Guild of Truth 01 - Silent as the Grave

by Mary K. Norris

  Blue-grey walls and hard, concrete-floored hallways spread out before her like a giant maze. “Which way?”

  Felix pulled the blueprint from his pocket. “Where to first? The isolation cells or the ones nearest the living quarters where you think Vander is feeding off them?”

  “The second option.”

  He tucked the map back into his pocket. “I figured as much.” He raced along ahead of her. Cali focused on their footsteps, Silencing them.

  The halls wove left and right so much that Cali found herself lost within seconds. Felix’s directional skills never faltered. “We should be getting close,” he called over his shoulder and took the next right.

  He came to an abrupt stop. Cali slammed into him thrusting Felix into the back of a guard who stood before them unaware. There were three of them spread out along the hall.

  The man Felix had bumped spun on him. Cali threw her hands up, Silencing his shout of surprise. The other guards remained ignorant.

  The man was nearly the same height as Felix. His suit was tailored to emphasize his broad shoulders and muscled frame. He frowned at them, opened his mouth to speak. Nothing came out.

  Felix didn’t hesitate. He clipped him hard and fast in the side of the head. The man smashed into the wall, crumpling at their feet.

  They crept down the sterile-looking hallway. The smell of antiseptic grew the deeper they traveled inward, tickling the back of Cali’s throat.

  Felix had the second man in a choke hold before the last guard caught sight of them. He tried to shout for help but it did him no good. He went for the radio on his belt. Cali jumped him, thrusting her elbow as hard and as deep as she could right under his rib cage.

  Cali coughed as putrid breath whooshed across her face.

  She swung for another hit but the guard was a fast little fucker. He shoved Cali with all the strength of an ox. She stumbled back, nearly tripping over the other fallen guards.

  He had his radio out in seconds, one of his hands wrapped tight around his abdomen where Cali had nailed him.

  Felix lunged for him. The radio went flying to crash noiselessly to the ground.

  “You’re bleeding.” Cali rushed Felix once he’d taken care of the last attacker.

  Felix licked his split lip. “Bastard sure packed a punch.”

  He swiveled his jaw a few times as if to test that it wasn’t broken. When he was satisfied he pulled her along, down more twists and turns. “We need to get as far away from them as possible. I don’t know how long they’ll stay out, and someone might come across them.”

  They maneuvered down a few more hallways before they braked in front of a pair of double doors.

  “Is this it?” asked Cali.

  Felix nodded, his fists tight at his side. “I think so.”

  The doors were locked. No surprise there. Cali scanned the corners for cameras but couldn’t see any. She doubted Vander would have cameras here. If anyone hacked into the system like Joel had, then they’d see the people being held. Vander must either be very cautious or very arrogant to think no one would dare break into his facility.

  Felix readied his hand. Cali stopped him. “Wait. Can you Erase the lock? Only the lock?”

  That way if anyone happened to walk by, they might not notice quite as quickly what was happening.

  “Sure thing.” Felix’s gaze bore into the handle. He flicked his wrist, and the handle vanished along with whatever bolt held the doors closed.

  A chill like death itself danced along the nape of Cali’s neck as soon as she set foot past the doorway.

  This wing of the basement looked like a hospital, with door upon door lining both sides of the hall. The temperature was cold, the air both stale and crisp. Electronic security locks were attached to every door, buzzing softly. Small windows allowed Cali to look into the rooms, and bile rose in the back of her throat at what she saw.

  People were confined to rooms no bigger than eight by eight. Some were sleeping, while others sat on their beds, knees curled up, arms wrapped around themselves. Some rocked back and forth as if the motion comforted them. But what Cali noticed most was the lack of hope that rested in all of their faces. Some of the prisoners looked to be seniors.

  Or was that a side effect of being drained by Vander?

  Dread settled in her stomach. Was that going to happen to her? Had Vander taken years off her life by doing what he’d done?

  She pressed her hands to her face as if she could feel the wrinkles already forming.

