“You would go through the same tortures,” Racule said. “And watch each other be tortured.” At this Corazon began to get up. If she could stop them from hurting her friends, she would.

     “Yes,” Heranna continued. “You could all be stretched, or dipped into fire, or forced to do grueling manual labor and be given little food and water.”

     With every word, Corazon felt her rage mount up and, with every word, she rose to her feet with more speed and renewed strength.

     “You know,” Racule thoughtfully contributed. “We have done these tortures and many, many others to many, many of our slaves.”

     Corazon was nearly standing.

     “And you human race,” Heranna said. “Has felt their fair share of these tortures. We already had a rebellion.”

     “And now we are punishing those who rebelled.” Racule told Corazon.

     Corazon was standing by then and, as the two monsters described their methods of torture, her rage mounted higher and higher until Corazon thought she might just burst.

     “Now,” Racule shoved his face into Corazon’s. “Consider this.”

     “We give you the power that we have.” Heranna said, equally in Corazon’s face. “And you join us and we let your humans go.”

     “I do not need your power.” Corazon told Heranna. “I have my own.”

     “But wouldn’t you like to see your human friends free?” Racule inquired.

     “How do I know that you would free them and that I would not be walking into a trap?” Corazon demanded.

     “We would free the humans first.” Heranna said.

     “How do I know you wouldn’t just take them again?” Corazon inquired.

     “We could swear that under oath.”  Racule offered. “If you would swear to be our slave in their stead.”

     “Why would I be more useful to you than all of them?”

     “You have what they don’t.” Heranna replied. “Strength of the Heart.”

     “If we could harness that power.” Racule added. “We would be all powerful. We wouldn’t nee the others. Not one of them. You would be our favorite and you would have anything that your heart desired.”

     “All but one thing.” Corazon told them. “Freedom. I would be giving you my freedom, and I would never get it back. Not with an oath like that.”

     Corazon stopped to consider this thought. If she agreed, the whole human population would be safe for as long as she lived. But after she died, that would leave them helpless. But, it would buy time for them. Should Corazon give it up now? Should she admit defeat? No. Not until she had fought.

     “Tell you what.” Racule said and he and Heranna backed away from Corazon. “We’ll battle you, and, if you win, we let all of our slaves go and, if you beat us badly enough, we will never rise to power again. But, if you lose, we will take you and keep all whom we have.”

     Meanwhile, Tia, Felicia, Giselle, Dienna and Twilight had wound up in cells in the torture dungeon.

     “Ugh.” Tai mumbled as she sat up. “How long was I out?”

     “Could have been hours.” Felicia replied.

“Great.” Dienna muttered.

     “Is everyone all right?” Twilight inquired.

     “I’m fine.” Tia said.

     “Me, too.” Giselle added.

     “So am I.” Felicia told the rest of them.

     “Get ready to leave, then.” Twilight shifted in his cell.

     “What about Corazon?” Tia asked.

     “She’s got a battle to fight right now.” Twilight said. He was standing up in his cell and was examining the back wall.  There was no trap door.

     “What do you mean, ‘she’s got a battle to fight’?” Dienna demanded.

     “Do you remember Corazon’s dream?” Twilight inquired.

     “Yes.” Dienna said. “But that still doesn’t explain it.”

     “Remember how she was the last one left to fend against the Bandaa?” Tia asked.

     “So you think that she’s finishing that battle right now?” Dienna supposed.

     “Yes, I do.” Twilight answered. “And I think that, while she’s keeping them busy, we should be getting everyone else out.”

     “How do you win?” Corazon asked.

     “We win.” Heranna replied. “When you admit defeat.”

     “And how do I win?”

     “You win,” Racule told her. “When we admit defeat.”

     “Then the game is on.” Corazon replied.

     The monarchs backed away and began to prepare themselves for the fight by gathering energy. Corazon had no idea how she would fight back, but only knew that she would not admit defeat.

     The sound of a key turning in the slot of a door surprised the five captives. Then the door creaked open. Then footsteps echoed through the empty halls of the torture dungeon.

     Corazon took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Twilight had said that she had it in her, but where? Where was this secret power that seemed to allow Corazon to talk and write as she did? Where did it come from?

     Meanwhile, the footsteps were coming closer to the group of five. Were they the guards, come to take them all to be tortured? Who else would they be? There was more than one, but how many? Shadow-figures emerged from the blackness.

     After waiting in patient silence for a moment, a thought came to Corazon. All of it, the talk, the pain she felt when others suffered. It all came from Corazon Heart. It all came from inside of herself. From inside of her heart. Corazon opened her eyes. She was ready for battle.

     Don’t think, she reminded herself as the air tensed, react with your heart.