For an uncomfortable span of time, Dart waited for the change in terrain. Just when he was beginning to believe it would never happen, the rough road transformed into a smooth pathway, and the sound of wheels on wood vibrated up through the floor of the wagon, and for a minute or so, they crossed the drawbridge. Then all at once, the motion stopped, and Dart was forced to listen to his own breath as he strained to make out the muffled voices beyond. They fell silent, and then footsteps came around the wagon and halted in the back.

"Looks clear," came a bored voice, and the footsteps retreated.

A few moments later, the wagon began moving again. The wheels crossed wood, a jolt ran through the wagon as they crossed some kind of gap, and then the sound of grinding stone greeted Dart's ears. The wagon halted once more, and it shuffled slightly as the merchant lowered himself to the floor. Then, silence.

Whatever sounds came from the prison were muffled, and Dart could not make anything out. For several long minutes, he lay there, buried in straw, until someone came and removed a crate from the back of the wagon. The grunt startled Dart, but his responding shudder was not heard.

He understood that if he didn't go now, he'd soon be discovered by a sizable pitchfork.

With a deep breath, he pushed out of the straw pile, shook himself off, and made for the back of the wagon. But just as he was readying to leap to the floor, the merchant appeared before him with a terrified look on his face. On instinct, Dart drew his sword halfway, and the merchant took a fearful step back. Then he opened his mouth to scream.

Jumping down, Dart rushed forward and smacked his hand over the merchant's mouth, silencing his cry for help.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he whispered.

The merchant's eyes were wide, and Dart could feel his panicked breath on the palm of his hand.

"Can I count on you not to shout?" asked Dart.

The merchant nodded vigorously, and Dart slowly withdrew his hand. For a tense moment, he waited to see what the merchant would do. The man's eyes flitted back and forth between Dart and a doorway to his left. Dart's left hand fell to rest on the hilt of his sword, and he offered peace in taking a slow step back.

"They'll kill me," said the merchant, his voice trembling. "They'll kill me if they find out you were on my cart."

"They won't find out," assured Dart.

"They'll kill me if they find out I didn't alert them to your presence."

"They won't find that out, either."

"What are you doing here?"

"Nothing you need to worry about."

Dart allowed his arms to fall casually by his sides as he turned to look at the room around him. It was a large storeroom, with two entrances sizable enough for a wagon to move through. It was clear that this room was meant to be a stop on a circular path that no doubt led out the front door, as indicated by the numerous wheel ruts on the floor. Multiple crates of various foods and supplies were scattered about, seemingly with no organization, but the merchant had begun a meager stack next to a clear spot on the wall.

Dim light was provided by torches scattered about, and they reflected dully off the black stone walls. Overall, it was an oppressive, uncomfortable place.

"How is this prison laid out?" asked Dart, turning back to watch the merchant, whose eyes remained fixed on the intruder before him.

"I—I don't know what you mean," he stammered.

"How do I get to the prison cells?"

"You're breaking someone out, aren't you?"

"I never said that."

"Why else would you be here, asking about the prison cells?"

For a moment, Dart could not reply. For a moment, he considered the tumultuous circumstances that had brought him to this moment. A few days ago, his only plan for this night had been to eat food with friends and sleep comfortably in someone's spare room. And here he was, breaking into a prison, trying to rescue someone that he hadn't seen in five years. Someone whose memory was more powerful than he wanted to admit. Someone that made him nervous to see her again.

"They took someone important to me," he replied quietly. "I don't know why, but I have to find her and get her out."

The merchant softened slightly, his eyes turning mildly compassionate amid his fear.

"That way," he said, pointing to the door on Dart's left. "It's a road that curves toward the front door, but there's another doorway that leads to the tower. The big one. The cells are up the stairs, and the more important prisoners are higher up."

"Thank you," nodded Dart. "Hopefully, one day I can repay you."

"Hopefully, I'll live to see it."

Dart nodded again before turning toward his exit and peering around the massive door frame.

It was as the merchant had said: a road like the one in the storeroom curved back toward the front of the prison. A hallway ran across, leading to two doors on either end, one on Dart's right and the other far on his left. But along the back wall was a large doorway leading out of sight. He crept out, following the near wall until he could see the prison entrance. Two guards talked lazily by the gate, but there were no others to be found.

As quietly as he could manage, he ran over to the doorway and slipped inside.

