Sentra eased her fingers around the iron latch. The metal was cold, worn smooth by years of use. Siegfried stood beside her, breath steady but tight, every muscle coiled with anticipation.
Sentra whispered, "Quiet. If anyone is inside with them, we strike first."
Siegfried nodded once.
Sentra lifted the latch.
The door creaked open.
A dim, stale-smelling chamber lay beyond, lit only by a single torch wedged into a crack in the wall. Shadows clung to the corners, thick and unmoving. The air was heavy with dust and the faint scent of damp stone.
Siegfried stepped inside first.
His eyes adjusted quickly.
A figure sat against the far wall, wrists bound, head bowed. Dark hair fell over her face, tangled and caked with dried blood. Her breathing was shallow but steady.
"Vinrah," Siegfried whispered.
She stirred at the sound of his voice, lifting her head with effort. Her eyes widened, disbelief flickering into relief. "Siegfried…?"
He crossed the room in three strides and knelt beside her. "I am here. Are you hurt."
"Not badly," she said, though her voice was hoarse. "They kept us separated. Ellina… they took her somewhere else."
Siegfried's pulse tightened. "Where."
Vinrah shook her head weakly. "I do not know. They moved her after the river. She fought them. Hard. They did not like it."
Sentra entered the chamber, closing the door behind her. She crouched beside Vinrah, examining the bindings. "These knots are crude. They were in a hurry."
Vinrah's gaze shifted to Sentra, confusion flickering across her face. "Who is she."
"A friend," Siegfried said. "She is helping us."
Sentra did not look up. "Hold still."
With a swift motion, she cut the ropes. Vinrah winced as blood returned to her hands, but she pushed herself upright.
Siegfried steadied her. "Can you walk."
"Yes," she said. "But we must move quickly. They said the buyer would arrive tonight."
Siegfried's breath caught. "Buyer."
Vinrah nodded. "For Ellina."
Sentra rose slowly, her expression sharpening. "Then she is not in this chamber. She is being held somewhere more secure."
Siegfried stood, jaw set. "The tower."
"Yes," Sentra said. "The upper rooms. They would not risk losing a valuable captive."
Vinrah pushed herself to her feet, leaning lightly against the wall. "I can guide you. I heard them talking. There is a guard rotation near the tower stairs."
Siegfried placed a steadying hand on her shoulder. "You are coming with us."
Vinrah shook her head. "I will not slow you."
"You will not," Sentra said. "You know the layout better than we do. That makes you useful."
Vinrah managed a faint, tired smile. "Then let us go."
Sentra moved to the door, listening for footsteps in the corridor. "The patrol passed a moment ago. We have a short window."
She looked back at Siegfried, her voice low and certain. "Ellina is close. We move now."
Siegfried nodded, the tension in his chest sharpening into resolve.
They slipped into the corridor, the torchlight flickering behind them.
The rescue had begun in earnest.
They slipped into the corridor, the torchlight flickering behind them. The air was colder here, the stone walls narrowing as the passage curved toward the tower's base. Vinrah kept close to Siegfried, her steps unsteady but determined.
Sentra raised a hand, signaling them to stop.
Voices drifted from ahead. Two men. Their tone was relaxed, almost bored.
Vinrah whispered, "This is the rotation I heard. They switch positions every few minutes. One goes up the stairs, the other stays at the bottom."
Siegfried leaned close. "How long between shifts."
"Not long," Vinrah said. "But they talk too much. They complain. They linger."
Sentra's eyes narrowed. "Good. Complacency is a weakness."
She moved ahead, keeping low, until she reached the corner where the corridor opened into a small antechamber. She peered around the edge.
Two Red Veil guards stood near the base of a narrow stairwell spiraling upward into the tower. One leaned against the wall, rubbing his eyes. The other paced slowly, spear tapping the floor with each step.
Sentra returned to Siegfried and Vinrah. "They are tired. Distracted. But if we approach now, they will see us."
Vinrah steadied herself against the wall. "They always argue before switching. It lasts a few breaths."
Siegfried nodded. "We wait for that."
They crouched in the shadows, listening.
The pacing guard muttered something under his breath. The other scoffed. A moment later, their voices rose.
"You take the stairs this time," the tired one said. "My legs are done."
"You said that last shift," the other replied. "I am not climbing that tower again."
"Then stop whining and do your job."
"You do it."
Their bickering grew louder, sharper, each man trying to outdo the other. Their attention drifted entirely toward their argument.
Sentra's eyes flicked to Siegfried. "Now."
They moved.
