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“Anyone would have done the same.” If Regner had him imprisoned here—for torture—I was willing to bet he was no ordinary prisoner. No, he was likely a political enemy.
“No, they wouldn’t.” His expression was grim, as if he knew that reality firsthand. “My name is Calysian. And I insist on helping you in some way.”
We didn’t have time to argue about this, so I merely nodded.
“Is there anyone else here?”
“No. I was alone until they dragged your unconscious body across the floor.”
I felt my lips twist at the thought, and he let out a rusty laugh.
Together, we directed the remaining guards into the cell and locked the door. It warmed my heart to know that when Regner arrived, he would find his prisoners gone and his guards either locked up or dead.
The sun was blinding as I stepped outside, my eyes used to the dim light of the prison. Fresh air teased my nostrils.
We were out. My last sight wouldn’t be stone walls and iron bars.
Calysian stood close enough that I felt when he went still. My knees weakened, and I turned.
Bodies littered the ground surrounding the building. Torn apart, they lay in piles. Here, a leg, bloody and mauled. There, an arm, the male hand still clutching a sword. A few footspans away, what remained of a head.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up. Something else had rampaged through the area.
I glanced at the man. “Your people?”
He shook his head. “Yours?”
“No. They would still be here.”
We pondered the bodies for a long moment. Whoever had brutally murdered these people, I hoped they didn’t plan to come back.
“I hear horses.”
I couldn’t hear anything. He met my eyes. “Trust me. We need to hide.”
“If it’s Regner, we can surprise him.” We could win this war within a few moments.
“He’ll be traveling with at least thirty guards. He would have sent half of those guards ahead, for just this possibility. You’re covered in blood, Hybrid Heir. How much of that power do you have left?”
So he knew who he was. I narrowed my eyes. “And you?”
“My power is slowly returning, but I’ve been in that cage for months.” He grabbed my shoulder. “You would die.”
“Let her go.” A voice rang out, low and dangerous.
I whirled. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”
“Oh yes,” Calysian purred. “I see her too.”
Madinia sat on a horse, leading another bay mare behind her. Her hand was raised, several bright-orange sparks floating threateningly through the air, and her red hair was now so dark, it was almost black. She wore leather leggings, a tunic, and a dark scowl.
I wasn’t hallucinating. I craned my neck, searching for a sign of anyone else behind her. But she was here alone. “How…? What?”
She tossed her long, darkened hair over one shoulder. “I’m here to help you escape.” She wrinkled her nose at the bodies strewn across the ground. “If you didn’t do that, then we need to be on our way before they return.”
Fascination flickered over Calysian’s face. “Well, well, well,” he murmured.
Madinia just gave him a withering look and glanced back at me, her gaze lingering on the bloodstains. “Are you well enough to sit on a horse?”
