The only sounds Dart could hear were his heavy footfalls and his heavy breathing as he ran down the forest path. His brow was furrowed with anger and worry. He should not have stopped last night. He should have hurried back.

Memories of death and destruction flooded his mind, and he fought tears as they welled up, threatening to break free at any moment. He thought that he'd put the loss of his first home behind him, but he was now being overtaken by those same feelings of terror and grief. Despite the temperate climate and his steady pace, he felt very cold.

Steadily the trees began to thin, and Dart was able to pick up speed. He twisted this way and that, bouncing off stones and ducking under branches. His breathing was steady, in tune with his heavy footfalls, and he exercised every bit of effort to keep pushing forward even while his muscles protested.

Finally, he came to the edge of the forest. He paused at the foot of the mountains, looking down on the prairie that had sprung up in response to regular cultivation by the people of Seles. Wheat and grasses spread far to the north, edged on either side by dense trees. In the center of the fields, nestled a half mile away, was the city of Seles.

Smoke still rose into the sky.

Dart gasped and nearly collapsed. What had once been a town of a thousand or more people now appeared desolate and abandoned. Charred beams of wood now stood where the houses used to be. From his vantage point, he could see no movement. He could see no life.

Shaking his head, he ran down the gentle slope, dreading what he might find as the village grew larger. All at once, he was forced to confront it.

The air carried the stench of burnt skin and hair, and Dart crinkled his nose as he took his first steps into town. On his right was a sizable house – or the remains of one – and he tried to place it in his mind. There at the base was a small flower bed with the charred remains of tulips.

"Shana's house," he recalled suddenly.

Marching up to the heaping pile of ash, Dart peered inside. He could see no one, and he hoped that any survivors had already been extracted.

Turning left, he continued through town, making sweeps around each of the houses he came to. Each of them was destroyed, though some had been slightly less affected than others.

In the third house he came to, he thought he saw the shape of a hand sticking through the rubble, and he leapt inside to try to uncover it. For several minutes, he worked, and his brow began to sweat profusely. Eventually, he found that the man was dead, severe burns covering most of his body.

Still, Dart moved the body and placed it closer to the entrance of the house so that the man could receive a proper burial when the time came.

As he made his way to the center of the town, Dart recovered three more bodies before he finally found someone alive. A woman had hid in her cellar, and the floor of the house had collapsed on her. Still, she had been mostly protected from the flames, and now she only bore burns on her arms and neck. Barely conscious, she groaned once when Dart lifted her and carried her out of the house.

He thought he recognized her, but he couldn't be sure. His mind was foggy, and his footsteps stumbled. Seeing the destruction had forced him into a ragged pace, and after several minutes, he wasn't sure whether he could make it as far as he needed.

And where was everyone? The bodies didn't account for the entire population. But nobody was sweeping the streets. Nobody was looking for the wounded.

Thankfully, only a few minutes later, he was proven wrong.

"Dart?" called someone from the right.

Breathing heavily, Dart turned and saw two men running toward him. Without warning, his legs gave way, and he fell to his knees. It took all his strength to keep the woman from falling to the earth, and he laid her down gingerly before sitting and leaning on one arm.

"Dart," repeated the man. "Is that really you? What are you doing here?"

"What happened?" panted Dart. Looking up, he saw the gray eyes of his adopted father Hikari. "What happened?"

Hikari dropped to his knees and put a hand on either side of Dart's face.

"You're alive," he breathed. "I had begun to wonder…"

Then he leaned forward and embraced Dart, although Dart found his arms too weak to return it.

When Hikari pulled away, he checked the pulse of the woman on the ground.

"Sandora attacked two days ago," he explained. "We had no idea. It was the middle of the night."

Dart pulled his hands over his eyes and tried to breathe.

"Not again," he moaned. "Not again. I should have come back sooner."

"Listen to me," said Hikari, his voice sharp. "This had nothing to do with you. I could never wish that you had come back sooner. If you had, you could be among the dead."

The logic failed to penetrate Dart's consciousness, and he only felt more lightheaded.

"Come," urged Hikari. "Let's get you two back to the others."

