The harsh screech of grinding metal filled Emily’s ears as the lift ascended through the SourceWell. Without walls enclosing the platform, the cells were fully visible to her, a grim gallery of the incarcerated. In each cell, groups of prisoners went about their confinement, their movements slow and weary. From her vantage point, Emily estimated that each level held roughly one hundred fifty cells, each one crammed with at least ten individuals.

  The oppressive conditions cast a dark, suffocating pall over the place, but that wasn’t the worst of it. The prisoners themselves bore marks of their suffering—exhausted and pale, their skin ashen and lifeless. Many looked like they hadn’t seen sunlight in years.

  Emily pressed her lips into a thin line as she watched the scenes pass. When someone’s Source was drained, they wouldn’t die—at least, not immediately, as long as a small trace of each kind of energy remained in their body. But they would become lethargic, and their resistance would be reduced to almost nothing.

  Her eyes narrowed as her thoughts drifted to Alex. Getting him out of here was going to be harder, especially if he was drained. Emily found her frustration rising at the thought. When this was all over, she was going to give Alex a piece of her mind for getting captured like this.

  As the lift rose higher, Emily began to notice a pattern. The number of guards increased steadily, patrolling walkways or moving alongside golems. Their presence wasn’t arbitrary—it was a necessary counterbalance to the changing demeanor of the prisoners.

  By the time she reached the fourth quadrant, the prisoners seemed noticeably different. These individuals didn’t exhibit the same defeated aura. They moved around their cells with a faint spark of vitality, their energy levels clearly higher than those on the lower levels.

  By the time they got close to their destination, Emily couldn’t tell the difference between them and a normal prisoner, as everyone moved about with relative ease.

  The lift began to slow, as whatever wards that were animating it arrived on her floor.

  The sixth quadrant was busy with guards going about the business doing regular sweeps of the area.

  Emily stepped off the lift, as a team of guards approached and boarded the now-vacant platform, giving her only the barest of glances.

  They didn’t stop or question her as she moved purposefully across the bridge, her focus set on finding Alex’s cell. She was certainly in the right place, but she had no intention of staying here any longer than necessary.

  Following the numbered cells, Emily headed toward the outer edge of the facility. She had just reached the main walkway when her attention was caught by what appeared to be a prisoner transport.

  A man with wild hair and a cold, unsettling light in his eyes struggled along. He was nearly naked, save for a harness wrapped around his neck, chest, and waist, extending to his back like bridles. Shackles bound his ankles, and four guards flanked him, each holding long poles connected to the harness to keep him in check.

  The sight was striking, but it wasn’t the prisoner who captured Emily’s attention.

  Leading the group was a jailor—or perhaps a commander, judging by the uniform. Beside them walked a man she recognized.

  Neal, the same man she had seen only hours ago, strolled behind the commander, murmuring to them in a low voice. Unlike everyone else in here, he did not wear a helmet as he casually moved down the bridge. Behind him stood two more women following faithfully. They were also clearly Mages but lesser in some way.

  Emily's eyes widened and she saw other guards moving to the sides of the passage to allow the group to pass.

  Not wanting to draw attention Emily copied them and stepped off the main path.

  The group moved past seemingly unaware of her presence, that was until Neal stopped and turned his head towards her.

  Emily’s breath caught as the old man narrowed his dark eyes at her. If she remembered correctly he had some kind of Observer title, that was why Ariandel had added him to the team. If he could see her then things were about to get a whole lot more messy.

  Emily remained unmoving as the man stepped closer. The rest of the prisoner convoy paused as the commander turned to look over at Neal.

  “Sir Mage is something the matter? I would like to remind you that this prisoner is considered highly dangerous, we can’t dally.”

  Neal continued to step closer as he squinted past Emily to the golems at her back.

  He frowned and looked at Emily.

  “You! Soldier where did you get these Constructs? They’re usual to the extreme. What's with that color.”

  Neal was now just a couple of meters away, and Emily realized she couldn’t respond. The moment she spoke, he would recognize her voice. She didn’t trust the strange man enough to believe he’d stay silent.

  “...Well?! I expect an answer. Did you just come from the research division?” Neal said growing more frustrated.

  Seeing her opening, Emily nodded which seemed to lower Neal's guard somewhat.

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Well, why didn’t you say that then?! Gillda must be further along than I thought. Blast this side project he has me working on. I need to ask for double the compensation when this is all over-”

  The commander's voice spoke over Neals once more.

  “Sir Mage our skills will only last another five minutes. If this man is to be harvested we need to get him down to the lower levels now. Please continue to restrain his strength.”

  Neal got a nasty light in his eyes as his attention refocused on the commander.

  “I am above your station Warden, you would do well to remember that. I am aware of what is at stake here.”

  The Warden lowered their head, the faintest hint of tension in their posture, while Neal’s gaze flicked back to Emily’s golems, his eyes narrowing as if weighing their worth.

  No one spoke for a full minute as stood there quietly until finally one of the women beside Neal spoke up.

  “Master we should continue our duty so that we can get back to work. I can send a letter to Gillda inquiring about these new variants.”

  Neal frowned and looked at the woman and then back to the golems.

  “I suppose you are right, but for interrupting me you will punish yourself with several lashings when we return home.”

  “Yes, Master.” the Mage said showing no emotion to the insane order.

