Sii forgot he was to watch Mageia, but she knew her shivering body would not let her do anything stupid. The Fiisen's red flames glowed and bounced shadows about the clearing. He inspected himself with a smile of relief and stood.

"I've never loved my sooth more than I do right now," he said.

"I bet, master," Sii grinned, fingers wiggling with temptation to touch the Commander.

"So, what now?" Gris said interrupting their joyous moment.

Eron looked at him as if realizing his presence for the first time. With skillful ease, the flames along Eron's arms sucked back into his skin. Mageia gave a great exhale as if the Fiisen's sooth was purposely paralyzing. She felt nauseated suddenly and very tired, but her stammering heart was reminding her she was not far away from danger yet.

"Now that you have your pathetic sooth back, what will happen to us? Where is your stupid queen?"

"To us?" Eron said narrowing his eyes. He checked his timepiece and gave a long sigh. "My Queen wants Mageia, not you. So... I guess we can kill you."

Gris' face lit up in shock.

"No. You can't do that," Mageia said finding her voice.

"Um... I don't think that's a good idea," Sii said. For the first time since reuniting with the strange shadow, his smile vanished.

"Are you going to stop me," Eron said causing his veins to turn red in a threatening manner.

Sii cocked his head to the side and made the veins surrounding his blackened sockets turn to black webs.

"No, but she will not like it."

"She doesn't have to know," Eron said. The two exchanged hardcore expressions until finally Sii gave a mischievous smirk.

"Allow me to do it, please," Sii said gazing at the Fiisen.

"No. I've been waiting for this moment my entire life," Eron said approaching Gris.

"Eron no! Please don't do this." Mageia pleaded standing to her feet.

Sii rushed to her side, quicker than a blink of an eye. His cold rough hands subdued her in place, but the advantage was hers. She could feel her magic awakening again, stirring with the anxiety withering in nerves.

"Stop, leave her alone!" Gris ordered.

"You have no authority here, boy," Eron said glaring down at him.

"I don't understand. What have I ever done to make you hate me so much?" Gris said trembling on his knees. His hazel eyes glazed over in fear, confusion, and disappointment.

"Everything," Eron shouted into his face, hair beginning to flicker.

"What are you talking about?" Gris flinched, yanking on his bonds.

"Your father did a terrible thing when he was younger," Eron said anger causing the heat around him to swell. "And he and Thaddeus took it out on me! And Dimitri will pay for it, with his life, just as Thaddeus did."

"What?" Gris said face shriveling in confusion.

"But right now, you will pay that price. You have what belongs to me," Eron snarled into Gris' face. Gris stared helplessly into his blazing eyes as he said two words. "My birthright."

Those words seemed to echo about the Base causing the lanternlight to flicker wild. Mageia gasped instantly understanding. She watched Gris' face go through different transitions as he too came to understand. But before he could respond, Eron growled, loathe fueling the punch to Gris' face. Mageia screamed. She lost count of the punches that landed Gris flat on the floor. Eron raised his boot and stomped him in the face, shoulder, chest, groin, legs... everywhere.

Mageia's screams and pleas fell on death ears. Blood soaked the Prince's shirt and bones cracked. His hands were still bounded behind his back, which sickened Mageia to the core.

"Eron please stop," Mageia cried. "I'll do whatever you want. I swear!"

She felt her body suck in the magic from the mystical rope and it loosened enough for her to wiggle free. She elbowed grinning Sii in the jaw. He released his grip to caress the injury. She ran to save Gris, slamming into Eron with all her strength. He flew to the side and they both crashed into a table. The table split upon their impact. Mageia didn't waste any time. She rolled onto her feet, grabbing a table leg in the process.

With a great shout, she swung at Eron's head. He saw it coming and lurched to the side just in time for it to miss and clank against his shoulder plate. She tried again, this time swinging wild hoping to hurt him. But he easily grabbed the table leg and yanked it out her grip. He plunged it into her stomach, and she stumbled backwards, crouching over in pain.

Sii flew towards her at warp speed, morphing into a shadow. Mageia regained her footing and grabbed another leg as Eron got away. She swung at Sii with all her might, but it went through his smoky torso. A hissing laugh rose in the air as he grabbed her neck and squeezed. She swapped at Sii's arm and clawed at his hand, but it was like trying to touch cold air. The shadowdemon was made of nothing.

Coughing for oxygen, she tried kicking him, dropping the leg in the failed attempt.

Gris croaked, catching her attention. Eron had risen from the floor and was now on top of Gris. His hands were around his neck, squeezing. Gris struggled to fight, eyes wide as Eron's hair ignited on fire and his veins turned red trailing his arms to his hands.

No! No! Mageia screamed, seeking her magic to help somehow. A good person like Gris did not deserve to die. Especially not by fire.

