Loud shouts made my eyes snap open. The sound was coming from the stairs and before I could blink, an arrow had found a home in the chinks in the armour of the two men. They screamed and a hilt came in contact with one of their faces, making him topple back and hit the ground. The same sword swept up in an arc, pinning the second man to the wall, the blade pressing his neck in warning.

Kirin's glare could have wilted flowers. From behind him, Lyon emerged, gripping his bow so tight his knuckles were white. His eyes visibly widened when he took in my condition and I tried to smile, but it came out as more of a grimace.

Segan just looked exasperated at having been interrupted again. "What do you want?" he asked, no trace of fear or even panic in his voice.

"Get out of here, Segan," Kirin said. The man beside him squirmed and Kirin pressed the blade into his skin, cutting a line of thick red blood.

"What if I don't?"

"We'll make you get out of here."

Segan's laughter boomed in the small room. He turned completely to face them, ignoring me altogether. "How are you going to make me get out of here? You, who could never win against me."

I turned over. The dagger by Mordrigana's feet glinted. I squirmed, pushing myself forward. I didn't trust my legs just yet.

"That was ages ago," Kirin said. He was a smart man, he'd keep Segan talking. "I've improved. I've learned more fighting styles than even you. What do you say, Segan? Let's fight, man-to-man."

Segan growled. "There is no way you can win this, boy. Walk away and you might get out of here alive. The prince, on the other hand, will not. You should not have bought him with you."

Why had he brought Lyon? It wasn't as if they were the best of friends. As far as I knew, there hadn't been a word exchanged between the two.

"I am going to walk out of here with both Thalia and Lyon. It's up to you whether you'll be coming out with me dead or alive."

I heard Lyon mutter, "Thalia?" to himself and was astonished when I found it in me to worry about it.

The cool hilt of the dagger met my burning fingers like a balm. I tried to cut the ropes that bound my wrist, moving the blade as much as I could.

"You have great confidence," said Segan, "but tell me why you protect her. Has she not hurt you more than enough? Did she not break your young heart? She deserves none of the sympathy you give her. So, why do you do it?"

I paused. For the first time since he entered this place, Kirin looked at me. I had been afraid when Segan had captured me. I had been afraid when I looked at the Goddess. I had been afraid when that sword grinned above my head, waiting to be put to use. But none of that compared to the sickening dread I felt at that moment.

Kirin's eyes were devoid of emotion, cold eyes piercing my heart. I felt dread coat my bones in a black, slimy mess, dripping into my veins.

There are different types of fear, I think, and the most predominant is the fear for one's life. The fear that this time when you shut your eyes, it might be your last. Another is the fear that comes with knowing someone you loved has given up on you. It's that deep, twisted feeling that intermingles with a crushing hopelessness and an earth-shattering sense of failure. That's a far worse fear than the one for your life, because that settles in your bones and doesn't let go. It drags you down under its weight and you can't even struggle against it.

Kirin turned back to Segan and I looked away, not finding the will to cut the ropes anymore. "I'm not doing it for me," he said. "I'm only doing it because Larkin asked me to. If it were up to me, then I'd have left her. You get your satisfaction and we have one less traitor to worry about." Each word hit me like a blow to the stomach. I fought my nausea and concentrated on moving the blade back and forth.

"Join me, Kirin," Segan said, "and we can end our problems together."

I heard Kirin sigh. "That's not how things work."

"If we want it to be, then it can be!" Segan's voice picked up with excitement. "Just think: we sacrifice her and we wipe out one problem. When Mordrigana turns her favour to us, we can deal with this boy and his father easier than we could ever have!"

I felt my blood freeze. I was tempted to look back at Lyon, but I forced myself to cut.

"We're not here to kill the king," said Kirin, levelly. This time I stopped. "The only reason we're here is because we knew people like you would be around."

"People like me?"

"Rebels," Kirin hissed as if it was the worst word in the world.

I resumed cutting the ropes. The last string snapped and fell off and I rubbed my red wrists, glad to be free. I pushed myself up, keeping clear of Segan's line of sight.

I got shakily to my feet while Segan growled at them. "You lie. Larkin would never have agreed to forget the past. We waited twenty years!"

"Ask Larkin yourself. Why do you think we threw you out? We knew you wouldn't agree to let the past be."

My stomach still felt like it was swimming around inside my body, and I felt worse than I had felt lying down. I gripped the dagger like a lifeline.

"Then how are you any different from her?" he jerked his head towards me without looking back.

"She sided with him," Kirin said, not looking at me, "we did not. Peaceful negotiation never goes astray."

Even I was skeptical about that. "Peaceful negotiation!" Segan barked. "You have all gone mad."

I flexed my unhurt arm. Kirin couldn't keep Segan talking for longer, so I had to act now. I lifted the dagger and brought it down hard. Faster than I could perceive, Segan grabbed my arm and lifted me over his shoulder, sending me crashing into the stairs.

There was a piercing sound I later realized had been my screaming. Pain shot up my back, making my body arch. I fought to breathe, wheezing and gasping like a fish out of water.

