The sky was dark when Isanabella awoke. The magi had been piled into a cart and were traveling at a fast past. Guards were crowded with them, the bigger, trained men wielding powerful weapons and holding nothing back. They moved along to the castle and were taken down into the dungeon there, where the water dripped from the ceiling and the stones were damp. Worse than anything did it stink, for there were corners filled with only human excrement and it led out into a moat type place behind the castle. She didn't want to get close to it and held her blather. The hay was rotting in places and she scrunched up her nose at that, wishing she were anywhere else. Anywhere but here. The worst must be behind us...right? A castle of evil cannot possibly be true. Mayhaps...mayhaps there be hope for good to prolong its stay.

Her ankles were bound by thick chains that prevented the flow of magic through her body. No, this must be worse. The same chains were also found on her forearms, attaching her by lengths of chain to the stone wall. The others were found across from her and around her in similar rooms themselves. Great bars separated the rooms from touching and though she'd never been close to the group, being locked away from them as such was torture.

A guy was with them, not tied up, but he wasn't really with them. Liars and thieves and spies sent by the King to ruin us and kills us. He wasn't part of the group. He only walked back and fourth, talking to people as if trying to get a rise out of them. He'll be after our heads, I bet. After listening in to a conversation or two she discovered his name, which was Kyren Asherex, and that he was a prince. The boy was talking, telling them about what His Highness, the king, had planned. "He's going to force us all into a room and we'll have to kill one another."

"Never!"

The Magi denied it, and though she didn't say it, Isanabella denied it as well. She would never hurt them and they wouldn't never hurt each other. Family didn't hurt family. Even if you hated someone you couldn't kill them if you'd spent ten years listening to them and watching over them. He's crazy if he thinks it'll work! I'll never hurt them. They won't do it either. We'll...we'll fight him! We'll string up his head and he'll die! Why, if I get mine hands upon his throat, I'll rip it apart myself!

Kyren, who had curly brown hair and eyes of blue, shook his head. His voice was deep and arrogant. It showed clearly that he thought he was better than the rest of them and that he was royal. "You don't understand," he said, "you're only pawns. He'll offer you promises that you can't refuse. That I can't refuse."

"No," a guy was saying, "we would never hurt one another. We love each other. I'll fight for you guys. I'll fight back."

"So will I!"

"And I!"

The voices grew louder and louder, yet underneath it all Isanabella felt fear rise in the pit of her stomach. She knew that things would only grow worse. Inside, she hated herself for thinking it, for showing fear in any way, but it was impossible to hide. What if we do die? What if...what if he's right? He already got us here. What if he turns us against one another? Her thoughts collided into one another and they battled with axes and blades that sparked in the lowlight. From above her position in the cell they'd brought them into a small pool of light faded inside. The bars were high and thick, almost blocking out the sun entirely. She ran her hand along the wall, feeling the rough granite surface and poking her fingers into the holes there. Bits of dust and mold clung to her skin, oily and messy but oddly pretty. I wonder what this tastes like...

Dust. The second it touched her lips she sneezed, loudly, and she wiped it off onto her clothing. It tastes like dammed dust. Her thoughts weren't ladylike but who could ever call a Magi Warrior Sage a lady?

She hadn't had anything to eat and as the hours continued to tick by the likelihood of her getting anything grew slimmer and slimmer. Growls would call in her body, low and just loud enough for her to hear, and she pushed her thoughts from them. It's useless to be hungry here. I wouldn't take their food if I were dying. Her magic was back and it pushed against her skin, willing to escape with her anger, but she restrained it. Later, she knew, it would be needed. It would be useful in stopping the king and useful in fighting the Kyren guy. She planned to kill him if needed. Anything, she promised herself, I'll do anything to protect them.

It was only after the hours had passed and when she could barely hold back her bladder that His Highness arrived. Vaxon.

Dark hair was a sign of the devil, Isanabella knew, and that evil man had hair darker than midnight on a dark moon. Muscles were thickened by expensive clothes and rich colors. The cloth must've been cotton or silk, anything fine and untouched by the harsh clothing worn by the tattered Magi. Coals had brushed along his face in thick lines to form eyebrows that deepened into a furrow just above eyes so bright blue they could burn mountains whole. "You will all do as I command and any who further disobey me will feel my wrath. I have your families, and will personally destroy them in unimaginable ways. For I am king. I am lord. In me there is power and by me I'll have all your heads. In minutes you will be taken out to an arena and there...there you will meet death himself."

