Oriel was starting to get even more tired of walking when she finally noticed that the space between the trees was getting wider. She looked back at Tassian and he nodded at her, confirming what she was thinking. 

They were getting close. Extremely close. She prayed to whoever was listening to her that Queen Vega was alive with all her might. They needed her to be alive. She would know how to stop Queen Krathys. 

They slowed down as they came across the edge of a cliff. The trees thinned into nothing and the ground dropped off suddenly. Oriel looked over the cliff and sighed. The wind came up and whipped her hair around her face. She missed this feeling. Closing her eyes, she imagined herself flying. Her wings outstretched and this wind against her face. 

Tassian came behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to his chest. She opened her eyes when she noticed that her body was resisting his pull. Oriel looked down at her feet and noticed her feet were dangerously close to the edge. She hadn't even felt her feet move towards the edge. 

Something's wrong with me, she thought to herself. Her wings still weren't obeying her. If she had decided to step over the edge, she would have been falling to her death. She leaned back against Tassian and let him pull her back, further away from the edge.

Borus had started to open his mouth, but he took a look at Tassian and quickly shut it. Oriel looked up at him to see him giving Borus and pointed look with ice in his eyes.

Draya reached over and put a hand on her arm. Oriel looked over at her and gave her a small smile. "We're almost there, my dear."

Oriel looked back over the edge, while still hanging onto Tassian, and smiled to herself. She looked at the scenery around them. The smell of salty water filled her nostrils. Down below them, sharp rocks were being sprayed by the water from the ocean. The ocean was a dark blue and rough. Further out, the water became calmer but closer to the land, it became choppy and rough. Looking more around, she found the path beside them that will lead them straight to the tall tower closer to the water.

"There are about fifteen guards around the outside of the tower," Tassian whispered in her ear. 

"I can still fight," she told him. She didn't know whether she was trying to convince herself or him that she could still fight. She was starting to become afraid of her mind. She had a fear that eventually her limbs would stop working and obeying her. 

Tassian turned her around and made her look at him. "Don't start this again, Eagle. I know you could fight. Don't let whoever is in your head win."

"You have to fight him, my dear," Draya came closer to them. She crossed her arms and gave her a sharp look. "Don't give up on yourself."

"I need you, Eagle." His eyes were pleading with her. The grip on her hips tightened as he pulled her closer to him. "Get him out of your mind and focus. Right now, that's what I need you to do. Once we're safe, you can relax and we'll figure out a way to fight him."

Oriel nodded. She reached around her and unsheathed her swords. She watched Tassian closely as he unsheathed his own swords. "I'll meet you there, Eagle. Please, be careful."

"You too, Tassian." She watched as he spread his wings and stepped over the edge of the cliff. He flew low to the water, keeping to the wall of the cliff before he disappeared around it. 

Draya placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let's go." She moved to stand in front of Oriel and started down the road. Oriel made sure to stay behind them as they continued to travel down the road closer to the tower. Oriel kept her eyes on each of the men standing around the tower. They were spread out evenly making their attack easier. She knew that Tassian was going to be attacking the tower from behind, letting Oriel focus on the ones in the front. 

"Are you okay, Oriel?" Borus asked her. Worry laced his voice. 

Oriel stared back at him and nodded. "I'm alright. Let's focus on this and then worry about me later."

Borus' eyebrows furrowed together, but he didn't push her. Oriel watched him carefully as he turned his attention back on the men in front of them. "When are you wanting to attack?"

Oriel smirked as she noticed one of the men by the door was starting to watch them carefully. His dark, matted armor shifted as he moved back and forth on his feet. His hand tightened around his only weapon, a spear. "When you hear the screams on the other side of the tower." She moved his eyes back to Borus. "You'll know."

Borus nodded. "I'll stay with mother."

Oriel nodded even though she knew that he couldn't see her. The men around the tower started to turn their attention over to them one by one, slowly. She hated the armor they wore. They were incredibly heavy and bulky. The armor was appealing to the eye, but it caused the men and women who wore them to move slow.  

