Betrayed by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #5)(38)

I wrinkled my nose at that, but said nothing as Rylan conversed with the guards. I didn’t want to distract him—any lapse in protocol could get him killed. But he said the required things, and, within moments, he was through those double doors and walking down a long, brightly lit, white-tiled hall.

The next hour was pretty uneventful. Rylan went to his office, retrieved the captain’s gun, and checked in with the day shift captain, who went off duty. After that, he made his rounds, touching base with the guards stationed in different areas around the facility and doing the job of the man he was impersonating.

I used the time to get the lay of the land, taking mental notes and verbally relaying information about the compound to Iannis. As far as I could see, it was split into four sections. The first held the administrative offices, which was where we started. This was only a small portion of the compound, two parallel hallways lined with square rooms. All the windows were shielded with thick blinds, and there were heavy locks on the doors. The plates on those doors told us to whom the offices belonged, and I eagerly scanned each one, hoping to find Noria’s name. But though several head scientists did hold offices—and Rylan even spoke to one who was behind his desk as we passed by—there was no trace of Noria.

She’s not important enough to have her own office, I told myself, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in my stomach. After all, she was only recently recruited, and looks like she should still be in school.

The laboratory section was by far the largest. These rooms were walled off completely, protected by steel-reinforced doors and keypads. The guards posted in this section didn’t have access—they simply patrolled the halls. There were no windows to see within, but every so often, a white-coated individual would emerge, usually with a clipboard in hand, and either head into another laboratory, the washrooms, or the offices.

It all looked very normal and civilized, if you ignored the faint sobs coming from the rooms. A chill rippled down my spine at the sound of a child wailing inconsolably, and anger ignited in my chest.

“Rylan,” I hissed. “There are live test subjects in here, aren’t there?”

“I’m afraid so,” Rylan said grimly, nodding at another guard as we rounded the corner. “I scent shifters and various small animals. When I was here before, the place was nearly empty.” There was a hint of defensiveness in his voice.

“We’ve got to rescue them,” I insisted. “We can’t just leave them here.”

“Ordinarily, I’d agree with you,” Rylan said, “but we have no idea what condition these victims are in. If they’ve been injected with deadly diseases, do we really want them getting out?”

“Dammit.” I dug my fingers into my hair, trying to think. It was true that we didn’t want people leaving the compound only to start some deadly epidemic in the Federation. But how could I leave what sounded like a child behind in good conscience, knowing that they were being tortured?

“Sunaya?” Iannis’s hand settled onto my shoulder, a comforting weight. “What is it?”

I sighed, turning my head toward his voice. His arm wrapped around me, drawing me against his chest, and I took comfort in the embrace even though I couldn’t see him.

“There are people—possibly children—down there, being experimented on,” I muttered into his chest. “I want to get them out, but Rylan says they might be infected with diseases.”

Iannis was silent for a long moment. “If we can take over the compound, I will see to them personally, and heal them if possible. I can only hope that we manage to do so before Lord Logar arrives. He will be here soon, and when he arrives—”

“We’re going to destroy the compound,” I snapped. “Yes, yes, I know.”

“When you locate Noria, you can have Rylan ask her about the test subjects,” Elnos suggested. “You might be able to free some of them.”

“What do you think?” I asked Rylan after I relayed that information. “Do you think it’s possible?”

“The subjects will definitely be separated according to what they’re being used for,” Rylan said. “Judging by the different symbols stitched onto the breasts of the lab coats of these scientists, there are a variety of experiments going on. They won’t want to jeopardize their results by mixing up their different test groups. It’s possible we might be able to save some.”

“Can we get a move on and find Noria, then?” I demanded. “What if Annia is one of the prisoners being experimented on? She could be dying right now!”

“I don’t know that they would use her,” Rylan said, though he sounded troubled. “She’s human, so likely would not fit the criteria for whatever their experiments are. It’s more likely they’re just questioning her.”

“You mean torturing her,” I said flatly.

“I was trying to be optimistic.”

I sighed, saying nothing more as Rylan finished his rounds with unhurried steps. Annia could already be dead for all I knew. But I couldn’t operate as if she were. I had to have faith that, at the very least, Noria would have done something to ensure Annia wasn’t executed. They might not have been on the best of terms when they last parted, but they were still sisters. Family. Blood.

Like Rylan is your blood.

“Okay, I think if Noria is going to be anywhere, it’s over here,” Rylan said as he turned down another corridor, past the mess hall. This section of the compound was a little less clinical, with a length of blue carpeting running the length of the floor, and softer lights set into the ceiling as compared to the harsh white lights in the other sections that left no room for shadowed corners. “This is where the staff sleeps.”