Again, his path was crossed by a hallway and more doors waited out of reach, but in front of him was a spiral stone staircase inside a small round room leading up to higher floors. He ran up quickly until he reached a landing where another open door frame offered entrance to the first floor of prison cells. As he peeked out, he saw a cell directly across from him, and many others curved around, following the outer wall of the tower as they stretched around in a circle. The cell before him was empty, but a putrid smell forced him to withdraw his head back into the stairwell and cover his nose. For a moment, he contemplated. Would he really have to search every floor to find Shana?

As far as he could tell, there was no way around it. Shana could be in any cell, on any floor. With a deep breath, he steeled himself, then swept out onto the second-floor cell block.

Staying close to the wall around the stairwell, he inched his way along and quickly realized the source of the stench. Within each cell a corner – and sometimes the entire floor – was covered with human waste. Dart wondered if they'd ever cleaned out these cells, as there were decaying piles in some cells that were empty. In fact, nearly all the cells were empty, and Dart saw only a couple people, each of them either asleep or dead on the floors of their cells. They had not been granted beds.

He made it all the way around the circle without encountering guards and without finding Shana. With a sigh, he reentered the stairwell and continued up to the third floor of the prison.

The smell was slightly lessened as he pushed up the stairs, and he found that these cells had been cleaned out, at least on occasion. While waste still sat on the floors, there was not nearly as much of it. Still, the prisoners here seemed no better off. They were too sickly or malnourished to be able to react to his presence, and for that he was grateful, but his heart was breaking to see such cruelty. If this was how Sandora treated their prisoners, he would no longer have to agonize over which side he would support in a war. He only hoped that Shana would be in a better state, having only been here for a few days.

The third floor held no sign of Shana, either, and he advanced to the fourth. He wrinkled his nose as he approached the next landing; the smell of filth had been exchanged for the scent of decay, as if an animal had been rotting in the sun for a week. With a sick feeling in his stomach, Dart cautiously stepped onto the floor, listening for any odd sounds. He thought he heard shuffling from upstairs, but he dismissed it when it didn't approach him, and he made his way around the circle.

He paused in horror when he saw what lay in the fifth cell – clearly the source of the smell. A human body, probably male – lay dead and rotting in the bed there. A thousand flies feasted on the carcass, and entrails were visible through the body's midsection.

Dart could not help himself; without warning, he retched onto the floor, coughing and sputtering as he emptied his stomach. He staggered away from the body, and for several moments after, he fought to catch his breath once again. Then he quieted his breath and listened.

He stopped breathing altogether when he heard voices coming from the stairwell.

Still shaky, he pressed himself up against the inner wall, hoping that they would not find him. Voices echoed about the place, growing louder until they reached Dart's floor. He closed his eyes and waited, but the voices faded into the distance as they shuffled down the stairs.

With a sigh of relief, Dart relaxed and eased over to the doorway. The sounds were now distant, but something else was still coming from above. Pursing his lips, he stepped carefully into the stairwell and ascended, straining his ears as he went.

Approaching the fifth-floor landing, the sounds changed to distinct voices, and conversation formed with Dart's increasing proximity.

"I hope he grabs the right kind," came a man's voice. "It's going to be a long night."

"I hate night shift," complained another, followed by a clink of coins on a wooden surface.

"At least we have that girl on six to keep us company," chuckled the first.

Dart nearly swore.

"I don't know," said the second. "I think she may have taken all she can. Looked weak to me yesterday. Day shift might've worn her out."

Shaking his head, Dart pushed to the sixth floor. He didn't want to hear anymore. Already, his unsteady stomach was churning again, and he knew that another incident here would gather the guards to him in an instant. The voices faded as he landed on the sixth floor and pushed out into the cell block.

His heartbeat elevated. He would see Shana again soon. He only hoped that she was in a better state than had been insinuated by the guards.

He made his way around the circle, finding a man asleep in one cell and the rest empty. But then he came upon another horrid sight two cells down. A woman lay there halfway tucked under her bed, curled into a ball, sporting multiple cuts and bruises across her exposed, feeble frame. She wept silently, and her breathing was ragged and shallow. At his footsteps, she whimpered and pulled her knees more tightly to her chest, wiggling to scoot farther into relative safety under the bed frame.

"I'm not going to hurt you," whispered Dart, kneeling by the metal bars.

