Everything was then a blur of color and movement as Leona, Evra, and their men charged into Neizagaard's outer dungeons.

Dungeons or catacombs, Leona didn’t care. Her mind raced frantically as she remembered the paths that Lord Thu’ril had plotted out in their stay in Faimeh.

Leona led the men and Evra through every corner and passageway, hacking T’lakr in half along the way.

The monsters were replenishing their reinforcements at a fearsome rate. Evra took down five in one blow of her sword and another two from her bow. But still, the monsters piled on them from every side.

Their men fought furiously with the T’lakr. Though some of them were already down on the dungeon floor – dead. Leona fought to keep her nausea from overcoming her.

They urged their horses on deeper into the dungeon, the mage killing more of the T’lakr that bore down behind Leona and Evra’s horses.

“Major Abocer’s fleet is in danger, Lieutenant!” he said urgently, Evra looked back at him with worry etched on her face.

Leona looked at her and looked back to the battle mage, “Guide the rest of the men there!” she called back. Evra looked at her with disbelief.

“WHAT?” she shouted out, Leona ignored her.

“Take the men and go help Abocer!” Leona shouted, just then Several Shades appeared on their sides. They flew beside Leona and Evra with their bloodied hands bouncing disturbingly beside them.

The mage made no intention of leaving them.

“Just GO!” Leona shouted furiously, the mage glared at her and reined the horse in.

“I have orders from the commander –,”

“I don’t care what the commander says, just go! We know our way!”

With that the mage left with the guards.

All that was left of their fleet was Leona, Evra, their horses and the Shades.

“What made you think this was a good idea?” Evra called out angrily.

“I know a shortcut to take us into the fortress above,” Leona replied, “We have a better route of getting to the prison chambers from there. And the ways are narrower; there will be little distraction that way.”

They urged their horses to go faster. The paths have indeed narrowed down, but it didn’t fail to hide T’lakr in its murky corners.

They heard the twang of bows being fired and heard the arrows’ swift whoosh on either side of them.

Evra rode in front, but then her horse was hit by an arrow on the fore legs, and another arrow dug into Evra’s arm. Both steed and rider tumbled down in a confused heap. Leona rode by and quickly scooped up Evra unto her horse.

“Thanks,” Evra said gruffly as she yanked the arrow from her arm gingerly. “So this is your idea of safety.”

“You’re welcome,” Leona breathed. She urged her horse faster as the Shades ate up what was left of the T’lakr hidden in the corridor.

One flight of stairs to the left and we’ll be in the main hall…

Leona’s horse sprinted up the steps into the hall and true enough, they arrived into the main hall, where the fighting was thickest and the bloodiest.

They were attacked at once, the T’lakr swarmed around them like ants to sugar.

Leona felt her power bubble inside her and she let it all out with her rage in a fury of glaring white light that shot into every direction from them.

This action bought Leona and Evra precious time, as the monsters were thrown back some ten feet. But they were sure that they would catch up again soon enough…

Evra winced behind Leona and gripped Leona’s shoulder.

“I think those were poisoned arrows, Leona,” Evra rasped, “my sight is getting blurry…”

“Evra, hang in there!” Leona shouted. She spotted the healers a little way off where Jarael, in his draconian form, tore into the T’lakr like they were dolls, swinging them around and tossing them as far as possible.

Though the T’lakr were not alone in this battle.

Another band of creatures were thrashing at their forces.

Massive black dragons. Leona thought that these must be the Dravuhl. Her visions threatened to knock her out again. She shook her head and hurried to Jarael.

“Jarael!” Leona screamed. The dragon’s snake-like head turned towards her. “Evra’s hurt! Poisoned arrows!”

She swung from the horse as Jarael approached her. Leona gently transferred Evra on his back.

“Take her to a healer, hurry!” she said to him urgently, “I’ll go and free the King and my grandparents on my own.”

Jarael called out to her but she was already hacking her way through the endless waves of T’lakr closing in on her.He watched her back as she sent a dozen T’lakr flying with a bolt of white energy from her palm.

Just then Tavus burst forth from another hallway, armor blood-stained, with Abocer swinging his halberd furiously behind him.

“Tavus!” Jarael breathed out. Tavus stopped, and noticing Evra lying motionless on Jarael’s back, he ran up to him.

“What happened to Evra? Is she –?” he said quietly, not daring to finish his statement.

“No,” Jarael said, reading his expression, “Evra is not dead. But I need you to go after Leona. She won’t make it on her own. Not without her Ifla Merum.”

Tavus stared at him dumbstruck, “YOU should be with her! You’re her guardian!”

Jarael fixed his blue eyes into Tavus’, glinting dangerously in the torches that lit the fortress.

“I trust you enough to protect Leona from harm,” he said. Tavus wavered uneasily in his place.

An expression flew by in Jarael’s eyes that Tavus couldn’t understand what.

Instead, Jarael spread out his massive wings, felling more of the T’lakr coming their way.

“This is your chance to prove to Leona that you really love her.”

Tavus gaped at Jarael. The latter snapped at him angrily with his great jaws.

Leona wound her way deeper inside the fortress itself. She clutched the Rubida Nurthia in her hand.

“Leona!” she heard a voice behind her. She whipped around, and saw Tavus running up to her.

“Tavus!” she called out, waiting for him to catch up. In the torchlight she saw that his face was grimy, his armor bloody, and his broadsword leaking with blood.

“Had a difficult time with the T’lakr?” she asked him, Tavus grabbed her arm and broke into a run.

“I’ll tell you after we’ve returned to Kezta Frasika,” he said shortly. Leona nodded and wove their way to the heart of Neizagaard.

Just then they saw a shadow coming at them – fast. Leona gasped and held her sword at the ready, Tavus did likewise.

They gasped as the shadow turned the corner and ran at them.

“Nareana!” Leona and Tavus said together. The little girl’s face was solemn as she broke into a run as if attempting to ram into them both.

But as Nareana came a few feet from where they stood, there was a blinding flash of light and Leona felt herself thrown back, Nareana had run into her.

She expected to see Nareana scrambling on top of her. But when she opened her eyes, the little girl was nowhere to be seen. Leona only saw Tavus rubbing his eyes and the white spots that danced in her line of sight.

“Where is she?” Leona asked blearily, staggering as she got up.

“What I’d like to know is why and how she’d come here,” Tavus said. He helped Leona up.

“Are you all right?” he asked her, Leona nodded.

“Yes, I am,” she said. She tugged at Tavus’ hand.

“Let’s go, our forces are depleting. We have to get to the King and to grandpa and grandma now.”

After killing another horde of T’lakr, they finally managed to scramble into the prison chambers.

The chamber was empty of T’lakr or Dravuhl. They looked around the place and their eyes darted around the cells that lined the walls of the chamber.

There were hundreds of cells, which made it almost impossible for them to look into one by one before their entire army was annihilated by the ravaging monsters.

Suddenly a terrified gasp and a low mumbling caught their attention.

Tavus approached the cells near the floor on their left.

“Bonn Yolance?” he called quietly, Leona came up behind him, heart hammering wildly.

A small squeak confirmed their suspicions.

“Tavus?” the voice of a woman said, “Leona, my dear? Are you two there?”