A Clash of Storms (A Shade of Vampire #50)(35)

I was counting on him to do that. He lunged my way, and I immediately shuffled around, gripping my sword with both hands and driving it right through his spine in an upward motion. I heard the bones crack as the steel cut through them, severing his spinal cord. There was no going back from that. He choked on his own blood, the tip of my sword piercing his throat.

I put my foot against his back and pushed in order to pull my sword back.

He fell flat on his face, lifeless.

There was a set of keys hanging from his belt, including a small gold one that caught my eye. I snatched it and proceeded to unlock the cages. I looked around and noticed the Mara wards were doing the same thing, after they’d brought down a couple more Destroyers and snatched their keys. Each set of keys had a gold one included, it seemed. Dozens more beasts poured in from the darker corners of the dungeon, so I moved as fast as I could to let as many creatures out as possible. The incubi and succubi were quick to pick up weapons from the Destroyers we’d killed.

When more Destroyers poured in, they were ready to strike. A fight ensued as the wards and I liberated some Maras and more succubi.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes!” one of the Maras said as I opened his cage.

He pointed at the little golden key as he lifted his arms. He’d been restrained with obsidian cuffs.

“Use that to open these; otherwise, I can’t do any mind-bending,” he said as he jumped out of his cage.

He was significantly taller than me, almost towering over me. His broad shoulders and athletic frame were well complemented by his ruffled black hair and jade eyes. I had a feeling I’d seen him before, somehow. He looked familiar.

My heart was thudding—every second counted. The more prisoners we freed, the more fighting power we had—not just against the Destroyers left in the dungeons, but also the hostiles on the upper levels.

I unlocked the cuffs, the symbols carved in them glowing green for a second before they came off, and he rubbed his wrists with relief. I had two long knives strapped to my back, and I pulled them out and handed them over to him.

“Here, use these,” I said.

“Thank you!” He grinned. “It’s been a while…”

“How long have you been down here?” I asked as I continued to let prisoners out and remove their obsidian cuffs with the little golden key, while the Mara wards did the same. Several incubi broke into one of the armories on the other side of the hallway used to access the dungeons. Swords and spears were brought out, then distributed around so each freed creature could wield a weapon.

“I lost track. At least ten years,” the Mara grumbled, moving to my side and helping the weaker prisoners stand for the first time in perhaps decades. “I’m Heron, of the Dorchadas clan.”

“I’m Anjani, of the Red Tribe.” I nodded respectfully, then stilled. I’d heard the name before, from the White City Maras. The wards had used it to address Jax. I looked around and saw one of the wards moving toward us from the growing crowd of prisoners.

The Destroyers spilling in were now quite easily overpowered, as the freed incubi, succubi, Lamias, Maras, Bajangs, and imps took their revenge in droves. The dungeons were ours.

The ward reached us and greeted Heron with a reverent bow and a short hug, visibly happy and relieved to see him.

“Milord, thank the Daughters you are still alive!” the ward said, further amplifying my confusion.

“I’m missing something here,” I muttered.

“This is Heron, Jaxxon’s younger brother,” the ward replied. “He was captured during a raid, many years ago. We’d feared him dead.”

“As you can see, I’m still here.” Heron smirked. “Though it’s been boring as hell. No entertainment whatsoever, terrible food, rude service. I’m not coming back!”

I had a joker on my hands. I smirked, then gave him a hard pat on the arm.

“Welcome back to the free world, then,” I said. “We’re taking Eritopia back. Your companions can fill you in.”

I left him there with the ward and moved on to the next cages. I glanced over my shoulder and watched as they herded the weak and wounded off to the side. Several incubi brought them water and blankets from some of the nearby service quarters. They’d even broken into one of the dry food deposits, bringing out rolls of dry bread and nuts, to feed those who had been deprived of sustenance.

The other prisoners were surprisingly well coordinated. They’d been here for so long, they’d probably bonded with one another and were able to quickly assign offense and defense positions appropriately—it worked, too, as the few Destroyers left were swiftly taken out.

“Help me!” I spotted an old female fae in a cage, half covered with a dirty blanket.

Had she not spoken, I might’ve missed her. She’d been kept separate from the others, tucked away in a dark corner. She looked pale and weak, her bony fingers trembling as I took the lock off. She reached out, showing me her obsidian cuffs.

“I’ll get you out of those now,” I said reassuringly, and inserted the little golden key into the first cuff.

She looked at me, frowning before her eyes widened with surprise.

“I know you,” she mumbled as I took off the second cuff and gently rubbed her wrinkled wrists. I stared at her, trying to figure out if I’d seen her before, but there was nothing familiar. Her skin felt cold, her flesh soft and her bones brittle. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the ordeal she’d had to endure.