Lyrael wondered what Tsarra and the others were doing. Did they continue on as if nothing happened? The illusion I hid them behind probably dissipated when I blacked out. They should have known something went awry.
     Surely they didn’t abandon her, considering they knew who she was now. As Tsarra had said, Lyrael was somehow their only hope at salvation, they wouldn’t leave her.
     The ruin, however, was crawling with a few hundred soldiers, and she knew there was a slim chance of them rescuing her. Lyrael knew she had to find a way out without their help. Unfortunately, her ways of escaping were limited, as there was nothing in her cell to help her escape.
     Her only chance to get away would be if they let her out of this pit where she could make a run for it. She was fast, faster than most, so she knew she could probably outrun everyone, including her own flesh and blood, despite him also being of royal lineage.
     She waited, and waited. Two days and one night passed before the hatch swung open once again, the man dropping into her cell. There was little to no light pouring from the now open hatch and the cell she was in was nearly pitch black, but luckily, her eyes adjusted a long time ago.
     “Good evening.” He smiled, his tone condescending. “How are you feeling?”
     She stared up at him, expression blank, “A bit hungry, and thirsty.”
     A tray of food appeared, levitating from the hatch and landed softly in his hand. “You can have this food,” he paused and a waterskin followed the tray, landing in his other hand. “And this water… if you are honest with me. Why were you sneaking around my camp? Are you one of them? Are you a part of the rebellion? Tell me what you know.”
     The rebellion. Her new friends were a part of the rebellion.
     She looked up at him, anger boiling in her blood. “Like I said... I was not sneaking and I know nothing of any rebellion. I swear on my life. On my bow.”
     He froze in place, looking down at her. “On your bow?”
     “My bow... my father made it with his own two hands. I swear on that bow. If you are a decent man, you’d know I am telling the truth.”
     His green eyes searched her face for multiple seconds, which stretched into minutes. He crouched down suddenly, setting the tray and waterskin on the floor. He waved his hand over her left wrist, her eyes catching on one of his rings with a blue gem, watching it glimmer in the dim light. The cuff popped open and she sighed as the ache in her arm began to fade.
     “Fine. I believe you for now, so eat.”
     She blinked, surprised he believed her. “And then will you let me go?”
     He shrugged and smirked, beginning to levitate out of the still open hatch. “We’ll see.”
     The hatch shut and locked and she grabbed the tray, taking her time. She’d went some days as a child when they didn’t have enough food, and she knew from personal experience to not eat too quickly or she’d become sick. The food was cold and the water tasted metallic, but she was starving and very thirsty, so she didn’t care.
     The food was gone within five minutes and Lyrael set the tray aside, eyeing the cuffs. She tugged at her magic again and she smiled when she was able to produce a small gust of wind. It was weak, but it was there, and that’s what mattered. She crawled into the darkest corner of the room and waited patiently.
     Sometime later, the hatch opened, and the man dropped down, looking around the room. She was gone. He spun in circles, his green eyes wide with panic.
     “She’s gone! How is that possible?”
     A thud came from behind him, and he turned, the now empty tray colliding with his face. He tumbled to the floor, unconscious, blood dripping from a new gash at his temple. She waved her other wrist with the cuff on it over his left hand, the one he’d used to unlock one of her cuffs. The ring with an blue jewel shimmered and the cuff popped open with a click, clattering to the stone floor. She knew it. Somehow, the ring triggered the cuffs to release.
     “Sorry, brother. I’ll be taking this.” She whispered as she removed the ring from his hand, slipping it on her thumb, which was the only finger big enough to wear it. She went to stand but stopped when she saw the glint of the golden pendant at his collar, remembering what he claimed it could do.
     Quickly finding the lockets clasp, she removed it from around his neck, taking a beat to admire the wolf on it. Even up close, it seemed very similar to her own. Is it possible the locket came with me as a baby? They seem too similar to be a mere coincidence.
     Brushing the sickening thought away, she clasped it around her own neck and tucked it beneath her shirt. A flash of golden light sparked beneath it and she yelped, pulling the collar away from her skin, her eyes widening. Somehow, the two lockets merged into one, the wolf from the other locket appearing on the front of her locket, behind the rabbit.
     Swiping the cuffs from the floor, deciding that she didn’t have the time to wonder how the hell the lockets merged. She slid them into one of the hidden pockets within her cloak, ignoring the way her entire body shuddered when she felt cobalt in the cuffs dampen her powers. She had to fight off the brief weakness that flashed over her.
     Levitating up and out of the hatch, her magic still a bit weak, she hooked her elbow over the ledge and peered around. Somehow, there was no one nearby. In the distance, over the trees, was a bright light, a large cloud of smoke, and she could hear shouting coming from that direction. She hastily climbed out of the hatch, closing and locking it behind her, keeping low as she searched around for her rucksack and bow.
     It must be around here somewhere.
     “Elys!” A voice shouted and she whipped around, relief washing over her.
     It was Tsarra.
     She had a female soldier pinned against the crumbling wall of the tower about twenty feet away. Soni was clashing swords with a particularly agile elf and Wynn was fending off two elves with his double-sided scimitar.
     “What did you do with Storhm?” A soldier demanded, coming up from behind her. She threw her elbow back and smiled when it met its target, his nose. A sickening crack reverberated through the air, and he cried out, blood gushing down his face. “Shit, my nose!”
     With the distraction, each of her friends knocked out the soldiers they were fighting within moments, and they were running towards her.
     Soni yelled and pointed over Lyrael’s shoulder, “Go that way!”
     Lyrael shook her head in panic. “I’m not leaving without my things.”
     Wynn suddenly flung her bag at her and she caught it with ease, shrugging it on. “We got both. We need to leave, come on.”
     Soni held out her bow and Lyrael smiled, accepting it and hooking it on her shoulder.
     “Our distraction will only keep them busy for so long.”
     Lyrael glanced back at the large plume of smoke coming from the other side of the ruins. “What did you guys do?”
     “It was all Wynn’s dumb, but brilliant idea. I’m sorry we took so long.” Tsarra puffed out as they ran. “He figured at some point, they would need food and supplies from the capital. So, we set a trap and waited. Then... about ten minutes ago, we lit an incoming wagon of supplies on fire.”
     Wynn blushed. “It was nothing. It needed to be close enough for them to notice, but far enough to lead them away from the camp so we could get you out without too much fighting.”
     “Thank you, guys. Honestly, I don’t know if I would’ve escaped.”
     “Well, it looked like you had it all figured out.” Tsarra smirked at her and Lyrael laughed as they ran.
     “Barely. If there had been soldiers waiting aboveground for me... I don’t know if I could’ve fended them off by myself. I’m still weak from the cuffs.” Lyrael murmured, shaking her arms out.
     The three of them shared a glance. “Cuffs? What cuffs?”
     Lyrael waved a hand. “I’ll show you later once we’re safe. Let’s just get far, far away.”