I don’t make it far at all. The stench of death in this place is wicked, and I gag, my hand covering my mouth.
“Sequoia? What are you doing here?” Portia asks, appearing out of nowhere before me.
The angel doesn’t look perfect for once. Her armor is heavily dented, marred with dirt and blood. Or is that black more blood? I can’t tell.
“I heard…”
“You heard about Rall?”
My eyes widen. “Rall? What about the warden?”
Portia heaves a sigh and rubs her forehead, leaving a streak of crimson there that makes her look like she’s prepared for battle, only she’s been fighting battle after battle already and isn’t actively in one this very second.
“He was killed.”
“Killed!” My mind races, as does my heartbeat. “Who killed him? When?”
“He managed to kill some of that group who first attacked the prison, but they were skilled fighters. They were prepared. Rall was the only one to kill any of them, and we weren’t able to capture any to ask them questions or learn why they were here, but… A demon managed to escape during the chaos.”
“Zas.”
Portia eyes me. If she’s suspicious, she doesn’t let that be known.
“Yes, the demon from the vampire floor. For whatever reason, he returned. He let all of the prisoners escape.”
“One of them killed the warden?”
“No, Zas did that himself.”
I swallow hard, recalling the demon bound and gagged in solitary. “Every prisoner?”
“Yes.”
“Even…”
“Even the marine ones and those in solitary. Yes, every prisoner.”
“And you’re sure Zas was the one responsible?”
Portia crosses her arms and looks down her nose at me. “I know that you sometimes got close to those under your charge, but believe me. Zas is not an ally. He is not a friend. I will admit that not all angels are good, and not all demons are evil, but Zas is.”
“Did you know about Castiel? And Zas? Their history?” I blurt out.
“You side with Zas?”
“I don’t… I’m not picking a side. I’m curious. Castiel never liked me.”
“You did rat him out to Rall,” Portia says dryly.
“Yes, well, I thought…” I heave a sigh. “Castiel wanted star cress, and there’s dangerous uses to that herb.”
“I know. I’m well aware of what transpired. Castiel has his own issues, and I did not personally think he should be a guard here, but that was not my call to make.”
“He’s free.” I gulp. An angel with a grudge against me, an angel who might want revenge.
“Yes, he is.”
“Are you the warden then?”
“A warden in a prison with no prisoners.” Portia’s laugh is bitter. “No. I am going to organize the guards and mobilize them to seek out the prisoners and bring them back here.”
“HEX Unite,” I say in a rush. “Their hunters should help you, don’t you think?”
“There’s a lot of chaos going around,” Portia says slowly. “I don’t know who to trust.”
I gulp. “I…”
“You called me up to explain that you need to take a leave of absence, that it might be permanent. I understand. I appreciate you coming here at all to see what happened. Between the siren and then the attack…”
“Attacks,” I correct. “The hellhounds, the gang… not to mention the one here. It’s… It’s a lot.”
“I know,” she murmurs. “I’m not judging you. That’s not my place. I’m just saying I understand. This job isn’t easy, and the high turnover rate will not ever go away.”
I glance around. The place seems so empty.
Seems so dead.
“I don’t mind going to see HEX Unite and to try to talk to them, to explain what’s happened. Maybe they’ll be able to spare some paranormal hunters to help.”
Portia exhales deeply. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” What is the angel referring to?
“I don’t know how to contact them. Madra has always contacted me when an issue arose.”
“Madra?”
“The head of HEX Unite.”
“She would contact you? Not Rall?”
“I suspect that Rall might not be long for the position. The warden before him did an excellent job, but… If I have my way, he’ll return from retirement. Also, Rall’s picture might not end up in the warden’s office.”
I hide a smile behind my hand.
“I should not speak thus about the dead, but I suspect you did not care for him either.”
“No. He forced me to be a snitch. He gave me no choice in the matter. I didn’t… I didn’t like Castiel, but he tried to turn on me.”
“Samuel?” Portia asks.
The angel really does know everything.
“I hope he’s able to be with Athena. Is he… How is he?”
“He’s still being cared for by Pervinca. If anyone can save him, she can.” Portia heaves a sigh. “If Madra calls me, I can ask for a meeting for you. That’s all I can offer you.” She hesitates and then adds, “Will you stay on and help recover the inmates?”
“I… I need to…”
Portia lays a hand on my shoulder. “You have to do what you have to do. Get your head on straight. Figure out what you want to do with your life, and then go do it. I have faith that you can do just about anything, and if you know me at all, you know I’m not about palliatives.”
I grin. “Thank you for understanding, and it has been a pleasure working for you.”
Her smile is genuine and erases some of the signs of exhaustion settled over her features. She recognizes that I said for you instead of with you. She’s the true warden of the place, not Rall.
With a nod, I turn around and fly out of there. Zas did this. Why? What is his plan? Does he want to create chaos? Is he in league with Jaidos and his followers? Or is all of this completely separate?
I don’t know. There’s far too much I don’t know.
For a moment, I just hover there, in front of the prison. My heart feels so heavy. This place needs to exist because not everyone is good, but I think we might need more programs to help those inmates who can be helped, the ones who want to change.
But for that to be a possibility, first the world needs to be saved.
My wings hardly flap as I head back toward Sophie and Aiden. They say nothing, their gaze fixed behind me, and I turn and watch as a group of angels head toward Magical Prison.
