CHAPTER SIX

Nora

The room is dark and cold, a cliché of a place to keep prisoners. I sit in the cage the Silver Hunters put me in, my arms folded as I try to think my way out of this mess.

They took my wand, of course. As well as the potions I had on myself. Without those, I'm not much of a witch. All I have left are incantations, and a hex has been put on this cage to block any spells.

As much as the Silver Hunters claim to hate magic, they clearly have no problem using it against others. The truth is probably that they're bitter that they don't have the natural abilities supernaturals do.

"Think, Nora," I mutter to myself. "Think."

If only I could remember that spell that’s said to break any magicked lock. My mind is foggy, though, and I suspect that’s the result of yet another one of the Silver Hunters’ spells.

"There's no way out of here," a man in the cage next to me says--he told me he's a cook at the school. "The Silver Hunters have already won."

"Well that's not very positive," I snap at him. "What's your name, anyway?"

"Charlie," he says, his voice resigned. "What's the point of knowing each other's names, though? We're both stuck in here."

I roll my eyes. "Knowing each other's names is a basic human courtesy, Charlie. How long have you been locked up here?"

"Two days," he says, his voice low. "They came for me after I'd already escaped. Found me in a motel. Dragged me here and put me in this cage. I haven't seen anyone else since."

I nod, taking in the information. It's been about a day since the Silver Hunters caught me, so I haven't been here as long as Charlie. But that doesn't make me feel any better.

"Do you know why they're doing this?" I ask him. "Why they're kidnapping supernaturals and putting them in cages?"

Why not just kill us, like they have so many others? Why do they want to keep me and Charlie--and the handful of teachers and students in the other cages in here--alive?

Charlie shakes his head. "I don't know. They just said they were going to rid the world of us. As if we're the problem."

I scoff. "Typical humans. They fear what they can't understand, and instead of trying to learn, they try to destroy it. Have you heard anything about Headmaster Stroud? Do you know where he is?"

"No." Charlie's shoulders droop.

"I saw him," a girl across from me says. She scoots closer to the bars. "When the Silver Hunters attacked. He fought them."

My heart twists. "And then?"

She shakes her head. "I don't know what happened to him."

My hands curl into fists. Headmaster Stroud is one of the wisest, kindest men alive. If the Silver Hunters killed him...

The very thought makes me want to scream.

I need to come up with an escape plan. Even if I end up dying while trying to get out of here, it doesn't matter. I would rather be free than at the Silver Hunters' mercy--or, rather, lack thereof.

"Who else is here?" I call into the dark room full of cages.

A few voices respond, rattling off names I barely recognize. I've been so removed from Hawthorn for years, I don't know half the teachers--and next to none of the students.

"Jared," a student's voice says from my other side. "Jared McAllister."

"Jared, do you have any idea why they're doing this?" I ask.

"No," he says. "I heard them talking about some kind of plan, but they didn't say what it was. They just kept talking about how they were going to wipe us out. All of us."

I shake my head in disbelief. "This is madness."

"We have to get out of here," he says, his voice low. "We can't just sit here and wait for them to decide what to do with us. I have a plan."

I want to be excited, but it's hard. "These cages are magicked to prevent spells."

"I'm not talking about using a spell." He holds up a rusty blade. "I grabbed it from outside, right when they caught me. It was right by the tool shed. I've been working on my bars since they attacked the school."

I want to shout with joy, but I hiss instead. "Good job, Jared. Nicely done."

"I'm almost done," he whispers as he saws at one of his bars. "I'll be out tonight."

My heart races with excitement. He won't be able to get me or anyone else out, though. There isn't time for that.

I could ask him to go for help, but where would he go? Davis and the other teachers who have escaped surely assume the Silver Hunters brought me to Hawthorn--and if they know what's good for them they won't try to rescue me. There aren't enough of them yet for that kind of mission.

But maybe Jared can help out another way.

"Do you know where the headmaster's office is?" I ask Jared.

He nods. "Yeah. Why?"

"Can I have that blade after you're done?" I glance in the direction of the closed door. So far, so good. No one has come to check on us for the last few hours.

