Chapter Nine. #2
If Ericks were a Sealgair Uilebheist, then he’d just handed Jess to him. They’d use Jess to control Mitch.
“What is a Sealgair Uilebheist?” Banshee asked.
“Okay, we need to escape,” Mitch muttered.
“Why?” Banshee demanded.
“Because if Ericks is a Sealgair Uilebheist, then the woman I love is in danger,” Mitch spat as he headed over to the bars. He shook each one hard.
“What is a Sealgair Uilebheist?” Banshee repeated.
“Someone who hunts those like you. They kill your kind,” Mitch replied.
“A Hunter?”
“If that’s what you call them. I gave Ericks something for Jess. If he’s a filthy Sealgair Uilebheist, Jess is in danger. I have to break out of here and save her,” Mitch answered Banshee as he kept testing the bars.
“You care for this Jess?” Banshee asked.
“I’d give my life for her. How did they capture you? Have they harmed you?” Mitch demanded turning and checking Banshee over. Banshee stared steadily back as he raked her up and down. “Should you be so thin? Have they fed you? Fuck, this is another screwed-up torture method of theirs?”
“No food,” Banshee said mournfully. “They intend to starve me to death.”
“I won’t let them. Give me time; I’ll come up with a plan. Ericks is overconfident and cocky. Too damn arrogant for my own liking. He’ll slip up, and when he does, I’ll make my move.”
“Ericks will break you,” Banshee replied with a laugh.
Mitch turned back to the bars. There had to be something he could do to escape.
“Maybe, but if Ericks is occupied, flee. Don’t stay here and let them torture you.
Banshee, they’re cruel bastards. Sealgair Uilebheist won’t care about your feelings and emotions.
In fact, they’d want you to have them so they can hear you scream.
Don’t allow them to use you. If you get a chance, run, and don’t look back,” Mitch warned.
“What about you?” Banshee asked. “Why are you here?”
“Because I trusted the wrong man—I was trying to reach the woman I loved.”
“Why would Ericks lead you to her?”
“Because they’re friends. Banshee, don’t worry about that. Just concentrate on getting out of here.”
There were footsteps, and Ericks appeared, wearing a gloating smile. “Look at who’s awake. Are you enjoying your company, prisoner?”
“What do you want, Ericks?”
“Revenge, it’s simple. You betrayed your own blood. You’re a traitor.”
Mitch frowned. “Traitor?”
“Yes. But I’m appreciating the flash drive you kindly presented me,” Ericks sneered.
“Leave Jess out of this,” Mitch warned.
“Why? Jess is beautiful, isn’t she? I bet she’d scream deliciously,” Ericks taunted.
“Jess knows nothing. She’s someone I dated,” Mitch changed tack, and Ericks laughed.
“Is she? Nobody special?”
“Nope.”
“Then why are you giving her a flash drive full of Hunter documents?” Ericks demanded as Mitch frowned again. “If Jess is only a casual lay, why offer her your secrets? Why out your family and the Hunters? No, Jess Mayhew means something, and if I have her, I control you.”
“If you want money, I’ll give you everything I have,” Mitch ground out.
“But what if I want Jess?”
“No!” Mitch launched at the bars, and Ericks laughed.
He slid a plate into Mitch’s hands. “Eat. You’ll need your strength for what’s coming.”
Ericks walked away with a dark laugh, and Mitch looked at the bread and butter.
“Here,” he said, offering it to Banshee.
“What? You wish to torture me, too?”
“No! You stated they’ve not fed you. Eat this while I work on getting us out.” Mitch placed the plate near Banshee, keeping his movements slow, and backed away as soon as he’d set it down.
“Why are you not shocked by my existence?” Banshee demanded, eyeing the food with distaste.
“Because I’m aware people like you exist,” Mitch replied as he bent and studied the lock.
“How? Only Hunters know we exist,” Banshee snapped.
“Banshee, my family are Sealgair Uilebheist, or Hunters as you call them. And I’m here because I’m Neach-brathaidh,” Mitch muttered.
“What is that word? Neach-brathaidh?”
Mitch slowly turned around. “It means traitor. Why so many questions about Jess and me? What is this? Who are you working for?”
“I’m a captive too.”
“Lie. Ericks is no more a Sealgair Uilebheist than I am.”
Banshee regarded Mitch steadily. “What do you mean?”
His eyes narrowed. “Ericks called me a traitor. Sealgair Uilebheist don’t use that word.
