Chapter 14: CHAPTER 14
Gio and Donal came into view. They had different clothing and seemed a little fresher, like they'd bathed and slept, but they had the same resolute or blank expressions. The same coiled form of movement.
More boots came behind them, a host of female and male demons tramping down the stairs. One woman I recognized: Sandy, the succubus who'd taken an interest in me. Her hips swung a little more freely than the others, and a little smile curled her lush lips.
They hit the bottom of the stairs, staring straight at me. They bypassed the others, clearly one destination in mind.
"No rest for the wicked, eh, Strange Lady?" Vian said as he watched them.
"There is a time to fight and a time to wait." I knew that voice. It belonged to the Stiven who'd volunteered to take a beating in my place last night. His baritone voice washed through the dungeon like a tranquil summer's day, warm and comforting. "Pull within yourself and wait for it to end. Whatever happens, there is no judgment here. Destas stick together. Remember that. We are with you every step of the way. We will be here when you get back. Just make sure you do come back."
Murmurs of assent drifted down the way as the stream of guards in black continued their approach.
Gio reached my cell, coming to a stop in front of me. He glanced down at the sword, then over at Jandri, huddled in the corner.
"You two are coming with me," he said. "Stand."
"I'm cooperating." Jandri put his hands out. "See?"
"Put your back to the bars, Desta," Gio barked.
In a new twist of an old tale, she will show them her back, folks. Hold your breath and hope it doesn't go wrong.
Please kill that audience, my Desta intoned.
"You too," Gio said, and Jandri stepped over toward the door and turned, giving me a nervous look. "Hands through. Two hands through the same set of bars, up to the wrists."
My belly coiled in unease, but I took a deep breath and did as ordered. Jandri did the same, still looking at me anxiously.
Cold metal encircled my right wrist and tightened. My left wrist got the same action, the weight of the metal dragging them down. Cuffs.
"Step forward, Desta." Gio's voice was terse, official. He was in his rightful position again, I guessed. Captain. "You too…"
"Muskrat," someone called out. "I bet he's a muskrat!"
"He ain't no Desta, that's for sure," Vian drawled. "Destas don't play dead. I'd go with possum."
"Yeah, possum," a few people shouted, snickering.
"My parents were wolves," Jandri grumbled. "I should be a wolf."
Gio ignored them all. "To the door, prisoners."
Donal fit the key in the lock, his eyes on me. He twisted, popped the lock, and opened the door slowly.
"Desta first." He put out his hand and beckoned me closer. "Turn around and walk backward toward me. If you make any wrong moves, you'll get the whip and be tied up and dragged."
"Haven't we been through this already?" I asked, but did as he'd said. "I didn't make a move the last time you transported me."
"You killed an officer," Gio said, meeting us at the door.
"Yeah, but he started it."
"He did start it," Vian called down. "I saw the whole thing."
"Quiet there," one of the guards barked. "Quiet down!"
Donal placed a hand on each of my arms at the elbow and guided me out of the cell before handing me off to Gio. He took hold, pointing me toward the stairs.
"Now you, possum," Donal said to Jandri, and snickers sounded within the other cells.
****
"Here we go." Gio pushed me forward.
Four guards stepped toward me, two on each side. Sandy was one of them, giving me a fond smile I didn't much like. Another couple of demons walked past us, heading for Jandri. He wasn't getting as many guards as I was. I mentioned it to my Desta.
Can you blame them? My Desta sounded smug.
It would've been much better for me if I'd played dead, too. If they thought I was weak. Fewer guards would make it easier to escape.
"Look at that, Micah," someone called. "That little Desta is getting as many guards as you do."
"That new Desta got you nervous, boss?" Vian asked with a grin, watching Gio.
Destas react to strength, my Desta thought. You are showing yours. Getting their support and respect is worth being stuck with a few more guards.
As I passed the other cells, I saw the truth in what she was saying. The people I passed nodded supportively or gave me a thumbs-up.
"Stay strong," Tina said as I passed, her hand resting on a crossbar, fisted. "We're with you."
"You are not alone," Forearms said, the same baritone voice that had asked for the whip when I first got here. His soft brown eyes tracked me solemnly. "Distance your mind from what is to come and think of returning to us. We are Destas. We will always be here for you."
"Not always, I shouldn't think," Sandy said with a small chuckle. "You will die eventually, Mr. Desta. I might even mourn your passing…a little. You're my favorite."
Fear bit down deep, but I kept my head high as I walked out, everyone up at the bars now, watching as we walked past. They murmured their encouragement, but worry coated their expressions. Whatever was about to happen was obviously going to be bad.
*****
FINO
The guards walked us up to and then through the main floor, ignoring the officers loitering around a little seating area with couches and chairs. One of them was pouring some sort of pink liquid into a huge copper canister, steam issuing from a little pipe near the back. The other officers, who all looked the same except for the one in white, gave us funny little smiles as we passed.
"Where are you taking us?" Jandri bleated, fear making his voice quaver.
Don't speak, my Desta thought, watchful. We'll probably sound like him.
She has a very good point, folks. I'm shitting my pants right about now.
Again, her failure to comment on my invisible audience habit testified to how not okay she was with what was happening. Or, more aptly, what might be about to happen.
We were steered through a doorway opposite the one we'd used to enter the dungeon. It took us into a vaulted hall. There weren't any skull doors, scary bridges, or nondescript tunnels I'd have to struggle to remember. This path was cut and dried and easy to navigate. They weren't worried about prisoners getting out this way.
We reached a set of stairs in no time and wound up three flights, which somehow dumped us onto the second floor. That…was odd. I couldn't tell if it was intentional mind-fuckery or if their shoddy building practices were to blame.
"Where are we going?" Jandri asked again.
No answer. The suspense of all this was starting to fray his nerves. Re-fray his nerves, maybe.
We finally stepped into a large room with two rows of gleaming copper tubs along each side. Two near the front were filled halfway with steaming water. Two human-looking demons wearing long black robes waited near each of them, holding little caddies for bathing.
"Strip them," Gio barked, not letting go of me.
The guards pushed in a little closer as the human-looking demons set down their caddies and stepped up. Now I was completely surrounded, still held by Gio.
The bath workers put out their hands, and claws elongated from their fingers. They planned to rip my clothes off and toss them away.
No, not my clothes. Neff's.
I belatedly remembered the note tucked into my back pocket. The piece of paper holding his elegant scrawl, his words of love. His assurances that I was both a Desta and his true mate.
Power roared through me. Emotion colored my thoughts, drowning out any sort of logic.
I would not lose that note. I would not lose these clothes or this sword. I wouldn't lose any of it. They'd all die before I did.
My Desta pumped more power into me. Power. Rage. Action!
"Freeze!" I could hear the panic in Gio's voice. "Everyone freeze! Desta—Fino—give me a chance to figure this out."
"No, no, no, no, no!" Jandri bucked and then kicked, trying to get out of his captors' hands while his bathing attendants waited in front of him, their claws out and ready. "No! I don't want this! No!"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone