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Another pull, another groan, then the ceiling cracked and Rion barely moved out of the way fast enough as a large chunk of rock came barreling toward him. It hit the ground with a resounding thud, seeming to shake the entire room from the impact. Rion shielded his face with one arm against the dust billowing throughout the cell.
He glanced up. Another room. So there were multiple levels to this place, just like he’d thought. Rion scented books and ink and wood. He squinted into the darkness. It wasn’t a cell, but the space above was too dark to discern anything else.
Rion rotated his free shoulder. His left arm still hung above his head but his right was loose at least. Rion pulled the length of the chain out from under the rock. It still stretched up in a diagonal line toward the ceiling but he had enough slack to swing a weapon.
He stared at the ax but winced when he rotated his wrist. Both were swollen and discolored, although those were minor injuries that would heal in a few days. He hoped. He’d never been this malnourished before, so he wasn’t sure how it would affect his Fae healing.
Of course, there were his other wounds to consider as well, courtesy of Niall. They’d closed, thank the gods, but Rion could still feel the ache of the blades that had penetrated deeper. It was a miracle he hadn’t bled to death.
Rion breathed deeply and steeled himself, newfound hope coursing through him. Just a few more minutes and he’d be free, his mother would be free, and Kaylee would finally get to bask in the sunlight.
“Bring me the ax,” Rion said and inclined his head to examine his left arm. Hopefully the weapon would cut through in one swing. He just needed to keep enough tension on the chain before he swung, which would prove to be the tricky part.
Rion turned toward Kaylee, but she hadn’t moved. Her eyes were wide, her breath just a little faster and her scent… Rion realized, in that moment, that she hadn’t expected him to succeed.
Of course she hadn’t. How many others had likely tried and failed to break their chains? How many had she watched mangle themselves only to give in to their fate?
She stepped back and Rion felt a familiar tang of fear sear through his chest. He was close. So close to tasting freedom, but if she didn’t help him—Rion looked at the remaining brackets in the ceiling. He didn’t know if he could break the rest, nor was he certain he possessed the energy to try. With the relief of success, Rion’s body had lost part of its earlier determination. As if it knew it could finally relax.
She’d taken another step back. Even if he broke the brackets, there was no guarantee he could break the chains. His mother hadn’t…
“Please,” Rion tried, his voice full of pleading. His entire future was riding on a child who’d been beaten her entire life. Someone whose only friends had been prisoners.
“You’ll leave.” Her voice trembled. Her entire body trembled. “You’re going to leave me and then he’ll be mad.”
“I won’t. I already promised you I wouldn’t.”
She twisted her tunic so tight Rion was sure it would rip. “He’ll hurt me. He’ll punish me for the broken wall. He’ll—” A terror filled sob escaped her lips and Rion’s heart cracked. If his other arm had been free, he would have knelt to make himself appear smaller.
How was he going to convince this child to trust him?
“Someone I love needs me,” Rion tried. “Niall is going to hurt her if I don’t get out of here and stop him.”
The girl wiped tears from her eyes. “Is she your mate?”
His brows rose, surprised the child knew the word. “Yes,” he said. “She’s my mate. Please,” he tried again. “Help me get back to her. I can’t do this without you.”
The girl eyed the ax, then his outstretched palm. “Promise,” she said. “Promise you won’t leave me here.”
“I swear it.” Her lips trembled, but she lifted the handle and began dragging the weapon toward him. Rion felt his hope return when he wrapped his hand around the sturdy handle and prayed it’d withstand the impact.
“Step back for me?”
Kaylee ran for the door and hid behind the wall. Rion eyed the chain, dropped his weight to pull it taut, shifted his grip on the weapon, then swung in a wide arc.
The chain snapped and he fell to the floor, his heart thundering in his chest with more hope than he’d felt in weeks. Rion shook out his free arm, forcing blood back into his fingers before he slammed the ax down on the chains holding his legs and remaining arm.
He’d left a considerable length of chain dangling from his right wrist, just in case he needed another weapon.
Free. He was free.
Rion turned to face Kaylee. She eyed him warily and stepped back again, ready to flee. Rion didn’t rise. He sat there, catching his breath and slowly reached out a bloody hand.
Neither moved for what felt like an eternity.
Kaylee had never known friendship, but she had trusted him enough to bring him a weapon. Now she needed to decide if she trusted him with her life.
Slowly, tentatively, the girl stepped toward him. She eyed the blade at his side and Rion released his grip on the handle.
