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  “I won’t be replacing my father. He’s not dead, and Baxley is his second in command. You guys should go to him.”

  “Baxley is an idiot,” Willcock said. “He’s going to stay in the human world, therefore he won’t be relevant. The Dark Ones are ready for you. They want you in charge.” Then, there was a long moment of silence. I heard them walking away. Idris must have followed.

  “I never liked the city, mainly for that one particular reason,” a voice said from behind the wall. The pain was back again, but the fire that had started brewing inside me, pushed me to ignore it.

  “You want to get out of here, warlock?” I asked him, lifting myself back to my feet. The tiny voice in my head kept reminding me that I wasn’t supposed to trust him. I could never truly trust anyone, but Idris had proven to me so many times that he was ready to jump into the fire with me. I didn’t know why I hadn’t thought about this earlier. Harvey was locked up, but he had connections. The Dark Ones were the enemy, and I had to save the wardens who were infected for the sake of my dead friend. She was everything to me, and the system had taken her away. I promised myself that I was going to avenge her.

  “Of course, and your lover is going to be here later on in the night, that is if Baxley doesn’t kill you beforehand,” Harvey said. “I should have sensed you had a dragon egg when you came to me that day. I think I’m getting sloppy.”

  “Fine, whatever. You helped me once, and I stole for you; that’s the end of the story. I didn’t send the Dark Ones after you, so truthfully, I don’t owe you anything. I don’t really care if you go and talk about me and Idris, because by the time Baxley realises we’ve escaped, we will be far away from here. So, this is exactly what I want from you …” I said, holding myself upright, and then started telling him about my plan. It was clear, the wardens needed to start an uprising, but for that, we needed magic and other creatures who were part of Draconia. Warlocks escaped to different parts of the Lower World, and Harvey could get me to them. Some of them were hiding in the human world, too.

  “Hmm, that’s interesting. So, you want me to risk my life and start a war with the most powerful creatures in the Lower World? The Dark Ones aren’t called that for no reason. They are shadows of warlocks infected by evil energy. Wardens won’t be able to defeat them,” he said, sounding bored.

  I roared with frustration and pain. I had to remember that my body wasn’t healed just yet.

  “I don’t care what you think. I know where the dragon eggs are being kept. Once we have them, no one is going to stop us. This has been going on for too long. Help me bring Draconia back to the wardens, help me to create change!” I hissed, and my head started spinning. I really needed to rest more.

  “Well, thief girl, I have been passive for too long, so I’ll help you, but don’t be surprised when no other warlocks want to join you. They are all cowards,” he admitted. I didn’t care, as long as he gave me his word. I could convince others to help me.

  Then we just had to wait for the right moment and pray for Baxley to leave me alone at least until tomorrow. My ribcage was painful; Idris’s potion healed me a little, but I was far from feeling like myself. And I still couldn’t fight. Running was going to be a problem, and I needed to see Avianna as soon as possible.

  He was going to help, now that he had agreed, so there was no coming back from that. I wanted to stand up and shout that this was the most incredible thing that I heard since I had gotten here but decided to pass on that thought.

  “As long as you’re going to help, that’s all I care about,” I muttered, closing my eyes, feeling a little more at ease.

  Chapter Four

  Run, little birdie, run!

  I was awakened once again by another hissing sound. I must have drifted off when Idris and his visitors left. My whole body felt stiff, but the potion had given me enough strength to start moving again. Baxley battered me badly. My ribs were definitely broken, but right then, I didn’t have time to think about it.

  “Hey, little one, wake up, wake up!” a familiar voice repeated several times. I shook my head and looked up, seeing incredible dark eyes that were normally red, but was using magical cover. My heart sped up. No, this wasn’t happening for real. It was Nicolas, or maybe I was still suffering the effects from being tortured.

  “What’s going on? Is that really you, Nicolas?” I asked, not recognising my own voice. I must have been here two days, but overall, it felt like I had been here for at least a month. Nicolas was healed; his body was, but not his heart.

