The Priestess

"I didn't expect this, but I guess I should have, considering your initial assessment." Misty watched as the person in temple robes pulled back their hood to reveal the face of the priestess. She flashed a sinister grin and pulled out another mana inhibitor from the folds of her robe.

"This inhibitor is more powerful than the one here in the prison. We can't afford to allow you to use your magic." She turned to the big man next to her and handed him the stone. "I do apologize for knocking you out. I'm sure that your head hurts."

"Yeah, that wasn't very nice of you." Came Misty's sarcastic reply. "I have to say that tying me up and locking me in a cage is a bit overkill."

"Perhaps. The fact that you were able to get out does surprise me. Did you get lost while escaping? You might have been long gone if you had left him here." The priestess looked over her shoulder to Kason.

"I'm not the type to leave a man behind."

"I didn't realize you knew him. I'll keep that in mind for the future."

"What is this all about? The first time I met you was at the temple. Why did you do this to me?"

"Confused? It's not really you we care about." She walked over and put her finger underneath Misty's chin. "We just want leverage against Jay." Misty jerked her head away and smacked the priestess's hand.

"So who is we?" Misty had already begun the process of dragging mana into the room, but she found that she could delay pushing it into the mana inhibitor if she stored it within herself. She sent a prayer of thanks to Melcar and Astara for the library of knowledge she was able to draw from. She put her hand behind her and grabbed Kason's hand.

"You don't need to know."

"They are the Cixin Syndicate." Kason stepped closer to Misty. "It's a criminal organization full of greed and corruption." He flinched as the large jailer smacked his batan against the broken door. Misty could tell that the priestess was angry that Kason had spoken up. To be fair, it wasn't like she knew what the Cixin Syndicate was, but she had a feeling that it wouldn't be long before they became an annoying presence in her life.

"We aren't like that." The priestess bristled as if she were offended. But then she flashed a deranged grin at Misty. "We only hurt people who get in our way."

"Why are you targeting Jay?" The priestess frowned at Misty.

"Do you not know anything about your mate?" Misty shook her head. "He and his family are in charge of the largest merchant group in the world."

"So this is about money."

"Of course. That and trade routes. I won't bore you with the details, but the Malkin Clan is sitting on some of the best portals. We just want a piece of the pie, so to speak."

"That doesn't seem like a reason for violence and kidnapping." Misty said sardonically. "Most merchants would just negotiate for trade rights."

"True, but the Malkins are not very selective with whom they allow to use the portals. We feel that they should be a little more...exclusive"

"You mean that you want a monopoly on the routes."

"You are quick to catch on. And we would have had that. I don't understand how Jay escaped the traya. We were assured that he was wounded." Misty's tried to hide the shock on her face. Jay had only survived because of his mate contract. She felt frustrated that she knew so little about her mate. The library of knowledge included a lot of information about the natural order of the world but none about the people in it.

"You won't get what you want." Misty knew that once she released the mana she had been gathering that there would be chaos. There was even the possibility the stone would shatter. She looked back at Kason, hoping that he would understand to run with her when the time came.

"How pathetic. You have no idea what I want." She turned to the jailer. "Take them to one of the cells down the hall." She handed the stone to him. "Don't forget this. We can't have her using magic again."

"Yes priestess." Misty watched the big man give a slight bow before looking over at her. He stepped forward and yanked her out of the room. He also grabbed Kason by the back of the neck, pulling him out of the damaged cell and pushing both of them down the hall.

As they decended, the narrow hall became wider until it was a cavernous room. Cells branched out on the sides, and she could see people being held in the depths. Misty was shocked to see women and very young kids staring at them through the bars.

"Who are all these people?"

"Shut it!" The jailer yelled. Kason pulled her closer to him.

"They are family members of people they are trying to control. Hostages to threaten with torture.When they are no longer useful... Well, the Cixin Syndicate isn't known to just let people off."

"So they are trapped." Misty grit her teeth in anger. She was almost ready to release the mana, but now she paused. She couldn't leave these people here. The jailer was leading them to an empty cell at the end of the room. He pulled out a set of keys. Misty looked over to Kason.

"Should we get out of here?" Kason looked at her.

"I would be happy to leave, but you have already used so much mana. I don't see how you will be able to destroy all of the mana inhibitors." She smiled at his words. In addition to the stone in the jailers' possession, there were also a few more embedded in the walls of this room. Luckily for her, these were the other mana inhibitors she had fed mana to. They were already broken.

"Would you be able to lead us out of here?"

"Yes, I can smell the way out."

"Then let's go." With that, Misty released the mana she was holding in check. The energy shot straight to the greedy stone, and the concussion from the sudden increase in mana caused the stone to explode, throwing the jailer across the room.