"I know you're tired, but we're almost there." Rahn stated as she urged Halan and Biechta to keep running.

"I think... we'll all... have to join... Ashima." Halan said through breaths. "In her regimen to get in better shape."

Biechta just nodded as she sucked in deep breaths.

"You are barely...out of breath... Lana." Halan commented. "We have to join... your self... defense classes... too."

"Guards!" Rahn called out as they turned a street corner and the grand hall came into view.

The guards standing at the east entrance turned at the sound of her call.

"You two." Rahn pointed at a male and female guard. "Take the Ladies into safety and alert the king and queen." Rahn commanded the surprised guards, then pointed to the remaining four guards. "You two, stay here and man the post. The other two, you follow me."

"Where are you going?!" Halan and Biechta questioned Rahn as she turned to leave.

"We have to get Ashima." Rahn said as she ran off into the night, two guards in tow.

They made their way back to the building where the females had exited earlier. "This is where we escaped from." She told the guards. "The facility is underground and is quite extensive. There are likely many entrances and exits. I don't know if they've yet to discover our escape but it's likely they have." She pointed to a younger, less experienced looking guard. "You. Go back and tell the commander where this is located. I wedged the door open so it wouldn't lock them out, but that could be discovered and closed. And they may try to pack up and leave at the moment they realize we've escaped so make sure they hurry."

The male's eyes rounded at her command and he looked to the other for confirmation. The older female guard shrugged. "You heard the lady, get on it."

The male nodded and sprinted off in the direction from where they had just come.

"Now, follow me."

"Where are we going now?" The female guard asked.

"The human, Ashima. She was climbing through a skylight to find a way out before we'd found the elevator. It was southwest of where the elevator was, roughly..." she imagined the layout in her mind, the steps they had run as she led the guard down the dark streets. "It should come out somewhere around here."

They looked around for any signs of the top of a skylight. After a few minutes, the female guard yelled. "I hear something! Over here!"

As Rahn ran closer she heard a banging noise coming from an old shed.

The guard pulled on the door. "It's locked."

Rahn grabbed a nearby rock and quickly broke the lock, causing the door to swing open. The shed was completely empty, the roof a clear glass and the floor clear as well. Rahn looked down to see Ashima sitting on a ledge below the glass, relief flooding her features at the sight of Rahn above her.

Rahn and the guard managed to pry open the skylight and pull Ashima out.

Ashima exhaled. "Thank goodness there was a bend in the skylight that caused that ledge, I would've never been able to hang on that long." She let out a deep breath and looked around. "The others?"

"Halan and Biechta are at the grand hall, safe."

Ashima nodded. "Thanks for coming back for me."

"Of course." Rahn turned to the guard. "Get her back to the grand hall."

"And what do you plan to do?" The guard asked.

"Just go before they find you out here alone. I have to find the others before the group realizes the location is compromised and they move them."

"Good Luck. And be careful." Ashima gave her a hug and Rahn tensed at the display of emotion, patting Ashima's back awkwardly.

Ashima pulled away and turned to the guard. "Come on. We need to join the others to tell the guards all we know and help them come find the males and our brave female friend here."

"What? I must get her to safety as well.. wait!" The guard yelled at Rahn as she ran the opposite direction. "What are you doing? Get back here!"

"Just get Ashima to safety!" Rahn yelled as she ran back in the direction from where they had just come. She skidded to a stop outside the door and was relieved to see her door jam was still in place. She ran inside and quickly made her way down the hall to the elevator and pressed the button to go down.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dom woke with a terrible headache, yet he still shook his head in an effort to clear his mind. He needed to hurry, didn't he? Wait...

The feel of metal pulling on his wrists as he tried to bring his hand to his face cleared his mind and jogged his memory. He pulled against his restraints as he lifted his head and looked up. His hands were cuffed to a bar just wider than his shoulders, which was just above his head. His feet were each cuffed to a metal loop bolted to the floor. He pulled on those too.

"Don't bother."

He turned to see a male slumped beside him. Then noticed two more on the male's other side, all chained in the same manner.

"You're alive." He breathed out in relief.

"Yep." Kietnan said dryly.

"What news of the females? Halan? And what of my son?" Joreth asked eagerly.

"I found the females and sent them out to safety before I came back to look for you." he heard three heavy sighs of relief at his statement. He then chuckled. "Not that they needed much of my help. When I found them, they had already escaped their room, sent Ashima up a skylight to make her way out, and were running down the hall not far from the elevator. All I managed to do was show them where the elevator was. Even though they would have found it within minutes anyway.

"What?!" Othen and Joreth said at the same time Kietnan said, "Shima was going up a skylight? Did she make it out safely?!"

"I do not know for certain, but I assure you, the ladies will see to it that she is found and taken care of."

"You should have gone to make sure of that yourself." He said angrily.

