They waited in silence. Each passing minute felt like an eternity. Iris drew some light and tried to keep it still and not shining too brightly, but it fluttered like a captive butterfly, pulsing and twisting in uncontrollable motions.

'Try to shape it in a ball,' Jayden whispered, leaning toward her, his light hovering in an elegant sphere over his hand. 'It's easier to hold on that way.'

Iris frowned and tried to form the energy to create an orb. It flickered and twisted some more, becoming something that bore a slight resemblance to a crooked bubble. But it stopped whirling uncontrollably, and it was indeed easier to hold on to it this way.

'See, it's working already,' he said with a smirk. 'Good thing you have your realmfarer skills because Light Magic is not your strong suit.'

'Oh, shut it!' she hissed at him.

But before they could get any further with their bickering, Myrica was back. Iris sighed, relieved. They gathered around the huntress.

'About a hundred steps lead down there. The staircase ends with a large, rectangular room. Five knights stand guard inside. Three of them sit at the table on the right side, playing cards—the other two stands at the massive metal doors on the left. I also spotted one more door, smaller made of wood, located behind the table on the right wall. The room is well lit, and I've counted at least five torches so that the light supply won't be an issue.'

'Thanks, Myr, that's a solid report,' Kara said, nodding. 'That's how I see it. Arlo and I will take the point. Jayden, can you use a light eruption to blind them before we charge?'

'No problem.'

'Good. I'll give you a signal. After that, we go in. I take the left side with Sam's support, and Arlo goes right with Jayden. Myr, stay in the middle and assist whoever is in trouble.'

'Will do.' the huntress nodded, the bow already in her hand.

'What about me?' Iris asked nervously. 'What am I supposed to do?'

'You...' Kara frowned. 'You keep the rear and stay out of the way, all right?'

'Fine.' Iris felt a pang of guilt, that she was a dead weight to her companions. But she knew she wasn't trained for battle, and she would only be a disadvantage to her team. Besides, Iris wasn't even sure if she would be able to harm another person, Inquisitor or not, intentionally. She was glad her friends didn't force her to do that.

'Ready?' Kara asked. They all nodded and started their descent, trying hard not to make too much sound. Iris noticed she was holding her breath for most of the way, so she quietly let it out, forcing herself not to tremble. The narrow stone staircase and oppressing feeling of being trapped reminded her of when Inquisition captured her. It was ironic that now she was sneaking her way into the dungeons of her own volition. But she gritted her teeth and reminded herself that Cody was kept somewhere down there, left alone in the darkness and probably scared out of his mind. She was not going to falter now, not when she came too far to go back.

The light from the room was dispersing the darkness on the staircase. They stopped a few steps before the end of the stairs. The muffled talk of knights reached their ears now. But there was no laugh, no enthusiasm to be heard.

Kara turned around and waved her hand toward Jayden. When he nodded, she showed three fingers and then started the silent countdown. Jayden raised his hand. With her last finger bent, Iris closed her eyes as instructed. But the sudden burst of light was so bright it still stung her over the eyelids.

The screams erupted from the room, full of pain and surprise. When Iris opened her eyes, everyone was already in motion. She descended the last few steps to have a clear view of what was happening.

Iris never actually saw Light Mages in battle up close. The only instance she was in action herself was during an attack on their camp, but it was so chaotic she only cared about surviving. The planned assault was a completely different story.

Kara was already engaged in a fight with knights standing guards at the massive metal door on the left side of the room. She was swinging her sword relentlessly at one of them, backing him up to the corner, her shield always in place to parry the counterattacks. The other knight seemed to be still dazed and rubbing his eyes furiously. He could not join his companion, as just a few feet from him hung a line of rotating blades made of light. The knight tried to pass them but Sam easily manipulated the radiance, ensuring the Inquisitor was stranded in his corner while Kara was handling the other opponent.

There was a loud cry of pain from the other side of the room, and Iris' head twisted in that direction. She wished she didn't because she witnessed one of the knights groped at his neck, trying to stop the blood gushing from his severed neck. He fell on his knees with a terrible gurgling sound while he attempted to draw one last breath hopelessly. Nausea rose rapidly through Iris' body. It was one thing being ready to fight against the Inquisition and another seeing the actual killing up close in all its gruesome details.

Meanwhile, Arlo was already fighting another knight, swinging his axes in great arcs, spraying freshly spilt blood with every strike. But his opponent was not easily intimidated. The knight was almost as big as Arlo, and he was not faltering under a flurry of his strong blows. He was standing his ground, and his shield was held steady, blocking the strikes, his sword quick and efficient, not missing any opportunity for counterattacks.

At least the one remaining Inquisitor was kept busy a few feet away. Jayden created a shining sword and shield, which looked so alive as if an invisible being held it. Iris looked over to Jayden, his brows frowned in concentration, his hands raised, manipulating his creation with small gestures. There was sweat pearling on his brow. Iris knew how much effort it took to control the light with such precision, not to mention withholding the mighty blows of the knight's great sword. Myrica tried to strike the Inquisitor with her arrows, but it was almost impossible to pierce thick armour and helmet.