Sentra slipped forward first, silent as a shadow. Siegfried followed, his steps controlled despite the ache in his ribs. Vinrah stayed behind the corner, ready to move when the path was clear.
The guards were still arguing when Sentra reached them.
She struck the pacing one first, a swift blow to the throat that sent him collapsing without a sound. Siegfried caught the second before he could react, pulling him backward and knocking him unconscious with a sharp strike to the temple.
Both men slumped to the floor.
Vinrah hurried forward, relief flickering across her face. "That was cleaner than I expected."
Sentra checked the stairwell. "No one heard. We move."
Siegfried stepped over the fallen guards, his breath steady. "Ellina is above."
Vinrah nodded. "Yes. The upper room. I heard them say she was too much trouble to keep anywhere else."
Sentra began ascending the narrow stairs, her voice low. "Stay close. The tower is tight and the walls carry sound."
Siegfried followed, Vinrah just behind him.
The stairwell spiraled upward into darkness.
And somewhere above, Ellina waited.
The stairwell tightened as they climbed, the air growing warmer with each turn. A faint glow flickered above them, torchlight leaking through the cracks of a wooden door at the top of the steps.
Then they heard it.
A sharp thud.
A muffled curseSomething heavy scraping across the floor.
Siegfried froze.
Sentra lifted a hand, listening.
Another sound followed. A short, strained breath. A scuffle. The unmistakable rhythm of someone fighting back.
Vinrah whispered, "That is Ellina."
Siegfried's pulse surged.
Sentra moved up the last few steps, silent as a shadow, and pressed her ear to the door. A man's voice barked something inside, followed by another crash.
Ellina's voice answered, low and furious. "Do not touch me again."
Siegfried's breath caught. She was alive. Awake. Fighting.
Sentra's eyes sharpened. "She is resisting. Hard."
A chair toppled inside. The man swore again. "Hold still, elf."
Ellina's reply was immediate. "Make me."
Siegfried stepped forward, but Sentra blocked him with an arm. "If you rush in now, you give him a hostage."
Siegfried clenched his jaw. "He is hurting her."
"He is losing," Sentra said. "Listen."
Inside, the man grunted in pain. Something wooden cracked. Ellina's breathing was strained but steady, controlled. She was not panicking. She was fighting with purpose.
Vinrah whispered, "She must have freed her hands."
Sentra nodded. "Then we time this correctly."
The man lunged again. They heard the scuffle of boots, a sharp gasp, and then a heavy impact against the wall.
Ellina's voice came through the door, breathless but defiant. "I said do not touch me."
Sentra's eyes flicked to Siegfried. "Now."
She pushed the door open.
The room was small, lit by a single torch. A table lay overturned. A crate was smashed against the wall. And Ellina stood near the center, wrists raw but free, hair disheveled, chest rising and falling with controlled breaths.
A Red Veil guard lay on the floor at her feet, dazed and struggling to rise.
Ellina turned toward the door, ready to strike again.
Her eyes widened when she saw them.
"Siegfried."
He crossed the room in an instant, stopping only when he was close enough to see she was truly standing, truly breathing. Relief washed through him so sharply it almost hurt.
Ellina steadied herself, one hand braced on the table. "You came."
"Of course I did," he said quietly.
Sentra stepped past them, placing a boot on the guard's chest to keep him down. "You made quite a mess."
Ellina's gaze flicked to her. "Who are you."
"A friend," Sentra said. "And you are welcome."
Vinrah hurried in behind them. "Ellina."
Ellina's expression softened. "Vinrah. You are safe."
Vinrah nodded. "Thanks to them."
Sentra pressed harder on the guard's chest. "We cannot stay here. More will come."
Ellina straightened, wincing slightly but steady. "Then let us leave."
Siegfried looked at her, taking in the bruises, the raw wrists, the fire still burning in her eyes. "Can you walk."
Ellina lifted her chin. "I can do more than that."
Sentra released the guard and stepped back. "Good. Because we will need all of you."
Ellina nodded once, fierce and focused.
"Then let us go."
The four of them slipped back toward the stairwell, leaving the ruined room behind.
The rescue was no longer a hope.
It was happening.
And Ellina was not leaving quietly.
They slipped into the stairwell, the door closing softly behind them. Sentra led the way down the narrow steps, her movements quick and controlled. Ellina followed close behind, steady despite the bruises along her arms. Vinrah kept one hand on the wall for balance, her breath still uneven but determined.
Siegfried stayed at the rear, watching the shadows above them.
They were almost to the bottom when a shout echoed from the chamber they had just left.
A single word.
Sharp.
Panicked.
"Escape!"
Siegfried froze.
