Yaeger blinked in surprise, and even Caius raised an eyebrow. Everyone seemed to be waiting on bated breath for someone to say something. "Very good, son," the lieutenant raised his hands, slowly taking his helmet off. Varian felt a twinge of guilt when he saw the dark circles underneath the soldier's dark eyes. He looked younger than he acted, maybe late twenties, with a tanned complexion and chestnut hair. "I know this isn't easy for you. None of this has been. If you just –"

"I'm not finished," Varian cut him off, the shake in his voice barely noticeable. The sun beating down on his dark head felt reassuring, like a warm hand had been placed there. "I said you can have me, and I mean every word. But it won't be today. There's something I have to do, and I can't do it behind a cell wall."

Yaeger narrowed his gaze. "I highly advise against whatever it is you're going to do, Varian. You and I both know we don't want the situation to escalate any further than it already has. You're smart, I know that. I also know what happened at the Saison Bridge wasn't your fault. I know you think it has to be this way, but it doesn't. I know you want to run away, and if I were in your position, I would want to as well. The best option here is for you and your friend to stand down and come back to the capitol in peace. No harm will come to either of you, I swear it."

Varian knew in his heart that the lieutenant was being nothing but sincere. Under any other circumstance, he would have been tempted to take him up on his offer. He sucked in a deep breath, his chest expanding until he couldn't hold in anymore. "I'm sorry, lieutenant," he apologized, just loud enough for Yaeger to hear. "I can't do that. Please try to understand."

Yaeger sighed, his shoulders slumping with bitter regret. "Then I have no choice but to bring you in by force," he answered as he replaced his helmet. "I wish it didn't have to come to this."

Varian nodded soberly. "So do I. RUDIGER!"

Two seconds later, Rudiger exploded from around the cabin, his large eyes narrowed into slits as he started barreling his way across the meadow. Before Yaeger could say anything, the giant racoon had launched himself into the trees, and a series of cries issued from the soldiers there as their guerrilla tactics swiftly fell apart.

"Hold your ground!" Yaeger shouted from his position, moving to assist his men. He stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the sound of a crossbow bolt locking into place, aimed squarely into the unarmored space under his arm. He turned his head enough to see Caius holding the weapon, the witch hunter completely stoic and unmoving.

"Caius!" Varian yelled.

"Lower the barrier, little hawk," Caius ordered, his gaze swiveling until his blind eye landed on Shay's ashen face. "Or this man's blood is on your hands."

All attention diverted to Shay, who stood there in complete, undiluted terror. Her jaw was tight, her eyes frozen, as she watched her uncle's finger play with the crossbow trigger.

"Shay, don't listen to him!" Varian exclaimed. "Caius, let him go!"

"If I die," Yaeger vowed, his words filled with resolve, "it will be in service to my kingdom. In this, I have no regrets."

Varian made his way to the edge of the barrier, less than five feet away from the witch hunter. Caius didn't move, but his blind eye swiveled to stare as the young man approached. "I know what you really want," Varian insisted. "You can kill him and his entire patrol, and it won't make a difference. You can't have that sword!"

"Sword?" Yaeger breathed. "What sword?"

Caius' arm remained extended, his meaty fingers firm on his weapon. "That's not your decision to make now, is it?" He looked over Varian's head at Shay, raising his free hand until it hovered less than an inch away from the barrier. The magic hummed under his fingertips, and red waves started to emanate from the near-contact. "Remove the barrier and give me the sword. You are in no position to negotiate, and, quite frankly, I grow tired of wasting my time. I won't ask again, little hawk. Stop trying to delay the inevitable."

Varian felt Shay approach from behind, and he watched in horror as she slowly raised her shuddering hands to the barrier wall. Even though she was unmistakably afraid, Varian could see hatred in the depths of her, like a boiling river held back by a concrete dam.

