I STARED AT THAT bandage in my hands for what felt like all night. I didn't even remember falling asleep, and I laid there until the sun struck my eyes as it flooded my room. I opened them to see Calder's message still laying in my palm, itchy and pungent and splotched with my tears.

It took me a moment to realize that it had indeed happened last night, that Calder had sent this message with the smallest strength he had. He knew Sylvi had sent me the message of his bloody shirt, so when he had the chance to use any power he could pull from his body he had to let me know he was alive. Now I wanted more than ever to go rescue him, but I just didn't know how. And I didn't know if I ever would.

I slowly sat up in the bed, shaking myself from my sleepy daze. I immediately wondered what was happening to Calder right now, if he was passed out or being tortured. With everything in me I hoped Sylvi hadn't discovered her son sent that message. I knew if she did, Calder would suffer even worse than what he already has been.

The whole situation made me feel disgusting, and utterly sick to my core. I was a flightless bird stuck in the middle of a frozen lake, unable to get across. I couldn't get to land, too far out of my reach, just as I couldn't reach Calder. No matter how close I seemed to feel I was getting, the lake only stretched further. When would I get to the other side?

I decided I had to find out. My wings may have been clipped from everything that had happened since losing the first battle to Sylvi, but I still had a few feathers left to hold onto. If I had to jump with just those few feathers and only hope it would take me into the air, that was something I just had to risk.

I got out of bed and dressed myself before Bryndis could even enter the room, ignoring her surprised face as I walked past her when she came in. Clenching the bandage tight in my fist I went in search of Thorne, feeling my powers swirling around inside me like a hurricane. If I hadn't learned control over my ice and snow it surely would be going all around me right now. I was that upset, frustrated, and mad.

Finally finding him on duty of making his rounds, without a word I grasped firmly onto his arm.

"Eerika? What are you-" he began to ask before I jerked him into a room and slammed the door shut.

"Good morning to you too, Sunshine," Thorne said sarcastically.

I turned around to face him, my expression twisted into a firm scowl. His cocky attitude quickly fizzled away.

"Ok, I have a feeling this isn't going to be a pleasant conversation," he pointed out.

I held back the strong urge to roll my eyes, and threw the bandage down onto the table next to us. "I'm still waiting for your response to what happened last night."

"What do you mean?"

"This, Calder's message. After we got it you just brushed it off like it was nothing and left me to bed, to "sleep it off". Well I didn't, and how for one, how could you even think that I would?"

"What did you expect me to do, explode into a mess and make a big thing out of it? We know he's alive, that's a good thing."

"I expected it to make you finally jump into action and want to rescue him, Thorne. Knowing he's alive isn't enough, we need to go get him!"

Thorne stared at me a moment, his look one of annoyance before he sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Eerika, I don't know what else you want me to say. I'm doing everything I can."

"Bullshit," I spat back, and then scoffed. "You know, I thought you of all people would understand. You fought to save your sister, the one you loved. I figured you would relate to me on that and want to help me save the one I. . .love."

I knew then mentioning his sister in the argument was a bad idea once it left my mouth in the moment, because it only made Thorne angry.

"Really? And what are you doing to help the situation? Because if I'm correct, Your Majesty, you were the one who caused this to happen in the first place. If you hadn't gone after that damn sword Sylvi might not have even attacked the castle. And where did it get you? You got yourself nearly killed and Calder had to save your ass and get himself captured. I've heard a lot of talk around this castle, Queenie, and it hasn't been good on your part. You wouldn't listen to Calder or the Clan when they told you not to seek out that sword. You're too stubborn for your own damn good. It got your father killed, and probably will Calder too, so you'll be the one to have to deal with that, not me."

"Then you're a coward," I growled, trying to keep the tears from my anger at bay.

"I already told you I don't want anyone else's blood on my hands!" Thorne shouted back, "I've spent far too long trying to rid my eyes of seeing Thyra's blood on my skin, and it's still there and will forever be! And I refuse to be responsible for yours or for Calder's!"

"What about risk? Huh? If I'm willing to take the risk of Sylvi's attack and my own life to bring Calder home, why can't you? Do you have no heart or courage at all?"

"The risk isn't important enough, Eerika!"

"Why? Because of Calder? Because the big scary witch? I'm not afraid of her! I don't see why you are!"