  “I came to help, I owe it to you. We don’t have time for chitchat right now. Idris is doing something to distract the Dark Ones,” Nicolas said, putting his hand in a small bag. I recognised the golden dust straight away. He must have taken it from the fairy, but right then, that wasn’t important. “Now, don’t move and don’t come any closer. This should break the spell.”

  I was still in shock but nodded quickly. Idris approached the cell a moment later. He smiled at me and, at the same time, the bars started to melt. A blinding blue light shone. The fairy’s magic was much stronger than anything in the Lower World. I had experienced it before when Idris had taken me to that beauty salon in central London. At the same time, there were only a handful of real fairies left, and they were all hiding in the human world.

  “Can you walk, little one?” Idris asked me, walking past Nicolas when the door was completely melted. “I hope so, because it will slow us down if we have to carry you away from here.”

  “Yes, I can walk, but where is Avianna?” I asked, feeling like I was going to be sick if I didn’t hear some good news.

  “She’s with Rhian; they are waiting for us outside. It’s a long story, but she is safe. We need to go right now,” he told me, wrapping his arm around my waist and helping me out. I gritted my teeth hard, and just went with the flow as we left my stinking cell. Relief washed over me. I was so glad Avianna was all right. The crack had separated us, but she must have ended up with Rhian.

  “Hold on, we have to get Harvey out, too,” I said when we heard a low humming in the corridor. The Dark Ones were surrounding the place, and I had no idea what Idris was planning. If anyone were to see him in here, his entire cover would be blown.

  “What are you talking about?” Nicolas asked, turning around to face me.

  “Harvey, the warlock, is in the cell next to mine. We need to get him out of here. Something happened, and he agreed to help me,” I said, breathing hard, because it literally felt like someone was poking a wire inside my body. Idris growled, and Nicolas shook his head.

  “It’s pretty crowded in here tonight. If I get out of this cell, my magic might be useful,” a voice said, coming from the cell next door.

  “Use the powder again. I bet it is the same spell,” Idris said.

  “You don’t need to tell me what to do,” Nicolas snapped, and then an awkward silence stretched for some time. The tension between the two men was apparent. Obviously, they hadn’t fixed their differences. The clock was ticking as my skin registered movement further down. The powder shone brightly, but the metal started to melt away, and the burning smell was intense. We waited until Nicolas was able to remove the heavy door.

  “For Quesborth,” I whispered when Harvey came out of the cell. He looked like a shadow of himself, thin with multiple scars all over his face. I had no idea how long he had been here, but Baxley must have been torturing him, too. He was unrecognisable.

  “Never mind, I can heal once I’m around magic and potions again. So, what’s next gentlemen?” he asked, staring at Idris and Nicolas.

  “We get out through the main door. Rhian released her magic using hallucination spells, so this should go smoothly. The guards are confused,” Idris explained, but I had an odd feeling because he didn’t sound very confident.

  “Let’s get going. I have spent enough time in prison as it is, and this place is giving me the creeps,” Nicolas said. Harvey was limping, but at least he could walk on his own.

  We moved quickly through the long corridor. The Dark One who was supposed to be posted at the first station was gone, and the door was wide open. I had no idea Rhian was capable of creating hypnotic magic; this kind of magic was very advanced. After a long nervous moment while we waited for the lift, we finally got it all cleared. Idris gently pushed me inside. Nicolas was standing in front, and I wondered why he suddenly decided to come back and help me. Harvey’s breath was whizzed, but he was going to be fine now that he was out of that shit hole.

  The lift stopped and, when the door opened, the lights flashed everywhere. In the distance, behind the glass, we could see the Dark Ones. They were staring at the TV. My heart skipped a beat. We had no chance of getting out of here unless Rhian took care of them, too.

  “Nicolas you need to help Fran, and you, warlock, go with them,” Idris said, and before I could even protest, Nicolas had his arm around my waist. Idris was walking toward the guards. They’d obviously planned something earlier.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, not wanting to think about the kiss that happened between us a while back. It felt good to have him beside me again, but he was distant. Even under these circumstances, I could feel it.

