of Clovis of House Eleazar.”
I felt my stomach turn inside out.
What had he said, back at the motel?
I took something that didn’t belong to me.
The robed man continued, “This man, a pureblood, was under the protection of this government. Your interference in that protection violates our Code of Conduct.”
Sol made no attempt to argue. He simply stared straight ahead, his face blank.
I tried to make out the faces of the other figures. They had their voluminous hoods pulled up, and while I could make out several pairs of eyes, their features were mostly hidden.
That, I was sure, was on purpose.
“Because of your extended absence, the hearings and judgment were conducted at the time of the offense.”
Junie had said that Sol went a little crazy after the disappearance of his girlfriend, Melantha.
But could Sol have really done what they were saying?
Neither Junie nor Deo looked shocked by the allegations—or if they were, then they were a lot better at hiding it than me.
They did, however, look increasingly worried.
The man gestured to one of the other figures, who stood and delivered the verdict.
“Because of these violations, for which you have been found guilty, you will pay a fine in the amount of…” And he rattled off a number that was not in dollars—or any other currency I’d ever heard of.
I felt relief. It was a fine, not jail time.
But when I glanced over and saw the grim look on Junie’s face, my relief vanished.
“Until this amount is paid in full, you will be held in Lower Confinement.”
One of the armed men who had escorted us here appeared next to Sol. Without another word, he led him out the room.
I watched him go, numb from shock.
He has a plan. He’s going to fight this.
It couldn’t possibly end here.
But then I remembered that he had pleaded with me not to go to Outlaw City. Maybe he’d known this was going to happen.
The unfriendly robed figured peered down at the three of us.
I waited for him to dismiss us.
But he looked like he was winding up for another speech.
“Since its founding, Outlaw City has been the only free haven for magic-bloods. We have always had to fight for our existence. In recent years, we had reached a sort of equilibrium with the Capitol.
“Now, with the tragic destruction of Sanctuary, that status quo is gone. Which means that we, as the only free city left, have no choice but to change the way we do things.”
Junie stepped forward. “We have information that could help you. The Capitol isn’t behind the attack on Sanctuary. There’s another group—”
The man held up a hand. “We have heard your claim to have been at Sanctuary after its destruction. And while we are very interested to hear your observations, this is not the forum for it. You will be interviewed individually in due course. But for now, you will be placed in Lower Confinement.”
I heard Junie’s sharp intake of breath.
This is bad.
Deo said, “For how long?”
“Until such time as the Archon Corporation has determined that you are not a security risk.”
I heard movement, and turned to see several armed guards advancing.
I swore I could feel the current of my magic running just below the surface. But I knew that with the city’s Dampers, I’d never be able to use it.
And so I could do nothing as the guards escorted us to our cells.
Chapter 38
The name Lower Confinement was no exaggeration.
We were taken into an elevator that went down half a dozen stories until it finally came to a stop. Each of us was led, separately, to our own private cell.
Like the rest of this place, the cells were hewn out of smooth rock. A bed, a toilet, and a narrow writing desk were the extent of the furnishings.
I barely had time to settle into my cell when I heard the door being unlatched.
A guard stood in the doorway. “Let’s go. It’s time for your interview.”
I asked if I was being taken back to the court room—which I had since learned was simply called Adjudication.
He shook his head as the elevator doors closed behind us. “No. You’re going to see Hades.”
“Hades?” I was sure I’d misheard.
He looked like he was trying to hide a smile. “The Lord of the Underworld.”
The elevator descended. I had stopped trying to keep track of how far underground I was.
The guard brought me to a heavy wooden door. He knocked, and a voice told him to enter.
Inside, the decorations were heavy and masculine—a professor’s study on steroids.
At first, I thought it was empty—then I saw the broad, high-backed chair facing away from the door.
From behind the chair, a voice said, “Leave us.”
The guard exited, pulling the heavy door shut behind him.
The chair turned, and I found myself facing Hades, the Lord of the Underworld.
He grinned. “Not what you expected, right?”
Well, that was an understatement.
His hair was stylish and long, and several tattoos peeked out from under his ragged Metallica t-shirt.
“Take a seat.”
I approached the desk. On my side was a hard-looking wooden chair.
“Sorry about the chair. I haven’t had a chance to redecorate. All this stuff was installed by my predecessor. Not my taste. Like, at all.”
I was trying hard to figure out how old he was. He barely looked to be out of his twenties.
I shifted, trying to get comfortable. “You’re…Hades?”
“Yup. Hades, Lord of the Underworld. You think it’s too on the nose?”
He was handsome—sandy hair and bright blue eyes. Dimples, too. Not at all what I’d been picturing.
He reached for a stack of files on his desk. He casually flipped through a few pages, then looked up.
