"NO pain!" Jared shouted at last.
"If you're Kris's, pain like you've never known."
"That's not how this works, Rhyn!" she snapped.
The robed man tackled her, and the amulet went flying. Arms, tentacles, and antennae stretched for it. It landed dead center in the hall, out of everyone's reach. She wrenched away, only for the robed man to snatch her ankle and drag her down. He shot lightning at her that bounced off and hit an inmate. The screams added to the chaos. She kicked the robed man, and both launched themselves at the amulet.
She snatched it; he grabbed her waist. When she dropped it, he bent. They tumbled to the ground, one foot --she wasn't sure whose --knocking the amulet away.
Silence fell. She and the robed man both stopped moving, watching in disbelief as the amulet skittered, rolled, and disappeared into Rhyn's cell.
Rhyn gave a chilling chuckle.
"You better run," Jared advised. "Both of you."
The robed man scrambled to his feet and darted for the door. A dark arm darted from Rhyn's cell and snatched him mid-stride. There was a small scream, then the crack of bone and ripping of flesh. Silence.
Katie rose, heart hammering. Weakened already, she struggled for her balance.
"C'mere, little girl."
His throaty chuckle scared her more than the thought of returning to Sasha. She eyed the door at the end of the hall, then her cell, and turned 360. One way out.
"Give me a head start, Rhyn. It's only fair since you're free because of me."
"Go for it."
His noncommittal response and stillness worried her more. She started forward.
"Farewell, Lunchmeat," Jared called in resignation.
This couldn't be how she died! She'd lived through too much the past few days to be eaten by some boogeyman in a dark cell!
She straightened her shoulders, determined to approach her fate without fear. She'd been terrified since being told she had amnesia, but she'd stayed strong.
"Do your worst, you rabid dog," she challenged as she approached the point where the robed man had disappeared.
Another smoky chuckle. She sensed his movement and closed her eyes, willing her death to be as fast as the robed man's. Rhyn snatched her into the darkness, and a familiar fog appeared around her.
Suddenly, the shadow world released her. She gasped and dropped to her knees, unable to see in the inky blackness around her. She didn't feel sick this time, only weakness. The scent of sea was in the air, a rough circle of lighter darkness before her. The ground was rocky beneath her hands and knees, the air chilled.