Waiting For Sunrise - The Books Of Beginning AU

64. The Tombs

Out of all the ways Rafe could spend an evening with his partner, breaking a pair of troublemaking kids out of one of the city's most notoriously disgusting prisons was not ideal. Indeed, it hadn't even crossed his mind as a possibility, until Emma and Abigail came to him and Kate, frantic, and explained what had happened to Jake and Beetles. Once they did so, however, both young adults knew they couldn't waste a moment. Which lead them here, approaching the Tombs at seven in the evening, the cloudy night and light sprinkling of cold rain providing cover for them as they crept closer to the prison. 

Were anyone - lawmen or rival gang members alike - to see them slinking through the Five Points, they wouldn't be able to identify them, of that, the pair had made sure. In addition to the usual trousers and jackets protecting them from the late autumn weather, the duo had donned caps and gloves, the former to hide their faces as much as possible, the latter to cover their fingerprints in the event they had to lay hands on anything. In addition, Rafe had slipped a lockpick into the inner pocket of his coat, on the off chance he came across a barrier he couldn't open with magic, and both adolescents had a penknife tucked away, if they found themselves needing to act in self-defense. They were, he thought grimly, as prepared as possible for this spontaneous jailbreak.

"I'm assuming that's it," Kate said in a low whisper, nodding at the giant, block-shaped building looming ominously across the way. 

"That's it," Rafe confirmed, eyeing the jail. It had been built in a way meant to evoke thoughts of Egyptian temples, majestic and intimidating, but that effect was ruined by the lopsided nature of the foundation, giving the entire building the appearance of sinking. Worse, the uneven building, set low on the streets, was vulnerable to the rain, which was pooling all around the place, and likely seeping inside, soaking the floors of the holding cells. That would have been ironic, one of the city's most famous detention centers buckling under the forces of nature, were it not for the fact that Jake and Beetles were inside the building, surrounded by real criminals and poor conditions, and probably terrified. 

Kate grabbed Rafe's arm. "Go around the back," she suggested, her brow furrowing thoughtfully.

"Yeah," Rafe agreed. "We'll be able to access the cells easier from there."

As they circled the enormous complex and climbed over the wrought-iron fencing surrounding it, Kate continued to ask the sort of logistical questions necessary to this mission, and Rafe attempted to answer them as best as he could. He truly hoped the information he had was accurate, since he had never been inside the Tombs before, and was relying on rumors and random tales told to him by various associates here in the downtown city. 

"Are they likely to be held separately, or are they in one big pen with a bunch of others, do you think?"

"With others, I'm pretty sure. They wouldn't be locked up separately unless the cops thought they were real dangerous or something."

"Then I suppose Emma and Abigail were right. They can't have figured out that Jake an' Beetles are magicians, else they'd probably be making more of a fuss."

"Probably," Rafe agreed. "Though if they don't know what the boys are yet, I doubt they'll figure it out anytime soon. Jake an' Beetles ain't bad magicians, not in the least, but they're probably scared..."

"And being scared, especially under such tense circumstances as being in jail, would make it real hard for them to access their power at all," Kate finished. 

"Exactly. Which is one of the reasons we hafta avoid attracting attention. If we're caught, that'll be a whole other problem, an' our own spellcasting ability could get tangled up in the chaos an' become next to useless."

"If that's the case, should both of us go in and get them?" Kate asked. "Or should one of us stay outside, keep watch, and distract anyone who could be about to catch us?"