  Felix scanned the other side of the hall. A new curse left his lips with each window he passed.

  “Quite a collection, isn’t it?”

  They both whirled.

  Vander stood at the head of a large group. “Back so soon?” he asked Cali.

  Felix started toward him, his face a dark mask of retribution. Vander’s black gaze shot to him. Vander motioned with his hand, and his own personal army came forward. Terror shot through Cali’s veins.

  She went to grab Felix so they could make a run for it, but Vander’s men beat her to it. Felix threw a punch at the closest one, sending him careening into the others. Shouts erupted.

  Two men came toward her. The majority joined in to restrain Felix. Cali stayed her racing heart and focused her energy on the shouts and grunts around her. She amplified the sound, pulled it toward her, and shot it forward.

  The wave hit the men with a startling burst.

  Now what?

  Vander carelessly sauntered toward them, his calculating gaze devouring Felix as he fought.

  The men at Cali’s feet started to rise. In quick succession she kicked them both swiftly in the jaw. Their teeth snapped shut, their heads flying back.

  “Hold him,” Vander ordered as Felix took an especially hard hit to the gut.

  Cali rushed toward him, throwing sound left and right. Her concentration wasn’t fully behind it. The men pursuing her only staggered back a few steps.

  She had to get to Felix. She knew what that look in Vander’s eyes meant. She knew what he planned to do once he got close enough to touch Felix.

  She jumped between two men and got a few more steps before arms grabbed her from behind and wrenched her body backward.

  She screamed at them, the sound echoing loud within the enclosed hall. The hands released her as the men went to cover their ears. “Felix!” She was tackled to the ground. Pain erupted in all her joints. “Erase him,” she yelled.

  Their eyes locked through the sea of bodies.

  She saw the answer plain as day in his eyes.

  He wouldn’t do it.

  Felix wasn’t that kind of man. He was better than that, better than Vander.

  Felix was smothered with guards. They forced him to kneel. The split in his lip bled anew. Vander reached a hand out and touched him with one finger on the forehead.

  No!

  Cali squirmed for all she was worth. Felix tried to jerk back but too many hands held him.

  She watched in horror as she saw the exact moment Vander unleashed his power. Felix’s entire body jerked. A cry tore from his throat.

  “Stop!” Cali screamed. She focused her power to resonate through the building but her emotions were too wild.

  Vander turned to her with a sickening smile on his face.

  The veins in Felix’s neck stood out as he thrashed.

  Cali’s whole body went numb. Her vision darkened. “No,” she shouted.

  Felix!

  Cali! Felix’s voice sounded clear in her mind. White heat burst from her chest and then everything went dark.

  Chapter 26

  Cali awoke to a sterile-smelling room. Her body was chilled to the bone, and she shot to her feet as memories assailed her.

  “Felix.” His name slid from her lips. She could feel him but he was nowhere in sight. She was stuck inside one of the rooms she’d been scouting. She moved to the door and turned her head to look through the small window. The hallway was empty on the other side. She tried the
handle. Locked.

  She swore and kicked the door. She succeeded in nothing more than making her toe ache.

  “Felix?” she called through the door.

  There was no answer. But she could feel him.

  She remembered struggling with Vander’s men. Remembered Felix at the mercy of Vander’s touch. She remembered trying to reach him, protect him. She’d cried out for him.

  No. Your soul cried out for him.

  No way … But Collette …

  Collette was one experience.

  That didn’t make her all-knowing.

  Cali stepped back from the door, afraid whatever she was feeling could be seen from the outside. Did everyone else know what had happened? Had that been why she’d blacked out?

  She shut her eyes and focused inward like all those yoga, hippy types told her to do when she was experiencing a block with her artwork.

  The heat that seemed to be radiating inside her was like a mini sun. The warmth was dimmed, as if it knew it was away from Felix. She wondered if this brilliant, indescribable feeling would increase when he was near.

