It was a strange feeling, her wrists free from their iron chains. She was no longer weighed down by the heavy shackles. Without them, her wrists felt naked. And still, it felt as if a ghost of those chains still floated just above her skin. Like some part of her was missing without those chains.

Stranger than that was being touched by a male, a male she did not know, and yet Rae was not bothered by it. She should have been screaming and clawing at his face. Instead, she felt safe. His arms were gently wrapped around her small body. His hold was light as if she would break if he held her too tightly.

“Are you okay?” His words were a hiss of a whisper in her ear. Rae broke from her stupor with a growl, pushing herself out of his arms. The chill of the air around her hit like a wall. Rae rubbed at her empty wrists in discomfort. She had not realized how cold she had still been until she was wrapped in his warm embrace. Part of her begged to crawl back into his arms if only for the warmth he provided. She bit back that urge.

Rae looked down, quickly identifying what had made her fall. The bodies of the two guards who had been standing outside her cell door lay sprawled out on the ground. Rae bit back her annoyance as the male flashed her a cocky grin.

Despite what his smile said, that was genuine concern for her in his eyes. Rae could not remember the last time she had seen someone look at her that way. The male looked as if he was going to ask her something, but his attention snapped further down the hall as the faint sound of approaching footsteps clicked against the stone floor in the distance.

Without a word, he grabbed her hand, half dragging her down the dimly lit hallway. He stopped before a dark alcove with a statue of a long-dead human king in its center. When Rae did not move towards the statue. The male picked her up and placed her in the shadows of the alcove, hiding her from view.

Rae bared her teeth at him to show her displeasure but said nothing as she turned her attention to the approaching footsteps. She could easily hear the sound of boots on stone. Their walking pattern was slow and sloppy. Rae tilted her head to the side as she listened. Not one set of footsteps but two distinct patterns could be made out. Humans, if she had to guess, not the halflings in their black masks.

Rae held up two fingers, indicating how many she heard. She opened her mouth to tell him they were human, but he put his finger to her lips.

“I know, little one,” his voice like smooth velvet.

He was mocking her she realized. She quickly pulled away from him. There was no way he knew who she was then. Rae was not sure if she should be relieved or insulted. Rae opened her mouth again, but closed it as the distinct sound of iron armor clanging, as the humans walked, could be heard just up the hallway. Speaking now, even if it was only a whisper, would just give them away.

The male, seeming to realize she was not about to say anything, winked before he slipped that horrible black mask back over his face and pulled up his hood. He gave her one more glance, his deep teal blue eyes glowing under the mask before he turned and was gone from sight. His steps were silent as he walked in the direction of the approaching human guards. Rae was not sure why, but she held her breath. Not worried for herself, but worried for him.

—

Seth rolled his shoulders back as he walked towards the sound of the guards. In only a matter of moments, he knew they would round the corner and see him. There would be no way around fighting them. They might leave him alone, might not see the halfling girl tucked behind that statue only a few feet away, but they would see the dead royal guards. The little female had spirit, but he would not drag her into a fight.

The guards rounded the corner, their armor gleaming in the torchlight. Crimson blood was splattered on their armor. From the smell of it, it was not human blood. Seth felt his magic roar inside of him. Their swords had been wiped clean.

They had been killing the unarmed prisoners that Kat and Callum had released. He knew not all of the prisoners would make it. But that did not stop the anger from churning inside of him.

The guards were almost to him now. Their body language relaxed upon seeing him. Seth knew they could not see his wicked smile beneath his mask. He did not change his pace or reach for his sword. He waited until they spotted the dead guard further down the hall.

He almost laughed when they drew their swords. One man’s arms began to shake in fear as he held his blade before him. Seth shook his head slowly. They were not used to fighting an armed opponent.

“You poor fools,” he muttered.

Direct magic, would fail on impact with their iron armor. They knew it and he knew it. Sadly for them, he did not need magic to deal with them.

Seth lunged, his leg sweeping beneath a guard, knocking him to the ground. His magic pushed against his body — he moved faster than should have been possible. The wind encircling him made his strikes stronger and harder. Shields formed around him as he launched himself at the second guard. Seth pinned him to the ground with his arm. The iron hummed beneath Seth’s body, but the thick leather of the royal guard’s uniform kept him safe from the metal. Only his bare hands were exposed to the iron. The skin was already beginning to turn a shade of bright red, but Seth ignored the pain.

“Yield,” the first guard commanded, his iron sword at Seth’s throat.