"We shall never follow you!"

"Then everyone you know shall pay the price!" In his voice all evil could be found. Deep, dark, powerful. An evil lord, ready to destroy all who dare disobey. "I'll hang them and whip them until their eyes bleed! I'll set curses upon them until their bodies burn and there is left nothing but a shell of who they once more. You shall survive if, and only if, you kill those around you. What do you value more?"

Silence descended and the pause was thick with deceit and overwhelming hate. If she were not shackled by her feet and elbows, Isanabella would use her magic to enchant the small pebble next to her with all her magic and kill the man with a single toss. It would kill her, but she would've done it if not for her inability to use magic.

"Your family and your life...or the pitiful beings surrounding you?"

He left at that, turning hide and leaving the dungeon.

No one spoke a word save for a few friends who were close to one another. She didn't listen in. The hearts of those she once loved were hardened and they'd be expected to maim and attack one another. A bloody fight for a wicked King. Isanabella didn't even know if she's survive for long, being smaller than most and not thoroughly taught. Could I fight against them?

Moments passed and before she knew it guards flooded the dungeon. The big, burley men spat on the floor and muttered curses under their breath. They reeked of ale and bad meat, which was more than likely their diet. When two entered her cell she didn't even bother fighting back, knowing her magic would fade too quickly. Instead, she hardened her face and scowled as they unchained her and took her through the dungeons to outside the castle. There a large, imposing cast-iron gate stood. The tips ended in giant balls or points and the King's crest mounted each individual piece. The guards halted, hands on their weapons, and stood back from it as people working atop the gate brought up part of it, allowing the Magi to enter. A portal type of magic stood in front of them up at the top, shining out on a weird landscape. A moving picture? The idea was terribly evil, something that only the devil could come up with. Pictures that moved were strictly dark arts and she shuddered at the sight of them.

"You cannot turn back once you enter. The last to survive shall see their family live," Vaxon threatened. He stood atop the gate as well, watching down on them with eyes of stone. His words held a sense of complete dominance over them all. "If thou chooses not to fight, the consequences shall be worse than imaginable. Your families and friends shall feel the wrath of mine power. Be warned, pitiful Magi."

  One by one, they entered. She was near last, taking her time to study those walking in and trying to not let her emotions run rampant. Emotions were unbefitting of a warrior. To protect as many as possible she was going to have to allow some to die. Whoever turns, she thought as she crossed the threshold, shall not be allowed to live.

Their place to fight was a valley surrounded by high mountains, too high and rocky to navigate, and a slightly reflective patch of sky that screamed 'Magic Not Welcomed'. It was a dome that threatened to weaken her magic if she got too close and one that was the main reason why she didn't want to bother trying to escape. To her north she could see the beginning to a system of caves and past that she could see a dark marshy looking place that held the screams of Arachne. Those hideous beasts walked on three legs and screeched like a dying owl, ready to pounce and suck the blood and other liquids out of its victims. Right of that she could hear the distant calls of fire-birds. A river flowed past all that and her heart longed to go and hide in it, escaping the very people she'd sworn to protect...the people that would kill her.

The next thing Isanabella saw was a frozen tundra that ran into the southwest corner of the valley and extended directly into a jungle of sorts. From there it morphed into a golden meadow filled with flowers and what looked like Pegasi. "They did so much," she whispered, "but why? Why go through all this trouble to create such a complex place when we could very easily fight each other in just one of these places? It'll be too drawn out there. I could hide for years, living off the land, and they couldn't very well stop me. He's an idiot, this new king. That's why he'll fail."

As she whispered and muttered, groaning about the idiocy of the arena and the complexities that encompassed it, a man was talking to them all. He was explaining things, perhaps going into too much detail, and she didn't care to listen to a single word he said. It wasn't until he shouted a command and a large horn was blown that she took notice.

One sound, and the world around her exploded into action. One single sound and friends turned and fought one another, no one trusting the other. Before she could think someone was shoving past her and running into the arena and to her right two boys had already begun to fight one another. Hands against hands, magic against magic, brother against brother.

At first, there wasn't anything she could do. No one noticed her still standing there. No one challenged her. She simply watched, yet it was worse than if she'd been killed herself.

