Mantle of the Gods

My heart sank.

“Rix is dead?”

“Don’t try to fake emotion with me.” She pointed her finger. "I saw what you did to that poor boy. And while he was unconscious? It takes a special kind of monster to do that.”

“He was trying to kill me!”

“So an unconscious man was trying to kill you and you broke both his legs in self-defense?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Yes.” I registered all of what she said. "I mean, no, but yes?” I tried to wave my hands, but my right one got stopped by the chain so it looked like I was swiping at her with my left arm. I quickly pulled it back and sat on my left hand.

“Look, He ate all our food, then attacked us. We tried tying him up, but he got free. He stole my jumpsuit and then found us again. He knocked out Aelin and beat up Justia.” I looked at the door. "Ask them, they’ll tell you!”

“I have talked to them.” She walked over and leaned against the closed door. "Now I want to hear it from you.”

“We fought and Aelin knocked him out. We had the deadline that the Yellow team had given us and him attacking us started to put us behind schedule. It was the only way that we could hit level two and fight the floor boss to save Rix!”

She raised an eyebrow. "The Yellow team said they went to the first floor to give you pointers and you attacked them. Almost killed three of them.”

“That didn’t happen!” I realized it had. "Okay, Rix went a little crazy, but they started it! They attacked us first!”

She shook her head. "Do you really think ‘They started it’ is going to save you from an attempted murder charge?”

“I-” I hung my head, then looked up and tried my ‘get out of jail free’ card again. “Have you talked to Tre-." I saw the disgust on her face. "I mean, uh, Mister Vowler?”

“He’s not going to save you.” She waved it off like he didn’t matter.

“What about the ArchBishop? Does he know I’m in here?”

She stormed over and slapped me. I don’t know what her level was, but it felt like I got hit by a car.

“I’m getting tired of hearing you be so disrespectful while trying to shirk responsibility for what you’ve done.” She pointed a finger at me. "Don’t you ever talk about the ArchBishop again.”

I nodded my head as I tried to rub the right side of my face with my left hand.

“I didn’t hear you!”

“Yes, Ma'am.” I stiffened. I found myself wishing that the skeletal snake had run me over and killed me. That was a better fate than this.

“As much as I’d like to see you hang for everything that you’ve done, there are answers you have that my bosses want to know, so I’m supposed to offer you a deal.” She closed her eyes and tried to compose herself.

“What about Rix?” I couldn’t end this without knowing. “What happened to her?”

“You would like to confess to murder too?” She opened her eyes and smiled,

“No! I didn’t hurt Rix! We did all of this to save her!”

“HAHAHAHA” The Enforcer held her stomach, then wiped a tear off of her face. "You are a piece of work.” Her gaze hardened. "There is a record of Rix clearing the first-floor boss, but no record of her entering the second-floor boss room.” She clenched her fists. "We scried the whole floor. She’s not on it and she didn’t warp back to the front…” She let the implication hang in the air.

“She’s dead.” I couldn’t stop the tears. "They killed her.”

“Stop the waterworks.” The Enforcer was suddenly in front of me and her fist was right under my jaw. "If I didn’t need you to talk…” She let the threat hang in the air. "You disgust me. Monsters like you belong in the dungeon.”

I wiped the tears from my face. I’d make them pay. I’d take out the entire Yellow team. But first I had to get out of here.

“What is it that your bosses want to know?”