—

Rae heard it all, every movement, every word. Her heart slammed into her stomach as she heard not the fae male, but one of the guards, command her would-be savior to yield.

She gripped the hilt of that obsidian dagger. Counting to three she launched herself out from behind the stone figure. The dagger was loose in her grip. She landed already in the perfect position to launch that dagger at the humans. She blinked as she found herself nose to nose with the fae male. The two human guards were dead on the ground.

Rae blinked again in surprise. The air smelled like the sea around them, it filled the halls. The scent of whatever magic the male possessed was almost intoxicating.

He raised an eyebrow, looking down at the dagger in her hand.

"Plan on killing me with that?" He chuckled shaking his head.

Before Rae could reply the male held out his hand to her in invitation. “Come on,” he smiled. She knew it was not what he intended, but she placed the obsidian dagger in his outstretched hand. Whatever magic he had may have worked this time, but the longer they stayed here, the more the iron in the walls and floors would affect him. He needed the dagger far more than she did.

The male tried to hand it back to her, but Rae shook her head, no. He gave her a look as if to say. Are you sure? Before he sheathed it on his side. Rae’s small smile faded as the male turned to her, scooping her up into his arms. Before she could protest, they were moving again — much faster than they had been when she was walking. It made sense, they needed to move quickly, but that did not stop her from silently grumbling about it.

The male looked down, and Rae saw him bite back a laugh at her ridiculous pouting face. It did not matter that he was rescuing her. He was being overly protective simply because she was female and it was starting to grate on Rae’s nerves.

She had killed warriors on the battlefield simply because they had hesitated in raising their sword against her. It was idiotic and small-minded, but she knew that it was an instinct, not just a frame of mind. Most stopped coddling her after watching her fight. She could only imagine the rage racing through the male who held her. Especially after finding her in that cell. It would be a while before any respectable male would be able to calm down.

Part of her wondered if he would still feel so protective of her once he learned who she had once been. She doubted he would care much at all for her after that.

No one ever did.

No one except Benjin. Rae shook off the thought. When she returned to what was left of her home. She vowed to burn a pyre for each of the males she lost in this horrible place.

Cold air whispered against Rae's skin as they walked out into the courtyard. The world around her looked like an eerie painting. Snow fell at a gentle pace, covering the many tracks and bodies on the ground. The large iron gates of Arden were blown open. Scorch marks covered the metal that now curved inwards from the blast. It was as if they had been struck from the sky. A chill swept over Rae's body at the memory of the explosion, and the sound it had made.

Large patches of red snow marked where the half-covered bodies of the human guards and the halfling royal guards lay. It was not just guards on the ground. Prisoners lay dead too. Witches, fae, and monsters Rae had long forgotten about were scattered amongst the dead. More prisoners were running through those iron gates. Some pausing as they looked up at the now destroyed symbol of their imprisonment. Rae had not seen those gates since the day she was brought here. She had felt their power as that prison wagon pulled her through them. It was a suffocating feeling she did not wish to ever feel again.

Two shadowy figures, dressed in all black moved from body to body. They reminded her of wraiths floating over a blood-stained battlefield. Her heart clenched as she thought of the half wraith she had once called friend and brother — Nox. He was dead now. She wondered if anyone mourned for him.

Rae looked back at the two dark figures. One was tall and lean the other much smaller. She watched as they checked each body, insuring the fallen guards were dead and helping any still-living prisoners.

Rae looked up at the male, still cradling her in his arms. His face was drawn with sorrow at the sight of the dead. Prisoners who would never be free from this place lay on the ground. Rae knew it was not tears or their sorrow that the fallen deserved, but pride and respect. Those males and females had died to liberate their brothers and sisters. They had laid down their lives, so others could be free.

They should give them a proper funeral pyre. They deserved nothing less. Rae opened her mouth to say just that, but she closed it as the sound of snow, crunching underfoot, grew louder. Rae's ears perked up. From the corner of her eye, she could see a small figure approaching. Rae stiffened as a royal guard, dragging a blood-soaked sword behind him, drew near. Before Rae could warn the male that had saved her the guard stopped. Dropping the sword on the ground, he pulled off his black mask. To Rae’s surprise, a female halfling stared back at her.

Pulling back her hood, the female revealed short golden blond hair, that rested just above her collar bone. Her high cheekbones and the sharp angle of her jaw made her far more beautiful than most halflings. Her ocean-blue eyes locked with Rae's and narrowed.