Time seemed to slow down to milli-seconds as Eron's hands began to glow red. Gris' croaking turned to gurgling screams. Sii hissed a laugh. He and his friends watched with pleasure in their eyes.

Every emotion Mageia kept bottled in her heart rampaged into her awaken magic.

Every person she saw die on the Dais flashed before her eyes.

Every slave she witnessed laboring hard until sunset flashed before her eyes.

Every child and teen in her family she thought she would never see again flashed before her eyes.

Every injustice the Crown had committed towards the Strange choked her dry.

Every tear she shed and every blood she bled sent waves of pain throughout her body.

The screams of the Sacreds. Her screams shattering the night sky.

Her magic felt it all and it erupted from her soul in waves of wrath. It gushed from every bone, every muscle, and every vein, and exploded from every pore of her body in a storm of purple magic. She gave a sharp feral cry and was able to grab Sii's wrist. The shadow looked at her in pure shock and had no time to release her.

The wave of magic expanded in full blast. It penetrated Sii's form and incinerated him into nothing. It penetrated Eron and she could feel it suck him dry of his sooth. It slammed into the watching sorcerers, throwing them into walls and things piled around the Base. Every torch blew out, showering them in complete darkness.

Mageia collapsed on the floor. And all went still.

She could only hear her breathing. Her body ached from the magic slipping back into her pores on its own. Stunned, she lied on her back staring into the darkness until she worried that Sii would return. But when she rose to move, she recognized him lying on the floor nearby.

"Gris," she said crawling to the Prince.

Eron had fainted on top of him, so she quickly pushed him off. Gris coughed, a stiff, congested cough that called for great concern. She carefully felt his face and had to force herself to not cry.

"I'm so sorry, Gris," she said. "We have to get you out of here."

"Mageia," he said.

"Don't speak," she said feeling time was not on her side.

At any minute, someone could wake up or worse the Conjurer's queen could arrive. She had to move quickly. With all her strength, she propped him up and untied his bonds.

Gris gave a silent cry. "You should go."

"No. I'm not leaving you. Ever," she said.

To her surprise, the boy found strength to help her get him to his feet. They fell into Gris' chair, which he leaned on for a minute.

"Can you walk?"

Even in the darkness, she could see him clutching his midsection. She could feel his body shaking in a terrible way. He groaned but nodded.

"Yeah," he said.

She wanted to cry for him but focused on leaving the tunnel. Arm tucked around his back and waist and his arm wrapped over her shoulders, they exited the Base. A hue of light sat at the end of the tunnel and Mageia hesitated.

"Someone's there," she said.

"No. That's my lantern," he muttered.

They made it to the intersection and took the lantern to light their path.

"Should we go the way we came?" she said.

"No. The ladder snapped," he said below a whisper.

"Just lean on the wall for support," she said, and he did.

She continued down the main tunnel, hoping to find a way above ground. Right now, she could only hope the sun had not risen so they could slip into the darkness of the night. For about a mile they walked, until she saw a familiar street.

"Clayborn. We're almost at Hamino's Temple," she said entering the tunnel.

"We should be careful," Gris said on faint of breath. "A Base should be close."

"Okay," she said.

Minutes flew by and Mageia prayed their captors would stay unconscious for a little longer. And then the lantern light revealed a banner, much newer and bright in color, with the Ardanian's sigil. A hue of light also can be seen ahead. Mageia's breathing came faster as she stopped to decide whether to turn around or not.

"What to do?" she said. Gris moaned.

She took a chance and brought them closer to the light. Another intersection, but this one was alive and appeared used. Written on the left tunnel's wall was MIDERI WALL. On the right's, THE TAEFO. The tunnel straight ahead led to a guard post within Midlaan. Mageia sucked her teeth and decided to risk another chance.

Heart drumming hard enough for her to hear, she took them towards the Mideri Wall. This partly lit tunnel curved like a snake with narrower tunnels branching off into the unknown.

"Why are there so many tunnels under Ardania?" she said in pure annoyance.

"Ardania has a long mining history. Emerald has been found underground just as much as the mountains," Gris said then began to cough.

"It was a rhetorical question, Gris," she frowned. "You need to keep your strength and-,"

They stopped. Voices echoed towards them.

"Oh no," Mageia said, noticing the closest adjoined tunnel and aimed for it.

She ignored Gris' moans, trying to keep distance between her and the voices. This tunnel curved and cut here and there, and the entire time she prayed they wouldn't run into anyone. The voices seemed to follow them. Apparently, the men decided to take a stroll down the same tunnel. Sweat streaming down her face, she chose random tunnels until darkness consumed them, exposing their single light.

But as they weaved through the darkness, Mageia almost screamed in frustration.

A dead end.