Kerry

“So, where are we going?” Gigi asked as we walked along the sidewalk the next morning.

“To free the peri queen. It’s not far from here. Maybe half a mile. We could walk there in about ten minutes, or we could try to catch the bus.”

“Let’s walk,” she said.

I wasn’t feeling too talkative, but Gigi didn’t seem to mind. I was thankful for that. I could only play at being civilized for so long. Too much was brewing inside. That’s why I’d left Jax at the safehouse. In this mood, I couldn’t vouch for his safety if he poked at me.

When I called her last night, Amanda said she had an idea and would get to work on it right away. That didn’t help me much now, though. Two weeks without my angel, and I was losing my mind.

Where is she? Is she safe? Is she crying? Is she afraid? Is she in the dark?

The questions circled in my mind, fueling my rage. I had to keep too busy to think or I would go insane, so I made myself stay on high alert, mindful of my promise to Jax that nothing would harm Gigi on my watch.

“Kerry?”

“Yeah?” I swung my eyes down at her.

“What will I need to do?”

“Help me get her out of her cell or pen or whatever iron Og is keeping her in.”

“Will it be dangerous? Is that why you wouldn’t let Jax come along?”

“Anything can be dangerous. If you feel threatened, ’port back to Jax.”

“What about you?” She blinked up at me.

“If things get dangerous,” I half-smiled, “it means I’ll be kicking butt and enjoying every second of the fight.”

We walked on until I came to a stop in front of a red brick building with a weathered sign advertising rugs from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and a lot of other Stans.

The large display windows were dusty and dim, and the wooden door had been painted green at some point in its long life. I reached for the handle.

“Uh, the sign says cl—” Gigi started to say, but the door opened when I turned the knob.

With a shrug, I went inside and glanced around at row after row of rolled-up rugs standing from floor to ceiling.

My nose was hit with the heavy odor of wool and must and some sharp chemical.

Since that was all normal, I turned and motioned her in.

Creaking like an old man’s knees, the door swung closed behind her.

“That’s quite an organic smell, isn’t it?” She fanned one hand under her nose. “I think they need a dehumidifier in here and some air fresheners. A lot of air fresheners.”

“The smell hides what lives here. Well, lived here.” I jerked my head forward. “Come on.”

Without any more questions, she followed me down twisty, dark aisles.

My ears picked up sounds of rattling and clacking, which grew louder the further we went. When we came to a staircase that went down into a black hole, she had to speak up for me to hear her over it.

“We’re going down there ?”

“Oh. Sorry. Should have brought you a flashlight.”

Of all neph classes, guides, warriors, and messengers have the best night vision and watchers have none.

At least, no more than any human does. So I reached out, touched my fingers to the cinder block wall, and allowed some power to seep into it.

Not enough to ruin my own night vision, but enough that she’d have a blue glow to work with.

We went down the stairs until we hit the basement floor. A few feet ahead, I could see light from an open doorway. Even though I didn’t sense anyone other than the peri, I dropped Gigi’s hand, went in first, and made sure the workroom was clear. Only then did I move aside to let her in.

Through the iron-barred prison door, we saw a small, old woman sitting on a stool before a giant, wooden machine of some kind.

A couple of bare light bulbs shone down on her from the ceiling, so Og musta wanted her to see what she was doing well enough.

She worked the machine, which was what had been making that rhythm of rattles.

Guess she knew what she was doing because her hands were as steady as the tears that flowed down her wrinkled face. She was dressed in filthy rags, and her white hair hung in lank, greasy strands.

“Your Majesty.” I nodded at her. “What keeps you imprisoned in this room?”

“The iron hidden in the walls.” Parvenah lifted her faded, bloodshot eyes. “Why? Do you seek to free me?”

“Yes.”

“And what payment do you demand for such a service?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?” Her tone told me how much she believed me.

“Uh, well, I guess I’d ask you not to kill us once you’re free.” I rubbed my chin with one hand. “But I know what it is to be a slave. That’s reason enough.”

Parvenah stood, grimacing as her body creaked.

“Oh my goodness!” Gigi gasped, and we both looked at her. “I just realized what you’re weaving! It’s the suppression fabric we’ve been seeing everywhere lately. The same as the demon blanket!”

“You sure?” I asked.

“I nearly suffocated under a hood made of it a few days ago.” Gigi shot me a sharp look. “I’d know it anywhere.”

“You’ve been making this stuff for the skin peddlers?” Rage boiled in my gut, and I did not trust myself to move too closely to the peri queen. “For the Alchemists ?”