  She had to find him. She stepped back up to the window and pushed her face as close to the glass as possible to look out. “Hello?” she yelled. The sound of her voice echoed in her room. Could no one hear her out there?

  She strained her ears. The back of her neck tingled. Far off in the distance, she could hear the sound of heavy footsteps followed by light taps of bare feet.

  Someone was escorting a prisoner back to their cell.

  Cali pressed her ear to the cool glass, pushing out farther with her powers. The foot falls stopped and she waited.

  There. A distinct series of four beeps. The access code to unlock the doors.

  Cali prayed the security on the doors wasn’t like that on a computer that would freeze up after so many attempts. She couldn’t waste any more time. She had no idea how long she’d been out. Were Sydney and Joel already on their way?

  She and Felix had gone in a half hour before midnight. They had to check in after an hour. Had that hour passed?

  She started to press the numbers on the keypad in order. She kept her eyes closed and focused on the distinct noise each key made.

  1? No.

  2? Yes.

  3? No.

  The keypad didn’t lock her out, and eventually she had the code. 2847. She punched it in. The little red sensor turned green. Cali threw open the door.

  No one in the hall. She froze and listened for heartbeats. Footsteps. Any sign of life nearby. They were all far off in the distance. Cali worked her way back toward what she hoped was the right direction, willing herself to be silent as the grave.

  She had to get to Felix.

  She chanted the mantra over and over.

  She didn’t realize a heartbeat had snuck up on her until she turned the next corner.

  Hands gripped her shoulders before she could run head first into a firm chest.

  Her fist shot out.

  “Fucking hell,” gasped Jente. He hunched over and clutched his middle. “That’s quite the jab you have there, Cali.”

  She held her ground.

  You can’t trust him, remember?

  She waited while he sucked in the air she’d expelled from his lungs.

  “Where’s Felix?”

  His mismatched eyes glanced up at her. “Jeez, you guys are like broken records, you know that? Is that all you guys care about? Yourselves? ‘Where’s Cali?’ ‘Where’s Felix?’” Jente mimicked. “There are more than two people in the world, you know.”

  There was no mention of Sydney or Joel. Cali took that as a good sign. She still had time. Felix obviously wasn’t that hurt. She would have felt it otherwise. Right?

  “Where’s — ?”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Jente stood to his full height. He was a couple inches taller than her. Probably six foot even. “Felix this and Felix that.”

  “What has Vander done to him?”

  His grey and green eyes went carefully blank. “He’s been scheduled for the arena.”

  • • •

  Felix groaned as the pounding in his head woke him from blissful unconsciousness. He threw his legs over the edge of the bed he’d been placed on and cradled his head in his hands. “Motherfucker.” He rubbed his temples until the pain ebbed.

  Once the nausea settled and the room stopped spinning, he got to his feet. His hand pressed to his chest. “Cali.”

  They’d bonded. Holy shit.

  He grinned, the pull on his lips reopening his cut. He didn’t even feel the sting over the swelling heat radiating from inside his chest. He could feel Cali in a way he never had before.

  He had to get to her.

  He surveyed his surroundings. His room was small but it lacked the sterile, white color scheme of the cells he’d been exploring with Cali. Which meant he was being held in the other containment rooms on the opposite side of the basement nearest the arena.

  The door to his room vanished with a wave of his hand. No room could hold him.

  He halted when he came out into unknown territory. Left or right?

  A low siren started to sound. Men flooded in from the left.

  Right it was then.

  He passed cell after cell, a few of the captives crying out to him when they caught sight of him.

  “Hey, help me!”

  It tore at Felix that he couldn’t stop to help them. “I will,” he shouted over his shoulder at them. “You’ll be free soon.”

  “Or dead.” Vander stepped out from fucking nowhere.

  Felix skidded to a stop. He changed directions before Vander could get within arm’s reach. He understood on a completely different level now what Cali had had to endure when she’d been at Vander’s mercy. When he’d touched Felix and sucked the life right out of him, it was a pain like nothing Felix had ever experienced before in his life.