“So you’re Kes.”
I wasn’t sure how to reply. This felt more like an interview for a job at a coffee shop than a prison interrogation.
“How are the accommodations?” He grimaced. “Not my taste either, you know. All this stuff—the Tower, the robes, the Rent-a-Cops at the door…it’s not how I would’ve set this place up. But it’s what I’ve got. For now, anyway.”
I frowned. “How long are we going to be here?”
“You know, I think we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves. Let me start at the beginning.” He folded his hands in front of him, looking more like a high school guidance counselor than anything else. “You’re a new half-blood right? So you’re, what—sixteen, seventeen years old?”
“I just turned eighteen.”
He smiled, and I felt the full force of his charm.
“It’s a trip, isn’t? The whole magic thing. You’re probably still getting used to it. Plus, you’ve got people like us running around in robes and ridiculous names…”
“It’s…different.”
He went on for a bit, talking about the magic-blooded world and how strange it had seemed to him when he was my age.
He even mentioned the Dens. But when I pressed for details, he waved it away with a comment about how that stuff was “in the past.”
“You know,” he said, leaning back in his chair and plunking a pair of tennis-shoe-clad feet on the desk. “Sol and I go way back.”
“You know Sol?”
He chuckled. “Oh, yeah. He was around when I first came into my powers—more years ago than I’d like to admit.”
The mention of Sol was like icy water thrown on me, and had the effect of waking me up. “Are you really planning to keep Sol locked up for the rest of his life?”
His expression changed instantly. “Sorry, but it’s out of my hands. Nothing I can do.”
I felt a wave of skepticism. This guy was supposed to be in charge here—the Lord of the Underworld.
“If I start playing favorites and overturning judgments, I’ll be accused of corruption. And this city’s seen enough of that already.”
“But they didn’t even let him stand trial—”
“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do for your friend. Believe me, I would if I could.”
Okay, new tactic.
“About Sanctuary—”
“Right, of course. How insensitive of me.” He shook his head. “What a horrible thing to witness.”
I wouldn’t let him lull me into complacency this time. “The Capitol didn’t do it. It was another group.”
I expected him to shut me down. But he actually seemed interested in what I had to say.
And so I told him about the Blood Right soldiers we encountered—how they wanted to make it look as though the Capitol had finally taken down Sanctuary.
He gave every appearance of listening attentively. When I had finished talking, he cocked his head thoughtfully.
“It’s an interesting theory,” he said at last.
“So you believe me?”
“It’s not a matter of me believing you. I have no doubt that you saw what you saw. But here’s the thing.” His feet were off the desk now, and he leaned forward intently. “The purebloods can be tricky. It’s easy to underestimate them.”
“But…we were there. I saw the tattoos. It wasn’t a bunch of Hunters. They were half-bloods.”
“Sure. That’s what it looked like.” He picked up a foam stress ball off his desk and leaned back. “I’ve heard reports about this group, Blood Right. I’m just not sure they have the manpower to pull off something like this.”
I started to object, but he held up a hand. “Now of course, I could be wrong. But I can’t afford to jump to conclusions. One of the downsides of being in my position.”
“So you’re going to do nothing?”
“For now? We have to wait for more information. My first job, after all, is to keep this city safe.”
I felt my patience run thin. “And how long are you going to keep us locked up in our cells?”
“They put you in the cells?” He looked genuinely taken aback. “No, no, that won’t do at all.”
He pressed a button behind his desk, and a moment later, the guard reappeared.
“Is it true that you stuck these poor kids in Lower Confinement?”
The guard shifted uncomfortably. “Down in Adjudication, they said—”
“I’ll talk to someone this afternoon. We’re going to move Kes and her friends to somewhere more comfortable for the duration of their stay. Can you prepare the Tower Apartments?”
The guard nodded. At some signal from Hades, he approached the desk.
I got the hint, and stood. “How long will we be there?”
Hades smiled. “Just until our security team has had a chance to conduct thorough interviews.”
“This wasn’t the interview?”
He gave a laugh. “This was just a friendly chat. I like to get to know the people who come into my city. Your real interviews will be with the members of the Archon security team. They’ll be much more thorough.”
I felt a premonitory chill, but pushed it away.
“And after that? When we’re done with the interviews, you’ll let us go?”
He sighed, as though dealing with a particularly stubborn child. “Yes, of course.”
The guard put a hand on my arm and began to guide me toward the door—but Hades stopped him.
“Actually, would you give us a minute? Alone?”
The guard nodded and left the room.
Hades gestured for me to take my seat once more.
“Listen, Kes. I know this place must seem crazy to you, even frightening. I know you haven’t exactly had a good experience here. But…have you considered staying?”
