Page 55 of A Raven Revived

He nodded, but he didn’t look very happy about it. “It’s about four hours from here.”

The small amount of hope he’d gained vanished at the news. They didn’t have four hours of light left. Fitz let out a defeated sigh. How had he allowed this to happen?

“Don’t worry. We’re going to stop and reorganize a bit; we don’t need this many carriages for the next part, but we’re still going there tonight.”

ChapterSeventeen

After what felt like an eternity, they finally rolled up the drive to the asylum. A rusty sign hung over the gate with the words Auburn Ridge. Who would have imagined those two innocuous words could fill him with so much dread? An old, red brick building with few windows, and bars on even those, seemed to rise out of the mist. The silence was deafening as they made their way to the main door. Fitz had expected to hear screaming, but the quiet was perhaps even more ominous. Somehow the men who acted as security, managed to melt into the shadows right before his eyes. Patrick and Michael pulled him back, as well.

Ash pounded on the door and they all held their breath as they waited for it to open. Instead, a small portal opened in the door.

“May I help you?” the man said as he peered out at Ash. Ash simply handed the man his card. After reading it, he nodded and opened the door.

He was large, when not compared to present company, and wore an unusual tan suit. “How may I be of service, Lord Ashdown?”

Ash yanked him outside by the front of his shirt, and he yelped as he was slammed against the wall.

“We’re here for Lady Jane Kemp.”

The man’s brow furrowed. “You can take her for all I care. That one’s been nothing but trouble.”

Fitz leaned in with a growl. “Where is she?”

He shrank back. “End of the hall. I think Dr. Mickelson is in there with her.”

Ash plowed his fist into the man’s stomach before leaving him for security to deal with. Fitz and a few others followed him into the long, dimly lit corridor. It led to a bright, open room. To the left, was another room with an oversized bathtub in its center.

Ash’s steps barely slowed as he looked around before turning right and striding down another long hall. It was quiet, but the whole place reeked of fear. Doors lined the walls of the lengthy corridor. Each one of them had a portal in it, just like the main entrance. How many women were locked up in this godforsaken place?

A man in a white coat emerged from a cell at the end. Presumably, that was Dr. Mickelson.

“It’s my turn,” Patrick snarled as he pushed past and grabbed the man, throwing his knee into him before pinning him against the wall. “We’re here for Daisy. Is she in there?”

The man groaned, but said nothing.

Another man surged out of the same room.

“Harlan, just cooperate with them,” Dr. Mickelson ordered.

But the man didn’t listen. Instead, he made the poor decision to throw a punch. McKinnon’s fist connected with the side of his face, jerking his head around as blood splattered over the doctor’s white coat, before he collapsed in a heap.

“I don’t want any trouble.” Dr. Mickelson held up his hands. “Please, these women need someone here to take care of them.”

“Then stay out of our way,” Ash warned.

He nodded, and McKinnon pushed the unconscious man aside with his foot.

Fitz hurried into the room. The cell within was dark, but the light that filtered in from the hall allowed him to make out two beds, one on each side of the small space. He leaned over the one nearer the door.

“Daisy?” It was her. “Thank God.”

She nodded, but her eyes barely managed to stay open, and she didn’t speak. He pulled back the blanket. She was wrapped in some kind of heavy fabric that had her arms pinned tightly across the front of her body.

“Oh Daisy, what have they done to you?”

“It’s the jacket.” Her words were soft and slurred.

It was too dark to see properly, but there were buckles down her back, holding the thing shut, and pinning her arms against her front. “Ash, they’ve got her in some kind of contraption, and I don’t know how to get it off her.”

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