Page 6 of A Realm of Fire and Ash

"I'm on my way," I say into the radio.

If Noct knew about Wilder, she’d help me see him, even if it were a few minutes, but I can’t put another friend at risk.

Never again.

I hurry down the long, narrow, black-tiled corridor, passing other inmates in their cells until I get to the corner where the prison's heartbeat is loudest. The first cell is silent, until a thin and low cry breaks from behind the steel bars, then another louder one. A half-dozen prisoners run past me, their boots and magic suppressant chains clanging on the metal stairs when they descend three flights to reach the ground level.

The corridor is a beehive of activity. Guards file out of other rooms to head toward the private sector. A few attendants join them as I skid to a stop at the end of the hallway that leads to where all hell has broken loose.

I squeeze through two male guards wearing blue shirts with an X emblem over the breast pocket. They pass me and head toward one of four cells near a steel door leading outside. Rising from my crouch, I back along the edge of the plank until I reach the stairwell leading to the barred door. It unlocks with my irises, allowing me to squeeze through.

Harmony is there, and she's holding onto the arm of a large female inmate who's attempting to escape during the commotion. The muscles on the prisoner's arms bulge, and the tendons in her neck strain when Harmony clamps the magical binding around her wrists.

Two male guards stand over a heap of bodies, kicking to turn over an inmate. But it isn't a convict.

Noct.

She screams, her voice like a trumpet of death. Blood pools from a jagged wound on her stomach, blackening her navy uniform. Writhing in agony, her shrieks claw at my eardrums, and I shove the guard away and kneel at Noct’s side. I want to end her suffering as quick as possible, otherwise it could be another hour before she dies, so I do what any good commander would do. What any good friend would do.

I pull a lighter from my pocket, flick the wheel, and hold it to her sleeve. It catches on the thick material, the yellow-orange flame sputters out of the nozzle, and the fabric pops. My lighter gleams in the darkness, the small flame spreading across her clothes like a deep blue, licking snake. It engulfs her entire body, and within minutes, she's ash.

The horror-stricken faces of the guards turn to bewilderment as the ashes take shape. Not a single inmate makes a sound as they watch, wide-eyed, as Noct’s body re-forms. Her pale flesh blisters, red, then dark, as the skin stretches over her form. The smell of burnt flesh permeates the air, and the ashes trail down her arms when she lifts her head. Her large grey eyes, the color of pewter, fix on mine.

"I'll never get used to this," she whispers as she scrambles to her feet, naked as the day she entered this world, and I toss her a pair of clothes from the pack on my back.

“You and me both.” I grimace as I stand in front of her, trying to shield her from the open-mouthed shock of the strangers in the room.

She pulls them on with quick, efficient movement, and all the while the room stares, transfixed.

"Target spotted in Block B, moving in," Arwen calls.

Slipping the map of the prison out of my pocket, I search for the area on the grid, finding a room at the end of the row. "This way," I say to Harmony, who's still binding her prisoner with magic.

She nods, and we push through the crowd gathered at the entrance to the corridor.

"All right everyone, we'll regroup at the rendezvous point. Let's make it quick." I motion them along, and shepherd the bewildered prisoners out of our way and into the waiting hands of guards.

The corridor is dark, dimly lit by a few bulbs in each cell illuminating the bars. Metal clanks against metal whenever someone passes, echoing down the hall. Screams, moans, and laughter trail us as we hurry through the cellblock. We skirt a set of stairs, hug the wall around another block, and come to a stop at a locked door marked BLOCK B.

"I've been hit," Arwen's pained voice calls through the communicator. "Estimated exsanguination, three minutes."

I wince. That's a painful way to go. "Roger that," I answer as I flip the latch on the scanner. It flares as it scans my eyes, malfunctioning and searing my irises.

"Fuck!" I shout, slamming the lid and jumping back. Throwing my elbow over my eyes, I suck in deep breaths, counting to thirty. "Noct, can you open it?" My vision flashes red behind my closed lids, and I can't see a damn thing.

"It isn't working at all," she growls. "Won't even turn on now."

I lift my hand to the door and bend my fingers around it, seeking the tumblers by feeling alone. By the time the metal screeches and buckles, I've gained some of my sight back and forced the door to part, revealing another door beyond. I yank it open and duck through, not seeing the massive hole in the floor. I'm mid-shift to fly, but my wings catch on a jagged scrap of iron, shredding them like a hot knife through butter as I tumble several stories down. Shouts from Noct, Harmony, and Arwen ring out above me, their faint words broken by the wind blasting against my body.

Through my haze, I use my elbows and knees to slow my descent. Sharp, jagged edges tear through the fabric of my uniform as I skid across the twisted wall. My back slams into a concrete floor below me and I collapse with a groan. Something is broken, and my adrenaline surges. Resting against the wall, I pull out my communicator from a pocket in my uniform. Cursing the darkness, I squint and press my thumb to the glowing ring at the front. I shake the device, but nothing happens. It's dead.

Somewhere during the fall, I lost the backpack with extra clothing, a flashlight, and other supplies for surviving in hostile environments. It's going to be a long night.

Catching my breath, I slump against the wall, running through scenarios in my head. I can't see well, on account of both the darkness and my damaged eyesight. Who knows how far I fell, or where I'm even at?

The easiest thing would probably be to light myself on fire, resurrect, then climb my way out of here with a perfectly healthy body. After reaching into my pocket for the lighter, my fingers poke through a large hole.

Shit. Where ...

---