Chapter 16
The Pit
Standing guard on a regular day had never been one of Nikhail’s favorite duties. Standing guard today, knowing that if he wasn’t working, he could be spending the day with River, was excruciating.
Adjusting his suit jacket, Nikhail barely bit back a groan. He couldn’t get distracted—he was at work, after all. Tyson Stills had yet to return, which meant that today, Nikhail was stationed outside the Representative’s office.
Yesterday had been quiet. River had mostly stayed in her room at Atlas’s, only venturing out to eat before disappearing once again. Whatever had happened with Ryker had clearly shaken her, and Nikhail hadn’t wanted to push her.
This morning, River had been asleep when he left for work. An hour ago, he’d received a text from her saying that she’d woken up and was planning her day. She was going to stick around Atlas’s house and make a few calls, including to her best friend, Ember.
Nikhail had been relieved when he heard that River was going to stay at the house. It was secure, and it made Nikhail feel slightly better about being at work.
Even though there hadn’t been another rebel attack, Nikhail couldn’t seem to shake the feeling of unease that had been plaguing him. Usually, the lack of rebel activity would be a good thing. A time of rest. This felt different, though.
As if the rebels were building up to something, and the silence was purposeful. A way to ease the Representatives into complacency before something worse hit.
Maddox stood on the other side of the door, and the Death Elf seemed equally on edge. His jaw was tense as he stared down the hallway, his posture one of a man who rarely relaxed.
A vibration started in Nikhail’s pocket. With a glance at his surroundings, then at the door at his back, where the faint sounds of murmured conversation wafted through the crack at the bottom, he pulled out his phone.
Nikhail recognized the name flashing across the top of his screen, so he slid his thumb across the display, accepting the call.
“Corporal Rune. I assume you have news?”
Lukas Rune, an Earth Elf who had been born Without, had been a member of Nikhail’s team for over two years.
Even though some people in the Republic looked down on those born Without, Rune’s lack of magic had never bothered Nikhail.
If anything, Lukas worked harder than anyone else on his team, which made him a valuable asset.
When Nikhail had stepped in to cover the temporary vacancy on Representative Waterborn’s security detail, he’d assigned Corporal Rune to continue working on the phone he had uncovered at the last bombing.
“Yes, sir,” Lukas said.
There was a pause that had Nikhail’s stomach contorting. “Good news?” he prodded.
“It’s… I’m not sure, sir.”
Nikhail crossed his arms, pressing the phone more firmly against his ear. “Explain.”
“Of course, sir.” Lukas started talking faster. “I was able to unlock the device, but as you know, the Black Night typically doesn’t communicate using regular technology.”
This was common knowledge, and one of the reasons that locking down the Black Night’s movements had been so difficult until now.
“Go on,” Nikhail said.
“The device is encrypted, but it contains several scanned documents. I was able to open one of them, but it isn’t written in the Common Tongue.” The phone buzzed. “I just emailed you a copy. It appears to be written in an ancient vampiric script.”
Nikhail drew his phone away from his ear long enough to open the file. The text was unreadable, at least to him.
“Well, it’s a good thing we know where to find a vampire rebel,” Nikhail said with a sigh. “Meet me at The Pit.”
Prisons, as a general rule, were inhospitable and uninviting, but The Pit was truly abysmal. It was where the Republic of Balance’s worst of the worst were sent to live out the rest of their days.
Today, the prison’s air was frigid, nipping at Nikhail’s skin as they rode the elevator, descending into the bowels of the wretched prison. The bone-chilling temperature made the already insufferable experience of being in this prison even worse.
“Gods, it’s cold as fuck down here,” Lukas complained. His sepia skin seemed paler than it had when they were above ground. “The air here is making the Black Sea seem like a balmy summer vacation spot.”
Nikhail cast an amused glance at his companion. “I do believe that’s the point, Corporal. After all, people aren’t here by choice.”
The soldier’s cheeks turned ruddy. “I suppose you’re right. This is my first time coming here. My husband warned me what I might find—he works under Commander Triumph—but I guess I didn’t quite understand what I was walking into.”
No wonder he was overwhelmed. There was no amount of mental prep work or reading up that a person could do to prepare themselves for The Pit. This was one of those places that had to be experienced to truly understand the depths of its horrors.