  Emily was glad she wore a hamlet because the look that appeared on her face was pure disgust.

  Turning from Emily, the man headed back to the Warden’s side and the group of men and women continued forward.

  Emily's eyes lingered on the prisoner’s back until he and the guards disappeared around the corner.

  As the tension around her eased, Emily resumed her path toward the cells. Her heart, which had been pounding like a drum, finally began to settle by the time she reached the low eight-hundred’s.

  Glancing down the corridor, she took in the prisoners housed here. They ranged in age from their early twenties to their late eighties. The cells contained individuals of numerous races—many familiar to Emily from the city, but a few were so unfamiliar that she hadn’t even known they existed.

  With each cell that passed Emily got more and more nervous. He had to be here. If he wasn’t, she would have to start looking all over again. And this time she wouldn’t have the reassurance of her blood to find him.

  When Emily got to cell eight-eight-six she paused and let the golem go ahead of her, taking a breath she stepped out into view of the next cell and peered in.

  The dim room was illuminated by a single, flickering torch mounted on the wall, casting uneven shadows across the cramped space. The prisoners huddled within were a sorry sight—some curled up on threadbare mattresses, shivering in the cold, while others passed the time with a crude game using bits of rusted metal.

  Emily’s gaze swept the room, her shoulders sagging when she failed to spot Alex among them. From her angle, she could only see half the room’s occupants, the others hidden in shadow. Frustration bubbled up as she stepped forward and kicked the iron bars, sending a sharp, metallic clang reverberating through the space.

  “All of you, front and center. Now,” she growled, her voice a low threat. “I want to see your faces.”

  The prisoners exchanged hesitant glances, then shuffled into the weak torchlight, their movements slow and cautious. One by one, they lined up, revealing faces Emily recognized—some were from the Wandering Fangs. Her pulse quickened with faint hope as they approached the cell bars. But when the last man stepped forward, her heart sank. Only nine.

  Her fingers gripped the bars tightly, frustration giving way to cold determination. “I counted nine. If you’re hiding someone, get him out here. Now,” she said, her tone dropping to an icy snarl.

  The prisoners exchanged uneasy looks, their guilt obvious. Finally, one of them broke away from the line and slinked toward the back of the cell, where shadows clung thickest. Emily’s eyes followed him as he bent down and tugged at something—a bundle of cloth, hastily concealed and far too deliberate to be anything innocent. The other men had been standing in a line, a poor attempt at hiding what lay in the darkened corner.

  Emily swallowed as the prisoner put an arm over his shoulder and dragged another man to his feet.

  The two hobbled over to the bars and the light leaking in from behind her illuminating his form.

  There, battered and bruised was Alex, doing his best to stand on his own. He stared at Emily with anger and hatred, his one eye swollen shut and several cuts on his lips.

  “What do you want this time? We haven’t done anything wrong,” Alex said, his voice strong and unwavering despite his disheveled state.

  Relief surged through Emily, nearly overwhelming her, and a radiant smile spread across her face beneath the shadow of her visor.

  “Wow, they did a number on you, didn’t they.” Emily jabbed.

  Alex’s anger faded to be replaced with confusion, and then his eyes widened, and pulled himself towards the bars.

  “You…”

  Emily glanced around at the patrols and seeing as none of them were around she spoke.

  “Yeah, me. Now I’m going to get you out of here, but this place is crawling with guards so are you ready to go?”

  It was like she threw food to staving men, all their demeanors changed at the mention of escape.

  Alex’s eyes darted from her to the watch tower behind her.

  “I- Yes. But how are you going get us all out, we can’t use skills in here.”

  Emily snorted and shook her head.

  “My only priority is you, I don’t give a damn about the rest of them. I’ll open the door but what they do after this is not my problem.”

  Alex’s face twitched and he glanced back at them.

  Emily was certain he’d jump at the opportunity, but he was hesitating.

  “I can’t leave without them, we need to at least try to get these men out.”

  Emily's shoulders drooped.

  “You can’t be serious,” Emily said dryly.

  “I am,” Alex said with a staunch conviction in his voice.

  Emily took a breath to calm her nerves, she was wasting time arguing with him.

  “Fine. But I can’t promise you that they’ll all make it. Instead, I will bring them with us but if it looks like we can’t get out, I’m making a break for it, with you in tow.”

  Alex seemed to already understand that this was the best compromise she would allow and nodded.

  “Fine, but how are you going to get us out.”

  Emily withdrew the healing tonic she’d taken from her pack and handed it to him.

  “First take this. You are going to need to be able to run” she said as he took the vial.

  Emily then withdrew the key from her side and inserted it into the delicate lock. It had worked for her so far, but sadly her luck was out as the door didn’t budge.

  “Alright, plan B, get ready,” Emily said as pointed to the bars. The two golems beside her grabbed one end of the metal bar and pulled. There was a screeching of metal as the bars groaned and warped out of the way.

  The change in their surroundings was immediate. The ward lining the cell flared to life and a high-pitched screech began to echo out of the area, bathing the whole quadrant in a red glow. Light flared to life on the watchtower and pointed directly at cell eight-eight-seven.

  Emily glanced over her shoulder and grinned as her heart ignited. Snapping her head towards the opening she shouted over the sound of blaring alarms.

  “Coming on people, we’d better go if you want to make it out in time” laughter lacing her voice.

  Blood points: 337