The Passing

Chapter Twenty-Seven

My body collides with dirt as I'm thrown from the hands of my escorts. The bag is ripped from my head, and I'm met by my dwelling. Thick metal bars make up the cage-like structure, only allowing enough room to stretch your legs if you were sitting straight up. Planted a couple yards away is one identical to mine. As my eyes regain focus, I watch the escorts pull Azrael away, leading him down a dark hallway.

"Where are they taking him?" I ask the guard that locks my cell. His eyes don't even budge as he turns his key and tests the door as if to make sure I won't be able to escape. My heart hammers in my chest as the pressure builds. The brotherhood is planning to attack this place, and if I don't warn them in time my family may not make it out. The man swiftly turns his back, walking towards a large, black door on the opposite side of the room. "Hello? Your compound is about to be under attack! He's probably the only one who knows how to stop it!"

He stops, but doesn't turn around.

"I know it sounds crazy," I keep going, hoping to god I've touched the right nerve. "But, if you saw what those people are capable of, you would make sure nothing happens to him." A stifled laugh escapes him, followed by a long stretch of silence. I stand there, gripping the bars so tight my knuckles ache and my fingertips go numb.

"That 'posed to be a threat?" with his low voice in a growl, he turns his head to the side, watching me from his peripheral. "I know damn well what he alone is capable of." he spits, balling up his fists as he proceeds to the door. Although, it opens from the other side. From the depths of its shadows, Alondra strides in. She holds her chin high, both hands neatly folded behind her back and as she approaches me, her expression a confusing mix of judgment and anger and pity.

"I really didn't expect this from you." She says, as if disappointed. I hardly know this woman, yet she speaks as though she's known me for years. "What were you thinking, Kim?"

"I had just been thrown from roughly three stories, and you expected me to literally come crawling back?" I shake my head. "That doesn't even matter right now. Alondra, listen I don't know exactly what history Ruby has with Azrael, but he's innocent. He saved me from what he's trying to save you from. Please just listen, you have a lot more to be worried about right now." I plead, my voice boarding desperate.

"I know how dangerous they are. That's why I'm doing what I have to do, Kimila."

I jump to my feet, crossing the cell before grabbing the bars. "Yes, they are dangerous, but he's not! You can't hurt him or else you won't be able to stop them!"

"And why would I trust anyone that bears that kind of mark, darling? Do you even know what it represents?" She asks, her brows knitting together. Azrael didn't say what it meant, I just assumed it was something they inflicted on him. But, if he really were a part of this so-called Brotherhood, why would he have helped me warn Ruby? She shakes her head, her eyes looking down on me pathetically. "He's dedicated his life to them, just like anyone else with that mark. The only way out is through certain death."

My heart stops and my mind instantly starts to spiral. Was he just using me to get inside? Did I just literally open up the doors to absolute hell? Sinking to the floor, I pull my knees to my chest, gaping emptilly at the floor beneath my feet. Alondra crouches down, eyes running over me. My head throbs while my mind and heart go to war over who to believe and what to trust. Alondra gently reaches out, grabbing hold of a bar.

"You really didn't know, did you?" Her voice is soft and soothing, all while leaving me feeling bitter. I shake my head, biting my tongue to keep from screaming at her. How could she be so naive? The proof was dragged down the hall. If she would just talk to him, she'd understand. She would know. She presses her lips into a thin line, the pity nearly oozes from her pores before standing abruptly. "Well, I'm sorry it has to be this way, really. But I have to protect my people first. Your family name lost that privilege years ago."