🔥 The Path of Fire (Path of Light and Fire Book #1)(Completed) 🔥

Chapter 12.2: Locked Up

"Tell the Hidenka that he's a horrible host!"

Leena landed on her rear, greeted to a puddle that soaked through her tights. She jumped to her feet, willing the sour smell out of her nose. The cell door screeched to a close.

She took stock of her surroundings. There was a dozen or so cells, though most looked empty from her vantage. The guard retreated towards the entrance and no one monitored the hall. It would be simple enough to escape.

"Please excuse them, they are not themselves," a raspy voice called.

Leena glanced for the source, but not too hard.

I have my own problems.

"What is the name of the beautiful lady with which I have the pleasure of speaking?"

"Lady?" Turrent asked.

"Turrent!" Leena shouted. At least it gave her his position in the adjacent cell. Her eyes adjusted to the lack of light and now she could see an outline of the man. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

"My name is Cara. And you are...?"

"The Heika."

"And I'm the Empressa of Hruh."

"I think what Cara means is that we don't believe you," Turrent said.

She scratched the corner of her eye. "Can you prove what you say?"

"If I could, my dear, I wouldn't be in this predicament."

Some people just couldn't hold it together.

Leena pulled aside the heel of her left shoe, pulling out the picks she kept there for such an occasion. She placed them into the lock, careful not to alert the guards posted at the end on the hallway. No one looked in on them; they seemed more interested in keeping people out.

She felt the soft click and cracked the door open. She tensed with each creak and slid out when enough of a margin presented.

She sauntered to Turrent's door and smiled. He leaned again the back wall, arms folded and head low. As satisfying as it would be to make him sweat a bit, it would serve no purpose. She aimed for the lock.

"Wait," Turrent whispered. "Check the cells for the others."

Leena tucked her tools into her bust and crept down the hallway. The inhabitants were emaciated and their ribs clearly defined. The sound of pained breathing came from some cells and the stench of death from others.

This was where they kept the worst of the worst.

The man who named himself Heika was in the best shape of them all. She took a closer look. Add about fifty pounds and this guy could have been the king. And he was her biggest problem at the moment.

He stared back. One noise to the guards and their escape would be much harder.

He nodded and said nothing.

She kept her eye on him as she backtracked to Turrent. "All clear."

Turrent nodded. "I can put the guards down quietly. It should give us a few hours until they notice we're gone. Is your friend over there going to cooperate?"

Leena shrugged and opened Turrent's door. Out of her periphery, the guards slid to the ground. Someone had just taken care of them, with no noise or fuss like they wanted.

Leena let the waves come to her skin. She knew it wasn't some benevolent savior.

Two people walked in: a woman wearing a black catsuit with matching cat ears and a man in black tights with brown fur on his shoulders and crotch.

"Inu and Neko?" Turrent asked. "What are you doing here?"

The man growled. "What are you doing her Turrent?"

Catsuit sighed. "This is why you should read the contracts more closely, dear."

"Tsuchinan like you?" Leena asked.

Turrent nodded. "The woman's Neko and the man's Inu."

Inu smiled. "We're supposed to pin a few murders on the new prisoners. You can go Turrent. We'll put it on the Hruh-yite."

"Can't let you do that," Turrent said. "She's with me."

Neko and Inu laughed.

"Since when do you play nice with other?" Neko asked. "Stop joking and move aside so we can do our job."

Turrent cracked his knuckles.

"You always were an arrogant little bastard." Inu pulled the canine teeth from his mouth.

What the hell?

Turrent swung, but Neko caught his fist.

The teeth in Inu's hand lengthed until they became bone short swords.

"Schewa's balls!" Leena said. "What is wrong with you people?"

Neko kicked Turrent in the chest and uppercutted Leena. She leaned back to dodge the strike and heard the woosh of metal.

The woman had metal claws on her hands. "Nothing personal."

"You're trying to kill me. Of course it's personal."

She swiped at Leena, and it took all of her concentration to dodge. She tried to draw the waves and blast the woman with water, but the Tsuchinan was too fast. She couldn't focus on both avoiding the woman and accessing her power.

This would be a screwed up way to die.

She overstepped and the woman swept her to the ground. The woman's claws shot towards her neck.

"Neko!" Inu shouted.

She stopped just above Leena's throat. "Inu!"

A sickening crack followed.

"I'll kill you," Neko shouted.

Turrent's back was exposed to Neko. He was dead if Leena didn't act.

She placed her palm out and screamed, a blast of water leaving her hand and blasted Neko in the back. The woman's feet left the ground as she was propelled outside.

Turrent pulled the bone sword from his side, and it returned to a tooth.

He chased after Neko.

"Leave her!" Leena shouted. "Save your strength. That was not quiet! We need to leave. Now!"