"Yeah. Of course." He keeps sawing, his jaw set tight. "And then I'll sneak out, find a way to signal for help. Maybe I'll climb up to the roof and light a fire or something. Then, when the help arrives, they can take down the Silver Hunters and free all of us."

I smile just so he feels encouraged. "I wish it were that simple. I'm sorry to tell you this, but no one is coming for help. Not soon, anyway. Some of the teachers are getting a team together, but it will take a while."

His shoulders fall. "So we're on our own."

My throat tightens. "We're on our own."

Charlie lets out a low moan. "We're gonna die in here."

One of the students starts quietly sobbing. I want to tell Charlie to shut the hell up and stop scaring everyone, but I restrain myself. Maybe I'll tell him that later. Right now I need to focus on the task at hand.

"I need you to find a way to get there," I say to Jared, excitement building in my chest. "There's something I need from his desk. It might help us get out of here."

"What is it?" Charlie asks, leaning closer to the bars.

"A key," I say. "A key to a room that might have some weapons in it. We'll need them if we're going to fight our way out of here."

Jared nods, his eyes wide with determination. "I'll get it. I'll bring it back to you."

I smile at him, grateful for his bravery. "Be careful, Jared. And hurry back."

As he continues to saw at his bars, I lean back against the wall of my cage, my mind racing. Everything hinges on Jared's success. If he can't get that key, or if he's caught... I don't even want to think about it.

But I have to stay positive. I have to believe that we can get out of here. Because if we don't, we're all as good as dead.

Suddenly, there's a clang. One of Jared's bars has fallen to the floor. And he's cut several more!

"Yes," I hiss.

Getting on his hands and knees, he crawls from the cage. The second he's out, though, the doors open and several Silver Hunters enter. Jared is too distracted by his success to notice them at first, but they don't hesitate.

"Jared!" I yell. "Look out!"

One of the Silver Hunters raises their hands and shoots a blast of magic at Jared. It hits the student square in the back and he crumples. He falls right next to my cage, his eyes open but unseeing.

He's dead.

I let out a horrified cry and slap my hand over my mouth.

The Silver Hunter who cast the spell gives a wicked grin. "That's what happens when you try to escape. Maybe the rest of you will take this as a lesson."

"Why?" My voice shakes with rage. "You're going to kill us, anyway, aren't you?"

"When we're ready." He approaches my cage. "You supernaturals are a disease in this world and we're going to wipe you all out. We might as well enjoy ourselves while we're doing it, though."

I can feel the anger and despair rising in me, but I force it down. I can't let them break me. I won't let them win.

"I won't let you do this," I say, my voice shaking with rage. "You can't just murder innocent people like this."

The Silver Hunters turn to me, their eyes filled with malice. "Don't you get it, witch?" one of them sneers. "There's no such thing as innocent supernaturals. You're all dangerous, and we're going to stop you."

I want to scream at them, to shake them and make them see reason. But I know it's pointless. These people are too far gone.

Poor Jared. He didn't deserve that.

Unfortunately, it looks like I won't be able to escape anytime soon.

The Silver Hunter who killed Jared crouches in front of me and narrows his eyes at me through the bars. "Ready to talk yet?"

I grit my teeth. "I'm not telling you where they are."

It's the second time since they dragged me into Hawthorn that they've asked me where Davis and the students who got away are. They can ask a million more times and I'll never say.

Honestly, I don't know for sure. We have several safe houses, and maybe by now they've met up with other guild members. If the Silver Hunters are still asking about them, though, that means they haven't been caught.

The Silver Hunter chuckles and stands up, brushing his hands off. He turns to walk away, leaving Jared's body next to my cage. "Well, have fun in here."

"What are you going to do with us?" I call after him. "How long are you going to keep us here?"

He doesn't bother turning around. "Until we're done with you. You're running out of time, witch. You know what will happen if you don't start talking. Not that I won't enjoy using... other methods on you."

And then he's gone.

I stare at the spot he was standing in and let out a long, shuddering breath.

Poor Jared. All of that happened so fast.

I feel partially responsible. He already planned on breaking out, but I could have stopped him. Could have talked him out of it.

I glance at his lifeless body and let out a string of curses. I stare back at the door, my eyes burning with tears.

"We're doomed," Charlie wails.

This time I don't bother to correct him. Maybe he's right after all.