The other man, someone Dart didn't recognize, picked up the woman while Hikari hoisted Dart to his feet. Then slowly, they made their way to the northwest side of town. To Dart's surprise, they left the edge of the village and headed toward the forest about fifty yards away. Walking more steadily now, Dart separated himself from Hikari and kept his head down as he walked. He noted the bent stalks of the wheat marking the movement of a great number of people, and it gave him hope that more had survived than it appeared.

"Many fled into the forest during the attack," explained Hikari. "We spent much of yesterday building shelters and searching for dead or wounded. Only today have we had the chance to push far into the town."

"How many dead?" asked Dart flatly as the branches began to offer them shade.

"At least two hundred. Another hundred are missing."

Dart swore.

"Why would they do this?" he whispered.

"We're still trying to figure that part out."

They came upon the small settlement in the woods, nothing more than a few cloth tarps draped here and there between the trees. People sat strewn about, their eyes devoid of joy. Farther back and to the left, Dart could see dozens of people lying on the ground, blankets covering them while a nurse ran to and fro trying to heal the numerous burns and bruises.

As much as despair crept into Dart's heart, he was encouraged to see so many alive. He had not been so lucky last time.

"We have a few people digging graves in the field north of town," said Hikari. "We can't afford to give everyone a proper funeral. There are too many."

"Dart?" came a voice from beyond the trees.

All at once, people started recognizing him. Childhood friends, older mentors, and some vague acquaintances appeared from the nooks of the forest and began offering hugs and handshakes. For a few moments, Dart was able to nod gruffly and shake a few hands, but he quickly became overwhelmed. Thankfully, Hikari stepped in for him and shooed the people away before guiding Dart to a makeshift tent where sat his adopted mother Agnea. Wrinkles had started to show in her face, and gray flecks now sparkled in her hair. With wide eyes she beheld him, and she stood and wrapped him in her arms even as she began to weep.

Then she pulled back and looked at him, wiping his hair off his forehead. At this proximity, Dart could see a wide burn on her brow and another on her left hand.

"You've grown so much," she whispered.

"Thanks," he replied awkwardly.

After an hour filled with more greetings from people that he hadn't thought about in at least three years, Dart joined Hikari and several others as they began to sweep through the city and look for survivors. For several hours, they worked, and in that time, they were able to recover thirteen dead and eighteen wounded. On their third return to the forest, someone called for Dart yet again, and when he turned toward the sound, he saw a woman barreling toward him, limping as she came.

"Dart!" she called. "Dart, you must help me!"

Bewildered, Dart froze in place and tried to remember this woman. He had an inkling, but he was tired of remembering.

"They took my daughter," she said in a huff, placing her hand on his arm. "They took Shana. You have to get her back."

"Me? Why?"

Even as he spoke the words, the young girl's face danced in his mind's eye, and he felt a sudden urge to help.

"You're the only one who can," pleaded the woman. "Everyone else has duties here. We're old. We're wounded. But you can make it. You can find her and bring her back."

"Ilea, this isn't a priority," replied Hikari with a stern voice. "We still have so many missing. Shana could be in the village."

"No, they took her!" she insisted. "They took her from the house and carried her away! You have to believe me!"

"Where did they take her?" asked Dart, realizing that leaving Seles might be exactly what he wanted.

"I don't… I don't know."

"Maybe we could ask around," he offered. "See if anyone saw anything."

"Dart—" said Hikari.

"Let me do this," interrupted Dart. "I need something else to do. Please."

Hikari sighed. "I don't think this is a good idea. We need you here. As your father—"

"You're not my father," snapped Dart. "And I'm not a child anymore."

Instant regret washed over Dart as Hikari's jaw tightened, but he had no interest in an apology just now. Instead, he turned back to Ilea.

"I'll do what I can," he said. "Shana was my friend, too."

Ilea glanced nervously between Dart and Hikari, but she merely nodded and offered her thanks.

"I'll leave you to it, then," said Hikari. Then he tilted his head and walked off toward his wife.

Dart sighed and ran a hand over his face. Nothing was as it should be. He had expected to have to greet the entire town with joy, not share in their grief. Part of him wanted to charge into the woods and hide in a hole until everything was back to normal. Agnea had mentioned that he had grown… but he wasn't so sure. After everything, he still felt like a scared little boy left alone by the monsters of his past.

Still, he made his rounds around the town, asking here and there if anyone had seen Shana or what had happened to her. For some time, he had no luck, until someone at last mentioned that they had seen soldiers in prison garb rushing quickly out of town.