"And miss my opportunity to come find you? There was no time. As soon as they discovered the females were gone, they would move their entire operation and the guards would never find you."

"A lot of good it did now, you're just stuck in here with the rest of us. I would have rather you made sure Ashima was safe."

Their arguing was cut off as the door opened. "Ah, you're awake. Just in time for another roommate. I hope you males don't mind cohabitating with a female. Unfortunately our female holding cell was recently compromised, so we'll have to make this work."

Another male walked in, dragging a female behind him. Rahn slumped to the floor in front of his feet, her hands tied behind her back. She rolled to her side and looked up at them

"I'll give you a moment to get settled in while I go tell Gashi you're awake. He'll be eager to question you." The male said as he and the other guard left the room, locking it behind them.

"You got yourself caught, I see." Rahn said to Dom before she rolled and hopped up into her feet.

"And I see you're no better off." He replied as he scanned her for signs of injury.

"At least I can move around." She smirked as she stretched out her shoulders and scanned the room.

"Did Ashima make it out?" Kietnan asked her.

She nodded. "Yes she's safe."

"And the others?" Othen asked.

"Yes, they're all safe in the grand hall."

"Were they harmed?" Joreth asked.

"No. We were kept in a room, bored out of our minds and uncomfortable from being in formalwear for entirely too long, but unharmed. They questioned each of us a few times but that was it." She paused before turning to Kietnan. "A friend of yours was there though."

He turned and looked at her questioningly. But as she told him of the male threatening Ashima, he tightened his pull on his chains. "Although, we do have him to thank for our escape. His carelessness allowed us out of that room."

Silence covered the room as they all fell into their own thoughts.

"What are you doing here?" Dom whispered to Rahn for only them to hear. "You weren't supposed to come back."

She turned and looked him in the eyes and stepped closer to whisper. "And let you have all the fun?"

"This isn't a joke, Rahn."

"Of course I know that." She said angrily. "I made sure the ladies were safe, you don't have to worry. I did my job. But it was unfinished."

"That's not what I-"

His words were cut off as the door opened. "Good Morning." A male greeted them cheerily. "I'm glad to see you're awake. My name is Gashi and I'm so eager to meet you. To see what's under that disguise. But the theatrical side of me just had to wait until you were awake for the big reveal. It's just so much better that way. Don't you think so?"

Dom tensed as the male approached him, Rahn turning beside him but not stepping away. He glanced at her to see her standing strong and defiant, as if daring the male to cross her. A deep feeling filled him, one he was scared to name.

But before he could contemplate it further, the male grabbed his chin and made his face turn toward him. The male chuckled as he tore the mask off of him. As soon as the material left his face, he glued his eyes to Rahn's face, waiting for her reaction. He expected surprise or anger or perhaps even disappointment to cross her features but instead all he saw was... nothing? She wasn't surprised at all?

"Last night may have been unfortunate, but this morning proves to be a brighter day!" The male smiled. "The fourth and final prince, falling right on my doorstep. How did I get so lucky?"

The male stepped closer and his smile faded to a frown. "Now, my lord, if you would be so kind as to tell me how you discovered the underground facility and how to enter it, I would be most appreciative."

Kahal simply stared back at the man, refusing to answer.

"I could threaten bodily harm, you know." The male said as he slowly walked back and forth. "It's nothing I haven't done before. But something tells me it would take a good while to crack you and unfortunately I just don't have the luxury of time at present."

Gashi stopped pacing and turned to face Kahal again, his smile back in place. "But there are far more effective and efficient ways to get information out of someone than to torture them for it." Gashi's eyes left Kahal's to glance at Rahn and then settled back on Kahal. "I'm confident you would agree, my lord."

Kahal and Rahn both tensed as Gashi began to speak again. "Now, care to answer my questions or do I need to damage the female?"

Kahal clamped his jaw in anger and Rahn fisted her hands that were still bound behind her, preparing herself. This male didn't have a clue she was a newly recruited member of his same organization and was on his side. Either that or he knew she was a fraud. Or perhaps he just didn't care who she was and would use anyone or anything to get the results he wanted.

Before Rahn could move, the male reached out and grabbed her roughly by the throat. Rahn tried to twist but his grip was strong.

"Come on, Kahal." Gashi teased. "No matter how much you pretend this isn't bothering you, we both know your moral code is screaming for you to do the right thing here and set the female free. It's just a simple answer. You can do it."

Kahal's fist tightened and he fought an inward battle. He could tell this male he just happened to overhear some workers and hid while they punched in the code. But once this male knew he was willing to talk to save Rahn, it would all be over. He would continue to use her in an attempt to get whatever answers he needed.

The same thought was going through Rahn's head as she fought the black spots threatening to take over her vision. No matter what happened to her, she would never forgive Kahal if he gave in to save her.