1Once again I own nothing but the few characters and a tiny bit of the plot everything else belongs to Tamora Pierce.

Pie of Doomeh: Yes poor little Dommy-Woomy we all love himHe doesn't have an evil mind exactly he is just in love people do crazy things when in love.

Eclipsa: I was promt last time but this one took a little longer sorry about that and I'm glad you like how this is going.

Luna Dust: I'm glad you love my story that means a lot to me. I'm not a pyro either but I like to play with fire. Onetime we had a huge bonfire and threw in a full bear bottle that was a cool fire.

Sarra's wildchild: Here is a new chapter have fun with it.

Amulata: Yah no pressure, Joren won't have a big role but he will be in here somewhere. And Kel did say Dom was cute but I have something in mind for when she realizes that she likes him.

I have tin foil: Chocolate, I'm glad this story is like chocolate I hope it is Hershey.

Mrs. Dom Masbolle: O.K. so I got one of you're requests the chapter is long but it took some time to get it on here. Thanks I wasn't sure about Dom being out of character thanks for saying that.

Princess-Of-Everything: I hope we get to three years I think we have a good chance unless he does something exceedingly stupid which he seems to be prone to doing.

And a special thanks to Luna Dust for her review for my other story. Yes k/dness is cute.

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It was morning now or at least that was what Dom thought. He and Kel had stayed up talking all night with the silent Neal looking on. Now they sat in quiet companionable silence Dom's arsenal of questions depleted he figured that it was about the sixth bell. He sat watching the window between the two cells hoping, waiting, for the enormous rat to squeeze through the bars once again. He and Neal had decided not to tell the other prisoners that they would be freed until the last moment possible. Besides they weren't sure if they could free them so he didn't want to get their hopes up.

Dom heard a faint bell tole seven times. Moments later he heard an explosion and the ground shook, dirt and small rocks fell from the rafters above them. More bells toled and they could hear the heavy fall of booted feet above them. It was quiet once again almost an eery silence, everyone was looking up at the ceiling or out the small openings they had. If he strained Dom thought he could make out the yelling of guards but wasn't sure. He was so busy listening that he didn't see a small rat carrying a note jump onto Neal's knee.

"Dom they are attacking the castle now the note says they should be here soon. They have about a fifteen minutes until Maggur's apartments go up in flames." Neal looked back at the note. "They will help the other prisoners. I'll go tell them you get everything ready over here." Neal stood up and grabbed all but one of the blankets. He shoved them through the bars and Kel could see him making frantic gestures to the prisoners on the other side.

Kel was glad that the Tortallans would be able to help the others, nobody deserved to be left behind but she hoped that the Tortallans would hurry up.

Dom came over to her with the remaining blanket. "We are going to huddle in this corner and cover ourselves up with the blanket. There will be debris and this is all we have for protection." Dom took her elbow and helped her into the corner where the wall that the door was on connected with the other cell.

Neal came over to them and unfolded the blanket. "They are doing the same on the other side but they barely have enough blankets to cover them. They are trying to take the benches off of the walls but I'm not sure that they can get them off." The sound of wood splintering from the wall made him smile. "Guess I was wrong."

Neal and Dom hunkered down and covered Kel and themselves up with the last blanket. Kel sat between Neal and Dom and waited. Exhaustion overcame her again and she laid her head against Dom's firm chest closed her eyes and fell into a short fitful sleep.

They waited for about twenty minutes when light and footsteps were heard coming down the hall. This isn't right Neal thought, why are they coming from the inside? "Stay under the blanket Kayolina." He ordered.

The cell door was roughly pulled open just as Neal and Dom were getting up from under the blanket. Four guards that they had never seen before walked in. The shocked expressions on their faces lasted only a moment after Dom and Neal's disappeared. Neal grabbed the first guard by the sword arm attempting to take the sword that was in it while Dom tried to sweep the feet out from under another. One guard toppled to the ground while the other guards tried desperately to get out of his way. Neal's guard punched him square in the nose and then kicked him in the stomach with a heavy booted foot. Neal struggled to get to his feet but was lifted up and held against the wall by two guards. Neal looked to his right and saw that his cousin had befallen the same fate. He tried to discreetly look to the corner and moaned when he saw Kel standing up and ready to attack. The only thing that stopped her was King Maggur walking into the now much smaller cell.

