Matt laid out the escape plan, which hinged on Sylus. To his astonishment, Alex was perfectly willing to serve as bait, provided Matt felt it had a reasonable chance of succeeding.

  "That's it?" Matt asked, unable to help himself, after Alex's immediate agreement. "You don't want to explore other options? There are less dangerous approaches."

  “Maybe for me, personally.” Alex said with a shake of his head. “But even if I fail to do my part, it’s still the best plan for at least one of us to get out alive.”

  “You shouldn’t have to be the one to carry that burden. I’m the one that’s-”

  “You’re right, it’s not fair.” Alex said, cutting him off. “But it’s also not all about you. You said it yourself: Of the two of us, they know you’re the biggest threat. I’m the expendable one here, not you. If I mess up, it’ll most likely only get me killed. If you mess up, we all die. Besides, I have a significantly better chance at diverting their attention without arousing suspicion. They need me to talk to figure out what went wrong, remember? Markov will try to avoid killing me for as long as possible, and they'll never let their guard down around you, which only screws us – especially me.”

  They both knew it was the truth. Alex couldn't take on Markov, not head-to-head or in a sneak attack, and the only way Matt could get close enough to take him out was by surprise.

  “I’m not letting you throw your life away just because it’s the easiest way to escape.”

  “First off, you’re not letting me do anything.” Alex said. “And this isn’t just the easiest way, it’s the best way. We both know there’s no way Markov will take you before me. We also know that with those restraints on, you need to need to catch him by surprise, with his back against a wall. The only way to do that is to have Sylus open the door remotely, and the only way he can do that is when Markov or Raymond takes one of us to the chamber.”

  The control room could open the cell remotely, but it required either the key that Markov or Raymond kept on them at all times. However, only Markov held the keys to Matt's restraints, so their plan had to focus on Markov.

  Markov, even more than Raymond, was extremely cautious around Matt, ensuring he never got too close unless Matt was unconscious or bound to the altar. Every time he pulled Matt from the cell, he had Sylus do it remotely, only showing up when he knew it was safe. They figured that he would probably do the same thing when he came for Alex.

  “Don’t worry about it, I’ll be fine.” Alex said confidently.

  Before Matt could respond an alarm bell rang out accompanied by a concussive wave of magic that made their bones vibrate.

  He was finally hear.

  Alex raised his eyebrows once in a kind of cocky salute and smiled. His body shimmered briefly as he returned his clothes to his storge space, that confident smile the only thing left on him.

  Let’s do this, that smile said.

  Matt grabbed him by the arm and pulled him close.

  “If things start looking bad, you need to try and escape.” Matt said hurriedly. “The ritual he is going to use on you requires you to be bound with a very specific type of enchanted rope, but it can’t be reinforced so you should be able to break it. If he doesn’t put a suppression collar on you then that means Raymond didn’t tell him about your strength. When you get the chance, make sure he is distracted, but don't wait too long. Even if you manage to survive the ritual, you will be too weak to fight him off afterwards. He mostly uses spells, so aim for the throat to prevent him from saying the incantations. Do not attack him here though, there are too many defenses in this room, and we will never make it out alive, even if we do manage to kill him.”

  Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

  Another alarm bell went off, this time high and shrill, making both men clamp their hands over their ears as a wave of vertigo threatened to knock both men off their feet. The alarm continued to rise in pitch, sounding more like a whistle than a bell, and the noise pierced directly into their skulls.

  The trilling alarm cut off suddenly, leaving behind a ghostly echo in their ears, and the door at the far end of the hall opened. A tall, lean man stepped through. Alex didn’t know why, but he was expecting a pasty, hunch-backed man in a dirty lab coat like the mad scientists from the movies.

  Annoyingly, Markov was a strikingly handsome man with dark olive skin, appearing to be in his mid-thirties. His short, dark hair was cropped close to his scalp, and so tightly curled it resembled a perfectly executed perm; the effect was both stylish and oddly out of place, causing Alex to stifle a snicker behind his hand. Turning his chuckle into such an obvious cough that the corners of Matt’s mouth twitched from the effort of keeping his expression neutral.

  Markov’s face was lean and angular, but it was his prominent, hooked nose that dominated his features, immediately capturing and holding Alex's attention. The nose, long and sharply curved, gave his face a strong, almost predatory look that intensified Alex’s unease.

  His robes were a dark blue that was almost black, and Alex could see what looked like polished dress shoes under the hem of his robe as he strode confidently towards them.

  “Separate.” Markov commanded.

  Matt let go of his wrist and clapped him on the back, giving him a reassuring nod.

  Matt walked back to where his clothes were lying on the ground and sat down. Hidden bars lowered from the ceiling around him, cutting him off from Alex.

  Good, that meant Sylus had remote access to the cell doors.

  Markov stopped in front of Alex on the other side of the bars and pointed the same type of metal rod at him that Raymond previously used on them.

  “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” He said with an arrogant smirk. “But I wou-” He began to say, but Alex cut him off.

  “Yeah, yeah. ‘But you would love to do it the hard way’. I get it, you're so original. I’m guessing it works just as well with the ladies as it does here?”

  An ugly look transformed Markov’s face and a bolt of energy shot out from the tip of the rod, hitting Alex right below right hip.

  “Get up.” Markov commanded again. “Place your back to the bars and put your hands through the gaps.”

  Alex forced himself to his hands and knees, his entire body quivering from the electrical current that was still tracing its way through his body. He didn’t even remember falling to the ground. Slowly he got to his feet and walked drunkenly over to the bars.

  The arrogant look returned to Markov’s face, and he sneered derisively when Alex reached him.

  “Now turn around.”

  “Bright eyes. Every now and then I –” Alex began to sing but Markov jabbed him in the stomach with the end of the rod. He saw the blow coming though, and tensed his muscles for the impact, staring into the man’s eyes defiantly. Silently thankful that he hadn’t also used electricity with the blow.

  He waited until Markov’s lips began to quiver in anger before he finally turned his back on him and stuck his hands through the gap. Unable to help himself, he began humming the melody now stuck in his head. Markov grabbed his wrists and yanked them backwards. The back of Alex’s head bounced off with the metal with a clang! and fresh stars exploded like suns in his eyes.

  “Heh, bright eyes.” Alex mumbled through the pain.

  “Shut up.” Markov snarled. “And next time, you’ll be quick about it.”

  Alex remained silent as his wrists were bound. He was just starting to seriously consider asking what was taking so long when the bars closest to him rose up from the ground and into the ceiling.

  “Fancy.” Alex said before he could stop himself.

  “Shut up.” Markov said again, turning Alex towards the door and shoved him forward.

  Alex hesitated, but before he could do anything Markov jabbed the tip of his rod into the small of his back, the sharp prongs at the end of it dug into the skin directly over his spine.

  He stepped close and whispered, “Try anything, and I will paralyze you from the waist down. I may not want to kill you yet, but you don’t need the use of your legs for what I have planned for you.”

  Markov waited until Alex nodded his understanding and shoved him once more towards the door.

  “You should be happy, Mr. Masterson. It looks like I won’t be needing you for a while.”

  Matt didn't react to the taunt; instead, he focused on Alex, offering him silent encouragement and support. Alex raised his eyebrows once in acknowledgement and Matt laid back, hands behind his head, and began whistling the melody of an oddly familiar tune. Alex suppressed a smile as he was led through the door into the control room. Guess that song was catchy no matter where you were.