A disastrous blizzard raged for days, and all that could be seen was the color white. White snow, white sky, white winds. Not even the polar bears (white, of course) dared to come out from the safety of their warm dens.

There was, however, a military base beneath the surface of the snow. It was a Clanker base, one with many Clanker soldiers who were surviving just fine, completely out of the danger of the snowstorm that howled angrily from above. Yes, all of them were doing just fine. All of them, that is, except the prisoner.

Chained to the back wall of a prison cell, Aleksandar Ferdinand was treated terribly by his captors. They fed him only stale bread and watered-down broth, while they feasted like kings. He received water twice a day, and there was a pail at his feet for his excrements. He was beaten at random, taunted often, and managed like the rats that scurried constantly by his toes. And yet, he was never thinking about revenge or hatred, or even escape. His only thought was about the one he loved.

Deryn Sharp.

He dreamed of the last time he saw her, and he was silently pleading in his heart that she was safe and alright. Had she started an investigation for his search? No doubt she had. He was frightened that she would discover his whereabouts and try to help him. He desperately hoped that she would not attempt a rescue mission. He would be killed in a few days, according to the guards that jeered at him, and he did not want her added to the equation of the dead.

Suddenly, the door burst open with a loud crash, and someone was tossed into the cell with him. A Clanker guard, one with a dark mustache, entered after, and he slammed the door shut behind him.

Then, the person who had been thrown in lifted her head feebly. It was Deryn.

"Alek…" she moaned, and weakly reached for him.

The Clanker guard who had come in kicked her, hard, in the side. "We found this one snooping around, your highness," he sneered at Alek. "She was trying to rescue you, all on her own, without a plan."

Alek winced. He was afraid she had tried that.

The guard hauled her to her feet by the collar of her white shirt, and Alek saw that the back of it was torn and ripped with slash marks, stained with crimson. They'd whipped her.

A surge of anger welled up inside his chest as the guard picked her up like a doll and punched her down. "Stop it!" Alek cried. "Stop hurting her!"

The guard just chuckled and struck her again. "I was ordered to make you watch her suffer, and I'm not gonna stop just because you told me to." He laughed again, and then turned back to Deryn, who was sprawled out on the floor of the cell. "No, beating you in front of him is way more fun, isn't it, sweetheart?" And he kicked her in the stomach.

Blood dripped out from the side of Deryn's lips, and she groaned softly.

"Stop; you're killing her!" Alek shouted, and struggled against his shackles in vain. "Let her go!"

But the man didn't stop. He even harshened his blows, and Alek could do nothing but watch in horror, screaming at him to cease the beatings of his beloved.

Again the door opened abruptly, but this time it was no Clanker. It was Volger. Without hesitation Volger shot the guard, and the Clanker collapsed in a heap.

Volger rushed to Alek's side. "Are you alright?"
Alek just stared at Deryn's immobile figure, his face as pale as the white storm that rampaged from above.

Volger fished the keys from the dead guard's belt and unlocked Alek's shackles. Once freed from the chains, Alek raced to Deryn. Her eyes were closed, and her body was locked in the fetal position. Blood dripped down her chin. Volger checked her wrist for a pulse. "She's alive."

Alek may have been half-starved in this cell, but he had no problem lifting her in his arms, which were hardened from years of fencing and the months of hard labor since his escape after the assassination of his parents. He scooped her up and stood to face his fencing tutor.

"She volunteered, Alek," Volger told him. "She volunteered to be the distraction, so that we could save you."

"Why would she do that?" he demanded.

Just then, the electrical alarms blared. Their element of surprise was over. Now was the time for action.

Volger led them through the Clanker base's tunnels, avoiding the routes where Clankers could be heard. They had just reached the escape hatch when they were attacked by three guards.

"I'll handle this! Go!" Volger commanded, and drew his sword.

Alek hesitated, but when he heard more Clankers coming, he had no choice but to flee with Deryn's limp body in his arms.

The moment his head emerged from the hatch, he knew they were in trouble.

All around, nothing could be seen but white.