He’d have referred to me as Neach-brathaidh.
The fact Ericks didn’t, meant he doesn’t know the word, which in turn means he’s not a Sealgair Uilebheist. That screams that this is some setup, and you’re either working for Ericks or…
he’s part of your group!” Mitch surmised.
Banshee’s eyes narrowed. “Who do you work for, Weideman? You’re a killer of innocents,” Banshee shrieked.
“I’ve only the blood of two men on my hands.
And both were Murtair. I’ve never harmed your species, nor have I wished to.
” He shook his head and knew it was time to be honest about his theory.
“In fact, I figured out that when a Uile-bheist is killed, your Sin is released into the population until another of your kind can control it. Killing the Uile-bheist is destroying the world. But the Sealgair Uilebheist or the Ceann-Feadhna refuse to understand that,” Mitch replied calmly.
Inside, Mitch was anything but calm. He was locked in a dungeon with one of the Uile-bheist. Banshee could blow his mind at any time with her infamous screech.
“Lies!” Banshee shrieked, hurting Mitch’s ears.
“Where is Jess?” Mitch demanded, a sudden sinking in his stomach. Had they captured her and were torturing her. “I swear, she’s blameless. Jess is totally unaware of this world. I’m begging you, please don’t harm her!”
“Shouldn’t you be pleading for your own life, scum?” Banshee hissed.
“If I have to pay for the crimes of my ancestors, so be it. But Jess, she knows nothing. If you hurt her, you’re harming an innocent, and your kind don’t do that! Call Ericks back, make him understand Jess is ignorant of all this.” Mitch moved forward and reached for Banshee’s hands.
Banshee looked down in surprise as Mitch grasped them and squeezed.
“I have never nor would ever abuse, torture, or kill one of you. I don’t believe in what Alfred and Alexander do.
They trained me from birth, but I can’t agree with that way of life.
Murder is wrong. Torture is abhorrent. My ancestors’ crimes aren’t mine, but if you want me to pay, so be it. Just leave Jess alone,” Mitch begged.
Banshee’s face twisted, and she flew at Mitch with clawed hands.
Leon/Midas
Leon looked around at the board members; he wasn’t one of them, but was included because of his closeness to Jess.
“We’ve sent some of our scariest people in there, but the human doesn’t change his story,” Liadun/Banshee said.
“I’ve wiped Mitch’s mind each time. Mitch has no idea he’s reliving the same scene, just with different players. If Mitch really is working for the Hunters or Sealgair Uilebheist, as he calls them, he’s damn good,” Lily/Lilith stated.
“We’ve sent Vampire, Mary Worth, Baba Yaga, Banshee, Frankenstein’s Monster, and Ghoul all into him. The Hunter hasn’t flinched or deviated from his story once. Not even Medusa or Lamia made him deviate,” Leon added.
Leon frowned. Could this Hunter be for real?
Ness didn’t know that Mitch was here in their dungeons and had been for twenty-four hours.
She’d not surfaced from the lake and declined to have anything to do with people while she licked her wounds.
Merman and Scylla both checked on her, but Ness had refused to engage.
“What do you think, Leon?” Maeve/Baba Yaga asked.
“Jess is hurting, and she’ll stay underwater until she has control of Disease.
We know that’s one of the worst Sins to carry.
One slip and Jess could infect thousands.
A loss of control will kill millions. And that Sin is constantly searching for a way to escape,” Leon replied. He swapped glances with Jase.
Jase nodded and frowned. “Ness has always struggled to contain Disease. When she’s hurting, it takes advantage of her.
Ness, being at the bottom of the lake, is the safest place for everyone.
Selfish as it sounds, we know our mates are immune to the Sin’s effects like we are.
But I don’t think Jess could handle another plague on her conscience. ”
“No. I believe Jess would seek death at the hands of the Hunters,” Maeve agreed.
“What do we do?” Vladimir/Vampire asked.
“Let the Hunter go free and give Jess the flash drive. The man has literally handed us more information than we can deal with. Archere will be in Heaven sifting through it. Let Jess make her decision, but we’ve confirmed that he’s not actively working for the Hunters, despite who his vile family are.
He doesn’t have a clue what Jess is. Release him.
Wipe his mind of this and send him home,” Leon said.
“We’ll be ready to pull Jess out if we need to. I’ll monitor Disease carefully,” Lilith added.
The board nodded, and Leon headed out. He wanted to terrify Mitch one last time. It gave him pleasure!