Her eyes widened at the site of him but she kept her stance, she was stronger now she could protect herself. The self proclaimed Scanran king was built like a blacksmith his arm muscles were the size of Neal's upper leg his chest muscles were cut and rippled as he walked everything about him was giant and meant business. His once soft blond hair was shaved to his head and his icy grey eyes looked over the room taking in the scene. He smiled and Neal could see his teeth were perfectly straight and gleaming white. Maggur turned and advanced on Kel like a cat who has cornered a mouse not to kill him but just to play.

Kel didn't flinch from her solid fighting stance not even when Maggur back handed her across the face with a hand the size of a serving dish. It wasn't until the third time that she fell to the ground and slowly struggled to get on her hands and knees. Neal and Dom fought to go to her aid but were quieted by the smirking guards.

Maggur knelt down next to Kel and ran a finger along her jaw. "Did you think I would just give up on you because you had people set my castle on fire Kayolina? I missed you so much I decided to make a house call I don't need a machine to make you wish you were dead. And now I can torture your friends here just like I did to you I think I might make you watch maybe even make you help." Maggur was enjoying himself it was evident to everyone in the small cell. Kel couldn't help thinking of the pain he would make her cause the men who had only tried to help her she knew he would make her be the one to kill them. That was just the kind of person he was. She stomach retched and she threw up just thinking of the disgusting things that she could have to do but made sure that most of it landed on his highly polished boots. Things that when they had been done to her hadn't even made her cry but she knew she couldn't do them to someone else. Maggur wiped the mess from his boots onto her ripped tunic then kicked her in the stomach. Her limbs crumbled underneath her and she curled herself into a protective ball her back facing Maggur. He kicked her back this time with enough force to send her slamming into the brick wall. Maggur knelt down and felt around her neck for a pulse. Dom held his breath he didn't know what he would do if there was no pulse.

Maggur turned her over so that she was facing upwards and lifted one of her amrs up spreading out her long fingers on his large hand. He felt the fingers and frowned. "Someone has taken the liberty of healing your broken bones. I'll fix that." He squeezed her hand at the knuckles between his thumb and middle finger then pressed down on the middle of her knuckles. Her hand folded in on itself all knuckle and finger bones shattered. Just as he was picking up her other hand to do the same Neal felt a gathering of power. He recognized most of it. Alanna, Numair, and some other powerful mage were on the other side of the wall about to break through it.

"Wait." Neal yelled out to Maggur. "If you leave her alone I will tell you a secret way into King Jonathan's rooms and how to kill him without making any mess. They won't be able to prove it was you."

Maggur walked over to him and leaned on the back wall of the cell. He looked at Neal trying to scare him with a Kingly glare. "Tell me what is it that will kill this King of yours? I will admit I have tried magic and that doesn't work. There is to much protecting him and I can't get an assassin close enough. What is it? Even if it is a lie I think it shall be fun to watch you squirm."

"There is a back way in from both the Lionesses suit and the chief Healers. When we were little Prince Roald and Thom ,the lionesses son, and I would sneak to each others rooms through it. That is how we found out that the King is deathly allergic to strawberries. I swear, once the Queen had strawberry bath soap he didn't even use it and he had a rash for weeks."

Maggur smiled and opened his mouth to speak when a great thunder clap was heard outside the wall. Maggur was thrown forward by the force of the wall behind him buckling.

Total chaos reigned inside the cell. Everyone was thrown to the ground along with chunks of stone and wooden rafters. Smoke and dirt hung in the air and coated everything clogging the throats of guards and prisoners alike. The wall between the cells was half gone and the prisoners ran out of a large hole in a rush some staying behind to get orders on how to help. Support beams hung from the roof half on and half off. No one in the smaller cell moved. They hadn't been prepared and had thus received the full impact of the blast.

When Neal opened his eyes he saw that he was laying on top of two of the guards. Tortallan soldiers were streaming into the gaping hole where Maggur had once been standing. Three figures stood in front of the opening all of them had the color of their gift hanging in the air around them. One was a short red haired female with purple magic floating back into her skin. The other was an extremely tall man whose black and sliver gift was still circling around his hands. The last Neal didn't recognize he was about six and a half feet tall. He had brown shoulder length hair that was pulled back into a horse tail his eyes were a sharp hazel with a lot of green in them. He had on black robes and his body was shimmering in a gold light. That is the other gift I felt Neal thought groggily. Neal looked to his left and saw that Maggur was right beside him. His open eyes looking straight at Neal filled with hate and loathing. Neal jumped out of the way to help contain him but stopped when he saw that it wasn't Maggur. It was only half of him the other half he found out later was nowhere to be found. Neal saw Dom in the corner leaning over Kel he saw her eyes open and heard her moan.