Then, Varian saw something from the cabin window, a flicker of light as the pane silently rose out of the way. Several things happened at once: impulsively, he ducked just before Martin shot an arrow across the field, striking into Caius' forearm. At the same time, Caius shot at Yaeger, his efforts futile as his aim was knocked askew; Yaeger dove forward, snatching the crossbow before the witch hunter could recover.

With the lieutenant out of harm's way, Shay threw her arms down and shot her fingers forward, shrieking in fury as the dam inside her broke into pieces. Varian felt the magic roll off her in waves as the barrier around the cabin blossomed into a dome of fire, flames roiling in hot strikes across the air. Through the heat and burning light, Varian could see Yaeger's look of awe behind his helmet, but Caius remained still as he ripped the arrow out of his arm with a deft, irritated flick.

Through the sound of the inferno, Varian heard Shay's voice. "You can't have him." Her hair was red now, like how it had been at the Saison Bridge, and as she started to move forward, the barrier began to expand. "You won't have my father's sword. And you will NEVER set foot on these grounds AGAIN!"

"Varian!" Martin was out of the house now, trying to reach his horse. The mare was trying to break away from the garden post, and he managed to untie her before she could hurt herself. "Varian, we've got to go, now!"

"Rudiger!" Varian called. "Shay, let him in!"

Her glowing eyes darted to the left, and an opening appeared just in time, just long enough, for Rudiger to launch himself through. The racoon held a guard's sword between his teeth, spitting it out on the ground with a proud flick of his giant tail.

Yaeger had reluctantly retreated, trying hastily to regroup his men in the woods. Caius, however, still hadn't moved, a manic grin spreading across his sinister face as the flames grew closer. The hot light lit the intensity in his eyes as he glared with almost childlike glee at his niece. "Yes, little hawk," he called over the sound of the magic, "do what your father could not. Show me the strength of your ambition!"

"Shay!" Varian ran to her, trying to wrench her back by the shoulder. She barely moved at his touch, and he felt the magic within himself call to hers, begging to be used. It took every ounce of will to fight it, to keep his own power in check. "Shay, we have to get out of here!"

"No!" Shay cried. "This place is all I have left! He's taken everything else away from me!"

Varian tugged again, still to no avail. "Then don't let him win! Help me find the Moonstone! We can still put an end to this!"

"No," she repeated, the flames intensifying around them. "I can put an end to this, right now, like I should have before! If I can't have my place, then neither can he!"

If I can't have a happy ending, then neither can you! Varian's own words echoed in his mind, bitter and caustic as they ghosted across his tongue. He could see the automaton's panel in front of him again, the controls tight in his grip as the red glare of the glass engulfed his vision. "Listen to me!" he begged, almost in a whisper. "I know what you're feeling right now. I know you want to make him pay for everything he's done, and I don't blame you. But it's not worth losing everything you are to rob him of something he'll never have. He gave up his happy ending a long time ago, but yours is still out there. Don't compromise it by turning into what he wants you to be."

Shay blinked, and the light in her eyes wavered. "I –" She squared her shoulders. "I can't let him have this place. I won't!"

"Shay, you are this place."

A tear ran down Shay's cheek, evaporating from the heat of the flames.

"Shay." Varian tugged one last time. "Let it go."

At first, it didn't seem to work. Then Shay closed her eyes, gritting her teeth as she strained to close her fingers. Varian could feel the spell fighting back, like a piece of rebar that refused to cut. "I – I can't! I've given it too much. If I end the spell now…" She cringed, her arms faltering. "The barrier will collapse, and my magic will have no place to go! The rebound will kill us!"

"The teleportation spell!" Varian reminded her. "What if we used the potential energy of the barrier? It would stop the rebound and get us out of here!"

Shay seemed to consider it. She nodded her head vigorously. "I can try, but I…I can't hold this much longer!"

"Martin! Rudiger! Come on!" With his friends gathered close, Varian reached out as Shay began to chant, trying to help her stabilize the energy around them.

"What are you guys doing?!" Martin shouted from his mount. Rudiger whined and whimpered, waiting for the worst to come.