The woman looked up at him, and Dart saw that it was not Shana. Some part of him was relieved, but he saw in this woman's eyes a horrible grief and dread, far beyond anything Dart had ever experienced. Her body shook to behold his face.

"I'm not one of them," he said as his lip trembled.

"Leave me alone," she squeaked, her voice barely audible past her dehydrated throat.

She was emaciated, practically a skeleton, and several of the cuts were showing signs of infection. Dart wasn't so sure that she would last another few days. He recalled what the guards had said, and he swallowed back a lump in his throat.

"I'll come back for you," he said, realizing that his words would mean nothing to her, maybe even terrify her. Then he stood and slowly walked back to the stairwell, hoping desperately that Shana was not in the same state.

As he neared the seventh floor, he heard a muffled gasp, followed by a cough and then a thump. He drew his sword and crept up the stairs, but his focus was shattered by a loud cry.

"No!" shouted a voice.

"A prisoner has escaped!" screamed another, and then a loud gong rang out from somewhere that Dart could not pinpoint. "A pris—"

The guard was silenced, but the footsteps of the guards below had already entered the stairwell. Dart rushed up to the seventh floor and slipped inside, wary of what he might find there. He glanced into the cells while keeping an eye out for the escapee. He heard movement coming from the other side of the tower, and then the guards spilled onto the cell block. Peering around the corner, Dart saw the fugitive with a guard's sword in his hand, holding it before him as he prepared for their onslaught. Despite Dart's expectations, it became quickly apparent that the man knew how to wield such a weapon. In two clean swipes, he killed his attackers, though more were on the way.

Dart spun around and circled the tower until he stood next to the entrance. A mere second later, two more guards pushed into the room, and Dart quickly stabbed one and shouted at the other. Bewildered, he turned, but the escapee seized his opportunity and ran him through from behind. The guard crumpled to the ground, joining five others, and Dart now stood face to face with the attacker.

A fierce look was in his eye, and he worked his broad jaw as he sized Dart up. Then he leapt over the corpses and rushed at Dart, deftly swinging the crude sword about and forcing Dart to defend himself.

The two exchanged several blows until Dart swung his sword around just so, tossing his assailant's weapon far away. As the sword clanged to the ground, the man held up his hands in surrender, and to Dart's amazement, a smile crept over his face.

"Impressive," he said. "You don't have the look of a Hellena guard, though. Who are you?"

Relaxing slightly, Dart sheathed his weapon and looked the man up and down. His eyes were light brown, his hair blonde, and his body muscular enough that he must have had some formal training. His clothes were tattered and torn, something Dart would expect from an inmate.

"Dart," he said.

"Impressive display, Dart," said the man, extending a hand. "I'm Lavitz. Lavitz Slambert."

"You're trusting me?" asked Dart. "Just like that?" He cautiously shook Lavitz's hand.

"You didn't kill me when you had the opportunity," shrugged Lavitz. "That's good enough for me."

"Are you escaping?"

"Trying to, although it's not going well so far. I need to find a set of keys."

"How did you get out?"

"A little creativity goes a long way. But I'm trying to get some other people out, too. Is that why you're here? To get someone out?"

"Um…" Dart stammered. "Yeah. She's… She was taken from my village a few days ago."

"You know, I might just know who you're talking about," grinned Lavitz. "Let's find us some keys and make our way upstairs, shall we?"

Bewildered, Dart watched as Lavitz retrieved the guard's sword and began searching the bodies.

"You want to help me?" asked Dart.

"Of course," said Lavitz. "You're a man in need. I'm a man who can help. Ah hah!"

Lavitz righted himself and jangled a ring of keys at Dart.

"That was easy," muttered Dart as Lavitz charged into the stairwell.

For the briefest of moments, Dart stood and considered this change to his plans. Then he rushed after Lavitz.

Just as they were about to leap out onto the eighth floor, they heard guards shouting from below.

"Hey, you!" they cried, their voices echoing around the stairwell. "Stop!"

The pair obeyed and turned to face each other, each asking the silent question of whether they should engage the guards or press forward. In the end, Lavitz shrugged, and Dart joined him on the landing. The two stood shoulder-to-shoulder, swords drawn and ready.

"I like that sword," said Lavitz. "Where did you get it?"

"Um," stammered Dart, glancing down at the red crossguard. "East."

"In Serdio?"

The guards were now on the seventh-floor landing, and Dart tensed, confused by Lavitz's nonchalant attitude. As three burly men charged at them, Dart could barely shake his head to answer the question, and they were soon locked in combat.

