The KnightShift: Call of the Moon (Wattys2019)

Chapter 4:

Elfrida

The first thing to let me know that I was awake was my pounding head. I opened my eyes to a cement floor and bars. I tried to sit up but the pain behind my eyes stopped me. Whatever the men had used to drug me, it had horrible side effects and for some reason I wasn't healing. I sat up slowly and looked around.

It was clear that I wasn't in a regular prison. The cell was massive and sat in the middle of an even bigger room with white walls and one door.

It took me a moment to realize I wasn't alone. There were 13 other women in the cell. Most of them were asleep but one was awake.

"Elfrida, how did they get you," a voice asked.

"Amanda, you're okay? Where are we," I asked.

"I'm okay. As for where we are, I can't tell. All of us woke up in this cage and they have dampeners that keep us from using anything beyond our physical gifts, hell none of the Lycanthropes can even shift. Plus, the bars are some mixture of silver, iron and something blessed. Whoever took us knew what we all were and prepared for it," Amanda said answering questions I hadn't even thought to ask.

I tried to stand but my knees felt like jelly. This must be what it felt like to be human. I didn't envy them. I took a deep breath and tried to stand again.

I needed some clue to where we were, though I didn't know how that would help us. If the dampeners were gone I could get us out of here in a snap. With them functional I was little more use than a normal human.

"So, you've just been in this cage for a week," I asked.

Amanda shook her head.

"This weird gas fills the room and we all go out like a light. Sometimes when we wake up one or two of us are missing. I woke up in a medical office the one time it happened to me. They took blood, skin and hair from me. Then asked about my medical and sexual history. It was weird. The other girls said the first time is always like that but after that they can never remember anything from when they disappear. None of them are ever hurt or anything," she said.

"That is weird. Have any of you seen the dampeners," I asked.

She shook her head again. I cursed under my breath. The only thing that was giving me hope right now was the fact that Emersyn would come looking for me. She knew preternaturals and humans in high places. I didn't want to just sit around but right now I didn't know what else to do.

"So, what else happens," I asked.

"They feed us twice a day. We get to shower every other day. Other than that, nothing. I am going stir crazy. Have you seen Melly," she asked.

"Yeah. She's worried about you but okay otherwise," I said.

"Thank the moon," she said.

"Emersyn will find me, and she will get us out of here. I will get you back to your sister. I promise," I said.

"If only we could take out the dampeners," Amanda said.

"That would definitely help. I could use a spell to warp us out of here. Do you know what the other women are," I asked?

She listed them off. There were Nephilim, vampire human hybrids, all kinds of Lycanthropes, even a few fae. More than half of the women here were abandoned by their people and had no one else so they ended up at the shelter. Others were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I shook my head. What the hell was going on here?

"How long have I been here, Amanda," I asked.

"A little under 24 hours. Ms. Inouye can't file a missing person report yet," she said like she knew what she was talking about.

"That's not Syn's style. She will come for me herself and if she needs help she has contacts in the SFS that will help her," I said with confidence.

"Really, the SFS?"

I nodded hoping to reassure her.

Suddenly the door outside the cell opened and a man walked in. I recognized him as the driver of the white van. My adrenaline started pumping and I sprang to my feet. I might not be able to use my abilities, but I was a warrior before America was a country. If he came near this cell with me awake I would probably kill him. Hopefully he had the keys to open the door to the cell or at the very least the controls for the dampener.

He looked at me with so much contempt I almost felt bad. He came over to the wall of bars nearest me. Amanda moved behind me. I could practically feel her fear.

"You are almost more trouble than you're worth, elf. I lost one of my men and another was crippled even worse than the one you injured, by that friend of yours," the man said.

"Well if you weren't out here kidnapping people maybe you wouldn't run into beings like Emersyn," I said with a smug look on my face.

Emersyn and I had killed 2 of these things but I still had no clue what was going on. The men from the van were like nothing I had ever fought before. I wondered if the two of us would be enough. Then it hit me that the man was here and Syn wasn't storming this place getting me out.

"Where is Emersyn," I asked.

"I shot her with an iron bullet. Iron is deadly to the Fae, isn't it," he asked.

"You bastard! When I get out of here I will peel the flesh from your bones," I said.

"My dear, you are never getting out of this cage. Welcome to your new home. As for Ms. Inouye, she should be getting picked up by one of my recovery squads as we speak. I have a feeling you'll be seeing each other very soon," he said in a snarl.

"You can't keep us here," I yelled.

He gave me a nasty smile and walked away. I grabbed the bars and pulled. They began to give just around the time the silver coating the bars began to burn my skin. I screamed in frustration. My eagle was less than happy about being in a cage and Emersyn being hurt was not helping.

If Emersyn got away from the recovery teams, she would be okay.

"If he shot Emersyn, how is she going to save us," Amanda asked.

"I don't know."