Eight of Hearts: The Rift Blade - Book 1

Chapter 35

"Hey Tobias!" said a cheerful voice.

Tobias turned, surprised to see the young boy with white, poofy hair that framed the doorway. "Hey Isaac, what's up?" he asked, relieved to have a distraction.

"Can I talk to you alone for a second?" Isaac asked, beckoning.

"Sure," Tobias said. He glanced down at the girl, offering her a brief smile. "I'll be right back," he promised. She gave him a look of trust and longing that was unsettling. More the way a dog looks at its master than the way a human looks at another human. He dismissed the idea quickly; she was certainly human, even if she was strange.

"Hey," he said as he followed Isaac out into the hallway. "What's up?"

Isaac spun around, slamming the cell door shut behind them. Tobias jumped as the sound echoed loudly through the prison, but he was given no chance to recover as Isaac immediately began scolding him.

"What have I told you about talking to strangers?!" Isaac wagged his finger reprovingly in his face.

Isaac rarely wore anything but a smile, but now he seemed nervous-almost frantic-as he berated Tobias. They had known each other for a couple years now, but Tobias was familiar enough with Isaac's personality to know that there was something seriously wrong.

He must be joking, like he always does, Tobias thought. "Make sure the candy is real first?" he asked, playing along.

"There are warning signs everywhere!" Isaac gestured around, unfazed by Tobias's attempt at humor. "What part of 'High Security' do you not understand!?"

Alright, so he wasn't just messing with him; Isaac was genuinely upset. It was embarrassing to have Isaac of all people point out how stupid he was acting, but he pressed on, coming clean with his real motivation.

"Sarah might be in here," he said.

"They keep the dangerous people in here, Toby," Isaac said with the shake of his head. "Not the nice ones."

"You think Lyric is dangerous?!" Tobias snapped. "She can't weigh more than a hundred pounds! And did you see how badly they were treating her?! James wouldn't leave her here to rot!"

He spun around, whipping out the card and swiping it on the panel in one smooth motion.

"I'm telling you, this is a bad-" Isaac started to say.

"Gyaa!"

The door slid open, and Tobias was immediately bowled over as Lyric tackled him. His heavy armor left him pinned to the floor as the small girl held him close, as though afraid to let go.

"You came back!" she exclaimed.

She sounded so happy. There's no way someone like her could be dangerous, he told himself.

Isaac didn't agree, and he leaned over Tobias with an 'I told you so' expression. "See! Even her hugs are lethal. That level of affection is gonna be the death of you one day."

Jonas slowed to a halt just outside the doorway to what appeared to be a cafeteria. It was just a plain and uniform as the rest of the facility, so he almost didn't realize what it was until he had passed it. But a long banging noise coming from the far end of the room made him stop and cautiously investigate.

"Not even cooking alcohol?!"

Another bang. That was enough to confirm who it was by his book. He stepped inside and spotted her through the serving window, looting the kitchen.