“A dead end!” Jak bellowed, whirling on Draevyn. “Really, Phoenix?”
“Don’t let them get away!” a guard screamed as they chased.
Draevyn’s frantic gaze searched the wall, sweat licking up his back. “Move those crates!” he yelled, shoving an old barrel aside with a grunt. Behind it, the outline of the hidden doorway was just barely visible.
The crew didn’t hesitate, helping him clear the way as the stampede of boots grew closer.
He slammed his fist against the stone, shoving his weight into it until the wall creaked inward and gave way to reveal a pitch-black tunnel choked with dust and stale air.
“Come on!” he bellowed, grabbing Ren by the collar of his shirt and shoving him down to his knees to crawl through.
“Uhh…” Riven hesitated as he peered into the claustrophobic tunnel that was barely tall enough to crouch in.
“Hurry!” Draevyn growled. “Move!”
One by one, they scrambled into the narrow space, boots and hands scraping against the ground as they shoved forward in a rush.
Jak went to go last but turned back and looked him up and down. “What about you?”
Shouts echoed as the guards rounded the corner. They skidded to a halt as their eyes locked on him, their jaws hanging open.
“I’ll be right behind you,” Draevyn answered, stepping away. He raised both hands, summoning his flames. Heat shimmered across the dungeon floor.
The guards’ eyes went wide. For a moment, there was nothing but stunned silence and the crackling blaze.
“…Captain Draevyn?” one of them said, disbelieving.
Draevyn didn’t flinch, his hands holding that glowing heat as his body crackled with power.
“You’re aiding the pirates?” another yelled. “These are prisoners of the king!”
The third guard stepped forward. “Seize them!”
The three of them advanced.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Draevyn admitted. “But I’m sure you saw that pile of ash at the gate. So, you should know here and now… that Iwill.”
“You’re a fucking traitor!” one boomed.
The guards surged forward, but then a violent wind shrieked in the small space, sending his hair flying in all directions.
Jak stepped out from behind Draevyn, both hands raised. The air exploded forward, knocking two of the men off their feet.
Draevyn set his fire loose then.
With a burst of energy, his flames shot out across the floor. The inferno seared into the stone, curling upward as Jak’s wind carried it. The two magics danced and collided, spinning faster, forming a blazing cyclone that surged up between them and the guards. The vortex of fire twisted, encasing the guards in a spinning cage of blistering flames and screaming winds.
The men froze as they were trapped between Draevyn’s and Jak’s fusing magic, their faces giving away their horror.
“You’ll all hang for this!” one of them cried.
The heat scorched the ceiling, sending dust and ash falling like rain.
“We need to go!” he yelled to Jak, who answered with a stiff nod.
Draevyn turned from the screaming guards, giving them one last glance over his shoulder as they stared back at him, faces pale. Then he ducked into the tunnel after Jak and sealed it shut behind him with a small wall of crackling flame.
The orange-lit darkness swallowed them as they crawled after the others.