A water Mage, Myla, fell first. As her body fell and her head hit hard, eyes rolled back and unseeing, Isanabella felt her heart ripping into two. Despite her age, twenty six years, the girl had the spirit of a child. Her dark hair, coated in blood, fell across her body in dramatic waves. All Isanabella could feel was the death taking control and as she heard more cries, she knew what she had to do.

She kept her stance but enchanted her skin with a quickly drawn rune in the air. It thickened and grew tough, preventing her from getting too hurt. Eyes scattering about, she caught sight of the twins fighting together. Naven had cast a shield of magic over his brother, Nikolai, who in turn was fighting to protect him. Neither the fire Mage, Kalen, creeping up. He had a ball of magic bound up in his hand before she could shout to warn them he'd thrown it at the weaker brother. Naven screamed out as it burnt his clothes and turned to attack, only to find that Kalen had summoned up more magic. The fire Mage had always been an impulsive boy, hiding and shifting his personality to those he talked to. His skin, pale as it was, glowed orange from the fire and his eyes sparked a deep blue that contrasted with his darkened hair. "I'm sorry," he shouted at them, "but I cannot let you live!" Another ball was thrown, that one really catching Naven on fire and his screams filled the area in long, horrible bursts.

Isanabella ran forward, picking up a stick off the ground and picturing a bright runs in her mind. The stick pulsed with magic and she could hear blades crashing and feel the ends charring until it became finely pointed. Her weapon was held tight in her grip and with a tight face she drew closer to Kalen and Nikolai, who were fighting to the death. Tears stained Nikolai's face and Kalen looked like death.

"Stop," she shouted. Both turned to her but didn't cease their fighting. "We're friends, we cannot do this. I won't allow you to kill one another!"

"Then kill him," Nikolai told her. He spat upon the ground and looked darker than ever. "He's going to kill us all if we don't stop him. He killed once already." The hate filled the air, thicker than the magic that clogged them all. Every breath hurt, as though she'd already exhausted herself. "Let me kill him. He's just like his father!"

"Nikolai, please, we're allies in this. He isn't the enemy-"

Even as she spoke, Kalen was summoning up a storm of magic. Shadows crossed over his face and as it grew Nikolai also called his magic. He became like a shadow, blending in on the ground and moving faster than eyes could keep up with. Isanabella bit her lip before lifting her weapon and throwing it as Kalen. As it pierced through the tender skin at his neck he blasted out the fire, exploding half the world around them with it. Smoke thickened and Isanabella coughed, dropping to her hands and knees and hitting her sides to beat the fire out. It was no use, for the fire continued to burn. There was only one place she could think to go and with that in mind she ran, mentally blocking out the pain that radiated through her body as she left the warring magi behind. It's no use. They're blinded by hate.

Tears bit at her eyes and she fought them as they dripped down. "No," she whispered as she ran, "I'll find a way to protect them. I just need to think."

She ran to the cove, where water was abundant. There I can find supplies, she hoped. There I can think. Her feet carried her as far as the tips of the cove before she collapsed in a heap beside the water, her skin blistered and burnt from Kalen's fire. Little heads popped up. Mermaids blinked at her and swam forward, the water splashing behind them as they glided through it. They came in a multitude of colors, all dark in skin and yet light of hair. Their eyes were silver and golden in the sun. A musical, alto, voice called to her. Though they spoke not a word, their songs were restless and she moved closer, touching the water and feeling the smooth, cold liquid run over her. She dipped her tongue in and drank greedily, filling her stomach with the crystal clear liquid.

"Mermaids," she whispered, a smile on her face. "Of all the things Vaxon created, mermaids...such a silly King. These creatures are only deadly to those who attack or steal from them." She remembered her uncle telling her about them when she was younger. He'd told her that they could heal wounds of the innocent and good of heart, but would kill any who had evil inside them. Their smiles, red and bright, held rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth and inside their small bodies they had two stomachs because their appetite was never satisfied.

"I won't hurt you," she told them.

They only blinked back. Sunlight glittered off their tails as the water lapped against the shore and fish swam below. Pebbles of ugly and beautiful shades alike filled the bottom of it. Blues of water mixed with the red of her blood as a blister opened and ran down her side. The pain was great and the magic she'd cast upon her skin weakened further. With a sigh, she dropped the rune and left herself open to whoever attacked her. It's no use. Her family had turned against themselves.

"I want to save them," she whispered to the creatures, "but they don't want to be saved. We're going to die here."