"Alanna." Dom yelled. "Get over here quick we need to get her out of here." Alanna had been standing beside Numair surveying the mess that was the once two prison cell. She launched into action and ran to Dom's side.

Within minutes Kel was placed on a stretcher and was being carried out into the courtyard. The unknown mage ran up to her and started to talk to her he never left her side after that. Neal was the last to leave and when he stepped out of the rubble he was blinded by the natural light, the first he had seen in three days though it seemed like three weeks. Neal had expected to see fighting and have to make a run for safe ground so he was shocked when they walked unattacked and completely at ease through the castle and into the city surrounding it. Scarnans lined the streets quietly straining to see the group, Neal nervously jogged to catch up with Alanna.

A man called from the crowd. "Is that the Shang Griffin in the stretcher? Is she alright?"

Alanna smiled and answered. "Yes it is the Shang Griffin and she will be fine." She turned to Neal and beckoned him in closer her face was red and angry. "I thought we sent you here to make sure she was healed! She has a shattered hand and two broken ribs not to mention all of the cuts and bruises she has. God's Neal I thought I trained you better than this."

Clapping and shouts of joy rang throughout the city as the good news spread. People called their thanks and a child slipped from her mothers protective hands and placed a flower on Kel's stretcher.

Neal looked around confused. "I did heal her but Maggur came in the cell and started to beat her up again. Alanna I don't understand we just killed their king. We are the enemy I don't get it why are they happy?" he asked getting frantic.

"They think of the Shang Griffin as a hero they have started to call her The Protector of the Small. Before she came along it was their children that Blayce the Gallan was using she put a stop to it. She stood up to Maggur and now he is dead. Maggur was a bully he bullied these people into making him King then treated them horribly I don't know what he expected. He used their sons and husbands to fight a losing war and completely ignored what was going on right under his nose. They are thankful to us for putting a stop to it with little blood shed personally so am I." Alanna explained.

Neal nodded his understanding in a way the Scanran people were being liberated. They group of Tortallans had reached the castle gate and he saw a wagon with more Tortallan guards surrounding it. Beside the wagon stood Janek his arm was in a sling, red tinged a bandage over his left eye. Beside him stood a man who Neal recognized as the Shang Raven. When he saw the stretcher he dropped the paper he was holding and jogged over to it. Neal smiled glad that Janek hadn't been killed and walked up to him.

"So you got caught." Neal said. "Was it worth it?"

Janek turned Neal to face the way he had come. All the people had smiles on their faces and were happy, ribbons and flags with red and yellow were flying from windows. Every person that Neal could see had either a bit of red or yellow on them mostly in the form of scarfs or hats. He looked up further to see what was left of the castle the symbol of Maggurs reign. One side of the castle had flames sprouting from the windows and through the thatched roofs of the lower buildings. The other side that had escaped the flames was crumbling down and falling in on itself. People were pulling out all that they could save but there wasn't much left. Neal was shocked he had expected some fire but not the whole castle being totally destroyed. He turned around to see the smiling Janek.

"Oh it was worth it." he said. "Just to see my people happy to have a real person to look to as a hero and the Shang Griffin is a hero." Janek slapped Neal on the shoulder and went back to his brother.

Dom stood to the side watching as the Shang Raven and the mage lifted the stretcher carrying Kel into the cart. He wanted to go and see her but he knew it wasn't his place. He had done his duty and now he had to step back and let her be with her people. When we get back to Tortall I will give her a kiss and if she doesn't like me then I will leave it at that he promised himself. All he wanted now was to get back to camp and sleep.

Neal came over to his cousin and slug his arm around his shoulder. Together they walked back to camp just as the loudest cheer yet came from the people of Hamerkeng.

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This is not over!!!!!!!!!!!! I know it sounds like an ending but it is not!!!!!!! Kel still has to fall for Dom. Happy Christmas everyone I probably won't be updating until after that. Sorry this chapter was so long in coming I got rid of the writers block that I had for my novel and I wrote like five chapters in it. Brogan (my "brother") gave me a kitten for Christmas he is so cute grey and white stripes all white paws and a white belly. I named him Widget. I got Brogan a goldfish and he named it Shiznit. I hope Widget doesn't eat Shiznit. Widget is so cute he will only sleep if he is on my chest or back and he just looks at me and mews when he wants something. Anyway please review and I will try to get the next chapter up faster. Oh and that thing with the hand I have had that done to me but nothing was broken it just hurts a lot!!!!! It like rubs the bones of your knuckles together.