“I had no choice.”

“What about Reilly Argaud’s uniform?” Gigi asked her. “At the Box, he and the other prisoners were wearing jumpsuits made of it.”

“The production of that fabric is strictly controlled by the Council of Wardens. What I weave is an imitation of it. That is how my power works. I cannot create, only imitate.”

“Are you the only one making it?” I asked.

“So far as I am aware. I soaked the warp with my tears.” The peri queen straightened her shoulders and looked me in the eye. “’Twas the only sabotage I could manage, but better than none.”

“And what does that do?”

“The fabric begins to decay after the first use.”

“So without you, the slavers and Alchemists’ ready supply disappears, and their current stock has a limited shelf life.” Gigi turned to me. “That would be good.”

I agreed, then turned to Parvenah.

“Gigi is a watcher who can teleport in short hops. Where do you want her to take you?”

“I need only leave the confines of this cell. Once I am freed, I can restore myself and return to the atelier.”

“This seems too easy.” Gigi’s eyes darted around like she expected a monster to leap out at any moment. “If she’s a prisoner, where’s her jailer?”

“Og is dead,” I told them.

“Impossible.” Parvenah glared at me.

“He’s dead all right. I killed him myself last night. How did he manage to capture you, anyway?

“He was my warden, not my capturer.” Parvenah frowned. “The trap was set by a nephilim named Samuel Castle.”

A growl built in my chest, and whatever my face was showing, it made her back up.

“That guy again,” Gigi muttered. “What was the bait?” “Long have I desired to free my brothers’ sons, who were enslaved by an old enemy. Castle is in league with their current master.”

“Reginald Hubler.” The growl got worse and shook the old brick foundation. “I’m working on killing that guy, too.”

I took in some deep breaths and told myself to calm down. Turning my eyes on, I checked for wards or other surprises in and around the cell, but found nothing.

“All right, Gigi, you’re good to ’port her up to the store entrance.”

“What? Why? Aren’t you coming?”

“I’ll meet you up there. If I get too close to her once her Divinity is restored, the pain will cripple me.”

“Oh.” She bit her bottom lip. “Are you going to make sure there aren’t any other prisoners down here?”

“No, I’m gonna torch the place.”

“But there could be others! You need to check first!”

“You’re as bad as Jax!” I threw my hands up in frustration. “I can’t save the whole world, Gi!”

“No, but you can save who you can save.” Her dark blue eyes were steady as they held mine. “Wouldn’t you feel awful if you burned this place to the ground and later found out that there were innocent people trapped down here?”

“Oh, for the love of— ” Knowing it would only cost time to keep arguing with her, I gave up. “Fine! Just get her outta here. Then wait for me at the door or ’port back to Jax.”

“I’ll wait.” Gigi turned to the queen. “Your Majesty, I’m coming in.”

I waited until she popped into the cell.

“Queen Parvenah, it was our honor to help you. If you can set up a meeting with Darius, I think I can help him, too.”

“Then a meeting I shall arrange.” She dipped her chin in a slow, serious way that made me think of Ms. Chapman. “My gratitude is boundless.”

I gave Gigi a short nod, and the pair of them winked out of sight. Standing there with my hands on my hips, I cussed a little at the time I was gonna lose cleaning out Og’s dungeon.

She would never know if you didn’t.

I considered that for half a second, but my conscience bit me. Giving the iron door a hard kick, I headed down the hall to look in the next cell.

#

I should have known I’d end up needing to call Josef Krall.

“I killed Og and cleaned out his dungeon,” I got right to my point when he answered. “Found some nephs who need help.”

“How many? Where are you?”

“Seven alive, and we’re at his den.”

“You know where Og’s den is? Do you know how long we’ve been searching—”

“Not important right now, Josef. These people are in bad condition. Real bad.”

“I’ll send a team. What’s the address?”

After I gave it to him, I hung up and looked at the nephs slumped together in front of Parvenah’s cell. Three of the guys had helped me get everyone this far and could probably make it up the stairs. The rest, though…

“Do any of you know each other? What are your names?”

A couple pairs of glazed-over eyes looked up at me, but no one responded.

I frowned. I didn’t know these people, and I didn’t care about them, but I couldn’t leave them, either.

With a heavy sigh, I pulled my phone out again and called Gigi.

“Are you upstairs, or did you go back to the safe house?” I asked when she answered.

“I’m upstairs. Why?”

“Josef Krall is sending a rescue team. Stay there and watch for it, okay?”

“So you did find some others. Sure, I’ll keep watch.”