Paid In Blood - Revised

Chapter 21

Two figures stood upon a cliff under a dark, cloudy sky, looking on at the dark island in the distance that housed Magical Britain's worst criminals. They could practically feel the impact of the raging sea as it crashed against the rocks below them.

Medusa nervously dragged her black hair away from her face with her spindly, tanned fingers, revealing the small brown eyes hidden underneath. Not even the supportive silence and companionship of Jormungandr was enough to relax her. It wasn't like her trepidation was unjustified, of course. They were about to invade the maximum-security prison, which was also home to dozens of dementors. She had no idea how her companion could stand there without showing a single sign of apprehension.

Behind them stood their third companion, dubbed Quetzalcóatl. Medusa sighed at their assigned code names; she really should have come up with some herself. Quetzalcóatl, the elf, was to remain unseen and stand ready in case they needed a quick extraction.

"Ready?" Jormungandr asked softly.

Medusa's brain wanted to shout, "No way," but instead she took a deep breath and gave her companion a stiff nod. Jormungandr drew the Invisibility Cloak from his moleskin pouch and wrapped it around the two of them.

"Don't worry, I'll have your back," he said.

"I know, but I'm still nervous."

Jormungandr wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned into him as she felt the sensation of fading wash over them. She looked around to see where they wound up, but it was so dark that she couldn't get her bearings.

"Where are we?" she asked, while making sure they were still concealed under the Cloak.

"A storage room on the third floor," Jormungandr replied. "The higher up in the fortress we go, the less likely we are to run into dementors."

"And the Death Eaters are on the first floor?"

"Bellatrix Lestrange is."

"Alright, you're the muscle of the operation, so you go in the front," Medusa said, only half kidding.

"Of course, Mistress," Jormungandr replied, drawing his wand.

They made their way forward under the Cloak, slowly, and under Silencing Charms to ensure they made as little noise as possible. They passed by several cells, some occupied and some empty, and Medusa noticed that most of the prisoners weren't as haggard as she'd expected. If Jormungandr was right, and he usually was in these matters, these prisoners had far less exposure to dementors compared to those on the lower levels.

They found the stairs and descended to the second floor. Instead of having a single staircase, the prison was designed so that you had to wind your way between floors. They made their way through the corridor, and there was a noticeable difference between these prisoners and those on the third floor. Some showed signs of madness, while others shouted or cried to themselves. There were Aurors stationed on this floor, but they took no notice of them.

A familiar cold descended on them, making Medusa's skin crawl. She grabbed Jormungandr's arm, and he pulled her into the shadows to wait for the dementor to pass them by. It glided past them without seeming to notice their presence, and Medusa exhaled the breath she didn't even realise she was holding.

"Why didn't he feel us? Is it the Cloak?"

"The third brother hid from Death under it," Jormungandr replied. "Why shouldn't we be able to hide from a dementor?"

Medusa shrugged, and then they slowly made their way through the corridor and down the stairs to the first floor, luckily without coming across any more dementors. There were four Auror guards on this floor, but two of them were asleep in their chairs while the other two were playing cards in an empty cell. Otherwise, the floor was eerily silent; not even the prisoners were making a sound.