Dart's guard wielded a mace, which he tried to bring down on Dart's head. Dart pushed himself against the wall and slid his blade against the man's side, and he squealed before Dart stabbed him and then shoved him away. His companion caught him and then knocked him to the side, where he fell down the center cavity of the stairwell until his body crunched to a stop on the first floor.

As Lavitz exchanged blows with his own enemy, the third guard shouted at Dart in anger, and Dart prepared for the assault. It came quickly but sloppily, and Dart was able to parry the blows with ease until he swung wide, and his sword glanced off the stone wall. Its weight pulled him to the side, and the guard seized his opportunity, thrusting forward. Just barely, Dart lifted his sword in time to redirect the blow, but then the guard grabbed Dart's right hand, pinning his sword against the wall, and swung at Dart's neck. Throwing his hand up to absorb the fatal blow, Dart cringed in preparation of pain, but Lavitz interceded.

With expert precision, Lavitz raised his weapon and deflected the attack before slitting both men's throats in one smooth motion. As they crumpled to the floor, Dart released a breath and allowed his body to relax, leaning into the wall.

"Thanks for that," he said, nodding to Lavitz.

"No problem," returned Lavitz as he offered a hand to Dart.

Taking it, Dart righted himself and once again sheathed his weapon as Lavitz did the same.

With no more words, the two stepped onto the eighth floor, and Lavitz led Dart around the circle. All the cells here were empty except for one that took Dart by surprise. There was not a prisoner there, but a guard, unconscious and face down on the stone floor.

"Your cell, I presume?" asked Dart, gesturing to the guard.

"That's right!" laughed Lavitz. "But your friend is just over here."

He pointed three cells down just as a timid voice called out.

"Lavitz?"

With a jolt, Dart recognized that voice and ran forward, meeting the prisoner at the bars of the cell. There she stood, alive, unharmed, and wide-eyed to see such a ghost of her past. Though her skin was covered in various layers of dirt and her loose brown hair was disheveled, Dart could see no sign of injury. She had frozen at the sight of him and was now inching forward as she looked him up and down. Dart could not help but do the same, as the last time he had seen her, she had been merely a child. Now, before him stood a woman.

"Dart?" whispered Shana.

"It's me," returned Dart with a smile.

"How is this possible? You were gone."

Dart's smile faltered, and he gazed into her face, so familiar and yet so changed from his memory. All at once, the five years between them seemed to vanish, and he placed a hand over hers as it rested on the door of her cell.

"We'll have time for all that later," urged Lavitz as he inserted key after key into the lock. "For now, let's just get out of here and somewhere safe."

"Right," said Dart, backing away as Lavitz tried another key.

At that moment, a bell pealed out a thunderous alert to the entire prison, and Shana turned fearful eyes to Dart.

"We need to hurry," he whispered.

"Got it!" announced Lavitz, at last earning a click from the lock as the door swung open.

Without waiting for them, Lavitz rushed to the stairs. After a quick nod to Shana, Dart followed with her on his heels. They stepped over the dead guards on the landing, their footsteps almost falling in rhythm with the rings of the prison bell, and then began charging down the stairs as fast as they dared. From the base, they could hear multiple shouts and the clanging of metal as more guards prepared to give chase.

"Fan out!" someone ordered. "I want guards on every floor! Don't let them escape or I'll have all your heads!"

"We can't just charge through all of them," whispered Dart.

Lavitz nodded and ducked onto the sixth floor. They rounded the tower and came to rest in a panting huddle on the far side, leaning back against one of the cells. Dart and Lavitz both had their swords drawn, ready to protect Shana.

"Look," whispered Shana, and they spun to see her pointing inside the cell.

There inside was the woman that Dart had seen earlier, only she was no longer moving. Blood oozed from her mouth and had formed a tiny puddle under her cheek.

"Hello?" said Lavitz as he knelt by the door. "Can you hear me?"

There was no response, and Shana's hand flew up to cover her mouth.

"She didn't make it," realized Dart, recalling her reaction to him earlier.

"At least she found her freedom," said Lavitz with a sigh.

The three were quickly roused to attention when the sounds of guard's boots landed on their floor. Shana quickly wiped her eyes as Lavitz and Dart readied their weapons.

"Go that way," one of the men said.