"I'm not afraid of Sylvi or anyone else," he gritted back through clenched teeth.

"Then why? Tell me why you don't want to help me!"

"Because I can't lose you!" he roared back, his face now red with exertion.

I jumped slightly at his outburst before I froze, staring at him. He noticed my slight fright and surprise, and let out a deep breath.

"Do you not realize how much I see you like a sister to me?" he asked breathlessly. "Sometimes, it's like. . .Thyra's soul just jumped right into your body. I look at you, see your spunk and your determination, and I see her completely. And if you got hurt, or died, because of me. . .it would be like losing her all over again. I can't go through that. And if rescuing Calder could cause him to lose his life, I can't watch you deal with the pain like I had to. I care about you too much to risk it."

I wasn't sure how to respond. Thorne had never opened up like that before unless he was drunk like he had been the night he told me of Thyra. He was showing his vulnerability, and even though I admired it and appreciated the fact that he cared like that for me, it sadly wasn't enough.

"I don't want you to get hurt either, Thorne," I began, "You've become like a brother to me. You're my best friend, if I'm at all honest. But Calder is. . ."

"Everything," Thorne finished for me.

"Yes," I whispered, trying to keep the pain from showing in my voice. "I would give up. . .the whole world for him. He gave himself up for me. And I know you would have done both for your sister. So please, Thorne. Put yourself in my shoes, just this once. You know the feeling of being torn apart like this. I know losing Thyra has made you a cautious man. I get it.

Trauma can do so many things to a person. I never feel safe anymore. Calder is the only person who helps me forget even for just a moment of the evil out to get me. And as much as I want to believe that I'm a strong woman who can defeat Sylvi on my own, I can't do it without him, or even without you."

"You are strong," Thorne mumbled, now slumping over the table and propping himself up by his hands. He would no longer look at me. "You think you need the people around you to hold you up, but you really don't. You're the strongest person I know. No matter how broken you are, you still want to fight. It's another thing I admire about you."

I paused, slowly walking up to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Everyone needs someone to support them no matter the warrior they are. No matter how broken, anyone can still fight to achieve what they want and love. No one should ever have to go through anything alone. And yet Calder is suffering by himself. I hate that you had to do the same thing while you were in the human world."

Thorne wiped his face with his palm once more, and stared a moment at the bandage before he straightened himself. He was silent for what felt like the longest time, his gaze turned away from me.

"If this doesn't work, Eerika. . ."

My heart immediately jumped, and I grasped onto his arm so hard this time he flinched.

"It will. I promise it will, Thorne. We can do this, together."

"But if we can't," he said, finally meeting my eyes, "If we fail, and you get hurt-"

"I know. You don't have to say it. If something happens, and we have to abort the mission. . ."

"I will try with everything in my power to bring him back with us, Eerika. I will swear it to you. But I also can't promise you either."

"Just tell me you'll try, Thorne. That's all I ask of you," I said.

Thorne nodded and threw me a soft smile, squeezing my hand and brushing past me.

"We'll leave at nightfall."

I couldn't stop my heart from racing each second that I prepared to teleport to Sylvi's castle. I could feel it hammering, deep and pulsing as if it was cracking my ribs bit by bit. I made sure I had anything that might be needed for Calder in my cloak pocket, like a small first aid kit and a water-filled flask that Thorne had brought back from the human world.

Though at the same time Thorne told me there would be no time to treat him in the dungeon, I had to be prepared. I didn't know what kind of condition Calder was going to be in. The possibility of him bleeding out when we got there, having something broken, or even a limb missing all had my nerves shaking.

When I turned to look in the mirror before I left my chamber, I stared hard at my face and talked myself up. "Y-You can do this. Calder's going to be ok. He's. . ."

My breath shuddered, and I grasped onto the corner of my vanity so I wouldn't collapse. I felt so breathless, sucking air in and out deeply but not relieving me.

Pull it together, Arnesen, I told myself. Don't be damn coward.

With my knees shaking I straightened myself, shook the nerves off my hands and popped my neck, leaving the room.

I walked down the hall and staircase like a silent shadow, meeting Thorne at the front entrance. We both made sure to be shrouded in our cloak hoods and wearing our darker attire, not wanting to cause any attention to Sylvi's guards. I could see the nervous look on Thorne's face even in the darkness, and it was obvious on mine as well. But we couldn't let that mess with our plan.