I was too winded to observe what was going on around me. My vision blurred at the edges and spots danced in it. I was vaguely aware of shouts and metal clashing, then something grabbed me by my upper arm and hoisted me up. I almost fell right back down, but strong arms wrapped around my waist.

Kirin supported my waist from one side while Lyon did the same on the other. I glanced back briefly and saw Segan sprawled on the ground, the other men the same way.

Kirin's voice seemed to be coming from a long distance away. I couldn't make out his words but he kept saying something along the lines of 'move'.

Then suddenly, we were out in the dawn air, the orange glow shooting through my vision like the metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel.

We were still moving and it was only after some time that I realized I wasn't doing much of the moving. Every effort at a step sent more pain flaring up my back. The pain made my breathing shudder.

Something made them stop and turn around, and I craned my neck back. A dark figure detached itself from the house and stumbled to the road. He lifted his head.

Kirin cursed. "Take her away," he told Lyon, "I'll hold him off."

"No," I croaked and they looked at me in surprise. I moved out of their grip and stumbled before regaining my balance. "He only wants me."

"No offence, but you cannot really fight him right now," said Kirin.

I looked at him. "I'm not going to fight."

I don't know when I made up my mind. I suppose I always had. In the end, if I had to die for something, I knew who it would be for.

"I can't let you do that," said Kirin. Segan was taking his time to walk forward. My entire body protested against my decision.

"You're going to have to," I turned away from him and faced Segan. He was moving faster now, his strength coming back to him. My strength had long since faded. Even my grip on the dagger made my writs hurt.

"If you're going to stay, I'm going to stay with you," said Lyon. He stood next to me, arrow in his hand.

"You don't have to," I said softly.

He turned to me and smiled. "Yes, I do."

Kirin stood to the other side. "Very well, then. Three against one. What could go wrong?"

As it turned out, a lot. In the first few minutes itself, I was out of the action. It didn't take him long to throw me aside. I had probably been as much hinderance to him as a rag doll. He fought madly with the other two. Outnumbered as he was, Segan held his own.

I rolled to my front and pushed myself up to my knees. I looked around for something I could use to my advantage.

The house was perced by the edge of a ravine. It had been too dark for me to see earlier. I crawled over to it. The light of the rising sun left the depth to my imagination. It wasn't light enough for me to see just how far it went, but by the way the darkness pooled at the bottom, I guessed it was fairly deep.

The men were still fighting. I needed to catch Segan's attention. My mind wasn't fully functional, so it took me a while to think of something. By then, Kirin and Lyon were on their last breaths, having fought for a long as they could.

"Segan!" I called out, the word grating against my throat as it forced itself into the air. "I give up."

Segan aimed a low kick and knocked Lyon off his feet, shoving him against Kirin so that both of them fell.

Then he turned to me. I could see the cuts on his clothes and the blood seeping from them. He stalked towards me, his chest rising and falling with the force of his breathing.

I was lying near the edge, tears pooling down the side of my face. I didn't have the strength to do anything else.

Segan towered over me, sword in his hand. "I'm sorry," I cried, "I shouldn't have left. I've been," I took a shuddering breath, "horrible." I chocked my words out through my tears. "I so sorry, I'm so sorry." I kept repeating that, my entire body convulsing with sobs.

It had been my plan to throw Segan over the edge, but I saw something in his face shift. He reached out a hand to help me up.

I blinked. I hadn't expected him to change his mind. I took his hand and he hauled me up. I winced in pain.

"Thank you," I said.

Then Segan pushed me and time slowed. I felt the pressure of his hand as he pressed against my chest, throwing me off balance. My body arched back, and I felt the terrible vastness behind me, waiting in antcipation. I reached out to hold on to something, but there was nothing for me to grab. Someone shouted and then Segan was falling as well, his eyes wide and clear in his fright. Something wrapped around my wrist and yanked me forward.

I slammed into Kirin's chest, and stayed there, too afraid to move. He kept his arms wrapped around me. I heard segan scream as he fell, but didn't look. His voice faded and the silence that followed was the loudest I had heard.

A faint buzzing alerted me to the fact that Kirin was saying something. " . . .-your own?"

I looked up at him, scrunching my brows. "Can you walk on your own?" he repeated.

I stepped away from his comfortable embrace and found I could stand alright. Lyon was staring down the ravine and I went to him. I placed a hand on his arm and he looked at me, face haunted.

"You alright?" I managed. I didn't want to think about what just happened. He let out a shaky laugh.

"Look at yourself, first."

He looked back at the ravine and then at the sky. "We should head back."

I nodded. Lyon put an arm around my shoulder and I was glad for the support. Kirin walked a few steps ahead of us.

This must have been a nightmare for them both. I was sure there were things Lyon didn't understand, but he was kind enough to not ask at the moment. We managed to find a carriage - not the one I had gone in - and rode back to the palace. I found myself nodding off.

"Get some rest," suggested Lyon.

I leaned my head on his shoulder. "Thank you," I muttered.

Kirin sat next to me, watching us with caution.

"Hey," I said, softly. "I'm sorry." The last thing I remember before falling asleep were sad green eyes looking down at me.