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“We were made to serve the mages as entertainment,” Victoria says. “They would take us from one mage’s house to another. They’d pull us out of our cells, hurt us, laugh at us, and throw us back in, just a little more broken than before.”
Tamping down my impatience, I ask, “Is that where Simon is now? Is he in someone’s house?”
“We can’t be certain,” Victoria answers gently, “but we have a pretty good guess as to the last place he got sent.”
A good guess is better than nothing. It’s more than nothing. It’s a path that might lead to figuring out what happened to my brother, once and for all.
“Yes?” I hold my breath.
“A few of us had been to this one Blood Mage’s house,” says Triton. “Mean son of a bitch. Simon was sent there the last time we saw him.”
Victoria cuts a chastening glance at Triton, one that says I don’t need to hear about how bad my brother’s situation likely is. “The house is north of town. Impossible to miss. It’s a large gothic construction rising above the trees off a little road called Pine Avenue.”
“Blood Mages have a particular aesthetic,” says Orson humorlessly.
“Think they’re fuckin’ Dracula,” says another one of my packmates. None of them are short on venom for their captors. Nor am I. And now, having witnessed a taste of their malice, I think it’s safe to say my mates feel the same way.
“How do you know all of this?” Max asks quietly, and I can see the caution in her gaze.
Victoria looks uncomfortable. “Some of the ways they transported us allowed us glimpses of the outside world. Even if some of those ways were uncomfortable and inhumane.”
“Horse trailers and other fucking shit!” a man shouts.
There’s a roar of anger amongst them, and my heart aches for all they’ve been through. I picture them being transported from one Blood Mage’s house to another, treated like cargo or livestock. They’re people! And I’m going to do my best to remind them of that fact now that they’re free.
After a quiet moment, Victoria says, “But, you should know, the mage who had your brother was particularly… cruel. Any of us that were sent there to be his entertainment weren’t expected to survive. I just need you to know that.”
“I understand,” I tell all of them, my gut clenching. “I can handle him.”
Even if this means things aren’t over yet, at least it means there’s still some hope Simon is out there. No matter how small the chances are that he’s survived all of this.
She looks surprised. “You’re really going to look for him? Knowing he likely didn’t survive, and knowing the danger you’d face there?”
If the Blood Mage caught me again, would I be tied down again? Would he push different liquids into my veins just to see what it would do? Would I scream and scream until my voice was raw, even though it wouldn’t make a difference? I shiver. It doesn’t matter what could happen to me. What matters is that my brother could be experiencing those very things right now, and I have the power to stop him. For once, when we scream in pain, someone will be there to help.
Me.
“I have to.”
Glancing at my pack mates, I can tell they think I’m crazy, but they also look exhausted, like nothing in this world could drag them into battle again. I don’t blame them. They deserve some peace and happiness in their lives after all they’ve been through.
“It’ll be hard to face the Blood Mage there. He’s very powerful,” she warns, speaking each word clearly and carefully. When I don’t react, she presses on, wincing as she speaks. “He’s thrown us around with his powers, smashing us into walls and trees, laughing at the sounds of our bones breaking. He’s shred our flesh, decorated the floor with our blood while laughing. He’s… insane, cruel, a monster. Are you sure you want to do that?”
None of that matters.
I smile, even though it hurts. “Just like I couldn’t stop looking for all of you, I can’t stop looking for him, if there’s a chance he’s out there.”
Her eyes gentle. “Of course. Do you need help?”
I look at the lot of them, ragged, in need of a decent night’s rest. No, a decent lifetime of food and rest and fun. They’d be more of a liability than a help, but it’s kind of her to offer. “No. We can handle it. All you guys need to do is… be free.”
Victoria hangs her head, relief and exhaustion seeming to course through her whole body. Almost under her breath she murmurs, “I’ve longed to be free for so long, now I find I don’t know what to do with myself.”
I take her shoulder gently and give it a squeeze. She lifts her weary head. “Go home. Back to our town. Many of the buildings still stand. What our town stood for is still there. Rest there, and then we’ll rebuild, together.”
Her gaze is filled with doubt. “Can we really just… walk out of here?”
I understand where she’s coming from. Nothing is ever that easy. “The Enforcers have the place surrounded, but are waiting for our signal to come in and clean up. So, for now, you can.” I glance at Max, hoping he can say more.