"Let's go," Thorne whispered to me, "We'll get away from the palace just enough to create a portal that won't be seen."

"Okay."

Going out into the snow under the realm's moonlight, we came to the forest's edge to be hidden within the trees. Thorne readied his stance, and like always he slowly waved his hands in a circular motion like some karate master. He thrusted them forward and the large blue abyss appeared, blowing cold air and snow flurries out of it.

I looked up at him to see his face now looked flushed, and he stumbled, catching himself agaisnt a tree.

"What's wrong?" I asked him, grasping his arm to steady him.

"Portals. . .that make a travel really far, they can take a lot of energy from you. I'm just a little dizzy is all, I'm ok."

"Why doesn't making a portal to the human world affect you? You'd think it'd be just as far away."

"Not like you'd think," he clarified, standing straight again. "The veil between the ephemeral world and Vinter is actually pretty thin. Come on, we have to go before it closes. I don't think I have the strength to reopen it. We'll already need one to transport Calder back to the palace."

Nodding my head I swallowed hard and walked through the hole with Thorne. I had actually never seen the inside of a portal considering the only one I had ever been through was when I first came to Vinter, and I was unconscious then. There was a flash of light that blinded my eyes as we were swallowed into it, feeling a rush through my body as if I was falling off a building. When I felt another gust of wind hit my face, I felt Thorne grab my wrist and pull me forward. I opened my eyes to see a dark forest in front of us, and the portal closed behind.

I looked up at Thorne who smirked down at me. "Keep your eyes open, Queenie, or you won't know when the portal opens. You don't want to get stuck in limbo if it closes while you're still inside."

Feeling a little freaked out at the thought of that I shook myself back into focus. "Are we at the heart of the dark forest?"

"I assume so," Thorne said, "I thought of Sylvi's palace as the cooridnates when we passed through. You did too, right?"

"All I thought about was Calder," I replied, walking ahead of him and through the dead trees.

It wasn't but a little way that we traveled through the forest, stepping over fallen trees and under dead branches bent over.

"Keep an eye around you," I told him, "There could be any of those evil faery-eating creatures lurking."

""Faery-eating"? Did I seriously just hear you right?"

"Well they certainly aren't vegetarians. I was almost eaten by a swarm of snowcaps on my sword journey. Calder is going to really have to teach you about the creatures of the realm."

Thorne swallowed hard and gave a nod, "Good to know."

Seeing the dark icy castle now in distant view, Thorne grasped onto my shoulder and yanked me to the ground.

"Get down!"

Peering over a log we watched one of Sylvi's guards pass by the castle entrance, guarding it from any intruders.

The whole palace actually looked much like mine, but scarier. The turrets were pointed so sharp a bird would be impaled if it flew near, and the ice almost seemed black under the constant darkness.

"We can't go in through the front door," Thorne pointed, and this time I did roll my eyes.

"Well no shit, Sherlock, I figured that!"

"I thought you were Sherlock?" Thorne said, snickering at the look I threw him. "Okay, Okay. I'll save the jokes for later. We're going to have to sneak through the back way if there is one. Come on."

Blending in with the trees we made a circle around the fortress, noticing a small opening near the back. Thorne made a silent gesture towards it with his hands like a soldier on the front lines. I nodded in understanding, running low to the ground towards it. Thorne examined it when we approached, but the crack was made of solid ice and not able to be moved.

"What do we do?" I asked nervously, glancing around us for any trouble.

"What we've been doing," Thorne smirked, "Breaking and entering."

He then raised his hands to melt the ice away just enough to slip through, but it wasn't budging.

"She must have some type of power on it so it isn't penetrable," he said.

"Well what do we do now-" I began to say, before I was interrupted by a voice behind us.

"Hey!" a guard shouted, running towards us with his tall ice staff.

Thorne quickly dashed in front of me to block the guard's attack, and in that moment it felt like time had stopped and everything went in slow motion. Thorne unsheathed his sword and blocked the staff's blow, kicking the man in the knee and knocking him back. The man opened his mouth to shout for backup, but Thorne got the better hand before he could finish another word.

"Intru-!"

Wrapping the man in a headlock Thorne made a quick jerk of his arm and a snap was heard even from the six feet I was away. The man fell to the ground, saliva spilling from his mouth as an aftershock of his neck breaking.