This gave Dart pause. Prison garb would lend to the idea that they had come with the purpose of taking someone with them, but Shana? Why would they have wanted Shana? He had to be sure that it was Shana who was taken.

After interviewing all the healthy who had the capacity to answer questions, he finally moved on to the wounded. Many were unconscious, but some were stable and able to speak. Much to Dart's frustration, none of them could offer him anything. However, he finally found someone who was not only eager to speak but heartily offered valuable information.

"Tasman?" asked Dart, marveling at how the smith had aged in five years.

The old man tried to right himself, but with no walls to lean on, he gave up and lay on the ground. He bore several cuts across his face, and his right leg and hand were both tightly wound with a bandage.

"You didn't think a little fire would kill me, did you?" grinned Tasman, reaching a hand to Dart.

Taking it somewhat gingerly, Dart shook it before sitting next to the old man.

"What timing you have," grinned Tasman. "Coming back right after a massive attack. Couldn't have come back two days ago, eh?"

Dart winced. That phrase had been playing over and over again in his head all day long.

"I wish I'd been here," he said quietly.

"Ah, don't take me too seriously," replied Tasman, slapping Dart's knee. "I would rather you came back after all that brutality. I'll never forget it."

"What happened?" asked Dart, hopeful to finally learn something.

"They came in the middle of the night, long after everyone was asleep. Two groups of soldiers came, you know. One from the prison and one from Kazas. I don't know what was going on, but the ones from Kazas went right for Shana's house. I sleep light, see, and as soon as I heard the thumping of horses, I was up and ready with my sword at my hip. I tried to fight them off. Got a couple, too. But then they got my leg, and I was pretty much useless after that. I heard Shana scream inside, and then I saw them carry her out, unconscious. Some of the prison men came by after and set fire to the place. That's when I got up and went inside and managed to get Ilea and Willard out. Breathed in some smoke, but I made it out with only a burn on my hand, see?"

He held up his bandaged hand, and Dart grimaced.

"So did they take her to prison or Kazas?" he asked.

"Prison makes more sense. Only…" His voice trailed off.

"Only what?" urged Dart.

"That prison ain't fit for the worst of people, let alone a nice girl like Shana."

"You've been there?"

"No, but we've heard stories. Unpleasant stories. The kind you don't want to tell kids about."

"So, if she is there… I should get her out."

"If you did," said Tasman, "you'd be the hero of the day. Ain't a soul in this village who didn't love that girl like their own kin."

"I remember."

Dart had cared deeply for her. They had been the best of friends, inseparable for a time. He closed his eyes as he shook his head in despair.

"How can I leave everyone?" he asked. "They need me here."

"Nonsense," waved Tasman. "We can do what needs to be done. One more set o' hands won't make much of a difference. You get on and get Shana. Bring her back, and then you can help out."

An hour later, Dart led one of the few horses left toward the western edge of town, armed with a waterskin and a sack of cured meat that had survived the attack in an underground cellar. With a sigh of grief, Dart looked back over Seles and mourned.

"I'll do what I can to make it right," he whispered.

Then his name came drifting over the desolation, and he spotted Agnea running toward him, Hikari just behind her. She trotted up to him, panting.

"Please, don't leave like this," she pleaded, eyes wide. "I know that we aren't your real parents, but we love you as if we were. You don't have to feel the same, but Hikari doesn't deserve such harsh words. He spoke up because he loves you. We just got you back, and now we have to say goodbye again. Can't you see how that pains us?"

The words rushed out of her as Hikari stood abashedly behind her. His face was flushed, and Dart couldn't tell if it was because of what Agnea had said or from his rush to reach Dart before he left.

Dart looked down.

"I know," he said quietly. "I'm grateful for everything you've done for me. I just… have to go now. I'll come back. With Shana."

"You two were always so close," said Agnea, placing a hand on Dart's shoulder. "You should be the one to save her."

"You're the only one who can," agreed Hikari. "We're all needed here. You're young and strong. And she'll be safe with you."

"Thanks," replied Dart with a nod.

"Just know," said Hikari, stepping forward with an earnest eye. "If she really is in Hellena Prison, she is suffering. No good story has ever come from that place. Find out if she's there, and if she is, get her out."

