Slogging through the wet moss and mud of the caverns, we battered our way through the tunnels to reach the surface. Gravel crunched beneath my feet, luminescent white mushrooms gleamed from rocky walls and hid in the cracks. Pushing away a concealed door, I shielded my eyes as sunlight streamed through.

After weeks, maybe even months of training, Tyth had decided we were ready to test our skills. If we proved to be proficient, we could begin traveling to the next sanctuary.

Slowly crawling out from the cave, Tyth and Risha behind me, the dragons following, I once again found myself onto the burnt desert. The heat seared my skin after spending so much time in the dim, cool underground town.

It was much nicer in the cavens. I thought bitterly.

As everyone slowly came to the surface, we huddled around Tyth, who began to explain what we were going to do.

A few miles away was a gathering of Atrix, low ranking soldiers, along with a few human slaves. Our job was to go and free these people, while disabling the creatures enough so we could haul them in for interrogation.

Walking along the burning sand for a few minutes, I slowly saw shapes emerge through the shimmer of the heat. My magic flared, sensing their presence, but I leash it as Tyth walked up, lifting a hand as if in greeting. Creeping closer, their shapes grew more defined. Three. I resisted the urge to shrink away as I saw the spiked claws clutching the reigns of the nearest horse. My eyes grew wide and my hands trembled while Tyth continued forwards.

Shit.

One second there were there, then the next, a cruel silvery wind descended on them, snapping their necks and throwing them from their mounts. Their screams echoed in my ears as I forced myself to step closer.

Holy rutting Gods.

I caught up with Tyth, Risha at my side and clutching my hand. One step, then another. The reek of them filled my nose as I drew up to him, and stared down at the broken bodies half buried in the dirt.

How would I be able to do that? How could I summon that much power?

Tyth's face was grim as he handed me the reins. And I knew why. They knew something. Otherwise why would they be out here, in the barren wasteland with nowhere in sight? He looked back at the corpses, and spat on the ground.

"Bastards. We ride, and quickly."

I sat on the horse with Risha for about an hour, the fur-and-leather saddle chafing my thighs, my feet slowly tingling then losing feeling altogether.

We arrived with the sun at our backs, golden light making the endless stretch of sand gleam like a molten sea. Then Tyth lifted a finger to his lips, closed his eyes, and sent out a tendril of power into the camp.

It loomed before us, jagged structures made of hide and wood, obviously meant for temporary shelter, fires burning bright in the sky. As I muted then to a whisper, glowing embers shifting in the braziers, Tyth gave a curt nod, and we dismounted, tying the reins to a crooked post sticking out of the ground. The two dragons landed silently in the sand beside us, bellies in the sand.

Then we snuck into the heart of the camp.

Creeping closer, small cramped cages appeared out of the near darkness, and I saw the creatures guarding them. I took one glance and resisted the urge to bolt. The grey-and-blood-red skin stretched tight over their malformed boney frames; the squashed snarling faces and the salivating mouths filled with crooked, broken and jagged teeth. Our footsteps crunched on the gravel as inched closer. The wolf-like creatures turned, scanning the surrounding, then all hell broke loose.

The high-pitched shrieks rose, burning my ears, making my vision blur. The one closest to me snarled and leapt up, teeth aimed for my throat. I flicked my hand and a golden ribbon of flame flared from my fingers, snaking around the thing's neck, throwing it to the ground. It whined, writing and thrashing until the sharp point of Adonnija's sword pinned it to the ground. Dark blood spilled onto the sand as it stilled, the acrid smell of burning flesh tainting the air. More growls sounded behind me and I whirled. Six pairs of eyes burned in the darkness. Shit.

A single thought. That was all it took to send a spear of flame flying for one's chest. It hit, the fire engulfing it, and it went down. For one, fleeting second, I dared glance over my shoulder and saw Risha and Adonnija battling the two Atrix who seemed to be guarding this place. Turning back, I saw one of the two remaining creatures lunge for me, and Tyth's cry of warning came too late. I felt it's hot breath on my side, the sharp claws puncturing my flesh. I fell to the ground and pulled my arms up to protect my face. With an ugly hiss it sank those razor like teeth into my arm, and I pulled away, hot blood trickling down my arm as I twisted and rallied all my magic to the front of my mind. Feeling my hands wreathed with flames, I grabbed it by its neck, squeezing, and tighten that collar of fire until it fell limp against me.

Shaking, I pulled myself to my feet, gritting my teeth in pain as I pushed myself up with my injured arm. The world swam around me as I stared in the direction of Adonnija and Varil battling the final hound. I heard the crunch of steel cleaving bone as his sword fell, decapitating the creature. I breathed out, clutching the bite in an attempt to stop the blood falling. As my vision slowly returned to normal, I took the sash from around my waist, binding up my arm, praying it would hold for long enough to get to a healer. But first....

