Chapter Five
The next day, I'm woken early by a guard name Illumine. He's a phoenix, a man with red-orange wings. His hooked nose is decidedly bird-like, and his eyes are amazing, all fiery and bright, especially in the darkness in the prison no matter the hour of the day, and right now, it's early in the morning.
“You don’t just get the night shift, unfortunately, Mirella,” he says after he introduces himself. “Time to round on the inmates and make sure they’re all here.”
I rub sleep-induced sand from my eyes, head over to the basin in the corner, splash water onto my face, and hesitate. Illumine’s turned his back, so I quickly change my clothes and then fall into step behind him.
Unlike my first tour with Portia, Illumine and I check on every single patient. It’s long and tedious, but then, we reach a cell containing a demon, another with a demon, another, and another, and…
I walk ahead and then stop. This demon is gagged and bound. He’s not able to do anything except breath and look around.
“Illumine,” I call.
The phoenix flies over and lands beside me. “Ah, yes, Brokon.”
“Why is he bound and gagged?” I ask. The others hadn’t been.
“He’s the most powerful demon locked up here. He’s probably the most powerful paranormal creature in the entire prison. We can’t be too careful with him.”
“Why not just keep him in solitary indefinitely?”
“Even a demon committed of a crime or five hundred has rights,” he says in a tone that suggests he wishes otherwise.
“Five hundred?”
“Maybe an exaggeration,” he says, but he isn’t smiling, and I see no hint that he’s joking.
I swallow hard. A mega-powerful demon is responsible. I know he is, but how am I supposed to prove it?
That night, I sneak out of my room. Feeling very much like a thief or even a criminal, I make my way to Brokon’s cell. Despite the darkness, I can tell that the demon is watching me. He hasn’t moved at all from when I first saw him.
I’m desperate. I don’t have a lot of time here, and I need to somehow prove Brokon is the true guilty party. Unless he confesses, I’m out of luck.
Just because I’m facing something insanely difficult doesn’t mean I’m going to back down.
It’s not something I’ve ever attempted before, but I close my eyes and enter a trance, but, and it’s a huge but, I try to force the demon into the trance with me so we can talk.
My eyes open inside the trance. I’m alone, but not for long. The demon is before me, ungagged and unbound, and my stomach twists into knots.
“Why have you brought me here?” he demands.
“To talk.”
“About?”
“A certain siren.”
"What makes you think I want to talk to you about anything?" He moves around me, forcing me to turn to be able to look at him. He's not walking. His legs aren't moving. Somehow, he's basically gliding, almost flying on the ground.
“Do you deny using Lucas’ voice to cause two teenagers to kill themselves?”
The demon grins. His teeth look even longer up close. “I do deny it.”
“Do you now? I’m surprised. I would’ve thought that demons would want to have credit for every single one of their crimes,” I say idly.
“If you think that will get me to confess—”
“I know demons lie, but I didn’t think one would lie to himself,” I remark.
“Why do you even care about this siren?” he growls.
“I don’t. I care about justice.” I cross my arms and purse my lips, just waiting for his mockery and contempt.
“Justice. Bah! Do you know the last time I spoke with a human? How is that justice?”
“Considering that it seems as if you have the ability to almost make a ragtag team of paranormal creatures, a team that would be willing to kill others and even pin the crime on someone else, I think it’s only right and fair for you to be gagged.”
‘You think you know everything,” the demon says with a laugh. “You can try to talk circles around me, but I have lived far longer than you, and you could never convince me to do something I do not wish.”
“Then wish it,” I blurt out.
“Wish what? To tell you I stole his voice?”
“Just tell me one thing.” I inhale deeply. “What were their names?”
Brokon grimaces. “I would rather—”
“What were their names?” I persist.
He appraises me critically before nodding. “I will say this about you. It’s daring to draw another into a trance in your mind.”
“Yes, I’m daring, and I’m daring you right now to tell me their names.”
“Erica and Natalie.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re thanking me? It’s not often you see male sirens, so when I found one, I decided to have a little bit of fun. I knocked him out and took control of his voice. As for Erica and Natalie, well, I had to test out the voice to see if it would work or not, and it did.”
“You’re a monster,” I cry.
“Indeed.” His grin is wicked and vicious, and I can’t stand looking at him another second.
Swiftly, I end the trance and open my eyes in real life. The demon glares at me. As I watch, he contorts his arm and hand unnaturally and soon removes the gag.
“Well, well, well. Mirella Sharpe, aren’t you? I knew your parents.”
I backed away when he ungags himself, but now, I step forward. “You knew my parents?”
“I did. Or did I? I’m a demon, and I don’t always tell the truth, you know.”
“People tend to tell the truth when they’re on their death bed,” I say. “I figure the same will hold true even for demons.”
“Ah, but I am not on my death bed.”
“I can arrange that,” I say calmly.
“You can’t harm me. You can’t touch me,” he hisses. “You want to become a paranormal executioner? You won’t ever. You’re too soft, too weak. Your heart is too big.”
My thoughts turn to the stone dragon gargoyle I spared.
“I might have a heart, but I prefer
