Upturned rocks and dirt scraped at Neeri's paws as she skidded to a halt beyond the mouth of Durga's How. Lonan slid off her back and she shifted into herself while they approached the How. Arlon slunk to her other side, still in his panther form.

    He lifted his head, jaws parted as he drank in the air. A low growl rumbled in his throat at whatever he scented. As they passed into the shadowy crypt, the scent reached Neeri too.

    Her lips peeled back in a snarl at the sight of Rhidian. He stood at the opposite end of the crypt, guarding a stone tomb erected almost mockingly in between King Azael and Queen Tissaia's. The Crown Prince entombed between his parents.

    "There you are. I was wondering if anyone would show up," Rhidian said, dropping into a swift bow of greeting. "The Prince and I were beginning to get bored. I thought I was going to have to amuse us myself."

    "I'll be more than happy to provide you with some entertainment," Lonan snapped. "Step away from the Prince."

    "Careful now. Are you sure he's even in there?" He rapped his knuckles against the stone. "I've wondered myself ever since he was sealed away. It's so silent. I couldn't stand it."

    He propped an elbow against the tomb and rested his cheek in his palm, throwing them a lopsided smirk. "You know, I tried to convince my Lord to release him long enough for me to get him screaming again. Just to make sure he's still alive and functioning. He denied my request of course."

    "And he said something else very interesting that I'm sure you'll want to hear too." Rhidian's arm dropped as he straightened, his expression turning grave. "If anyone but my Lord tries to open this tomb, its magic will kill the Prince instantly. We wouldn't want that, would we?"

    "We don't believe you," Neeri hissed. "Astaroth won't kill him until he has what he wants from Morana."

    Rhidian just shrugged. "Do you want to take that chance? I don't imagine the Phoenix would react very well to her father and her friend killing her Prince, but then again, maybe she doesn't care about him after he betrayed her. But if that were the case, you wouldn't be here."

    He spread his arms wide in invitation. "By all means. Test your theory, but don't say I didn't warn you."

    Neeri caught Arlon's eye and the male gave a vague nod. She drew her sword as he slid his claws free. Rhidian moved down the dais, fingers flexing at his sides as crimson magic spread around them. Lonan remained behind, Noxbane firmly in his grasp.

    As one, Neeri and Arlon launched themselves at Rhidian. Neeri's sword bounced off an invisible shield while a blast of magic flung Arlon back into another tomb. Neeri shifted into her wolf and slammed into Rhidian, tackling him further from the Prince's tomb. From the corner of her eye, she saw Lonan sprinting towards it.

    Then Rhidian was flying at her again and she dodged beneath his magic, ramming her head into his gut. He stumbled back into Arlon who raked his claws across the male's back. Rhidian let out a howl and glared between them with seething eyes. They just continued to circle him, keeping him pinned between them and unable to intercept Lonan.

•༻☽☾༺•

    Something was happening around him. He knew that much. His tomb had been quaking for a long while now, proof of some great power rocking the earth beneath it, but where he was, he had no idea. He couldn't hear or scent anything beyond the tomb, and he remained trapped in darkness.

    Tarion flexed his chained hands and wriggled them again. He'd been trying to get them free ever since Astaroth had come for him but was having little luck. The shackles were too tight, even with his skin slickened by blood. But if he could manage to get just one hand free, he might be able to break the other cuffs off.

    If someone was able to open the tomb, he'd need to be able to leap out immediately. He didn't doubt that Astaroth had placed some sort of spell on the tomb to hurt or kill him in the event that he was freed. With any luck, he could be fast enough to avoid that.

    Tarion gritted his teeth, folding his fingers together once more and prying his hand up. The shackle pinched around his skin and pain barked through his thumb. Tarion sucked down a sharp breath, swallowing hard.

    He wanted to avoid dislocating his fingers or worse, breaking his hand, but they were beginning to look like his only options. If he just dislocated something, he'd be able to force them back into place even with a shackled hand, but if he broke anything, he doubted he'd be able to free himself of his remaining bonds.

    He tipped his head back against the rough stone and drew a few steadying breaths. It's worth the risk, he told himself. I have to get out of here alive. I have to warn Morana.

    He rested only a few more minutes, long enough to steady himself, then clenched his jaw once more. He didn't give himself a chance to hesitate. Tarion jerked his hand up towards the shackle and didn't let up even when his fingers began to scream at the unnatural position.

    He pulled harder, sweat dripping down the sides of his face and a few tears burning behind his eyelashes. With one last jerk, his hand burst free with a terrible crack. Tarion couldn't swallow his scream. He lifted his hand to his face, the limb trembling uncontrollably. Pain needled through his veins as he forced his fingers to move. They still responded, but something was definitely broken.

    He ignored the pain though and gripped his other shackle. His nerves screamed at him to stop, but Tarion pushed through and pried the shackle open, freeing his uninjured hand. Now came the hardest part.

    To reach the cuffs around his ankles, he'd have to lower himself, and that meant crushing his spine to the back of the tomb and his knees to the front. He'd achieved it once before during his century of imprisonment, but hadn't been able to rise again without shattering one of his kneecaps in the process.

    "Fuck," Tarion grunted as his back scraped against the harsh stone. White spots danced in his vision but he blinked them away. His tomb rocked again, jarring the wounds roughly and he yelped at the pain.

    He squeezed his eyes shut and he forced himself to slide down, bending his knees as much as possible before they were pushed back against his chest. His breath came in harsh pants as his ravaged back dragged down the stone, but soon, his fingers brushed the shackle around one of his ankles.

    He kept his eyes closed and teeth gritted while he attempted to break it off. After a few tries, it snapped free. The other side took longer as he was forced to use his injured hand. He couldn't reach the remaining shackle with his free hand well enough to get a good grip. Another hiss escaped him, but he managed to break through the bond.

    He gave himself a few minutes to catch his breath before he even thought about attempting to straighten. His knees and back were pressed as tightly against the sides of the tomb as possible, even more so than the last time he'd attempted this.

    It was a miracle he hadn't broken anything when he lowered himself. Perhaps if he pushed his back deeper into the stone...the raw wound could be deep enough to give him a little more room. His stomach churned at the thought of the pain that would follow.

    Tarion fought to keep his breaths steady, his jaw trembling in anticipation. For Morana, he reminded himself. I have to be able to reach her and I can't do that with shattered knees.

    Still, it took every remaining ounce of strength he had to push himself back harder against the stone and not instantly recoil. He didn't bother swallowing his shout this time, or the ones that followed as he pushed himself upright, shredding his back deeper as he went.

    He'd just finished straightening when something clanged against the outer part of the tomb. His breath caught and the blow came again, rattling through his very bones. Whatever was striking at the stone had to be very powerful if he could sense it. But it couldn't be Astaroth. He'd have torn the lid of the tomb off already.

    Tarion braced his hands against the lid, heaving against it with the last of his strength. The blow fell once more, an unmistakable shriek of steel against stone. There was only one blade that could possibly have any effect over the magic embedded within his tomb.

    Tarion's heart beat faster and he let his hands fall, not wanting to risk them being sliced off when Noxbane cut through. He readied himself for the next strike, and this time when the blow fell, blazing light cleaved through the stone lid, revealing Durga's How and a male reaching toward him.

    Tarion didn't have a moment to react before the male grabbed him by the shoulder and hauled him out of the tomb. He landed on his knees, blinking rapidly to adjust to the sudden absence of darkness despite the light of the How still being dim. Tarion let out a hoarse groan as the male dragged him to his feet.

    "Come on!" He hollered to a Panther and a Wolf who were fighting Rhidian nearby. Tarion's eyes widened in recognition as the Wolf's gaze met his for a split second.

    She and the Panther lunged at Rhidian one last time, slamming him back against a pillar hard enough to stun him. The male slumped to the floor, his head lolling against his chest. The Shifters came bounding over to them and Tarion didn't resist as the male hauled him over Neeri's back.

    They raced out of the crypt and into the fading daylight. The sights and sounds of battle raged all around them, threatening to drag Tarion back into his memories of the Ash War, but he managed to resist them. They ran until they were a safe distance from the How, before Tarion slid off the Wolf's back and dropped to the ground weakly.

    Neeri shifted into herself and the Panther shifted into a pale, dark-haired male. "You and Gaelen made it then?" Tarion rasped, meeting Neeri's gaze. She nodded.

    He glanced at the males next. The one who had freed him still held Noxbane, his gray eyes sweeping over Tarion and lingering on his injured hand. "You're her father, aren't you?" He guessed.

    There was no mistaking the resemblance between the male and Morana, if the fact that he could hold Noxbane without dying wasn't proof enough. "Lonan Renox," the male confirmed with a nod. "We need to get you out of here. You look..."

    "Like shit, I know. I'm used to it." Tarion struggled to his feet. "But I'm not going anywhere. Where's Morana?"

    "Your Highness, you need to see a hea..."

    "Where is Morana?" Tarion repeated, his voice dropping to a growl. "I'm not leaving without her. I have to warn her."

    "Warn her about what?" The dark-haired male demanded, blue eyes glittering with suspicion.

    "Astaroth isn't going to kill her. He's going to try to possess her and Ascend himself within her body. If that happens, she'll be trapped within herself forever while he controls her body and power. They'll be a god, and it will be worse than if he killed her." Tarion glanced at Neeri. "She was there, and Gaelen. They heard Astaroth say it too."

    Neeri's brows raised. "I...I don't remember..." She turned to the other male.

    "Rehema did say you might not remember everything," he said. "But Gaelen never mentioned this."

    A growl slid past Tarion's lips. "Where the Hel are they?"

    "Easy," Lonan warned. "Gaelen can't harm her. She severed his bond with Astaroth and he made a blood vow to her."

    "Did he swear not to hurt her?"

    "He...no. He swore to serve her in battle until the end and do all he could to free you."

    "He's going to use Astaroth's plan against him!" Tarion swore, magic shimmering at his fists. "It's possible that he'll be vulnerable for a few seconds after he possesses Morana if she tries to repel him. Gaelen will use that moment to kill Astaroth while he's trapped in a mortal body. He'll kill them both!"

    "Then we'll warn her, but you're in no condition to..."

    "Try to fucking stop me." Magic shuddered through his limbs, lending him just a little more strength and slightly easing the pain eating at his insides. He didn't have much time, but gods be damned if he did nothing.

    "I'll take you," Neeri said, her voice low and quiet. "Gaelen protected me and saved my life, but I can't let him hurt my friend." She shifted back into her wolf and Tarion managed to push himself onto her back.

    "Neeri," Lonan called as she was about to take off.

    She paused and he approached, touching a hand to her furry shoulder. Arlon moved to her other side. Tarion gave a faint sigh of relief as Lonan raised Noxbane and carved a path directly to Morana and Astaroth. He braced himself as they bounded through, wind pelting them from all sides.