“Gods, it’s cold as fuck down here,” Lukas complained. His sepia skin seemed paler than it had when they were aboveground. “The air here is making the Black Sea seem like a balmy summer vacation spot.”
Nikhail cast an amused glance at his companion. “I do believe that’s the point, Corporal. After all, people aren’t here by choice.”
The soldier’s cheeks turned ruddy. “I suppose you’re right. This is my first time coming here. My husband warned me what I might find—he works under Commander Triumph—but I guess I didn’t quite understand what I was walking into.”
No wonder he was overwhelmed. There was no amount of mental prep work or reading up that a person could do to prepare themselves for The Pit. This was one of those places that had to be experienced to truly understand the depths of its horrors.
The silver doors opened, and a blast of bitter air slammed into them. The lighting on this level was dim and murky, and the scent of blood and death permeated everything.
If the horrendous aroma wasn’t enough of a sign of the terrible things that took place here, low, steady wails that were punctuated by the occasional scream came from all around them. The sounds of pain, synonymous with this place of darkness, were a warning to all who entered: Death lived in this place.
No matter how many times Nikhail visited The Pit, the macabre symphony never ceased to get to him.
Nikhail looked around, trying to see The Pit through Lukas’s perspective. There were more shadows than light, the stone floor was worn smooth after centuries of use, and cell doors made of prohiberis lined the hallways. A dozen red lights blinked, the all-seeing eyes of the cameras stationed throughout the prison recording every movement.
This godsforsaken place was the definition of uninviting.
A pair of guards was stationed outside the elevator. Dressed in black and armed to the teeth, they looked like every other officer who worked at this prison. The male, a human, was slightly taller than his female elven companion.
As soon as Nikhail and Lukas stepped off the elevator, the guards flanked them.
“Christof. Priya.” Nikhail dipped his chin in greeting, having met both guards before. “How are things?”
“Busy as usual,” Priya said.
A Fortune Elf with dark-brown skin, pale-pink butterfly wings, and long black hair, Priya was often underestimated because of her size and beauty. No one ever seemed to believe that she was powerful, but Nikhail knew better. He’d never seen Priya lose a fight.
“How can we help you, sir?” Christof asked.
Straight to the point. Nikhail liked that about these two.
“We’re here to see Elodie Valois.”
The human guard raised a brow. “The vampire captured at the ruins of Castle Sanguis?”
“That’s her,” Nikhail said.
Priya canted her head, her wings flattening at her back, and whistled. “You should know that the prisoner is in a… state, sir.”
“Aren’t they all?” Nikhail asked.
After all, that was the intended purpose of this place.
The Pit’s inmates weren’t brought here to die. Death would probably be kinder to them in the long run. Felons who ended up in the dark prison landed there because they had information that needed to be extracted through any means necessary.
Nothing was off the table.
The guards exchanged a glance, but it was Priya who said, “They are, but this one has been particularly… difficult.”
Nikhail barely tamped down a groan. With those few words, Priya had confirmed what he’d already suspected—he wouldn’t be getting back to River at a reasonable hour today.
He wished he’d called her on the way over. Just hearing her voice would’ve helped soothe the part of him that ached for her. The texts they’d exchanged today hadn’t been enough—he wanted to see her and hold her and touch her.
But he also needed to make sure she was safe, which was why he was here.
With a reminder of his purpose, Nikhail banished all thoughts of disappointment from his mind. He had a job to focus on. A water fae to protect.
“All right.” Nikhail rolled his shoulders and glanced at Lukas. “You have the information we need?”