Suddenly Arlo cried out in pain, although it was more of an angry growl than an actual scream. But it undoubtedly meant one of the knight's blows found its target. This sudden sound must have startled Jayden out of his focus because the next second, Inquisitor's great sword hit the light shield with enough force to smash it. Piercing sound like shattering glass shook the room, and the light fell to pieces and dispersed. Jayden grunted and fell on one knee, his body shaking.

The Inquisitor did not waste any time. He rushed toward Arlo with a few quick strides, raising his greatsword over his shoulder to deliver a powerful wide blow to man's unprotected back. Myr cursed in her language. She grabbed the dagger from her boot and ran towards the Inquisitor. But Iris knew she would be too late. There was no way she could reach him before he landed his strike.

Iris wasn't thinking. She let the instinct take over, just like the night she saved his brother from the stampede. She was still holding the light, so she threw her hand toward Arlo. A luminescent wall of light emerged in a split second, separating him from the charging Inquisitor. Iris dropped the torch she was holding and used another hand to draw more light to fortify her barrier, but it was not enough. When Inquisitor's blow connected with her shield, it broke almost instantly. Iris felt the impact as if she got hit on the head. Hard. She swayed and leaned heavily on the wall behind her.

But her barrier, though weak, was enough to block the knight's strike. He was raising his sword again already, but Myr was right behind him this time. Still running, she slid to her knees and slashed her dagger through the back of Inquisitor's legs. The man screamed and fell on the ground when his knees bucked under him. The huntress was already standing there, and with one swift movement, she stabbed her blade in the knight's back, finding unprotected seams in his armour.

Iris closed her eyes and let herself a moment to calm her racing heart and fight the dizziness. When she opened them again, the fight was already over. The knights lay in a bloody heap on the floor while Myrica was tending to Arlo's wounded shoulder already.

'Are you all right?' Kara asked, appearing at Iris' side. She was winded, her cheeks red and hair sweaty after the fight. But she looked unharmed.

'Yes, I think so,' Iris said, but her voice was more a croak than articulated speech, so she grunted.

'Great job, little one,' Arlo said, grinning at her over Myrica's shoulder. 'You saved me back there.'

'Yes, but my barrier was so weak it only endured one blow.' She sighed.

'One blow was all I needed,' Myrica said, tying the bandage. 'I am grateful for your aid, Iris.'

Iris' face flushed, and she nodded. She didn't think she could be helpful in battle, but the praise made her happy. At least she was not dead weight.

'I think this is the place where the Grand Inquisitor summons Brath,' said Sam. He stood in front of the big doors on the right side of the room, with his hand pressed flat to the metal surface. 'The Veil there is fragile. I wasn't certain at first, but they did build this place over the Ritual site.'

'That means the cell block is behind this door,' Kara said, bending over knights' bodies. After a few moments, she straightened up, holding a ring full of keys. 'Here. Let's get those Mages out before more knights come down here.'

A jolt of excitement as well as dread filled Iris as her heart started thumping faster. She will finally see Cody. Please be well. Please be well. She kept saying in her head like a mantra. When Kara opened the door with a loud creak, Iris pushed herself in first, despite the protest of others.

It was pitch black in there, so she halted. Of course, Inquisition would not want to provide Mages with light. The stench of unwashed bodies hit Iris so hard her stomach clenched.

'Damn it, Iris, don't go running there headfirst,' Kara hissed, grabbing her shoulder and pushing past her, with her shield raised protectively. 'What if there were more knights in here?!'

'Let's light it up a bit,' Sam said from behind them, and several small orbs of light flew inside, chasing away the darkness. The room wasn't extensive. They stood in a short hallway, with four cages, two on each side of the chamber. Each cell was filled with raggedly looking prisoners.

As there was no room to hide, and no one except inmates seemed to be here, Iris moved past Kara again and walked to the middle of the room, looking around frantically, trying to see anything through the heap of slowly raising bodies.

'Cody?!' she called, her voice high pitched and shaking. 'Cody, are you here?!'

'Iris?' a weak voice said from one of the cages.

'Cody!' Iris rushed there and clung to the iron bars, trying to find his brother in dim light. 'Kara, the cages! Quick!'

'What do you think I'm doing?' The woman scoffed while fumbling with the jingling keys at the other cage. After she managed to open it, she came over to join Iris, who already located her brother, a little huddled figure in the corner, and she was swaying at the ball of her feet, ready to dash there the moment the barred door opened.

After a few seconds, she was already inside, huddling Cody in her arms.

'Oh, Lord Sun, Cody!' She sobbed, holding him tight. She didn't care for the stench and filth all around her. She couldn't be happier now that she knew her little brother was all right. That she was not too late, and he was no longer alone. 'You're safe now. I'm here.'

'What are you doing here, Iris?' the boy asked, his voice weak and shaking. 'They took you away. I thought you were dead!'

'I'm not,' she replied and loosened her embrace for a bit so that she could look at his small, pale face. 'I'm here to get you out. To get all of you out.' She raised her head to look around at all the people around them. They stared at them in awe, as if they still didn't believe it was happening.

'Iris, we need to be swift,' Myrica said from outside the cage.

'Right,' Sam said, grunting, his voice becoming steady and loud enough to reach all parts of the room. 'We're getting you out of here, folks. But we need a favour in return. We will end the reign of Inquisition right here, right now, and you are going to help us.'

Picture by Evelyn_Chai from Pixabay