Sentra's eyes narrowed. "He woke faster than expected."
Another shout followed, louder this time. "Prisoners loose!"
Boots thundered across the tower floor.
Then the horn sounded.
A harsh, blaring note that shook dust from the rafters and sent a cold jolt through the stairwell. It echoed through every corridor of the keep, bouncing off stone and iron.
Ellina flinched. "They know."
Vinrah's breath hitched. "All of them."
Sentra turned sharply, her voice low and urgent. "Move. Now."
They reached the bottom of the stairs just as the first wave of footsteps pounded toward the tower entrance. Shadows flickered against the walls as torches were raised. Voices barked orders. Metal clattered.
Siegfried drew a slow breath. "They are coming fast."
Sentra scanned the corridor. "We cannot go back the way we came. They will flood the lower halls."
Ellina pointed toward a narrow passage branching off to the right. "That leads to the old armory. There is a side door. It might still open."
Sentra nodded. "Good. Take us."
They ran.
The corridor shook with the force of boots behind them. The mercenaries were not searching. They were closing in. The horn sounded again, shorter this time, signaling direction.
Vinrah stumbled, but Siegfried caught her arm and pulled her forward. "Stay with us."
"I am trying," she said, breath tight.
They reached the armory door. The wood was swollen with age, the iron hinges rusted. Ellina pushed against it, but it barely budged.
Sentra stepped beside her. "Move."
She drove her shoulder into the door. The wood groaned. Dust rained down. A second strike cracked the frame.
Behind them, the mercenaries turned the corner.
Siegfried stepped between the women and the oncoming guards, bracing himself. "Hurry."
Sentra struck the door again. The frame splintered.
Ellina added her weight. "Almost."
The mercenaries shouted, raising their weapons.
Siegfried tightened his grip on the fallen guard's spear. "Sentra."
"One more," she said.
She slammed into the door with all her strength.
It burst open.
Cold night air rushed in.
"Go," Sentra ordered.
Ellina and Vinrah slipped through first. Siegfried backed toward the opening, keeping his eyes on the advancing guards.
Sentra grabbed his arm and pulled him through just as the first mercenary lunged.
The door slammed shut behind them.
They were outside.
But the keep was awake now.
Torches flared along the walls.
Voices rose in alarm.
The horn blared again, calling every Red Veil in the fort to arms.
Sentra steadied her breath. "They will be on us in moments."
Siegfried looked toward the dark stretch of plains beyond the keep.
"Then we run."
They ran along the outer wall, the cold night air cutting against their faces. Torches flared above them as mercenaries shouted orders, their voices echoing across the courtyard. The horn blared again, sharper this time, signaling the direction of the escape.
Sentra led them toward the breach in the wall, her steps swift and sure. Ellina stayed close behind her, moving with a controlled urgency despite the bruises along her arms. Vinrah pushed herself forward, breath tight but steady. Siegfried stayed at the rear, watching the shadows for movement.
A shout rose from the tower. "There! By the rubble!"
Siegfried's pulse surged. "They see us."
Sentra did not slow. "Keep moving."
Arrows clattered against the stones behind them, some skidding across the ground, others striking the wall with sharp, splintering cracks. The mercenaries were firing blind in the dim light, but the shots grew closer as more torches ignited along the battlements.
They reached the base of the collapsed wall. Sentra climbed first, pulling herself up the jagged slope with practiced ease. Ellina followed, her movements quick and sure. Vinrah struggled for a moment, but Siegfried steadied her and pushed her upward.
Another arrow struck the rubble, scattering dust across their faces.
Sentra reached the top and extended a hand. "Hurry."
Ellina grasped it and pulled herself over. Vinrah followed, breath shaking. Siegfried climbed last, the stones shifting beneath him, but he forced himself upward until he reached the ridge.
They dropped down the far side of the wall, landing in the tall grass beyond the keep. The shouts behind them grew louder, but the darkness swallowed them quickly.
Sentra crouched low. "This way."
They moved into the grass, the keep shrinking behind them as they slipped deeper into the night. The horn sounded again, but the sound was already fading.
Siegfried glanced back once, watching the torches flicker along the ruined walls.
Ellina touched his arm. "We are out."
He nodded, breath steadying. "For now."
Sentra rose slightly, scanning the plains ahead. "We put distance between us and the keep. Then we rest."
Vinrah exhaled shakily. "And then."
Ellina answered for her, voice quiet but certain. "Then we do not stop until we are safe."
They moved into the darkness together, the ruined keep fading behind them, the night stretching wide and open before them.
The escape had begun.
And the chase was far from over.