Rae watched with suspicion as the female looked to the male, who was still carrying Rae. The female raised her eyebrow at him. Rae watched their non-verbal communication, noting the familiarity between the two. The halfling female disapproved of her, that much was clear.

Maybe they were lovers?

It would explain the female's reaction to seeing Rae cradled in his arms. Her stomach clenched at the thought of the male having a lover. An unfamiliar feeling welled up inside of her that made her want to lash out.

Rae was jerked from her homicidal thoughts as the wind ripped past her head. Her cheek stung where something had left a thin slice across her face. Rae reached to touch the small cut. A small drop of blood transferred to her finger. Rae saw the female fall to the ground. A single iron-tipped arrow stuck out of her shoulder.

"Kat!" the male yelled, his voice was gruff with rage and worry. All of Rae's senses came alive. The male’s grip on her tightened as he moved. She found herself being placed beside the halfling as the male shielded them both with his body.

The cold snow bit into Rae's skin. She would not voice her complaint.

Shouts came from the other end of the courtyard as the two cloaked figures began fighting off human guards who were charging out of the east wing. The escaping prisoners screamed, some running to the gates, even as an unseen archer shot them down. Others found shadows and alcoves to hide in.

"Protect her," he said.

Rae looked up at the male and realized that he was not talking to her. No, he was talking to the female beside her, Kat. Kat who was injured and bleeding was to protect Rae. It was laughable, but the halfling female nodded. Without hesitation, she had agreed. The shock of it hit Rae harder than she had expected.

"We need to move back into the shadows," Kat said turning to Rae. The disapproving look from before was still there, but a determination to do as she had been told was also on her face.

The female winced in pain as she pushed herself back towards the wall. Rae's bare feet were numb in the freezing snow, but she followed Kat. Her eyes not leaving the male who had launched himself into the fight at full speed. He took on the guards that had slipped past the two cloaked Etherie.

Watching him fight was like watching a dance. The male ducked beneath the iron sword of a guard. Whirling he came up behind him. Grabbing the guard’s elbow and arm, he twisted. The sword clattering to the ground. That tiny obsidian dagger gleamed in the male’s hand as he slit the human’s throat.

The male released the sword as he faced a second guard, who slowly took a step away from him. The male gave a wicked smile, showing off his fangs. Moving faster, he ran towards the guard and dropped low, sweeping the ground with his leg. He knocked the human down. The male stood and cut the guard's throat with his dagger.

Kat squirmed in pain beside Rae. Beads of sweat were now forming on her forehead as she clutched her wounded shoulder. Yet Kat's eyes were still glued on the male fighting, even as she pressed her hand to the wound, trying to stop the bleeding.

"Seth!" Kat managed to shout a warning to the male. The male turned in time to see another guard coming up from behind him.

Movement caught Rae's eye in the moonlit courtyard. Focusing on it, she found the archer, Duke Peterson. His bow was drawn, aiming right at Seth's unguarded back. Rae watched in horror as he loosed an arrow. She found herself taking a steadying breath as the arrow missed, striking the snow-covered ground beside the male, who was still fighting off guards.

Rae did not think before she moved. Blinding rage took over as she raced towards the Duke. Pain shot through her legs and back, but she ignored it. A cold rage, one she had never felt before took over her body. She did not let herself question it as she dropped to the ground. Her body slid across the snow and slammed into his legs. The cold snow burned against her too-thin clothes.

Duke Peterson tumbled to the ground, a sickening snap echoed around them as the Duke’s leg broke on impact. The human howled in pain as he struggled against her. His good leg kicking at her as he lay on his side.

The Duke’s foot connected with Rae’s stomach, knocking the wind from her lungs. Peterson took the opportunity and flipped her over onto her back and pinned her to the ground with the weight of his body. His eyes were wild as he looked her over. Rae saw recognition flash across his face. She smiled her cat-like grin up at him and bared her teeth.

"Twenty-five," she hissed. Rae let the dark rage that coiled inside of her out. She grabbed the iron-tipped arrow, meant for the Ameronian male, from the ground. She used every ounce of energy she had left to bury the tip of the arrow into the Duke’s neck.

Peterson's body seized as his hands blindly grasped at his neck. The fatal wound draining him of his blood. His crushing weight and horrible metal armor covered half of her body. The strength she had felt faded quickly. Darkness crept into her vision, like two dark curtains closing on a stage. Her energy was waning. She watched as the night sky disappeared, and the world went silent. A satisfied smile was plastered on her lips.