Dart nodded seriously. He'd forgotten the name of the infamous Sandoran prison, but hearing it brought forth a horde of nightmarish stories that had spread across Serdio several years ago.

"Now go," urged Hikari. "Get her back."

After taking a deep breath, Dart hoisted himself into the horse's saddle. Then with one more nod to the pair, he spurred the horse forward and took off west.

Before long, he arrived at an intersection where the road stretched to either side, plunging into Basil on his right and Sandora on his left. He followed the road south for several hours, being careful not to overtax his horse. The poor creature had known only farm life, and this long-distance journey was already stressing him. Even so, Dart was somewhat grateful for the time just to think.

So much had happened in the past day that he could scarcely comprehend it. He had encountered a dragon in the forest and then returned home to a scene that was strikingly similar to the nightmarish memory lurking within him. And now he was off to save Shana.

Shana…

The name hung heavily in his mind. But he wasn't sure how to think of her. All he knew was that everyone in Seles was depending on him to bring her home.

The road continued through a meager forest for several hours, and when night fell, Dart found himself struggling to keep to the path. Eventually, he gave up.

After guiding the horse off the road, he lay down to rest.

Sleep was elusive, however, and he found himself merely dozing for several hours before he finally faded into a slumber. He awoke to the early sounds of the forest, his daily alarm for many weeks now. With a groggy mind, he snacked on some cured meat and drank from his waterskin before he resumed his journey.

The next day was much like the first, only the forest eventually thinned and retreated toward the mountains to the west. His path then carved through a prairie, and occasionally, he would stop and take note of the tracks along the dirt road. He could note many horses, but few, if any, human prints. It seemed that the group that had taken Shana had hurried along as fast as they dared.

He was able to glean nothing about Shana herself, and instead, he returned his focus to his journey. His waterskin was running low, and he needed to find water soon. When he found Shana, it was possible that she would be dehydrated, and he didn't think Hellena wardens would offer a spare drink for her.

Dart shook his head. Rumors of Hellena Prison were dark indeed. It was said that prisoners there were held in harsh conditions, left to live and sleep in their own filth and offered only the most meager amount of sustenance. Many died from various diseases or malnutrition. But right now, the most disturbing notes were that the prison was rather like a fortress – impenetrable.

How anyone thought he could break in and out on his own was beyond him. He only hoped that if he couldn't save Shana, he would die in the attempt and save himself the embarrassment of returning home emptyhanded.

That evening, he camped as he had before, except this time he spent an hour or so in search of water. He had hoped that he would find a stream leaving the Serdian Mountains, but by the time he lay down to sleep, he was only thirsty and frustrated.

Thankfully, around noon the next day, he was able to find what he sought. When the road came to a small bridge over a wide stream, he quickly dismounted, drank his fill, and refilled his waterskin. Satisfied and with his mood slightly lifted, he continued south.

For several hours of the afternoon, he found himself nearly forgetting his mission. He became entranced by the sights around him, most notably the distant sparkles on the eastern horizon that spoke of the ocean. As he steadily moved forward, he found that the ocean far away on his left and the Serdian Mountains far away on his right both began to edge their way toward him. By the time the sun tucked itself behind the mountain peaks, Dart was trapped between them, forced along a quickly narrowing path leading toward the southern tip of Serdio.

Still, he appreciated this view of the sea. It had been many years since he'd been privileged enough to visit one, and he was now close enough that he could smell its salt. He breathed deeply as the warm ocean breeze tousled his hair, and despite everything, he smiled. Were it not for the austerity of his destination, he would have judged this to be a perfect place to live – ocean on one side and mountains on the other.

As the sunlight began to fade and darkness seeped across the land, Dart crested a low hill and stopped to see a tall shape in the distance, just off the low cliffs that had formed against the sea. He squinted in vain before urging his horse forward, and he frowned to feel his heartbeat elevate. As quickly as he could, he maneuvered off the road and closer to the line of trees where he would be less easily spotted as he approached what could only be Hellena Prison.

He considered for several minutes whether he should attempt to break in now or wait until morning. Surely, the guards had night watches, but would there be as many guards now as during the day?

Swearing, he eyed the tower as it slowly grew closer. He realized that he was unprepared with no knowledge of the workings of the prison. As he gazed at the looming tower, black stone emanating its menace, he suddenly wished to be somewhere very far away.

