ICE

156. An Escape

CAELAN HESITATED, HIS gaze flickering around the small cell and lingering on the heavy barred door. "I am not entirely sure yet. We won't have much longer to act," he said. "Vyses will detect the use of magic down here soon enough."

"If he hasn't already," Ravenna grumbled under her breath. She watched him with tired eyes. "Can you not just open a portal or teleport us out of here?"

"Not from down here," he said. "Some of the old magic still exists within these walls, making it harder to cast spells. Not to mention, your shackles also make it so much harder. Otherwise we could just transform into mice and scurry through the cracks in the wall."

"That's unfortunate," she sighed in response.

Caelan smiled at her. "Luckily for you, I have already thought this through. Be a dear and look pitiful for a moment."

Ravenna rolled her eyes. "That won't be too hard."

She watched as Caelan stood and stepped back. A pearl of bright white light appeared in his palm. It spread, down his arms, across his torso, swallowing his body whole. She squeezed her eyes shut.

When the light vanished, so had Caelan. Another soft sigh escaped her. She tilted her head back, allowing it to rest against the cold wall behind her. A bead of nausea started to build at the back of her throat.

The gentle tap of shoes clicking against the stone floor caused Ravenna to briefly open her eyes. She squinted at the barred door, waiting for someone to pass. A darkened silhouette walked across it — Caelan, she assumed.

She strained her ears to listen as the person greeted the guards.

"Greetings, Master Mylo," one guard said.

"I am here to fetch the prisoner," she heard Caelan say. "King's orders."

The guards made a confused noise. One clambered to his feet — his chair scraping harshly against the stone floor. "She ain't supposed to leave the cell," he said. "I heard him say so myself."

She could almost hear Caelan's eyebrow raise. "You dare to argue against the king's orders?"

"No sir," the other guard said quickly. "Not at all."

There was a rustle of movement, followed by the heavy clinks of armored boots against the ground. Ravenna focused her efforts into looking pitiful. She slumped down further and allowed her head to twist, her cheek scrubbing against the ragged, mold-covered stones. The metallic footsteps stopped just in front of her cell. The iron bars shrieked as someone pushed the door open.

"Have at her," one of the guards said, his voice gruff.

Ravenna barely allowed her eyes to open, stiffening when hands brushed hers. There was a click and the chain latched onto her shackles cluttered against the ground. Caelan's hands gently pulled at her, pulling her upward and onto her feet.

The movement hurt.

Her knees immediately buckled and a sharp cry escaped her lips. Caelan's arm held her upright. Her eyes shot open and she glared viciously at the guards who laughed.

A glowing white hand touched her shackles. Her wrists snapped together in front of her, as if a strong magnetic pull connected them. The force held her upright and pulled her forward, making her walk. She cursed as another wave of pain flooded through her.

"I can take it from here," Caelan told the other guards.

The guards stepped back, watching Ravenna walk out of the cell and toward the winding staircase that connected the dungeon to the rest of the palace. Caelan followed closely behind. The moment that the guards turned their backs, his hands grabbed her. He scooped her up like a small child, cradling her to his chest. Ravenna bit her tongue in an attempt to stifle her pained cry. Caelan raced up the steps and into a long, scarily decorated corridor.

"Do you still have that spellbook?" he asked her, his voice a whisper.

She frowned and looked downward, at the tattered, blood soaked edges of her dress. His spellbook was hidden away within her dress, pressed hard against her hip bone.

"Not my spellbook," he chuckled. "Though I am pleased to know that you found it.

A grimace flashed across her face. "Oh," she said. She knew which spell-book he meant — the ancient one with a mind of its own. "Not exactly. Vyses created a small storage portal and placed it inside. With all that has happened recently, I never thought to ask for it back. I probably don't even have access to the storage anymore, considering I no longer have the talisman."

Caelan pressed his lips into a wrinkled line. "That is quite unfortunate," he remarked. He walked faster, toward a lone door at the end of the corridor. "The spell-book was created by an old friend of mine. His name was Tylat. We are going to need it."

Ravenna winced as another sharp stab of pain sliced through her torso. Caelan shifted her around so that he could free a hand. His free-hand shot forward, a sphere of white bursting from his fingertips. The magic slammed against the door in front of them.

Behind her, Ravenna could hear shouts and the thunderous sounds of running footsteps. She glanced back over Caelan's shoulder.

A scream died on her lips.

Two glowing crimson eyes stared at her from the wall, shrouded in a sea of darkness. The eyes pierced through her, flooding her with agony.

The eyes slowly faded from view as Caelan jumped into the portal.