Varian planted his feet into the ground, gritting his teeth. "Hang on!" Arms outstretched, he allowed just a fraction of the moon's strength to ebb out from his fingertips.

The result was a ripple of violet light that surged like a heartbeat around the barrier, silencing the flames in a wave of muted energy. For an instant, the entire world was quiet. Then, there was an earth-shattering boom as the magic dispelled, rocketing through the air with enough force to send everyone flying. The ground undulated beneath them like an ocean wave, and Varian caught a glimpse of Lyra's garden bursting into flames as Caius was thrown backwards.

Then the entire world seemed to morph into a kaleidoscope of light and color. He wasn't sure at first whether he was falling or rising, sliding backwards or hurtling forward – maybe all at once. He tumbled and slid as reality dipped and swayed, his ears ringing as it all crashed and thundered around him.

He wasn't sure how long it took, but he finally felt the magic subside, and he felt himself slam hard into the ground. The force of the impact knocked him out cold, and he laid there for some time, unconscious of anything and everything in the world.

Varian. Varian, wake up. Now is not the time to sleep.

Varian stirred. What?

I grow weary. When the time comes, I fear you will not be strong enough.

There was a flash of light, and the scar tissue in his left shoulder burned.

When he came to, he was on his back, staring up at a dark, cloudy sky. It made it difficult to tell what time of day it was, or how long he had been out. He rolled onto his side with a groan and dragged himself to his feet, blinking and disoriented. He stared at his surroundings, trying to get his bearings. Were they still in the Haderon Forest? The Crimson Caster's cabin was nowhere to be seen, and the trees around them seemed to be different. The soil under his feet smelled warmer, denser, and the wind in his hair was more humid. The foliage was darker, growing closer together, and the branches overhead were still endowed with green.

"Where are we?" he breathed. "Where's…Martin?" He turned around in a circle; amidst the trees, he saw no one. "Shay?! Rudiger!" He waited to hear a response, but only his own voice came back to him, short and desperate in his humming ears. He started to panic, clutching a hand to his tightening chest as his breath grew shallow. Was he here all alone? Had the spell gone wrong and teleported only him? Were the others still back at Shay's home? Was he even in the same world, or was he on some other plane? Was he dead?

A rustling sound snapped him out of his terrified thoughts, and he whirled about, reaching for his father's bow. Then he remembered, he didn't have it; he had left it in the cabin. He reached instead for his pocket, hoping to find some kind of solution there. Miraculously, he found a small vial of lock acid, and he held it suffocatingly tight in his hand; it wasn't much, but it was reassuring to have, at least.

"Who's there?" he called out.

The rustling grew closer, and something small and brown shot out into the open, leaping into Varian's arms with a twitching nose and an urgent sound.

"Killy!"
The hare kicked himself out of Varian's grip and dashed back in the same direction, sliding to a stop as he waited on hind legs for Varian to follow.

"I'm coming!" Varian started running after, pushing ferns and low-hanging branches out of his way. Killy proved almost too fast for him to keep up with, and the hare paused more than once for Varian to catch up. The ground started to incline, and Varian's headache was forgotten as he was forced to climb his way up a craggy slope.

When he reached the top, a valley opened out before him, the trees giving way to a sight he had never seen before. The forest swelled and spilled out in wide, tumbling streaks, skirting around rivers and streams, melting around hills that eventually erupted into mountainous peaks on the horizon. In the distance, he could see a great summit towering towards the dark clouds, with a bright, manmade spire reaching out from amongst the cliffs. The spire was clothed in turquoise rock, its shimmering face dim as the sky overhead concealed the sun's piercing rays.

"It's…" Varian swallowed. "This isn't Corona anymore."

END OF PART ONE

Author's Note: This chapter of Tangled: Witch War marks the halfway point of Varian's journey to save his father, defeat Zhan Tiri, and claim his destiny. Part Two will see Varian and his friends endure more hardship than ever before, and a finale that will determine the fate of everyone in Corona. Thank you to all who have followed the story thus far - it doesn't end here; Varian's adventure is only beginning!