Dart and Lavitz rushed forward as quietly as they could manage, one to either side of the stairwell. The guard came into view, and Dart's eyes locked with his. The man's eyes grew wide and his mouth opened to shout, but Dart thrust forward and stabbed his throat, silencing him. He slumped to the ground a second later, and Dart ran around to ensure that there were no more guards. As he peeked past the doorway, he saw Lavitz on the far side, just as successful with his attack. Dart nodded and summoned Shana, and the three crept out into the stairwell.

"Wait, do you hear that?" asked Lavitz suddenly.

"Hear what?"

The entire prison was now a cacophony of footsteps, shouts, and grunts; how Lavitz could make out anything in this noise was beyond Dart.

"My name," replied Lavitz. "Down there!"

Despite his confusion, Dart followed Lavitz as he sprinted down the stairs, devoid of guards while each cell block was searched. As they neared the third floor, Dart was finally able to hear what Lavitz had.

"Sir Lavitz!" someone was shouting. "Sir Lavitz, I know you're out there! Sir Lavitz!"

The calls were incessant, and the disgruntled response of a guard did little to silence it. Lavitz led them onto the third floor just as the voice let out a pained grunt.

They rounded the corner to see a guard with his sword in the belly of a tall man who clung to the bars of his cell. The prisoner's eyes met the newcomers just as the guard withdrew his weapon, and despite his wound, his face twisted into a smile.

"Sir Lavitz," he breathed before falling to his knees.

"No!" shouted Lavitz, rushing forward in a frenzy that took Dart by surprise. As he engaged the frightened guard, Dart saw another approaching from the other side, and Dart leapt into the fray, narrowly deflecting a spear aimed at Lavitz's heart. The spear-wielder then froze as his friend's head fell to the floor, and Dart gave him the mercy of ending his life, too.

Lavitz's attention had immediately turned to the prisoner, and he knelt by the cell while the man struggled to breathe.

"I was hoping to go with you, but…" said the man.

"I'm sorry that I didn't get here sooner," replied Lavitz.

"That's not important now. What's important is that… I saw—" he coughed "—I saw the dragon."

"What? Where?"

"Yesterday." The prisoner's breaths were labored, and his eyes closed for a moment.

"Where?" urged Lavitz, jostling the man's hand through the bars. "You have to tell me where!"

"Fifty miles north… Heading west into the mountains."

"The Serdian Mountains?"

The man nodded and leaned his head forward against the bars. "Tell the king for me."

"I will," replied Lavitz somberly.

Then the man's body collapsed, and he slumped onto the ground, his eyes staring up at the ceiling.

Slowly, Lavitz stood and sniffed. Then he turned around and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Lavitz," said Shana quietly.

"We have to go," urged Dart, choosing to dismiss this mention of the dragon until he could discuss it later, though he was eager to learn what such a beast had to do with Lavitz.

"Let's get out of here," agreed Lavitz before pushing past them.

Remarkably, there were no more guards on the stairs until they reached the second floor. These had already done their rounds and no doubt were preparing to continue their efforts higher up, but Dart and Lavitz interrupted those plans, leaving them dead and unmoving on the second floor landing.

As the three reached the first floor, they ducked behind the stairwell, ignoring the dead and disfigured guard on the floor, and paused to peek toward the exit.

"I see a lever of some kind that opens the gate," said Lavitz. "We just have to reach it."

"And there's the drawbridge," added Dart. "We're out of luck if they raise it."

"Looks like it's still down."

"What about the merchant? Do you see a merchant?"

Lavitz shook his head. "But there are ten guards waiting for us."

"We'll never outrun them," whispered Shana as she stared blankly at the wall.

Dart watched her for a moment, and she turned her eyes to him, revealing the fear hidden within them. He placed a hand on her shoulder and opened his mouth to speak, but Lavitz interrupted.

"We can steal some horses," he said. "Can you two ride together?"

Dart nodded. "I have a horse nearby in the woods anyway."

"Excellent," grinned Lavitz. "Resourceful, I see. We'll have to exchange stories when we get out of here."

"Do we know where they keep the horses?"

Just then, footsteps came careening down the stairs, and they huddled together again. The guards' boots crashed against the stone steps until they barreled out of the main doorway toward the front gate. Lavitz poked his head out again.

"Make that twelve guards," he said. "Horses should be close to the exit, if they have any wisdom. I see two large doorways on either side of the main hall."

