Streamfield Shifters: Hide & Seek

Chapter Eighteen

Several hours later, word finally came from the jail that they had extracted information from one of the prisoners. The building itself was less than two blocks away from the tavern, but Kesio hired a carriage to take us there instead of walking. It hunched over the street like a gargoyle, all rough stone and no straight lines. Inscribed over the wide oaken doors were a series of deep-cut runes, each glowing faintly red. In a city of elegance, the symbolism was not lost on me.

"Right this way, Your Royal Highnesses," the captain of the guard said, leading us down a long corridor.

"This doesn't look like a police station," Rachael muttered to me as we trailed behind the royal siblings and the Tsolas.

"More like a barracks," I replied, pitching my voice low. There was a decidedly wild west feel to everything, from the swords and halberds on the wall, to the drab interior and single desk surrounded by a sea of over-stuffed cabinets. Set into one wall were three cells, one of which had a single occupant passed out on the floor. It vaguely reminded me of an old black-and-white TV show my grandparents liked to watch.

At the end of the corridor was a single door marked with a blue rune. The captain placed his hand upon the rune and I heard the slight click of a lock opening.

A stairwell was on the other end of the door. Down we went, our path illuminated by globes of white light held in dish-like sconces. As we descended, a sense of unease filled me, causing my shoulder blades to twitch. This was less of a prison and more of a dungeon.

At the bottom, a second door with another blue rune blocked our way. The captain opened the door and the sound of prisoners shouting flooded out. I jumped and Rachael shrieked as a man in a shapeless brown smock rushed up to the glowing green bars of his cell and rattled them.

"It's okay," I said soothingly, throwing my arm around her. But everything was decidedly not okay. Never in a thousand years would I have imagined myself in the bowels of an elven prison, searching for answers from a group that tried to kidnap me.

The green bars pulsed and the prisoner screamed as an electric charge rippled across the barrier. He threw himself backwards, eyes hollow, fingers curled into claws.

"What is he in for?" Kesio asked casually, hands in the pockets of his jacket.

"The man is a serial rapist, sir," the captain replied flatly. "He is scheduled for execution in the morning."

At the mention of his crimes, the man pushed himself into a sitting position and leered at Rachael, licking his lips in an obscene manner.

"God!" I exclaimed in disgust. I turned Rachael away from the bars, shielding her with my body. "I want her sent back upstairs," I told the captain as she shuddered in my embrace. "She shouldn't be down here."

The captain opened his mouth, but it was the crown prince who replied instead. "This frightens you?" he asked, sweeping a hand towards the bars. He cocked his head to the side, perplexed. "This man will be dead by morning. There is no possible way he could hurt you."

My eyes widened. How could he be so cavalier about everything? Holding tightly onto Rachael, I turned my head to pin the prince with as deadly a glare as I could manage. "That doesn't matter," I retorted, incensed. On either side of Kesio, the two Tsolas blinked. God knew that I was playing with fire here, but honestly, I didn't care. Family came first. "She's sixteen years old. She shouldn't be in death row."

The pleasant, captivating face of a playboy prince vanished, replaced by an imperious scowl. "Lower your tone, my lady."

Oh, we were playing that game now, huh? I felt my lips curl back from my teeth. "Lower my tone? I don't think so. I'm not one of your subjects and I certainly won't bow and scrape in deference to you, either."