Thorne was now breathless, wiping away the hair tossed in his eyes. He grabbed the ice staff from the ground, examining it like he had not just killed a man.

"Hm. Let's see what this baby can do."

Placing the tip of the ice staff agaisnt the crack of the ice, the crack began to move in a ripple formation. Thorne stretched his hand out and it went right through the ice, much like how Calder and I had fazed through the ice to enter Nilsine's dwelling.

"I guess we'll be passing through," he said, going first to make sure there were no other dangers before letting me follow.

Entering in what appeared to be a study or potion room, Thorne and I crouched behind a desk to think of our next move. There was a door at the end that was open and led to a hallway, telling us someone had left and would soon be back.

"What do we do now?" I wondered, squeezing my hands together to keep them from shaking.

"The only guess I have is to just go down the hallway and see where it leads us," Thorne informed.

"Are you crazy? There's probably guards all up and down these corridors! You just killed one, do you expect to off more?"

"Well what do you expect us to do, just wait here until whoever's study this is comes back to it? What if it's Sylvi's? We have to get out of here as quickly as we can. Someone might have already heard the warning call from that guard and is looking for us now."

He then slowly stood and looked around, pulling me up and quickly towards the bookcase next to the door. A group of guards walked past the entrance murmuring to each other, and Thorne pressed us hard agaisnt the wood as if we could meld into it. Once they had left around the corner and out of sight, Thorne checked to see if it was clear while I coughed up book dust.

"Come on, let's take a right," he gestured, and we ran out light on our feet.

The corridor was so dim we could barely see our own hands in front of our faces, the fire flickering from the torches above us being our only guidance. But I expected as much in an evil woman's castle.

Coming to the end of the corridor Thorne looked left, and there going down was an archway with stone stairs leading into darkness. My heart sped up wondering where this entrance led, it being our only way to go.

"I think this just might lead to the dungeon," Thorne said, but neither of us moved for moments.

"You want to go first this time?" he asked.

I couldn't help but chuckle a little, going a head of him. "Scared, Halvorsen?"

I teased, even though I was a little scared myself.

"No," he retorted, following after. "I just want to be a gentleman."

"Sure," I agreed sarcastically.

"But I do have to say, this gives off some distinctive scary movie vibes."

"I'll say. I feel like an ax murderer may be down here just waiting for us."

"Well, I've never known the frozen queen to wield an ax, but that's pretty spot on anyway."

Hearing my own heartbeat in my ears and our footsteps lightly echoing down and down the steps, we finally reached the bottom. Our feet planted onto the floor of a long room, chamber doors lining both left and right. Torches lit over each one, and the whole room gave off a pungent odor. I recognized that smell clearly from Calder's bandage. I knew exactly where we were.

"It's the dungeon. Oh my god," I breathed out, feeling both relieved and terrified to my core.

"Calder?" I called out, Thorne quickly hushing me.

"Keep your voice down, anyone else could be down here. Voices carry through these places."

"Calder?" I called out once more, this time in a whisper, and began looking through the small bar openings of each door. "Calder, are you in here?"

My chest was so tight I could barely breathe. If he wasn't here, that meant that she had killed him and tossed his corpse somewhere, that much I knew. But he had to be here. I would know if he was dead. I could feel him like I could feel my own touch. I hoped with everything in me that my intuition was right.

Thorne checked the left side as I did the right, and he was finding nothing. Finally coming to the last door on my side, I swallowed the nervous vomit trying to leave my mouth as I slowly looked inside.

And there he was.

"Calder! Oh my god," I cried, throwing the creaky door open and falling to my knees in front of him. He was laying in a pool of blood, my pants and cloak soaking in it. Some was splattered on the walls and painting his chains in it, making me feel even more sick. He was so much more icy to the touch than he normally was, and his pearly skin and bloody lips were as gray as death.

He was smeared in his own blood, some of it fresh and some dried, wounds and burns seeming to cover every inch of his shirtless body and overlapping his scars. Thorne ran in a few seconds later, crouching next to me.

"He's lost so much blood," I said in a shaky voice, sniffling. I gingerly touched Calder and got no reaction, making me fear he was in fact already dead. His stomach was so sunken in I couldn't tell if he was breathing.