  “He has his own way of taking care of them. We only have a few minutes to get out of here. Come on, let’s not waste time. I memorised the entire map of this building,” Nicolas said, then he turned around, and we passed through the heavy door, then down the stairs to the lower floor. I was in too much pain to evaluate what was going on in his head. My strength was diminishing with every passing moment. The fact of the matter was, Nicolas had come back, and Avianna was waiting for me outside. I was optimistic. Harvey was silent, keeping up with us.

  We entered the long dark corridor where all the lights were off, and then we zig-zagged a few times. Nicolas seemed to know where he was going. The alarm still wasn’t going off, which was a good thing.

  The magic drifted above my head, and my skin prickled with energy as we kept moving through the darkness, passing several other rooms on the way. This whole rescue mission was going smoothly until the lights went off completely. About a minute later, they came back on, and I heard Harvey curse behind me. When I looked up, my heart skipped a beat, and then began racing triple time. Baxley stood in the doorway, holding a paper cup in his hand. He noticed us, and his expression went from calm to furious within half a second. I was betting Idris hadn’t considered him being here in the middle of the night.

  “Crap, this isn’t good,” Nicolas muttered.

  Baxley acted quickly. He dropped his coffee, and then released a ball of energy. Everything started happening in slow motion. I screamed, seeing that the magic was flowing toward us. Nicolas pushed me to the right. I closed my eyes, waiting for the pain to come, but nothing happened. The smell of smoke wafted through the air.

  Suddenly, it felt like someone had injected me with power. Something was going on with my system; the energy that Baxley had taken away from me was back. It took me a second to realise that it was probably because of Avianna. She must have been fixing me from outside the building.

  A split moment later I was standing up, seeing Harvey. He was using magic, standing in the middle of the corridor spreading a wildfire of energy, fighting Baxley. I didn’t know how this was even possible. The warlock had been imprisoned here for months. Maybe Avianna’s presence affected him, too. Baxley looked like he was struggling. Harvey’s energy was raw, filled with electricity. It bounced around the walls, soaring with streaming light, slowly crushing Baxley. I had never experienced anything like this in my life.

  “So, she helped you, and you’re joining forces with her? I never thought you could be that stupid, warlock.” Baxley was shouting, trying to push the magic that was streaming from his hands.

  “She’s closer than you think, and now I’m going to take away the one thing you desire the most. You made a mistake when you put me in the cell next to hers. Now we both know all your secrets, Baxley.” Harvey was saying, throwing giant waves of energy around like he was invincible. My fingers were sparkling, too.

  Then Baxley did something unexpected. He threw a knife at Harvey, and the warlock wasn’t quick enough. He was too busy using his newly acquired magic. My breath caught in my chest when I saw the knife had struck his arm. Harvey’s magic ceased as quickly as it had appeared. He crashed to the floor. Nicolas shouted at me to get down, but I managed to pull away from him.

  The warlock was bleeding, trying to get up.

  “You son of a bitch,” I roared, taking a few steps toward Baxley. The energy started pounding through my veins quickly. I was ready to kick some butt.

  Behind me, I heard Harvey swearing and shouting that he was going to kill Baxley with his bare hands. My mind became clouded, a ball of blue and yellow light exploded from the tips of my fingers. It felt so good to have magic again.

  Baxley wasn’t ready when my magic burst forth. My energy rushed through me like a tornado. I released a ball of fire, roaring at the top of my lungs, and my magic struck him in the heart. He went down instantly, and I collapsed on the floor as soon as all the last bits of strength I had within me diminished. The ground shook, and I had no idea what was going on. The pain in my ribs paralysed me for a moment. I couldn’t move.