"The left one leads to a storeroom," offered Dart. "The other might be what we're looking for."

"So, how do we manage to sneak in there?"

"Distraction?"

"You're the better swordsman," replied Lavitz. "And you have the armor. Think you can hold off twelve guards until I can spring a couple horses?"

"Only one way to find out."

"Wait," interrupted Shana as she placed a hand on Dart's forearm. "This is dangerous."

"So is staying here," replied Dart.

"He's right," agreed Lavitz. "We have to try."

She glanced between them for a moment before retracting her hand and nodding.

"I'll pull left, maybe into the storeroom," said Dart. "Make them think I'm trying to leave the way I left. I'd expect that they'll follow me in there, so you grab the horses while they're occupied. Shana, if you can without being seen, sneak into the hallway on the right, and then join Lavitz whenever you can. Hopefully, we can time this right and all get out of here alive. And Lavitz, no matter what, Shana is the priority here." He eyed Lavitz seriously.

"I understand," he nodded.

"Ready?"

"Only one way to find out," grinned Lavitz.

Dart couldn't help but return the grin as he eased up next to the stairwell and looked out. Indeed, there were twelve guards, each shifty and restless. Eight had swords, three had spears, and one more wielded a heavy mace. After a deep breath, Dart moved forward until he was next to the doorway. Peeking out again, he saw no change and darted to the left, retracing his steps from earlier and moving into the storeroom.

As he crossed the threshold, he fell to a stop as he saw the merchant lying on the floor, eyes open and empty. Blood had puddled underneath him from a gaping wound in his belly, and beside him stood a short man with a bloody spear in his hand speaking to someone on the other side of the wagon.

Gritting his teeth, Dart ducked behind a crate and drew his sword as quietly as he could manage. Then he stepped out, maneuvering behind the wagon until he was only a couple feet from the man. Then in one motion, he stuck out his blade and drew it over the man's neck.

He grasped in vain at the blood that now spilled from him, and his spear clattered to the floor. As the man fell to his knees, a frustrated growl emanated from the person on the other side of the wagon, and Dart braced himself for his approach.

"Get in here!" shouted the man in a guttural tone. "The prisoners are escaping!"

Then he rounded the corner, swinging a giant spiked club, and Dart took a bewildered step backward as it collided with the side of the wagon, splitting the wood and causing the canopy to collapse.

The man, clearly the head warden, towered over Dart, and his muscles bulged as he lifted his club out of the broken wagon. Dart imagined that this man could lift him over his head and toss him about the room without breaking a sweat.

"You think you can steal from me?" he growled as his minions spilled into the room behind him. "Kill him!"

The twelve guards rushed Dart, and he was soon locked into a frenzied battle. It was all he could do to keep up with the onslaught, and he was soon grateful for his adrenaline that kept him from feeling the multiple cuts and bruises that were soon on display across his body. After a sword glanced off his shoulder plate, he realized the wisdom of Lavitz's plan; no matter his battle prowess, Lavitz would not have been able to fend off so many blades at once.

A mace struck him in the back, knocking the breath from his lungs, and Dart realized that he was now surrounded. A blade pierced his right forearm, and he grunted in pain. As he deflected two blows on his left, three more came from his right. If he didn't retreat soon, he would be slaughtered just like the merchant. Choosing to receive a spearhead that did not manage to pierce through his armor, Dart spun and cut off the arm of the guard behind him. As he screamed, grasping at his shoulder and stumbling backward, Dart rushed through the gap and back into the hallway. The guards followed, and he turned, grateful to have his back to a wall as he continued to fight.

"Dart!" called Lavitz. "Now!"

At the sound of creaking metal hinges, Dart turned and sprinted before turning left toward the main gate. Lavitz had just pulled the lever and was now swinging himself onto a horse, and Shana was already mounted next to him. She reached out a hand toward Dart as Lavitz urged his horse toward the mass of guards, giving them just enough pause that Dart had time to grasp Shana's hand and swing himself onto the horse.

"The drawbridge!" screamed the head warden. "Raise the drawbridge!"

"Go!" shouted Dart, urging his horse forward, and they took off through the gate. Horses' hooves thundered across the wooden beams even as the bridge began to lift. As they reached the end, now several feet off the ground, Dart encouraged his horse to jump, and it obeyed. A second later, the thump of Lavitz's horse heralded his safe landing, and the two horses shot off toward the trees while endless screams rang out from Hellena Prison.