As traumatic as her nasty meal had been, it paled in comparison to her disgust at herself for being so magically unreliable that she could not help herself. Just once, she wanted it to work when she needed it to! Allan should have taught her to pick a lock instead of making her knock over bottles.

She steeled herself to try blasting the lock again. She gathered all her magic to herself and threw it with everything she had at the door.

And nothing happened.

Ildri felt tears of frustration escape out of the corner of her eye. It was so aggravating, it was so—

Ildri realized she smelled smoke, and she glanced down.

Fire was licking the straw on the floor right beside her feet, and consuming it more quickly than a normal fire had any right to. Ildri backed away in fear, as it drew closer.

She felt pure panic. She was going to die. "Fire!"

She screamed again. Were they going to let her burn? She scrambled to the corner of the room and grabbed her blanket. She tried to beat out the flames to no avail. Thick smoke choked her throat and she coughed.

This was what magic did for Ildri. The bloody unreliable force that it was. She screamed again and pushed at the bars. It was so hot she could not get any farther away from the licking heat.

Then she heard a male voice. "Shit! Fire!"

There was rushing chaos and Ildri was yanked out of the cell. Three men charged about. One of them pushed her into the hold of another. "Stick her in another cell for now, we'll deal with this."

Ildri was dragged along. She did not have time to panic. She had succeeded in getting out of her cell, it would be for naught if she just got stuck in another. And what if they figured out that she had magic? She did not know what a magic inhibitor felt like but she doubted that it was good.

She was roughly dragged up the stairs. There was a room at the top with several doors that appeared very much as the one they had exited. There was a table with dice scattered upon it, an old book, keys and a heavy looking candlestick.

Ildri did not stop to think. She jerked out of the guard's hand, and grabbed the candlestick. It was heavier than it looked. Using her whole small frame she swung it with all the force she could straight into the guard's face.

For a second Ildri thought she was in a whole lot more trouble because the guard teetered, looking stunned. Then he fell forward, onto his face.

Ildri stared for a second. She hoped he would be alright, but... She did not have time for that. She grabbed the guard's sword and dagger, and grabbed the keys from the table. There was a lock on the door that they had come through. The door with the two guards still behind it.

Ildri shut the door and tried several keys until one fit and turned. The door was made of heavy, reinforced wood. They'd have trouble getting out even if they hacked at it with their swords. She hoped that they would not suffocate from the smoke. Hopefully they got the fire out.

She had no idea where she was going, so she peered into each door. Each had a twisting hallway or stairs leading up or down. She tried to go up, simply because it was the opposite of where she had been.

At the top she found that it led only to a room with another cell. "Who are you?" asked the lone occupant.

"Never mind, I've got to go."

"Are you Ildri? I heard the guards speaking of you. Are you escaping? Take me with you," he pleaded.

"No, I've got to..."

"Please."

"Are you a murderer?" she asked, wishing that she had gone another way.

"No. Please, I'll die here!"

"Fine," Ildri said, feeling like ten times the fool. She pulled out the keys and shoved them in the lock until she found one that fit.

He shook his head. "Thank you so much. Here, give me that sword. It'll probably do us more good if I have it."

Ildri did not argue. They scrambled down the stairs again and reached the room with the unconscious guard. "Did you do this?" he asked.

"I guess so. What is this bloody place, it's like a maze."

Her companion gestured to a door. "This is the way out."

Ildri stepped forward, towards it. He shook his head. "I want to rescue the other prisoners."

"Are you crazy? We'll get killed."

"Not necessarily. I don't think there's more than five or six guards here at a time," he explained. I can handle that few.

"Two are locked down there," she said. "I really think we should go. I'm going." She made to walk towards the door.

"But what about the other people trapped here? If we rescue them it will strike a blow against Scelus."

Ildri knew she needed to get moving, but she was irritated. "So it's not about the people, it's about your cause. That's a terrible reason."

"Still better than your plan to leave them here to their fate."

"Fine. Play the hero. Hey!" she cried as a guard came through from the way out.

Her unknown companion whirled around. He lifted the sword and met the guard as he rushed towards him. The man she had freed was quick and capable and soon the guard was lying on the floor by the other. Ildri could not even bring herself to hope that he was still alive.

"You're probably safer with me," he commented. He pulled one of the rings of keys from her hand and started off down one of the hallways. Ildri glanced at the guards on the floor. She had been lucky, she knew, so she followed her unlikely partner down the way he went.

There were two barred cells at the end of the short hallway and only one was occupied. A man was chained to the wall and he looked thin and gaunt and his face had a gray pallor that only the most unhealthy bear. Ildri felt bad for not wanting to save the man. He had clearly suffered greatly.

Her companion opened the door and then unlocked the cuffs around his hands. He had sores were the metal had worn away his skin, and he collapsed the moment that he was free. Her companion helped him up supported the man. "Can you walk?"

"I don't know," said the man in a shaky voice.

"Ildri, help him walk on the other side."

Ildri did as he said because she felt terrible for the prisoner. "How long were you here?" she asked him.

"I don't know."

They half walked, half pulled the man to the room with all the doors. "Set him down here," the domineering stranger said as he steered their burden to a chair. She did as he said. "You said there were two others. How did you know?"

"A guard told me."

He glanced at her. "I believe you."

"Let's get the last. Where do you think he is?"

"Either of these."

"We need to hurry. Pick one."

They climbed another set of stairs down and found only two empty cells. They then followed the second, and there they found another pathetic prisoner, huddled on a hard, low bench. Ildri could see the shimmer of metal around his neck. It reminded her of the magic inhibitor that Anya had been forced to wear. The man was a wizard.

While Ildri had been thinking, the man beside her had unlocked the door to the cell. "Can you walk?"

The man nodded, and stood. Ildri got a good look at his face.

Totally unfamiliar, dark eyes and light hair, yet one familiar feature stood out. Ildri knew that scar running across his face.

"Ty?" she asked, not quite believing it.

He glanced up, and recognition flared across his features. "Ildri."

"You know each other?" her partner asked. "This isn't the time for reunions. Weren't you keen on getting out of here, Ildri? Let's go. Are you sure you can walk, man?"

"I can," Ty said in a stronger voice, although he looked thin and gaunt. She could still not believe her eyes. She did not know what to say.

"No need to be proud," said her partner as he stuck his arm under Ty to help support him. They all swiftly walked to the guard's room.

Ildri was glad to see that the door that held the guards back was still intact. She wished she could say that she was also relieved that they were alive. It was obvious, from the way the door shook as they hit it and the curses that she could hear coming from the other side.

The domineering prisoner let go of Ty and helped the weakest man to his feet. "You help that gent of yours; I'll get this one moving. Let's go."

Ildri needed no prompting. She wanted to put as much distance between herself and the horrible prison as possible. She wanted to get her and Ty to safety. And the other two.

Soon they were out in the cool night air. The man swiftly dispatched another guard they met, making it look positively easy. "Wait here." He disappeared.

After a minute of waiting she began to worry that he had taken off and left them, as something of a diversion.

"There were only two," he said, leading a pair of horses. He helped Ildri and Ty onto a horse and then mounted with the dilapidated man. "Come," he said, and spurred the horse onward.

Ildri glanced back at the building they were running from as they galloped away. It looked smaller than it seemed, perhaps it was built into the ground. But a terrible thing, full of terrible activities, ideas and food. She suddenly wished it had burned to the ground, although she doubted it could, made of stone as it was. Ildri was glad to see the last of the horrid building as the trees obscured her view.