“You mean in Outlaw City?”
He smiled gently. “I’m sure you’ve heard all sorts of horrible things about this place. And I’d be the first to admit that we’ve had our share of problems. But since I took office, I’ve been trying to change that. I want to make this place into the haven it was always supposed to be. Safe. Secure.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. On the surface, it all sounded so reasonable, so rational…
Hades said, “You know we have non-magical folks here, right?”
I had not known that. In fact, it seemed crazy to me.
“You could bring your entire family here if you wanted. Things are getting worse out there. At least in here, you’d be safe from all that.”
“But…” I realized that I was groping for some reason to reject this idea. “There’s no magic here.”
He smiled gently. “That’s true. The Dampers make many people uncomfortable. I think it reminds them of what it was like to be weak. To be only human.”
I thought of Clover and nodded.
“For some of us, it’s a relief. To live in a place with no magic. We find that we get back some small piece of what we lost.”
Back in my cell, I found myself replaying those words.
It was ridiculous. Unthinkable.
But I couldn’t help but imagine it.
Bring your entire family. What would it be like to have my mother here?
If the world got bad enough, wouldn’t it be safer to bring her here?
And what about my father? Would he come to a place like this?
If things got bad enough, he might.
I had wanted my old life back.
Maybe this was my only chance to get it back.
I was so distracted by this possibility that I barely noticed when my cell door swung open.
I looked up, disoriented and reluctant to leave my pleasant daydreams.
Then I remembered. We were being moved to the Tower Apartments.
It was a different guard, this time.
I got up. “Are you here to move me?”
He escorted me out the door. “Nope.”
I felt a wave of alarm. “What’s going on? Are we being charged with something?”
He was giving me a strange look—then allowed a small smile. “Someone just showed up to pay your friend’s tab.”
Chapter 39
I figured we’d be taken to Adjudication again. Instead, the guard walked me all the way up to the first floor exit.
There, I was greeted by a surreal sight. Deo, Junie, and Sol where waiting at what looked like a hotel check-out desk.
Standing next to them was Nev and a man in an expensive-looking suit.
A man in official Tower garb—complete with multiple patches—was speaking into an old-fashioned rotary-dial phone.
As I joined the group, he set down the receiver.
“The Treasury has received the funds. These four individuals are free to go. However, the city will be in lockdown for the next forty-eight hours, so they won’t be able to leave. Of course, we’d be happy to provide accommodations…”
The man in the suit shook his head. “That won’t be necessary.”
The Tower official looked unsurprised.
I couldn’t stop staring at the man in the suit. It took me a moment to figure out why.
Everyone else I’d seen since coming here had that strange, ageless look. But this man looked to be well over fifty.
The official shook his hand. “Have a good day, Mr. Montfort.”
Once we were outside, Sol turned to Nev. “How did you know to find us? Where—?”
But she shushed him. “It’s best not to discuss these matters until we’re in a secure location.” She turned to me. “Your mother is fine, by the way. I’ll tell you
more once we reach our destination.”
I was about to reply, when, without warning, we were plunged into darkness. The cornflower blue sky had turned inky black.
A moment later, dim lights began to illuminate the city. They weren’t much—but it was better than being in the dark.
Sol caught my eye. “Lights out.”
Right. It was night time. Not very subtle.
Nev seemed impatient to leave.
She nodded to Mr. Montfort, who gestured for us to follow.
He started down a narrow street lined by shabby row-houses. The buildings around here, I noticed, were the most drab and unadorned I’d seen so far.
Sol caught my eye. “No one who can afford it lives this close to the Tower.” He looked like he wanted to say more, but at a look from Nev, he fell silent.
Mr. Montfort led us to a grimy door set into one of the more dilapidated homes. He produced a key.
Inside, there wasn’t much of anything—just a single set of stairs.
We were going underground again. I should’ve guessed.
After what seemed like forever, the stairs abruptly stopped, and we found ourselves in an underground passageway.
It branched off in several directions. Mr. Montfort, I was relieved to see, seemed to know exactly where he was going.
I was dying of curiosity, so I asked Junie, who was right in front of me, “Who is he?”
She glanced over her shoulder. “He’s the personal accountant of Charles Marovech.”
I felt my eyes go wide. “The same one who—”
She nodded.
Nev turned. I could tell from her expression that she was not pleased by our conversation.
“Everything will be explained once we get to our destination.”
The message was clear: no more talking until then.
There were no markings or signs of any kind, and certainly no directions. I had no idea how anyone found their way around down here.
Finally, Mr. Montfort stopped in front of a plain-looking door.
He leaned in. It took me a moment to figure out what he was doing. Then I caught a flash of light, and realized that this was some kind of biometric scan.
Right—there was no magic down here.
