A husky voice caught our attention. "Are you looking for Sverik?"
We turned our heads and found an incubus locked in a cage on the other side. He looked young and had fewer injuries compared to the other captives. His military tunic was coated with dried mud, and a deep cut had formed a dark gray crust on his left cheek, but his bright green eyes were alert, beaming with the will to survive and fight his way out of there.
"Indeed, we are," Draven replied, stepping toward the incubus. "Do you know him?"
"I know where he is." He said, hope straining his voice. "But you have to let me out of here. They will kill me soon."
"You will slow us down," Hansa shot back. "We cannot fail on this mission. All our lives depend on it, not just yours."
"I won't! I promise! I'm not injured. I am strong. I can help you! I've only been here for two days! They captured me near Mount Agrith. I'd left my garrison when they were forced to join Azazel's troops! I couldn't! I can't die in here! I will take you to Sverik. I know where they're keeping him!"
Draven thought about it, but my nerves were too stretched for me to be patient. Our time was running out. Destroyers lurked. We could be discovered at any moment, especially with all the prisoners still moaning and begging us for help.
I made the decision. I looked around and found a heavy chunk of black stone discarded on the wet, dirty floor. I picked it up and smashed the lock that held the incubus's cage shut. It took a couple of hits for the metal to break free.
The incubus jumped out of the cage and stretched, beaming with relief and sheer joy. I noticed Draven's frown aimed specifically at me and shrugged.
"Executive decision." I smiled, then looked at the incubus. "What's your name?"
"Grindel," the young soldier replied.
"Grindel, you're free now. Take us to Sverik, please. Keep your end of the bargain," I told him.
He nodded enthusiastically and swiftly ran down the narrow lane between cages. Hansa, Draven, and I followed. We took several turns before we found Sverik. He was tucked away between two other incubi by the wall. Sverik was as handsome as Aida had described him, with beautiful features and light blond hair. His crude green eyes moved around, constantly scanning his surroundings, until they settled on our approaching figures and widened with surprise.
He sat up from his slumped position, gripping the bars and measuring us from head to toe. The bruises on his cheeks and temples were nearly black, as were the circles around his eyes. He'd been there for a while, stuck in darkness and misery. Our presence seemed to bring him back to life.
///
"Sverik?" Draven asked as he reached his cage first.
"Indeed. Who's asking?" he replied bluntly.
"I am Draven, and these are my associates," he nodded toward Hansa and me. "We're here to help you."
"You're a Druid," Sverik squinted, pursing his lips. "Thought your kind was extinct, fully degraded into those snake-tailed abominations."
"As you can see, I'm still here. You can consider us critically endangered but not gone yet. We need your help, Sverik."
"How could I possibly help you? You might have noticed I'm in a cage."
"Bijarki and Kristos were allies of mine. We have a plan to defeat Azazel, but with Kristos gone, we need your help to rally the remaining troops left on Calliope against the Destroyers," Draven replied.
"So, you're the one responsible for my brother's death, then, along with that bastard Bijarki?" Sverik muttered with disgust.
"Kristos chose his own path. He rebelled. He couldn't swear fealty to a monster who only wishes to burn everything down, and you know it. Help us. Avenge him."
A moment passed before Sverik spoke again, giving me enough time to look around and make sure there weren't any Destroyers coming. We were clear for the moment.
He sighed. "What do you need from me?"
"Your presence. Your voice. You can help us gather the rogue incubi left hiding in the jungles. We've formed an alliance with the Dearghs, we've reached out to the Lamias and other succubi, and there are plenty of us out there who can fight and bring this bastard down," Draven replied. "We need to come together."
"Fine. Just get me out of here. My father betrayed me, allowing Azazel to throw me in this cage. I owe that old fool nothing. He wouldn't listen anyway."
Draven nodded then muttered something under his breath, his finger on the lock. Sparks flew from the keyhole, and the mechanism clicked. He pulled the lock apart, throwing it on the floor, and opened Sverik's cage.