Fortune Academy: Year Three - J.R. Thorn Page 0,69

enough magic in it to get me into some minor prisoner’s cages.

I scratched a line across my arm, wincing as the black blood seeped over my claws.

Dante and Orion both watched me with concern, but didn’t try to stop me. I tested my claw against the device again and it sliced through like butter.

Bingo.

I walked the long line of cages and broke the locks as we went, leaving the sleeping prisoners to figure out on their own that they’d been freed.

“Is that such a good idea?” Dante asked as I sliced my claw through yet another lock.

“I’m not leaving these people to rot,” I whispered back. I’d left them once. I wasn’t going to do it again.

Instead of arguing, Dante used his dagger to assist me. He presented it and I wiped my arm on the dull side of the blade. He used it to pry open latches as we worked down the line together.

As we got to the lower levels, my claw trick stopped working to free the prisoners, but I saw why.

“Are these the monsters you hunted?” I asked Dante.

He grunted in reply. “Yeah. I captured a lot of these, and they’re actually dangerous, so I wouldn’t try to free them, not until we have some proper backup, anyway.”

A part of me wanted to break the cages, because no matter how dark or lost these “monsters” might be, I could relate to them. They all just wanted to be loved, to be understood, and to have a purpose in their lives.

Rotting in a cell was a poor purpose, to say the least.

I made a mental note to free them once it was safe, because regardless of my own feelings about it, Dante was right. Once they woke up, they’d attack anyone in their way no matter our intentions.

Orion walked on ahead of us, his glow fighting against the dark fog that was starting to make me feel sleepy.

“We need to hurry,” he said. “I think Cole has everyone passed out down here. The closed space gives the fog denser concentration.”

“Then we’ll just have to burn it out.” I lit a fireball in my hand that sputtered against the fog. I had trouble burning through it, but with enough concentration I was able to forge a path through to the final door.

My heart jumped when I felt Kaito on the other side. I pulled out the handkerchief with the Founder’s blood on it. Runes along the door reacted and a click sounded on the other side, leaving only a few drops left on the cloth. It would be good only one more time.

I waited a moment, the silence becoming deafening, until the door finally eased open under my touch.

“Kaito?” I ventured, only to find my mentor crouched in a corner of the small cell. Red, glowing eyes watched us and dared us to approach.

“I don’t think they’ve let him out since we got back from Hell,” Dante warned as he stepped in front of me. “Hey, Kaito. Buddy. It’s us.”

An inhuman snarl came from my tortured Virtue and my heart twisted.

“It’s the fog,” Orion whispered. “Burn it out of this cell so he can breathe some clean air. It’s infected him.”

Out of all my Virtues, Kaito had the most secrets and he held a grudge like no tomorrow. He’d be particularly susceptible to Cole’s influence.

With my help, I’d free him from it.

I fueled my power into the fireball in my hand, but it sputtered and writhed against the fog that continued to push down against us. Kaito growled, taking the attempt to be a threat.

Orion placed one hand on my arm. “Use me,” he offered. “Pull my strength into you like you’ve done before.”

I concentrated, using my succubus powers to take just a sliver of energy from Orion without harming his soul within. It worked and his sunlight poured over my arm and into my body, fueling the fire even hotter.

Dante rested a hand on my other wrist. “Me as well.” His orange eyes glowed as I carefully searched him and found his magical energy. He didn’t have as much to offer as Orion, but that was my fault for leaving him to stew alone with Hendrik and all of his rage.

The darkness in the room slowly dissipated until Kaito seemed to register who we were. He straightened and shook his head, regaining a familiar sense of poise and authority despite his wrecked appearance. “Lily?” he asked, rubbing his temple. “Where am I?”

I released the power back into my