Stell coughed until the smoke and dust settled around her. She couldn't remember what had happened, but when she looked up she saw the cell door to her prison had been blown completely to smithereens. She slowly got to her feet as the sound of the guards running back inside echoed down the hall. She clutched her locket, keeping her eyes on the opening she had created.

The pain. Stell realized with a gasp. It was the bars, I was using magic inside the cell and it was trying to stop me. I used magic to blow the bars off.

The guards appeared at the wrecked door of Stell's cell, looking around at the damage she caused. They both pointed their spears at her and ordered her to remain where she was. But Stell could see fear in their eyes. She could see that they were afraid of her. She had used her magic to overcome the pain of the enchanted bars and broke open her prison. The guards who had been fused with their shadows were afraid of her, but shakily pointing their spears at her, ordering her to do as they say.

Stell looked at her hands before looking back to the guards and holding her hands out to them. They both took a step back, the glimmer of sweat appearing on their shadow black skins. Purple light glowed around Stell's hands as she concentrated on knocking the guards out.

I'm leaving. The witch thought darkly. And I'm not going to let anything get in my way!

A blast of purple light shot out at the guards, knocking them both through the bars of another cell. Stell ran out her prison and left her hands up where the bars of the cell the guards were in had been and imagined the bars returning to cage the shadows. It hurt at first, but when she opened her eyes the bars had returned, trapping the guards inside the cell.

One of the shadows tried forming something with his hand, but he was immediately met with a painful shock and reeled back against the wall.

Stell's body shook. She couldn't believe this was happening. It was like a dream come true.

With one last, glorious look at the guards, Stell bolted out the dungeon prisons and ran up the stone steps that led out the dungeons. She carefully checked the halls before running through the hall, searching for an exit. She tried to recall the day she had been brought here; she tried to remember the entrance to the castle.

As she was about to turn a corner, she saw three guards make their way toward where she was. Stell jumped back quickly and looked around for a place to hide. Looking down, she spotted a stand with a vase of dead, black flowers. With nothing else to use, Stell slipped between the stand and the wall and crouched as best she could, hiding her body and head. Holding her breath, Stell watched as the guards ran straight past her.

Once the sound of their fused boots vanished, Stell pushed her way out from her hiding spot and went on running blindly through the castle to find the entrance. She avoided any guards that passed by- believing they knew of Stell's escape as the place seemed to be full of guards running around in a panic.

The sound of Xyla's furious voice coming from the throne room had Stell skid to a stop at the cracked open door. Feeling strange about Xyla's fury while she was escaping, Stell peaked through to see Alabaster barking orders to the guards.

"Find her and bring her to me alive!" the shadow king demanded. "She can't escape!"

The guards bowed before bolting out the door, Stell hiding behind the giant wood. She followed slowly as the door began to close once again, peaking through the crack to see how the Mallors were taking the news.

"That little brat!" Xyla hissed as she paced the room. "When I get my hands on her-"

"Your hands are too perfect to be touching a filthy witch like her!" Alabaster interrupted his wife, taking her slender fingers into his big palms. "I already pity our son for being forced to marry that bitch. She's lucky that Peace Maker warned us, or I'd have her head!"

Stell flinched, but felt some enjoyment from their anger. It was an odd feeling, but it made her feel better all the same.

The sound of a door swinging open and slamming against the wall made Stell jump as she looked back inside. The sound of feet stomping over filled the room until Arlin came into eyesight.

"Where is she?" the shadow prince shouted.

"Calm down, sweetie," Xyla soothed, placing her hands on his shoulders, "we'll find that little bitch."

No you won't. Stell thought bitterly as she slipped away from the door, slipping off her boots and running down the hall without them to keep from making too much noise.

A low growl coming from a room Stell only visited once, made her freeze in her tracks. She looked to the doors of the room, the smell of smoke in the air. The dragon was still in there. It was still chained away, waiting for Xyla to force its shadow to fuse with its skin. It may even remain trapped in the room when Stell was long gone from the Mallor castle. It would live the same life Stell had lived up until now.

Making sure no one was around, Stell ran into the room, shutting the doors behind her. The growl of the dragon filled the room and Stell gaged at the smog of smoke which filled the room. In the dark she could see the beast's glowing golden eyes glare at her, its growl low.

"I'm not here to hurt you," Stell assured the dragon as she cautiously stepped closer to the terrifying monster, "I'm going to help you get out of here. I'm escaping here today too."

Not sure if the dragon understood Stell, the beast moved its giant claw over to where Stell was, the chain clamped tightly around its scalely wrist. Enchanted chains. If the dragon tried to fly or use its fire, it'd be met with nothing but pain. Just like Stell would when she thought of escaping before.