I strode over to Risha, Tyth and the two, now bound, Atrix between them. They growled at my approach, testing the shimmering magical rope that wound around them. As I stalked closer, I heard a whimper, a cry of fear from my left, and turned to see one of the slaves in the cages. Hate rising, I slowly walked over and crouched down. She was a young woman, slightly older than me, kneeling in the cramped cage, eyes wide and tears dripping down her cheeks. As I grew closer, she recoiled, cowering against the iron bars behind her.

"I can help you." I whispered, extending my hand past the bars. She just shook her head, curling in even more.

What had they done to her?

I stood, and walked around to the back of the cage, and sure enough, there they were. The welts and criss crossed lines oozing blood, bruises flowering over her back, staining it a purple-green. I started trembling. The world faded slightly and I felt the whip slice into my back as I fell to the ground, rocks slicing into my knees.

No. You are free now. Help her.

Slowly the world swam back into view. They were going to pay for what they did to her. My eyes narrowed and my face slowly twisted into a cruel smile as strutted up to where the demons were bound. Spying the leather pouch at one's hip, stopped in front of them, the fire flickering in my hand reflecting in my eyes.

"You know what I hate?" I let the flames dance higher as I crouched down, staring at the one nearest me. He just stared back, eyes alight with hate. Varil hissed at me as I grew closer. A warning. A warning I would not heed. "I hate self righteous monsters who come and invade my worlds and take my friends and fellows as slaves. And do you know what I do to creatures who cage them, who whip them?" I let a flicker of flame singe its neck. It's shriek as it twisted away from the fire pierced the night. "I burn them. I purge them from my world."

The growl in response grated at my ears, and I heard the woman behind me sob. Trembling with fury, I leaned in closer, and with a smile, slowly breathed out. The creatures froze, it's black skin turning ashy, then cracks appeared. They raced all over, fissures deepening, then it collapsed, flames reaching into the sky, then they vanished, and the demon crumbled into ash, blowing away in the light wind. I grabbed the cool leather pouch from the pile, pulled open the drawstring and reached inside. I felt the pouch and the cool metal key kissed my skin, chilling the embers. Pulling it out with a satisfied smile on my face, I walked over to the first cage and slotted the key into the lock binding the bars together. A click, and then the door swung open. Still the woman flinched away from me, and even when I stepped back, she still stayed there. She was so scared, so scared that being in the cage felt safer than coming out.

Giving her a chance to see we were there to help her, I moved over to the other cage in the area, this time perched on a waggon, holding a boy no more than five, and a man whose long black hair was streaked with silver. The boy was half awake as I walked up to him, and he frantically began shaking the man who I could only assume was his father. The shackles on their wrists and ankles clanked as the man covered the child with his arms, eyes pinned on me as I turned the key in the lock, pushing the door open. Looking straight back at him, I uttered "You're free. They won't hurt you any more."

He scanned my face, and then decided I was telling the truth. He slowly ushered the boy out first, and I grabbed him under the arms, helping him down from the height.

His voice broke something in me. "Are we really free?"

I crouched down, looking at his face. "Yes." As soon as the word left my lips, he flung his arms around me. I squeezed him tightly, and I felt his tears fall on my back as he started to sob quietly.

"They said they would kill Papa if I didn't stay quiet. I believed them. They took me and Papa away, and hit me."

"It's ok now. They won't hurt you again." The chains digging into my chest reminded me of what was happening. Slowly loosening my grip, I placed my hand around the shackles on his wrists, but my magic fled at its touch. Iron. Looking at them , I saw no signs of any locks, indicating they had been welded on. Permanent. I thought of my own shackles and shivered.

But steel is soft. I thought. So what if -

I placed a hand of the chains that bound the shackles and felt the cool metal, but not the feeling of my magic cowering. Gradually heating up the middle link, I contained the heat as I saw the metal glow in my hand. It slowly turned molten, dripping through my fingers and hissing as it cooled on the sand. I opened my hand and let the separated chains fall. The boy just looked at me in awe, then stared at his hand as if he could not believe it.

I pulled up the baggy sleeves of the robe and showed him the white band of scars around my wrists from the shackles I had been adorned with for ten years. "They had me once, too."

A pat on my shoulder made my turn, and I looked into the eyes of the older man. "Thank you."

A few minutes later, I had melted the chains binding the three slaves, and freed the horses that were reined to the wagon. We helped them up onto the backs of the horses: the man and his son one one, Risha riding with Tyth and the young woman with me, and the atrix bound with magic forced to trail behind. Making it back to the town, I helped Adonnija pull away the rock that led to the caverns as we left the horses outside, and helped the people through. Slowly, we made it through the rough terrain and into the safe place of Tyth's house.

Lighting a fire, I held the girl as she sobbed quietly, the sound muffled as she buried her face into the front of my robes.

I really hate these Atrix now! I wonder who these people are!

Freja <3