Page 45 of Cast By Flames (Dragon's Breath)
The room contained four cells on each side of the corridor, for a total of eight. Five of them had prisoners in them, though only three were ours. They were in the spots closest to us. The whole space was cold and barren, and there was a lack of furniture or other comforts for the infected inmates. Only a bucket and a water bottle sat inside those cells. They appeared clean, though bleach could only hide so much of the underlying scents emanating from their waste containers.
I wrinkled my nose and forced myself to take shallow breaths.
Each prisoner was confined within large gray cinderblock walls with thick, black-barred gates at the front. All three appeared quite agitated as they paced their six-by-eight-foot cells. One on the right had bent the bars enough he could almost get his head through, leaving me uneasy about what we would face handling him. That took some serious strength I doubt I could have managed.
Rayna furrowed her brows as she noticed the same thing as me. “That’s not good.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “Maybe we should knock them out before you do your thing just to be safe.”
“Yes. Let’s do that.”
I reached into a pouch attached to my leg harness, where I had some extra sleeping potion vials we’d used a couple of days before to transport the prisoners. Javier’s people had given them to me, anticipating I’d need them again. I was glad for their foresight.
Pulling the vials out, I gave Freya and Rayna one each. “Let’s get this done quickly.”
I turned toward the cell on my right, facing the worst guy. His eyes reddened as he spotted what I held in my hand. He growled and scrambled toward the back of his cell, plastering himself to the wall. He had no intention of making this easy.
Testing him, I pretended to toss the liquid spell his way. Sure enough, he dodged where I aimed. I would have missed and been in trouble since it would have splattered the wall where it struck, rendering it useless. At least half the contents needed to touch his skin, so I needed to be sure of my aim. We couldn’t afford to waste any.
“Hey, Freya,” I called over my shoulder. “Looks like we’ll need the guns after all.”
Camrium gloves appeared on her hands. Next, she pulled the three water pistols she’d stored in shiggara and tossed me a purple one. “These look like fun toys.”
Cheap plastic would melt fast in her grip, so we’d considered that in our planning.
“Got one for me?” Rayna asked, lifting a brow. She had the prisoner in the cell next to Freya’s target, who crouched in the middle of the floor as if ready to play dodgeball.
The female shifter scowled and tossed a pistol to her. “Pasty pink suits you.”
“As long as it gets the job done.”
Sometimes, I wondered if she had steel walls protecting her feelings. Rayna did her best to never let anyone or anything get to her. At least that I’d ever seen.
Unplugging the top hole in mine, I carefully poured the potion into the squirt gun. The night before, it struck me that we might need an alternate plan for administering the liquid.These people were human, and I wanted to avoid hurting them if possible. It was bad enough they got banged up when we captured them.
I acquired my plastic weapons from one of Javier’s storage facilities after a bit of work convincing his acolytes to allow me to take them. I tested them beforehand with regular water to be sure they would work when needed. Cheap toys like these could be unreliable, and I wouldn’t take any chances.
My target’s eyes rounded when I aimed the gun at him, and then his expression turned to rage. “Let us go, or you’ll regret it.”
His voice came out raspy like a demon had inhabited his body. Had the dark magic spread faster during his incarceration? If it had taken too strong of a hold, we’d have no choice except to put him down.
I prayed it wouldn’t come to that. These guys appeared terrible now and the evil wafting from them seared all my senses, but they were likely innocent and didn’t deserve such a fate—not if I could help it.
“Nice try, but that’s not gonna happen.”
I aimed carefully and started spraying him. He dodged the first bit, but I adjusted my aim and nailed him on the neck and face. The guy moved again. My quick reflexes were handy as I maneuvered with him until most of the liquidhit his skin. He was down a moment later, lying prone on the cement floor.
Wiping my brow, I checked on the others. Freya and Rayna had taken care of their prisoners as well, both in an awkward sprawl. Still, I worried one or more could be faking.
“Think they’re really asleep?” I asked the female shifter.
She nodded. “Their heartbeats have slowed like the last time we used the potion.”
I let out a breath. “Good.”
Rayna gestured at the guards at the end of the corridor. “Can you open this one first?”
One of the men—a tall guy in his late twenties—approached cautiously. After peering inside the cell door and getting a close look, he pulled out a ring of keys. His hands shook a little, which made me wonder if he’d been here for whatever trouble the prisoners had caused. Hopefully, we’d cure them, and he wouldn’t have to worry anymore.