Thorne used his sword to break the chains free from Calder, hissing as he touched one. "It's made of iron, be careful," he said.

I turned my full attention to Calder, placing my hand under his head and cradling it, hair sticky agaisnt my palm.

"Calder? Can you hear me? Calder please be ok. Please," I quivered, touching his cheek to try and bring him to consciousness.

"We have to go Eerika," Thorne urged, keeping watch of the dungeon halls for trouble that we both knew would soon be upon us. Commotion began to stir upstairs, signaling that warning call from the guard had finally reached everyone else.

"We can't carry him like this, how are we going to get him out?" I spoke panicked, turning back to Calder and gently shaking his face. "Calder. Calder wake up. Come back to me, please. Come back, baby."

Calder let out a raspy breath and then slowly cracked his eyes open. The blue water of his irises that I used to drown in were now gray storm clouds. I felt relief that he was conscious, but the look of agonizing sadness on his face gave me pause.

"No," his raspy voice quivered, tears pooling in his eyes. "No."

I didn't understand what he meant. Perhaps he didn't realize it was me.

"Calder it's me. It's Eerika," I assured him, but it seemed to only make him more distressed.

He weakly raised his hand to stroke my cheek. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"What are you talking about?" I asked him in confusion, brushing his dirty midnight hair from his forehead. He was speaking nonsense.

He shook his head still held in my hand. "I couldn't save you. She killed you. And it's all my fault."

"Why is he speaking this way?" I asked Thorne.

"He's delirious. He thinks you're dead and is hallucinating you. But it's not about to be a hallucination if we don't get out of here."

Sounds began to echo just up the dungeon staircase, and my heart started to pound harder in my chest. I addressed Calder once more.

"Calder we have to go, ok?"

"Yeah, come on buddy. Up and up," Thorne encouraged, reaching out to grab him.

"Do not touch me, beast!" Calder growled, using his little strength to jerk from Thorne's grip. "Let me suffer in this hell!"

"Calder please, let us help you," I urged.

"I deserve to die here!" he exclaimed, his voice not even sounding like his own--so scratchy and shaky from dehydration. "She is gone, have you not tortured me enough?!"

"We really don't have time for this," Thorne grumbled in frustration.

I knew I had to snap Calder out of this state but I wasn't all sure how. With his condition and deprivations his mind was in delirium. But I wasn't going to leave this chamber without him. We had come too far.

"Calder Hansen don't you dare quit on me now! Look at me!" I ordered, grabbing his face firmly. "I'm here. I'm alive. Feel my heartbeat."

I placed his cold palm solid to my chest, my fast rhythm knocking hard agaisnt his skin. Calder's brows furrowed at me as if the fog was clearing from his head.

"Eerika," he clarified, bringing a smile and streak of tears onto my face.

I leaned down and kissed his bruised lips, tasting the metallic flavor of his partial human blood but I didn't care. I had him back.

I pulled away and wiped the tear stains from Calder's face without even bothering with my own.

"Am I dead?" he asked me slowly, and I couldn't help but laugh a little despite the situation.

"No. No you're going to be ok. We're getting you out."

Calder smiled weakly though he shook his head. "You shouldn't have come for me. She will. . .she will kill you if she finds you here. I just. . .wanted you to know I was still alive. I didn't. . .want you to worry."

"Well it's a little too late for that pal," Thorne said. "We need to go Eerika. Now."

I nodded and turned to Calder, squeezing his hand as Thorne made a wall of ice to block the door. "We're taking you through a portal back to the palace. Can you stand?"

"A knight, I think. . .he broke my leg," Calder informed as Thorne and I sat him up.

He groaned at the movements and I looked in horror at the severity of burns on his back. Quickly shaking myself free of it Thorne and I struggled to raise him to his feet. This time he wailed in agony, his eyes fluttering closed.

"Calder? Calder stay with us," I urged, trying to keep him awake long enough to get home. But it was too late, his head lolling to the side telling me he had passed out once more.

The sound of his distress alerted a scuffle of sounds down the corridor. The roaring voices of angry men grew closer, and I looked over at Thorne for a plan. He used his free hand to conjure up a portal, its blue glow electrifying the chamber with light. We dragged Calder towards it and with only a second to spare between us and the guards hitting their weapons agaisnt the ice, we fell through the snowy hole.