  He was going to do everything he could to avoid that life-draining skin.

  Guards bore down on him. He calculated his best course of action. They were all tall, well-built men, which meant they’d least expect an attack from below. Increasing his speed, he slid like a baseball player into home plate.

  He banked on sliding between two of his pursuers, but they closed ranks and instead he bowled right into them. Heavy bodies crushed down on his shoulders as hands went to grab for him. The questing fingers couldn’t find purchase with all the flesh he was buried under. A hand skimmed his wrist, and he elbowed back blindly. A grunt. Pressure around his ankle. He kicked. Missed.

  “Hold him,” the voice at his feet yelled.

  The bodies standing overhead cleared, and he caught sight of Vander watching him. Waiting. Gaze hungry. “You’re power is vast, yet you hold back your potential. No prison could hold you, so why do you allow my men to?”

  The last thing he was going to do was try to explain morals to a sick bastard like Vander. It was a waste of both their times.

  “Go on,” Vander urged. “Make them vanish.”

  There was a maddening glaze to his eyes.

  “No fucking way.” Felix struggled but there were too many hands holding him. Every time he so much as tensed, fingers dug into his flesh. He was going to be sporting bruises for the next two weeks.

  Vander sighed in disappointment. He crouched down next to him. Felix’s heart tripped, but he kept himself still. He wasn’t going to show fear in the face of this monster. Bastard could suck his own dick for all he cared.

  “I admire your fighting spirit. You’re very talented. I could simply deal with you my way.” He tapped a finger to Felix’s forehead. Felix’s blood froze as he waited for the pain. Nothing happened. Vander removed his finger. “But I think I’d like to extend the invitation to my arena instead. You will fight for me — ”

  “Fuck that,” Felix cut him off. As soon as he was released he’d be out of there. Vander was right, no prison could hold him. The only thing that could were people. Once that was removed from the equation n
othing, would get in his way.

  Vander’s jaw bulged. Man didn’t like to be interrupted. Too fucking bad.

  “You will fight for me,” he repeated with deadly venom, “and put on a good show for my audience, or my dear Cali will have to pay for your mistakes.”

  Rage bubbled inside him. “She’s not yours,” he growled. “And if you damage so much as — ”

  “Threaten all you want.” Vander smiled smugly. “You can’t get to her fast enough to stop the pain I’ll unleash upon her.” He leaned closer, his face inches from Felix’s. “You’re the reason she resisted me. You’re the one who brainwashed her.”

  “I didn’t do shit. Cali’s not yours. She’s not a piece of property to be owned. She makes her own choices, and she chose me. We were meant for each other. Kevin lied to you.”

  The comment hit hard. Vander pulled back from him. “Your lies will cost Cali dearly.”

  “I’m not lying,” he gritted. “Kevin lied to you because he was a weak son of a bitch and probably couldn’t take the punishment you would have dealt him if he didn’t deliver what you wanted. Kevin hated me because Collette hated me. You don’t think it’s convenient that Kevin gave you the name of the woman who was destined to be with me? Newsflash, Vander — you were played. Kevin was never working for you. As soon as he set eyes on Collette, he was hers body and soul. It was nothing but a revenge gig. Plain and simple.”

  Of course he wasn’t one hundred percent sure about that, but he wasn’t going to share that bit of information. Kevin had hated him. But Felix also got the strange feeling that deep down Kevin had led Vander astray because of what he might’ve Dreamed if Vander became full-forced.

  The idea was more than a little frightening.

  Vander remained silent as he took in Felix’s words. His face was hard as granite. The perfect mask. His bottomless eyes were devoid of any emotion. “Get him ready for the arena. The next match will be starting soon. Change out the fighters. And keep a close watch on Miss Crazar. In fact, take her from her cell. I think she might like to witness this match.”

  Felix ground his teeth. His muscles bunched. He sprang into action, but Vander had been waiting for it. His hand came down on Felix’s arm. There was a powerful tug, and Felix’s knees buckled, unconsciousness took him.