The silver doors opened, and a blast of bitter air slammed into them. The lighting on this level was dim and murky, and the scent of blood and death permeated everything.
If the horrendous aroma wasn’t enough of a sign of the terrible things that took place here, low, steady wails that were punctuated by the occasional scream came from all around them.
The sounds of pain, synonymous with this place of darkness, were a warning to all who entered: Death lived in this place.
No matter how many times Nikhail visited The Pit, the macabre symphony never ceased to get to him.
Nikhail looked around, trying to see The Pit through Lukas’s perspective.
There were more shadows than light, the stone floor was worn smooth after centuries of use, and cell doors made of prohiberis lined the hallways.
A dozen red lights blinked, the all-seeing eyes of the cameras stationed throughout the prison recording every movement.
This godsforsaken place was the definition of uninviting.
A pair of guards was stationed outside the elevator. Dressed in black and armed to the teeth, they looked like every other officer who worked at this prison. The male, a human, was slightly taller than his female elven companion.
As soon as Nikhail and Lukas stepped off the elevator, the guards flanked them.
“Christof. Priya.” Nikhail dipped his chin in greeting, having met both guards before. “How are things?”
“Busy as usual,” Priya said.
A Fortune Elf with dark-brown skin, pale-pink butterfly wings, and long black hair, Priya was often underestimated because of her size and beauty. No one ever seemed to believe that she was powerful, but Nikhail knew better. He’d never seen Priya lose a fight.
“How can we help you, sir?” Christof asked.
Straight to the point. Nikhail liked that about these two.
“We’re here to see Elodie Valois.”
The human guard raised a brow. “The vampire captured at the ruins of Castle Sanguis?”
“That’s her,” Nikhail said.
Priya canted her head, her wings flattening at her back, and whistled. “You should know that the prisoner is in a… state, sir.”
“Aren’t they all?” Nikhail asked.
After all, that was the intended purpose of this place.
The Pit’s inmates weren’t brought here to die. Death would probably be kinder to them in the long run. Felons who ended up in the dark prison landed there because they had information that needed to be extracted through any means necessary.
Nothing was off the table.
The guards exchanged a glance, but it was Priya who said, “They are, but this one has been particularly… difficult.”
Nikhail barely tamped down a groan. With those few words, Priya had confirmed what he’d already suspected—he wouldn’t be getting back to River at a reasonable hour today.
He wished he’d called her on the way over. Just hearing her voice would’ve helped soothe the part of him that ached for her. The texts they’d exchanged today hadn’t been enough—he wanted to see her and hold her and touch her.
But he also needed to make sure she was safe, which was why he was here.
With a reminder of his purpose, Nikhail banished all thoughts of disappointment from his mind. He had a job to focus on. A water fae to protect.
“All right.” Nikhail rolled his shoulders and glanced at Lukas. “You have the information we need?”
Lukas held up the messenger bag at his side. “Yes, sir. I printed the documents but left the device at the office.”
“Good.” Nikhail glanced at the guards. “Lead the way.”
“Of course.” Priya extended her arm down the hallway as though she were escorting them through a palace and not a terrifying dungeon. “This way, please.”
“Here we are,” Priya said, coming to a stop in front of a cell several minutes later. “She’s dangerous, so we’re keeping her far from the other inmates.”
Nikhail peered through the one-way mirror into the cell. It stretched the length of the stone wall, providing a perfect view for outsiders to look in. On the inside, the surface was reflective.
The cement room boasted of a single piece of furniture: a chair bolted to the middle of the floor. Leather straps dangled from the arms and legs, speaking of the chair’s purpose, as did the slanted cement floor leading to the drain ominously placed nearby. Once silver, it was now rusty and dark.
Crouched in the corner of the dark cell, wearing scraps of what had once been a dress, was the woman Nikhail had come to see.
The last time he’d seen Elodie Valois was in the ruins of Castle Sanguis. Isobel, the young human tech who had been working with Nikhail, had just been killed by creatures of the night. Before clearing the ruins, they’d found another group of rebel vampires.
The rest had been killed in the subsequent fight, but Elodie had been spared the fate of her brethren with hopes that she could provide them with much-needed information.