Marcus ran.
His lungs burned. His legs felt heavy.
He gripped the dragon girl’s hand tightly. She stumbled, but he kept her moving.
They sprinted down the long corridor of the first level. They reached the spiral staircase.
"Up," Marcus gasped. "We have to go up."
They climbed.
Round and round they went. The stone steps seemed endless.
Marcus’s heart hammered against his ribs. He counted the steps.
Ten. Twenty.
Suddenly, a sound shook the earth.
BOOM!
It came from the first floor.
The stone walls vibrated. Dust trickled down from the ceiling.
Marcus froze for a second. He looked down into the dark shaft of the stairwell.
’That was loud,’ he whispered.
He knew what it was. It was the little girl.
She had unleashed something.
’I hope she is alright,’ Marcus thought.
Then he shook his head. ’Who am I kidding? She is definitely alright. I should worry about the wall she hit.’
He looked at the dragon girl.
She had pressed herself against the wall. Her eyes were wide with panic.
She looked ready to bolt back down into the dark.
Marcus squeezed her hand gently.
"It is okay," Marcus said. He tried to keep his voice steady. "That was just... our friend."
He gave her a reassuring smile.
"She is finishing up. Everything is fine. Don’t worry about the explosion."
The dragon girl looked at him. She swallowed hard.
She nodded slowly. She trusted him.
"Let’s keep moving," Marcus said.
They resumed their climb. They reached the top of the stairs.
A long corridor stretched out before them. At the end, Marcus could see the night sky.
It was the exit.
They ran toward the fresh air.
✧✧✧
Outside the cave entrance, the night was cool and quiet.
Two guards stood by the open entrance to the cave iron gate. They leaned against the rock face.
They looked bored.
"Why are we even here?" the first guard grumbled. He kicked a loose stone. "It’s not like anyone ever escapes the dungeon."
The second guard yawned. He rubbed his eyes.
"Shhh," the second guard said. "Just do your job."
"But nothing happens," the first guard complained. "I am bored. And hungry."
"Stop whining," the second guard hissed. "You know the Lady."
He lowered his voice. He looked around nervously.
"If someone actually escapes," the second guard whispered, "we are the ones who will pay."
The first guard shuddered.
"Don’t say that," he said. "I don’t want to become her toy."
"Then keep your eyes open," the second guard said.
BOOM!
The sound of the explosion echoed from the cave mouth. It was muffled by the depth, but it was still loud.
Both guards jumped. They spun around.
"What was that?" the first guard asked. His voice pitched up.
"It came from inside," the second guard said. He frowned.
They moved away from the wall. They peered into the darkness of the cave entrance.
"Is the Lady doing something?" the first guard asked. "Usually she just... screams."
"That sounded like a wall breaking," the second guard muttered.
Then they saw movement.
Two figures emerged from the shadows of the tunnel.
A man and a small girl with horns.
They were running straight toward the gate.
The guards blinked. They looked at each other. Then back at the figures.
"Hey!" the second guard shouted.
He stepped into the middle of the path. He placed his hand on his sword hilt.
"What do you think you are doing?"
The first guard scrambled to join him. He drew his sword. The metal rasped against the sheath.
"Stop right there!" the first guard yelled. He pointed the blade at Marcus.
"You aren’t going anywhere!"
Marcus skid to a halt. His boots slid in the dirt.
He pulled the dragon girl back. He shielded her with his arm.
"Damn it," Marcus cursed under his breath.
He had forgotten about the gate guards.
In the chaos of the escape, and the panic of Elowen’s attack, they had slipped his mind.
He stared at the two men. They were armed. They were armored.
And they looked nervous.
"Get back inside," the second guard warned. "This is for your own good. If she finds you out here..."
He trailed off. He looked terrified of the mere idea.
"Please," Marcus said. He raised his free hand. "We just want to leave. You don’t have to do this."
"We absolutely have to do this," the first guard snapped. "She will skin us alive!"
They advanced. Their swords gleamed in the moonlight.
Marcus stepped back. He looked around.
There was nowhere to go. The only way out was through the guards.
He looked at the dragon girl.
She was shaking violently. She stared at the swords. Her pupils were thin slits of terror.
Marcus felt a surge of helplessness.
He had no magic. He had no weapon.
’Think, Marcus,’ he told himself. ’Use your words.’
"Listen," Marcus tried. "If you let us go, you can run too. You don’t have to stay with her."
"Shut up!" the second guard yelled. "You don’t know her! No one escapes!"
They got ready to launch forward and attack.
Marcus flinched.
Just then, the wind changed.
A low, whistling shriek tore through the quiet night air.
It started as a whisper and quickly grew into a roar.
It was the sound of something massive displacing the atmosphere, something heavy falling from the sky.
The guards stopped their advance.
"What the—"
BOOM.
The impact shook the ground. Dust billowed up in a cloud.
Marcus shielded his eyes against the grit. He pulled the dragon girl back.
Silence followed the crash. A heavy, unnatural silence.
The dust began to settle. But the darkness remained.
The two guards stood frozen. They forgot about Marcus. They forgot about their orders.
Their primitive instincts were screaming at them.
RUN,
A shadow loomed over them and it was vast.
The air grew freezing cold.
Slowly, terrifyingly, the guards turned around.
They looked up.
They kept looking up. Their necks craned back until they hurt.
Their eyes went wide.
Standing behind them was a titan.
It stood at least fifteen feet tall. Its shoulders were as wide as a carriage.
But it was not made of flesh and bone.
It was a monstrosity of rough canvas and bursting seams.
It towered over them like a fuzzy, nightmare mountain.
Its grey fur was matted and patchy, looking more like scarred skin than plush toy.
Thick, black stitches ran across its body like surgical scars holding a beast together.
It had one large, button eye.
The other eye was missing. Just a torn thread remained.
It was... a giant teddy bear.