Page 12 of Beg the Night

“You’re kidding, right?”

Margaret let out a small giggle. “Not at all. The guy is a total loner down here. We all steer clear. I heard he once used hismagic to kill someone for looking at him wrong. I believe it, too. He’s totally creepy.”

I looked away before he caught me staring. The last thing I needed was unwanted attention from the only tier three in this dungeon.

“If he’s that strong, how have they kept him contained here? Why doesn’t he use his power to escape? There are so many of you. Couldn’t you team up and?—”

Margaret’s eyes widened and she reared back. “There is no escaping here,” she whisper-shouted. “And if you try, they’ll punish you.” She nodded at my thigh. “That’s only the start of it. The mystics working for the Ministry somehow know when we use our power, and they have dozens of soldiers outside that door ready to fight anyone who’s dumb enough to try. You’re here until you die or until the Ministry proves you’re powerful enough to be used on the battlefield.”

I shook my head, my breath escaping me in a whoosh. This was so bizarre. “How long has this been going on? How long have you been here?”

She held her hand out in front of her and lifted one finger, then another and another, squinting at them. “Three months. No—four. Yes, four months.”

I bit my tongue to keep from cursing aloud. “And have you done the claiming ritual? That sounds absolutely terrible.”

Shaking her head, she smiled softly. “They haven’t found me useful enough for it yet. I’m a tier one with very little power. That’s what Director told me, anyway. I think they’ve been waiting for someone stronger than me. Someone like you.”

“Why the hell do people keep assuming I have power? I’m not a mystic, Margaret.” I pressed my fingers to my temples and rubbed in circles, willing the buzzing sensation in my brain to abate. “This is all some sick, twisted joke.”

She sighed aloud. “Of course you’re a mystic,” she said. “You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t.”

“But I’ve never used magic before. Ever.”

She leaned in until she was only a few inches from my face. “Don’t worry,” she whispered. “Your secret is safe with me.”

For the next several hours, Margaret filled me in on everything she knew regarding this dungeon and the Ministry. She was a bit of a nutjob, but I liked her. She lightened the mood in this incredibly depressing dungeon, and that alone was a near-impossible task.

Her sweet demeanor reminded me so much of Jasmine.

From what I could tell, the men ignored her entirely. That was a blessing, I was certain. She held my hand and dragged me around the cavern, pointing out the dirty walls and the much-too-low ceiling as if she were a tour guide showing me around a luxurious lodging space.

At the edge of the cavern, she pointed out a couple natural inlets in the rock walls. They had no doors, yet they offered far more privacy than any space in the main area.

I made a mental note to worm my way into one and claim it for sleep. Maybe Margaret and I could do it together.

She showed me the showers and the bathrooms, too. The plumbing and running water surprised me, but the showers and toilets were essentially thrown into a dug-out extension of the dank dungeon. A few small lights on the walls illuminated just enough to see. When I voiced my concern about her safety in here, Margaret laughed. “They would never hurt me,” she said. “And trust me, they won’t hurt you, either. They just like to act like they will.”

Great. Really great.I was absolutely not going to believe this lunatic if she actually thought we were safe with these men.

After we settled back down in our little vacant corner, she launched into a detailed account of all she knew about the tiers and the claiming ceremony.

According to her, the last time tier threes mated during the claiming, the power they created was exponentially greater than what any mystic could summon on their own. The Ministry could use that power against an entire army. It didn’t have to be a man and a woman, but there was a shortage of female mystics, nonetheless.

Margaret didn’t know the specifics, but she seemed very confident that it was the truth.

I was in no position to question her.

“I’m not letting them touch me. Not a single one of them,” I said. Most of the men had fallen asleep already, so I lowered my voice to a whisper so my words wouldn’t echo off the damp walls.

Margaret did the same. “Well, there is one way to get out of it. Both people have to willingly perform the ceremony. It cannot be forced.”

I let her words sink in. “If that’s the case, then how do they get anyone to agree to doing it? Mating with a random mystic for some strange ritual? That sounds awfully creepy to me.”

She lifted one shoulder and let it drop. “People have their reasons. Maybe they can’t handle living underground any longer. Not long after I got here, two people who hated each other made an alliance so they could leave. And now, they’re gone!”

I shuddered. “Ugh. That’s disgusting. I would never havesexwith one of them to get out of here.”

She looped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her knees. “They’re not all that bad.”

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