Passion by Kailin Gow

doubt.
    “I’m
the one who best knows how to get around this building, so it’ll be easier if I
go back up to get all the freed djinns together and back down here.”  Liam
looked at me then back to Torrid.  “I think we both agree it’s not a good idea
to leave Kama down here alone.”
    “Hey,
hold on,” I whined.  “Why not?  I’m capable.  I have good ears.  I could
probably hear someone coming down those tunnels long before they even get here.”
    “It’s
not your hearing I’m worried about.”
    “You
think I can’t defend myself?”
    “You
can defend yourself fine.”  Liam gripped my shoulders and looked me straight in
the eye.  “You’ve proven that already.  I just don’t want to leave you in a
position where you have to defend yourself again, not now, not alone.  You’ve
already been through enough.”
     “Liam,
I appreciate your desire to protect me, but don’t underestimate how resilient I
am.  What happened at the Coliseum only made me stronger.  I can face anything
now.”
    “I
agree with him, Kama,” Torrid said.  “You’ve been through enough.  I’ll stay
and guard these tunnels.”  He looked at Liam.  “How will I let you know if
someone’s coming?”
    “Under
the stairs we came down you’ll find an electric panel.  Don’t panic and shut
off all the power.  Whoever’s in the tunnel will see it and will know we’re
expecting them.  Shut off the power on the first floor only.  Blink it on and
off a few times, just enough to let us know you're expecting company, but not
long enough to keep us from safely getting back down here.”
    Torrid
clucked his tongue in annoyance.  “First off, I’m not given to bouts of panic,
so don’t worry; I won’t shut off the power entirely.  Secondly, I don’t think
you need to specify I just flicker the lights on and off.  I know you need the
lights to get back down here.”
    “Hey
man, no offense,” Liam said in a cool tone that left little room for argument. 
“I just wanted to make sure we’re clear.  There’s nothing like  ambiguity to
screw things up.”
    “Okay,
guys,” I said after a few seconds of watching their tense stare down.  “Let’s
get on with this.”
    Liam
nodded and grabbed my hand.  At the door to the stairs, he said, “Start up the
stairs, as silently as you can.  I’ll catch up with you in a few minutes.”
    A
little confused I watched him return to the circular room where he carefully
opened one door after another.  He gestured to Torrid to keep quiet and quickly
came back to join me.
    “I
thought I told you to go on ahead,” he whispered as he playfully urged me up
the stairs.
    “Sorry,”
I whispered back. 
    We
made it to the main floor and headed to the cafeteria.  The silence that
reigned was a welcomed change from the chaos that had dogged us since entering
the ward.
    “They
should have everything under control by now and we’ll be able to recruit the
majority of them for this offensive.”
    “How
many do you think we’ll need?  I mean, how big can Sanz’s army be?”
    “It’s
hard to say.  I know he’s lost a lot.  The war in general has been rough, but
the attack here in the ward cost him dearly.  How many Catchers and Rogue Magical
Ones he has stashed away is hard to estimate.”
    “So
basically you're saying we’re going to need all the djinns we can get.”
    “Exactly.” 
He pushed the door to the cafeteria.
    Hearing
the soft and whimsical music that emerged, I peered over his shoulder and
smiled. 
    The
music seemed to waft in from the heavens while playful rays of multicolored
lights shined in every direction.  Many djinns floated about, keeping guard of
their prisoners.
    “I
guess that’s what happens when you finally release a bunch of djinns who’ve
been cooped up for too long,” I said with a chuckle.
    “General…
ah Captain… hmmm, sir.”  A tall young djinn came up to Liam.  He shifted
nervously from one foot to the other and