The Dark Prison - Chapter 16

Instructions

tw: mentions of death The dream connection couldn’t materialize fast enough for my liking. Chaiyn appeared by my side, as normal, with Tobi standing nearby, his wings unfurling slightly. The group of people not at the prison were standing together. “Okay, you guys learned something?” Naomi asked as soon as we were all solid. Chaiyn and I nodded. “Shadow managed to talk to us alone with one of the guards - whose name is Pax and he’s also working against Jessica - and said that Jessica is operating solely on the assumption that we’ll go with the werewolf option,” I began. “They gave us a hint,” Chaiyn continued. “They said that we could return something to Jessica. Something that she lost a while ago, something that broke her.” After a pause, Harlow spoke up. “Did she say what that was?” Chaiyn shook his head. “No. Ran out of time, and didn’t want to risk Jessica finding out.” “Do you have an idea who she meant?” Brazen asked. “What were the exact words?” Tobi asked. “How did they describe the /thing/, exactly?” “‘She lost something a while ago. Something that turned her evil. Something you could return,’” Chaiyn said, quoting word for word what Shadow and Pax had said. Tobi snapped his fingers. “Something that turned her evil. She was never truly evil or monstrous until her father died. If we can bring Cozbi back, we win.” There was a long span of silence. “Calli can raise the dead. She’s a Vitania,” Harlow said. “Yes, but I can’t just raise someone. In order for it to work, you have to change something about him. Like turning them blind, wiping their memory, that sort of thing,” Calli said. “We’d have to change something about Cozbi. Who knows if he’d still be the same, enough for Jessica to accept it?” “Not forgetting why we had to kill him,” Brazen cut in. “He was evil. The monster took him too far. He almost /killed/ Shadow.” “That’s it,” Ren said quietly from his spot at the edge of the group. “We have to get rid of the monster.” “But how? The host has to do it, and I highly doubt there’s enough of Cozbi yet to fight it off,” I said. Ren nodded. “I know. Someone here has to take the monster instead.” “I’ll do it,” I said instantly. It was my fault we were in this mess, so I was going to get us out of it. The seconds that followed were yet another example of how loud ten people could be. Naomi, Brazen, and Chaiyn all yelled “No!” in unison. Dusk shook their head rapidly. Tobi and Ax were mostly quiet, but I could see the disagreement on their faces, and Harlow and Calli were equally appalled by my suggestion. “Everyone, shut up!” Ren roared. The dream instantly fell silent. I’d never heard Ren raise his voice to that volume ever since he fought off the monster. “Wolf, there is no way in hell you’re taking it. I mean no disrespect, but this monster is far too strong for you,” Ren started, at a much lower volume than before. “We have to take the monster, otherwise Cozbi won’t be safe. /I’ll/ take it.” The room started to get loud again. Ren raised a hand. “Nope. Please don’t get loud again. Hear me out. I’ve had the monster the longest. I’ve had practice fighting it. It might kill me, but it will /definitely/ kill you, Wolf.” He looked me dead in the eyes. “You still have a life to live. I don’t. In fact, I missed mine. This is my chance to make things right.” “No,” I whispered. “You can’t, Ren.” “Ren’s right,” Chaiyn said. I could hear the reluctance in his tone, but I could also tell that he knew he spoke the truth. “Ren has the most experience with the monster. He has the highest chance of survival.” Ren nodded. “So it’s settled, then. Calli, when we arrive, you’ll raise Cozbi, and once we lure the monster out, I’ll take it. I’ll probably pass out, and you guys can reunite father and daughter, and we’ll have won.” No one liked it. Not even Ren, if I could guess. But it was the most logical choice. “It’s settled,” I echoed in a small voice. “What about Cozbi’s body?” Chaiyn asked. “It wasn’t at the grave,” Ax said. “Neither was his ghost. If I had to guess, I’d say that Jessica took him.” “Add that to the list of things to do once you’re here,” Chaiyn said. “Find a dead body.” With the plan intact, Naomi disbanded the dream, and I fell into an uneasy sleep.