Eventually, he came to stop half a mile from the entrance, a wide gate accessible only by drawbridge – currently raised – that hung fifty feet above the crashing, rocky waves. The outer wall of the tower was a sheer face of polished stone – impossible to climb.

He dismounted and tied his horse before moving to the edge of the trees and sitting just within the edge of their darkness.

For several minutes, he watched and waited and calculated. But no matter which way he spun it, he could not figure out a way to get inside. Hellena Prison seemed truly impenetrable.

Even if the drawbridge were lowered, surely there were guards watching the way in, not to mention those guarding each floor. Dart tried to calculate how many floors stood in the tower, and he guessed that there were around ten. Still, that brought him no comfort. Who knew how many cells were on each floor? He had little inkling of what awaited him.

Sighing, he put his head in his hands. He didn't know what he was doing here. He'd grown accustomed to wandering through the wilderness, but this…

Then he felt… something. A low burning came from deep in his chest, an odd sensation that he had never felt before. Warmth spread over him, and with it came a strange level of confidence. As the heat reached his forehead, he glanced up to the tower and shook his head.

"Shana," he whispered.

He stared up at the menacing stone edifice even as memories cascaded over him. He remembered running with her through the woods. Splashing her in the creek bed. He recalled once that they came across a lone wolf that snarled at them, threatening to attack should they come any closer. Dart had planted himself firmly between the danger and Shana, steadfast in his desire to protect her. Thankfully, the wolf must have been traveling back to its pack, as it had backed away and scampered into the forest. Shana had been shaken by the event, too scared to play outside the bounds of Seles for another two weeks afterward.

Dart sighed, closing his eyes. She had relied on him. Trusted him. He had been like her older brother, and yet… Maybe that description wasn't quite right. He shook his head; the time wasn't right for this.

Whatever had existed between them in the past no longer mattered as much as what he did right now. If Shana really was being held in Hellena Prison, Dart would find a way to get her out. Even if he had to join her in imprisonment for a few nights.

The warmth within slowly dissipated, but its work had been done. Dart felt empowered, and he stood, placing a hand on the tree beside him. No matter what he had to do, he would find a way in. Even if that meant scaling a cliff.

He took a deep breath.

Then just as he took his first step toward the ocean, he heard an odd grinding sound coming from the road. Swearing, he ducked back into the trees, hiding behind a bush as he watched and waited.

The sound grew louder as its source traveled along the western road, tucked between the towering mountains. After a while, he realized that it must be the sound of a wagon, and he held his breath as his suspicions were proved right and a covered wagon came into view, being drawn by a staunch ox and driven by a short, bearded man.

"What are the odds?" he whispered.

As the wagon moved past him, he strained to see inside, but he could make nothing out in the darkness. The only thing that made sense to him was that this would be some kind of merchant delivering goods to the prison wardens. After all, there was no farmland nearby, and their food had to come from somewhere.

He glanced up at the tower again as heavy chains clinked, signaling the lowering of the drawbridge. Then his eyes darted back to the wagon.

On a snap decision, he rushed out from under the trees, hoping against hope that he would be shadowed by the night, and rushed up as quietly as possible to the back of the wagon. Then he leapt up and hoisted himself into the back.

The wagon rattled as he plopped onto the floor, and he hesitated. When the wagon did not slow, he wobbled to his feet and glanced around.

Several crates were dotted about, some rolled lengths of fabric, and what appeared to be several racks of lamb bound tightly to protect from the air. But there on the right was a huge pile of straw.

Shaking his head, he stepped over several crates before climbing into the straw pile and maneuvering himself into the corner. Then he dug down to the floor and replaced the straw above him, hoping that he was well hidden. Now, he could do nothing but press himself up against the wall of the wagon and hope.

He bounced along, heart beating erratically, mind rushing about the possibilities of whether this would work, whether he would be discovered and imprisoned, or even whether the wagon was really headed for Seles and not Hellena Prison at all. Most of all, he hoped that he would not suddenly develop allergies like the other children in Seles who could barely breathe every spring and fall. He felt certain that a misplaced sneeze would be all it would take to land him a lifetime sentence in the hellish prison.

Author Note: Ilea and Willard (Shana's parents) were named after Ilia and Willard Decker from Star Trek: The Motion Picture.