Carefully, Stell stepped closer to the dragon and placed her hands on the chain. She concentrated hard on the metal and breaking it loose for the dragon to get its claw free and escape. She felt the chain warm up below her palms, shuddering as she put all her magic into breaking the chain.

Finally, she heard the sound of metal hitting stone as the chain fell off the dragon's wrist. She stepped back to see the dragon move its freed claw to its snout, sniffing the spot where the chain used to be. While it seemed distracted, Stell quickly made her way to its back legs, doing the same thing she had to its front claw. The growling of the dragon behind her made her quake in fear, but she couldn't stop now. She wasn't leaving until the dragon was free too.

"Check the dragon's holding cell as well, you idiots!" Stell could hear Alabaster's angry tone.

Her heart pounded at the sound of boots hit the ground as they ran toward the room. She broke off the dragon's first back leg and tripped as she ran to the other back leg. The dragon moved its long neck to sniff its freed leg, growling in an almost happy way, something that surprised Stell for only a moment. She pressed her hands to the last leg chain, pleading with her magic to break it before the guards made it to them. She wasn't going back in the cell and the dragon wasn't going to remain trapped in her place.

They'll kill you if they find you. Stell thought.

The sound of the guards running up to the door made Stell's heart beat faster.

Quickly, finish the chain!

Stell concentrated hard, the purple haze of her magic swirling uncontrollably around her hands and chain. The door swung open. The chain snapped off and hit the ground with a loud clatter.

"Stell!" Xyla's voice echoed through the room with such fury that the walls shuddered.

Before anything else could be done, the dragon broke the chain around its snout with a mighty, furious roar. The guards that stood around the Mallors screamed before thrusting their spears at the beast, nothing breaking through the skin of the dragon as it glared down at the people below it. Stell tried to crawl away, hoping the dragon would remain as a cover while she escaped.

Just when she thought she'd actually be set free, something snatched her up and lifted her off the ground. She struggled to break free, but froze when the dragon's face appeared before her. The dragon had grabbed her and was holding her horrifyingly close to its long dark gray snout.

"Hold your fire!" Arlin demanded the prepared guards. "We need the little bitch alive!"

The dragon looked to the Mallors and released a booming, furious roar. Most of the guards fell back from the force, shaking as they looked up at the monster. Stell tried to free herself from the dragon's grip, but it was too strong.

It began beating its wings fiercely, wind buffeting around the room. The guards tried to fight the wind with the Mallors, but they were immediately sent backwards as the Mallors tried keeping themselves in the room.

Stell felt the dragon lift itself off the ground, the Mallors and their guards getting smaller below her. The enchantment sending the shock through the beast, running through his giant body and up to Stell, however not as strong at it was on its prisoner.

"He's trying to escape!" Ameria cried out.

Stell tried to free herself from the dragon's grip, not wanting to trade being a slave for dragon food. But since the shock of the chains were too painful, the dragon had tightened his hold on the witch.

Finally, the loud snap of the chains breaking apart and the clatter of metal hitting stone resonated off the walls. The dragon let out a victorious roar as it flapped its great silver wings. Its back pressed up against the ceiling and its winds slammed against the wall, making the castle shake violently and start to crumble.

"Stop him!" Xyla demanded shrilly. "We can't let him take her!"

The guards ran back into the room, their arms formed into weapons from arrows to swords. The dragon glared down at them, waving its tail fiercely, knocking them all down to the floor or against the walls. The Mallors dodging the blows as they fell into their shadows and gliding to safety.

The dragon pushed against the wall, large chunks of the ceiling falling to the ground. Stell covered her head to avoid from getting hit, her heart pounding quickly in absolute terror.

Finally, the sound of the stone of the castle crumbled and light shone into the once black room. A furious shout from Xyla could be heard through the commotion as Stell watched the ground and the people standing on it get smaller and smaller. She watched as the dark castle, now with a giant hole in it, become smaller with each flap the dragon's wings beat against the air with.

Stell turned to face the dragon, whose gaze remained on the Mallor castle. It then opened its jaws wide, revealing its enormous white fangs and sharp red tongue.

Letting out a scream, Stell covered her head once again as the dragon breathed out a great ball of flames down on the castle. The witch looked and watched as the flames engulfed the place that had kept her for three long, grueling years. She watched in an almost pleasant-like state, enjoying the show.

Then, her focus was returned to the dragon. The world moved quickly away from below. Her joy was replaced with the fear from before. She had finally escaped the Mallors; she had been freed from the shadows who had almost taken her entire life away. But now she was trapped in the mighty grip of the most feared beast in all of Trapario. The dragon had taken its prison's fellow prisoner.