Angel guards.
Like the ones at Magical Hunters Academy.
The ones responsible for torching Jaidos’ office.
I glance at Sophie. “Do any of them look familiar to you?” I ask, not daring to jump to conclusions. She spent more time with the angels up close. I will defer to her.
Sophie squints, eyeing them, and she slowly nods. “That one with the silver wings? He was definitely—Oh! The one with the black and white wings. Yes!”
“Where did you see them before?” Aiden asks.
“They’re the angels who arrested Sophie, and then they came back and torched the castle that housed Jaidos’ office,” I say grimly.
“Why are they here?” Sophie asks.
“I don’t know,” I say, my tone still grim. “But I think we might want to find out.”
I start to move forward when I happen to see my reflection in a puddle. My hair, my eyes… My appearance is still that of Sequoia’s.
My gaze shifts to Sophie. “Should you glamor yourself?”
Her lips curl into an unsettling smile. “Why don’t you lure one of them here?”
“Uh…” I glance at Aiden.
He shrugs. “If you think that’s best,” he hedges.
“All right. You two stay here,” I say.
Sophie shakes her head. “Aiden, go with her as… You were Azorra, yes? The gargoyle?”
Aiden nods.
“Why a gargoyle?” Sophie asks.
“Now isn’t the time to get into that,” Aiden mutters.
“Hmm. I think his not wanting to answer means he should answer. What do you think, sis?” Sophie teases.
“I think if we’re going to try to distract and get one of the guards to break off, we need to do it now.”
“Neither of you are any fun,” Sophie pouts.
“We’ll be back.”
I nod to Aiden, and we’re off, two former guards both flying toward the prison. By now, most of the angel guards have entered, but three linger outside. As we approach, one jerks his head toward us. The others nod, and the header jerker flies up to us.
I study him a moment. He’s the one with black and white wings, an unusual combination for an angel. His hair is blond, and his eyes are a faint, pale blue.
“What do you need?” he asks.
“Only a moment of your time. I work here as a guard…” I hesitate.
Work.
I said work.
Not worked.
Present tense.
I can’t lie. Deep down, I still feel like I’m a guard.
Burying that detail to dissect later, I add, “I believe one of my prisoners mentioned about an angel with wings matching your description bringing her in.”
“And who is this prisoner?”
“A fairy.” I watch his expression with a critical stare. “A fairy named Sophie Aldercross.”
“The name doesn’t ring—”
“She murdered someone, but even in the system, it doesn’t provide details. That strikes me as… peculiar. Do you mind sparing a moment to talk to us? We only have a few questions for you.”
“From what I understand, all of the inmates have been released. This is a crisis. Are these questions about one inmate—”
“We have reason to believe that many want this particular inmate killed, and we would like to know why,” I say flatly.
“The position as guards requires that the inmates be protected in our care as well as kept separate from society,” Aiden-as-Azorra says, speaking up for the first time.
The angel glances at the others and sighs. He flies up high enough that they can hopefully not overhear us.
As much as I know Sophie wants us to bring him over, maybe it would be best to talk to him here, away from her. A part of me is so very angry that I have to be worried that she would lash out and kill the guard, but she’s so unpredictable at times. While she’s mostly the sister I know and love, other times, she’s a complete stranger, a violent one at that.
“Can you tell us what you know about the nature of the crime Sophie committed?” Aiden-as-Azorra asks.
The angel hesitates. “She killed a high-ranking person.”
“High ranking?” I echo. “High ranking in regard to what exactly?”
The angel just shakes his head.
“I will tell you what I know,” I say slowly, ignoring Aiden’s widening eyes. “I know that Jaidos, the headmaster of Magical Hunters Academy, was killed. I also know that the castle that contained his office had been set ablaze. What I don’t know is why. Why would a fire be started that could provide some insight as to why someone would want the dragon shifter dead?”
“I…”
“Were you there?” I demand. “Did you witness the death?”
“No, but…”
“Did you set the fire? Where you there?”
The angel guard stared at me, more fear than anger shining in his bright eyes. “You have no place to question me. I did my duty.”
“Your duty according to whose will?” I ask softly.
He says nothing, just hangs his head.
“People can and do make mistakes,” I say soothingly, “but there are also times when people turn a blind eye so they can feign ignorance.”
“Sometimes, a man can do what they think is right and only learn afterward that it was wrong,” he mutters.
I smile sympathetically. His body language, the look in his eyes… He’s telling the truth. He’s not playing me. This angel feels stuck now, I bet, forced to play a role he no longer agrees with. What lie had Jaidos told these angels so that the guards would do such terrible things? They are the guards from Magical Hunters Academy, at least that’s my guess. They shouldn’t be here now, not with that battle going on, or is that battle over? So many battles, so many lives lost…
But these guards are so loyal to Jaidos and his plan that they burned down his office and destroyed any evidence of his plan and in doing so maybe set off a contingency plan.
“If you truly are sorry for your role in all of this,” I start eagerly.
“I am,” he says, nodding.
“Then I need to know what you know so that we can undo it.”
“The war,” he murmurs.
“Let’s go to a safe spot and—”
The angel jerks. His body twitches as a spearhead emerges from his chest. The weapon had been perfectly lodged in between his ribcage. With blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, the light dying from his eyes, the angel lowers his head and breathes his last.