Cass’s trembling words were followed by a hollow moment of silence, the foreign thrall frozen as they absorbed the warning. The quiet moment was split by the ear shattering tone of a new alarm- a shrill, pulsing wail that made Cass cringe and cover his ears. Arius’s face paled, their green eyes wide as they glanced over Cass’s shaking shoulders. The fire still raged, licks of neon flame curling against the velvet sky, but voices had raised with new orders: to direct a hunt.

“Shit,” Arius hissed under their breath, helping Cass to his feet and pulling him away from the wall.

Cass stumbled along with him, his breaths still shivering with blue fog, his eyes glowing softly against the darkness as he looked up at the thrall. “He won’t let me go,” Cass whispered, trembling with the memory of punishment for previous disobedience. He remembered becoming a thrall as a child, the violating agony; if he was caught now, he was sure Emrys would make him suffer more for trying to run away.

“You don’t need his permission anymore,” Arius snarled, grabbing Cass’s wrist and towing him behind them as they rushed along the path which followed the outer walls of Emrys’s mansion.

Cass looked up at the walls which had marked the outer limits of his world for so many years; they towered over his head, looming over him as if ready to topple and crush the flickering hope in his chest. The ominous feeling made him shudder, dropping his gaze as he followed Arius. “It’s not about permission,” he muttered, an edge of desperation to his voice as he was towed along. “Emrys has owned me since I was a child. The things he’s done for me, invested in me and my power… he will hunt me to the ends of the world. And he’d rather rip my heart out himself than let another lord have me.”

Arius glanced back at him, and Cass felt their pulse race where their palms pressed together tightly. “Then I’ll just have to make sure he can’t find you,” they said, their expression grim as they turned another corner and one of the mansion’s massive gates came into view.

Cass’s steps faltered as he saw the guards surrounding it- shadows milling along the walls in thick armor, their sharp gazes piercing the darkness. He dragged Arius back a step, his voice strangled by his racing pulse as he looked at them with wide eyes.

Arius’s lips pressed into a thin line, huffing out an aggravated breath as they reached a hand up to the jewels in their braid. Unlacing another gem with nimble fingers, they rolled the crystal over their palm with a frown. Cass stared at the dark jewel, flickers of red sparks dancing across the smooth surface, his stomach twisting with an instinctual sense of danger.

“This better be worth it,” Arius muttered as they raised their hand, flicking the gem toward the gate. Flickers of red energy sparked in the air as the gem soared toward the gathered guards, sticking for a moment against the thick grated metal; then it exploded with a flash of blinding red light and a deafening roar.

Cass whimpered, his ears ringing as he tried to cover them; Arius was already pulling him forward again, through the flaming rubble of the wall and gate blown in every direction. His voice caught on the warning as he saw one of the shadows stir- tossing aside their flaming cloak before they lunged for Arius with bared teeth.

“Stop!” The barked command was in a familiar voice which made Cassius freeze, eyes wide as he watched a writhing ball of flame connect with the attacking shadow. She screeched as she fell backward, clawing at her face- and Cass felt a new hand grab his arm, trying to wrench him away from Arius.

The foreign thrall snarled as they felt the pull, turning with their hand balled into a fist; Cass threw himself in the way, his hands held out protectively as he stood in front of the man who had saved him. “What are you doing?” Arius snapped, their gaze burning as they glared over Cass’s head. “Protecting a man who will drag you back to your master again?”

Cass shook his head, pressing back against the man behind him; Syrus grunted, his hands closing around Cass’s waist as he dragged the smaller man back another step. “Don’t hurt him,” Cass pleaded, not sure who he was talking to- the glowering thrall, or the mage at his back.

Syrus grasped his shoulder, turning Cass to face him. Cass winced at the fear in the mage’s gaze. “How did you find me?” he asked.

Syrus touched a finger to the blue gem suspended from his ear; it shimmered in the firelight, glowing with the same soft ethereal light of Cass’s power. “It calls to you.”

“Does Emrys know that?” Arius’s voice was tense, their fingers brushing the gems in their braid.

The mage looked at him for a moment, scowling, before Cass said, “Syrus, please, answer the question.”

Syrus hesitated before shaking his head. “I’ve never told him… I didn’t want him to know, or to take it away from me.” The words were soft, making Cass’s chest ache as he was reminded how much Syrus treasure the jewel despite the tragedy which had prompted Cass to gift it to the mage. Syrus swallowed, reaching for Cass- pain flickering across his face when the younger man drew back from his hands. He gritted his teeth, voice tense as he asked, “What the hell is going on, Cass? Emrys is furious with you.”

“I broke the thrall,” Cass whispered, watching Syrus’s face pale as disbelief filled his gaze. Hands fisting at his side, he continued, “The master of Sector 8 has promised my freedom, and I… I want to go. I can’t stay here anymore, Syrus. The people who have died for me- I don’t want it to happen again.”

Cass’s anguish was reflected on the mage’s face as he stepped forward- relentlessly, giving Cass no chance to pull away this time. “Are you sure about this?” he asked softly, gripping Cass’s arms as he glanced over his head at the foreign thrall. “They could be lying to you. They saw what you could do.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Looking up at Syrus, Cass swallowed and said, “You could come with us. You can protect me-”

“He can’t,” Arius interrupted, their voice cold. When Cass looked back at them with wide, pleading eyes, they shook their head. “I can’t break his thrall, I only had one chance for that. If he comes with us, Emrys will be able to track you. His wrath will fall upon Sector 8, and I can’t risk that.”

The realization settled in Cass’s stomach like lead, and he knew he stood at the edge of a final decision. Leaving Emrys would mean walking away from Syrus- from the only person who had ever showed him kindness, the only person he cared for. The mage took in a shuddering breath, giving Cass a gentle push back as he released him.

Cass’s chest ached as he shook his head, reaching for him; Syrus stepped back, stiffening as pounding footsteps approached them. “Go,” he urged, moving back further as Arius grasped Cass’s arm to drag him away. The mage met the foreign thrall’s gaze over his trembling partner’s head, his mouth set into a thin line as he said, “Emrys will torture me if he thinks I let Cass go, and I won’t be strong enough to keep quiet. You’ll have to hurt me.”

“Syrus-”

“It’s the only way he’ll believe!” Syrus snapped. Raising his hand, flames danced at his fingertips as guards stormed into view- swarming to back up the snarling mage as he gathered his magic.

Arius didn’t hesitate as he dragged another gem from his twisted hair; glowing brilliant green, it created a gale which swept up the flaming debris, flinging it at Syrus and the guards. Cass’s voice broke on a cry as he saw fractured stones collide with his partner; Syrus collapsing to the ground as the guards moved to protect him, Cass sick at the shimmer of blood spreading across the stones.

“We have to go,” Arius snapped, dragging him toward the gaping hole left in the massive walls.

Cass dragged his feet for a moment, tears welling in his eyes as he tried to see Syrus in the chaos- to catch one last glimpse of him. But all that faced him was snarling shadows, beginning to realize Cass was making an escape. Arius shouted at him again, and Cass forced himself to turn his back on Syrus. It left a gnawing, empty ache in his chest- but he ran, fleeing with the foreign thrall, leaving behind everything he had known in the faint hope for freedom.