Aire had stopped trying to count the days.

The darkness stole the numbers, her certainty, and time itself.

Somewhere between the endless silence, the mud, and the aching hunger that never truly left her stomach, the days had blended together until they no longer felt separate.

She thought perhaps a week had passed since Lysander returned her to the cell.

Perhaps less, or more, she no longer knew.

Aire sat against the wall with her knees drawn toward her chest.

The gown Lysander had given her was no longer perfectly clean. The mud had found it eventually.

The mud found everything.

Her silver hair spilled over one of her shoulder, and the vines around her wrists rested quietly against her skin.

For once, they weren’t piercing her. However, she could tell that they were watching her, and waiting.

Aire stared into the darkness.

Her chest hurt. Not physically, thought, but the hurt had become familiar enough to ignore.

Her thoughts drifted toward Nate.

The shift happened without permission, and Aire closed her eyes.

For one brief moment she imagined his face.

The shape of his smile, the sound of his voice, and the warmth of his hands. He was the last person she had tried to reach, and it haunted her.

He was the last person she had thought about before everything vanished.

Aire swallowed.

Did he think she was dead?

The thought settled heavily inside her chest.

She couldn’t blame him if he did. No one knew where she was, and no one knew she had crossed into another realm that was almost non existence.

For all Nate knew, she had simply disappeared.

Aire lowered her head, and a painful knot formed in her throat. She wondered if he was searching.

She wondered if he was sleeping. She wondered if he blamed himself, and the last possibility hurt most of all.

Nate would blame himself.

Aire exhaled slowly, then her thoughts moved toward Alaric.

A small laugh escaped her. It sounded broken in the darkness. The thought of Alaric cuddled her with warmth.

He would tear apart every territory in existence if he thought it would help. The image should have comforted her. Instead it made her feel worse.

She couldn’t even tell him to stop, couldn’t tell him she was alive, couldn’t tell him she was trying, and couldn’t tell him anything.

Aire closed her eyes again, and Xanden filled her memory.

Xanden had always known how to make impossible situations feel survivable. Even when disaster stood directly in front of her.

The memory of him going through fae magic to make sure she doesn’t feel alone while learning made her chest ache.

The darkness suddenly felt colder.

Aire pressed the back of her head against the wall.

She missed them. She missed all of them.

The silence stretched, and her thoughts drifted elsewhere. To the responsibility of the wolves.

How were the wolves handling the humans? Had things improved? Had negotiations continued? Had everything collapsed?

Aire frowned.

The human situation had been fragile long before she disappeared. One wrong decision could have shattered everything.

She wondered if anyone had managed to stabilize it. Or if the entire situation had grown worse.

Her jaw tightened, then another thought surfaced.

Alpha Ashmere.

Aire’s eyes narrowed. She did not know him for so long, but she had never trusted him, so she wasn’t so suprised when she saw his invilvement with the humans.

Aire wrapped her arms around herself.

What was he doing now? Was he still helping the himans against his own kind? Was he negotiating? Was he preparing for the war?

She didn’t know, and she hated not knowing.

The frustration made her stomach twist because none of this would have happened if she had been smarter.

If she had been more careful, and she hadn’t been so stupid, this wouldn’t have happened.

Aire lowered her head.

Her fingers tightened against her sleeves.

She wasn’t here because she lost a battle. She wasn’t here because she had been overpowered. She wasn’t here because she failed.

She was here because she trusted someone.

A child.

A child she believed was innocent. A child she allowed close enough to touch her hair.

The memory still made her feel sick.

Aire shut her eyes.

The betrayal hadn’t become easier to bear and live with. Not even after weeks.

A small sound escaped her throat. “Marsili.” She whispered the name into the air.

The name felt foreign now, and the darkness remained silent.

Aire rubbed her face, and froze. She beard footsteps. The sound of footsteps were beginning to scare her.

She dreed seeing Vaelor again.

Her eyes opened immediately. The sound grew louder, and closer. Someone was approaching her muddy cell.

Aire slowly sat straighter.

The corridor beyond the bars remained dark, and then, a young figure appeared.

Aire didn’t recognize him. She decided to identify him as a guard. The guard stopped outside the cell.

His expression immediately hardened when he saw her.

He glared at her, and his eyes immediately roamed around her body, with the most lustful gaze.

Aire stared back at him.

The guard pulled a key from his belt. “Lady Morrigan sends for you.”

Aire’s heart skipped. Her thoughts sharpened instantly.

Why?

The guard didn’t elaborate. He stepped forward, and the lock clicked. The bars opened.

Aire’s pulse quickened.

The sound of the lock echoed inside her skull.

The guard stepped aside. “Move.” He ordered.

Aire rose immediately. Surprisingly, she stood up not because Morrigan summoned her, but because an opportunity had appeared.

For the first time in weeks.

The cage stood open, and the young fae watched her carefully.

He clearly expected trouble.

Unfortunately for him, he did not expect enough trouble.

Aire stepped forward.

The guard remained close. Ready to grab her if necessary, and the closeness irritated Aire.

Aire lowered her gaze.

The vines around her wrists shifted slightly.

The guard gestured impatiently. “Move.”

Aire obeyed. She walked past him. She took three steps forward, and stared ahead.

The corridor stretched ahead.

Aire’s heartbeat accelerated. A thought came suddenly. The vines resisted immediately at her thought.

She felt the vines resist.

The estate’s magic pushed back. The vines didn’t belong to her. They belonged to the prison, to the estate, and to Vaelor.

The resistance nearly stopped her.

Aire gritted her teeth, and dragged harder. The vine jerked, and the guard frowned.

However, he was too late in realizing.

The vine shot upward, fast and violent the moment Aire moved. The young fae’s eyes widened instantly in shock as the vine wrapped around his throat.

Aire violently wraped the vines three times around his neck, struggking with their resistance.

The guard choked.

His hands immediately flew upward.

Aire twisted with the motion, using her entire body, and using every remaining ounce of strength she possessed to make sure the vines do waht she wanted.

The vine tightened, and the guard stumbled.

His balance vanished. Shock flashed across his face. He hadn’t expected resistance. He hadn’t expected anything, and certainly not this.

The guard clawed at the vine.

Aire pulled harder.

Pain exploded through her wrists as the vine fought her to resist her. Blood dripped down her wrist, but she didn’t stop.

She didn’t care if her hands leave her body because of how hard the vines fought her. Her wrist reddened, and more blood keft her wrists.

The guard staggered forward.

Aire moved instantly.

Her leg swept behind his, and she gave him a sharp kick directly behind his knee.

The young fae lost balance.

His body crashed sideways hard. The impact echoed through the corridor, and Aire ripped the vine free.

The guard hit the ground gasping. The vines possessed string magic, and no fae could resist them when attacked with them.

For one terrible second she froze, then her instinct took over.

Aire turned towards the corridor that stretched endlessly ahead.

Her heart hammered.

She knew this wouldn’t work. She knew she couldn’t escape, but none of that mattered. Not right now.

Right now the cage was behind her, and the corridor was open. Aire did the last thing she should ever think of, and didn’t look back.

She ran.