Violet Eden Chapters 04 - Endless

chance to win the lives of the children in my captivity. For as many arrows as you endure a child will be released.’
    I nodded. ‘I’ve been told. But we will need someone to take the children to safety once they’ve been freed.’
    Lilith waved a hand dismissively. ‘You may not bring another of your kind within these walls.’
    We were ready for this. ‘What about another that was once one of yours?’ I asked.
    She raised her eyebrows.
    ‘I know an exile who is now only human,’ I explained.
    She stepped back with shock and then responded, appalled. ‘He chose this?’
    Time to learn a little something about me.
    I held her eyes. ‘No. I took his powers from him.’
    She tiltedher head as if replaying my words, her attention flitting around the room considering them. Eventually, she turned a thoughtful look back to me. ‘And then we will have an agreement?’
    ‘We will,’ I replied.
    She looked at Lincoln and waited. He took a deep breath and hesitated. Lilith’s smile simply broadened.
    ‘We will,’ Lincoln finally conceded.
    Lilith’s eyes shot to Phoenix and she resumed her position on her throne. ‘Make the arrangements,’ she said to him, before dismissing him with a harsh flick of her hand. ‘Take him to the south cell and put the girl below with the children. Let her see the filth she is about to die for.’
    Out of the shadows emerged dark exiles. Two dozen of them quickly surrounded us and my instincts screamed Fight! Flight! Anything! Something! But I forced myself to still as they approached, gritting my teeth as they pulled Lincoln and I apart and started to lead us away in different directions.
    When one of them elbowed me in the side, Lilith spoke up. ‘No one harms the girl. Let her be at her best for tonight’s festivities. You may, however,’ she paused as if deciding, ‘play with her love, if you must. Just make sure he can still stand by the evening.’
    I closed my eyes as the exiles hovering around Lincoln snarled.



CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
    ‘There is no chance, no destiny, no fate that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul.’
    Ella Wheeler Wilcox
    ‘ G o withLincoln,’ I snapped under my breath at Phoenix, who had remained by my side. He ignored me.
    ‘They won’t hurt me. Go.’
    His eyes flashed to mine briefly. ‘I’m not leaving you. We agreed to this,’ he whispered back.
    We? Not he and I … Since when have Phoenix and Lincoln been making deals?
    We made it back into the halls and the exiles led me to a set of stone stairs. The exile behind me pushed me down and I almost lost my footing. I righted myself in time to see Phoenix take a step towards him in anger. I sent Phoenix a sharp look. He was supposed to be on their side after all.
    When we reached the bottom of the stairs I struggled to control my reaction to what faced me, but I couldn’t stop my despair and had to close my eyes for a moment. The basement was a similar size to the ballroom we had just left, except this room was all concrete. The space had been divided into square cells by floor-to-ceiling metal bars.
    There weredozens of children.
    Between five and ten per cell. A quick scan told me we had underestimated the number captured. My stomach turned. They’d been herded and locked up like animals. All seemingly alive, though some, like the men upstairs, appeared to be just hanging on. The stench was overwhelming. They’d been left with nothing more than a small bucket in the corner of each cage. There was nothing else – no beds, no blankets – nothing but a cold concrete floor and metal bars for walls.
    I felt another jab at my back as I was pushed into an empty cage, then the gate closed behind me with a click and I heard a key secure the lock.
    Don’t panic.
    I was acutely aware of the numerous pairs of young eyes fixed on me. Some looked as young as four or five, the oldest maybe ten or eleven.
    Phoenix stood by the gate, looking over the cells, surprise registering on his face. He covered it quickly and turned to one of the dark exiles.
    ‘She’s been busy,’ he said, his tone approving.
    The exile grinned. ‘Big group came in from Canada and the Antanov flew in yesterday from Russia,’ he reported.
    Phoenix nodded. ‘Leave us. Post a guard at the top of the stairs. No one in or out,’ he ordered.
    Once the exiles had disappeared up the stairs I felt the blood drain from my face and leaned against the bars for support.
    ‘There are too