  “Fran, Fran, are you all right?” Someone was asking me. I was breathing hard, looking at Baxley. Luckily for us, my magic must have caused some serious damage, because he wasn’t moving. Nicolas and I were staring at the pool of blood that was beginning to appear beneath Baxley.

  “Go and check on Harvey. I’ll be right back,” I told him, lifting myself up. The pain made me a little dizzy, but I needed to know if Baxley was dead. I walked up to him, and my heart was pounding in my chest. His eyes were closed, but his chest was still rising and falling. In a way, I was relieved that I hadn’t killed him. I didn’t think I was ready to kill him, despite what he had done to me.

  I went back to Nicolas, who was helping Harvey. The warlock was still bleeding, but he spat on the ground and said, “I hope he rots in hell.”

  “Come on, we need to get out of here. The Dark Ones are going to be here any moment, and my abilities are limited,” I told them, knowing it was better not to tell Harvey that Baxley wasn’t quite dead.

  “This way,” he said, pointing toward the ajar door at the end of the corridor.

  I was very dizzy, but I wanted to get the hell out of here alive, so I started moving, despite the pain. Moments later, we barged through a door to another long corridor, passing Baxley on the way. He had a giant, black burn mark on his chest; smoke was rising from his body.

  Nicolas was struggling, but he seemed to know where to go. We walked for another ten minutes; it was the longest and most uncomfortable ten minutes of my life. Then we finally made it outside onto the large yard. There were couple of bodies lying on the pathways.

  “Hey, guys. Here, over here! Come on, the guards are coming!” Rhian was shouting, and she was waving at us behind a pile of rocks. It looked like she must have damaged the wall with magic, but this was nearly impossible. Avianna was there, too, and she was flying around. I could tell straight away that she was the one.

  “Fran, Fran, you’re so damn weak. They beat you up in there, right?” Her voice rang in my head. It was so good to hear her again.

  “I’m fine, don’t worry about me for now. Can you sense Idris? Is he around?” I asked, as my heart beat frantically inside my chest.

  “Well, I don’t know. We have to get the hell out of here now. Rhian’s spells just stopped working.”

  We all turned around, seeing several guards barging outside. My heart nearly stopped in my chest, and then I shouted, “Run, Nicolas, run!”

  Chapter Five

  What’s next?

  We sprinted across the prison grounds, moving closer and closer to freedom. There was a large van parked on the street, and we jumped inside. Seconds later the engine roared to life, and the tires squealed, burning against the asphalt as the van raced away. We had to leave Idris behind. If he had left with us, it would have been too suspicious. My heart was pounding extremely fast in my chest, while Rhian and Nicolas were trying to catch their breath. The window rolled down, and Rhian released her extraordinary magic, blocking the Dark Ones who were throwing spells at us from the distance. I was shocked that they weren’t too concerned about humans seeing the displays of magic.

  The glass in the back of the van exploded a second later, and we ducked our heads between our knees. The driver, who looked like a warden, kept speeding away. Finally, five minutes later, we were out of danger. The van was damaged, but everyone apart from Harvey, seemed all right. Adrenaline was still rushing through my system. Avianna was sitting on my lap, staring at me with her wide eyes that looked like neon lights. Harvey was moaning in pain, although he was mostly unconscious. I had a feeling Baxley most likely charmed the knife that had struck the warlock. Every one of us needed healing potions to regain some strength.

  “Who the hell is he?” Rhian asked. “That wound is pretty nasty. What happened in there?” She moved to the front seat and helped Nicolas with Harvey. The warlock was still bleeding, and that knife had barely scratched him. “Idris was supposed to join us. What’s happened to him? Did my hallucination spell work?”

  That was a lot of questions. I didn’t know where to start.

  “He’s the warlock who helped me a while back. It’s a long story, and we had no choice but to take him with us. We need him alive,” I said, waiting for the pain around my ribcage to pass.

  “What’s happened to Idris? Is he going to be all right? I’m fixing your magic, Fran. I have been so worried about you. Rhian was very good, but when you weren’t there with me, I panicked.” Avianna was saying.