When they were yards away from the large, iron door, they heard a deep voice call out to them, "Stop! Name your business."

Oriel gripped her swords tighter and opened her mouth to reply. Before she was able to say anything, screams were heard from the other side of the tower. The men that were staring at them, turned around quickly. 

Borus looked behind him at her and Oriel nodded. "Now." She felt an inward calmness as she watched Borus' fingers spread out in front of him. The two men that were standing by the door started convulsing, dropping to their knees. Oriel smirked as she surged forward and grabbed one of the mans should and pulled him back against her. She pulled back his head and found the part of his neck that wasn't covered and sliced it open. She watched as the blood seeped out of the mans throat and dropped his body. 

Oriel heard a gurgling sound coming from her left. She looked over and watched, surprisingly as Draya sliced the other man's throat with her small dagger. When the man was dropped, Draya turned to look at Oriel. 

"Where did you get that?" Oriel asked, pointing her sword at her dagger. 

Draya smiled as she wiped the blood off of the blade. "I always keep a weapon by my side."

"I don't mean to interrupt," Borus piped up in between them. "But there's a little fight going on right now." 

Oriel looked behind him and saw three more men coming towards there. She took a look over her shoulder and saw three other men coming towards her. She sighed. "Take the three behind you. I've got the rest." 

She didn't wait to see what Borus would do before she turned around to face the three men coming for her. She crossed her swords and met one of the men. She pushed back against him and spun around, slicing his arm with one of her swords. With the other sword she pushed it behind her and felt it get stuck behind her. 

Oriel didn't waist any time in pulling it back out and looking at the thick blood dripping off of it. She turned around to watch as the life left the mans eyes when she felt a searing white pain go through her right side. She gasped in pain as she looked down and saw the tip of a sword had gone through her skin. 

It'll heal, she told herself as she took her swords and stabbed the behind her. I'll pull it out later. She felt the swords get stuck in flesh, but she couldn't pull them out. The last man started screaming as he ran towards her with a small curved dagger. Oriel maneuvered the man her swords were stuck in so he was in between her and the charging man. 

The sun was suddenly blocked by wings as Tassian dropped in front of her. Oriel fell back and landed on her behind causing pain to shoot through her side. She watched as Tassian pulled out her swords out the mans body with ease and threw them to her side. She quickly grabbed them and stood up, ready to finish the fight. 

Oriel moved around Tassian to see that he had already finished the job. He dropped the lifeless man and quickly turned to look at her. "Oriel," he breathed out as his eyes traveled down her body and stopped at the sword still lodged in her side. He gently grabbed her and inspected her wound. 

"It doesn't hurt that bad," she tried to reassure him. 

He gave her a sharp look. "Don't lie to me, Oriel."

She was starting to feel weak as blood kept flowing out of her. She swayed on her feet as Tassian's grip on her tightened. She looked up at him and felt defeated. "It hurts."

Borus and Draya ran over to them as Tassian reached his hand around her and grabbed onto the hilt of the sword. 

"Don't pull it out!" Draya exclaimed quickly as she tried to stop him. 

Oriel shook her head as she gripped onto Tassian's shoulders. "He has too. The only way for my wound to heal quickly is if he pulls it out."

"It's going to hurt, Eagle," Tassian warned her in her ear as he pulled her closer. 

She rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes. "Do it, Tassian." Oriel heard him take a couple of deep breaths before he pulled the sword out of her. She cursed as sharp, blinding pain went through side. The grip she had on Tassian's shoulders tightened as her knees threatened to buckle underneath her. 

Oriel felt another pair of hands hold her up as Tassian went to work wrapping her side. Once he was done, he held onto her and walked her to the large iron door. Borus and Draya were standing in front of them. Oriel looked up at the large door and shook her head. There wasn't a single handle on this door. How were they going to open it?

Borus looked behind them and shrugged his shoulder. "Maybe we just push?" 

"Doesn't hurt to try," Tassian responded as he moved his arms underneath Oriel's knees and picked her up, carrying her close to his chest. 

Borus nodded as he walked closer to the door and pressed his hands against it. He pushed and to all of their surprise, it opened.