Aoife and Orynn crept down the stairs to the cells as quietly as they could, the muffled voice of Narcissa drifting up towards them side by side with the stench of rotting flesh that permeated the dimly lit cells.
Aoife was grateful for the mind link that she shared with Orynn as it gave them an edge when it came to situations like this.
They paused as they reached the bottom of the stairs whilst Orynn cast his gaze around the area quickly to ensure that there were no additional obstacles that they would have to face. He wanted to laugh at the arrogance of having an area full of prisoners that was devoid of any patrolling guards, but in reality it worked in their favor.
"Do you see anything?" Aoife asked softly through the mind link, as if worried that their thoughts might be overheard.
"No, there are no guards tonight which make it easier for us. Her brother must have taken them to re-sculpt." He grimaced, "If we move quickly, you can hide yourself over there at the corner of the cells. The one at the end is empty so if you press far enough back into the shadows against the wall, she shouldn't even notice you as she goes past."
Aoife's mouth pressed into a tight line as her stomach flipped for what seemed like the millionth time.
"Are you sure you're going to be able to outrun her?"
"I just need to pull her far enough out that you have enough time to get to Ximena, break her bindings, and infuse her. It won't take too long, right?"
"Right…" Aoife answered uncertainly as Orynn huffed a little in frustration.
"Listen, I know you must be scared but this really is the best chance we have of freeing them. Otherwise, we will have to leave them here and we both know that there isn't a chance in hell that Lexi will leave any of them behind. Ximena is the only person capable of ending Narcissa permanently other than Eromaug and Lexi. We have no idea what state Lexi is going to be in when she finishes with Eromaug, so this is the best option." He rushed out a little harsher than he intended as he squeezed her hand in what he hoped was a reassuring manner.
Aoife took a deep breath and nodded. She knew he was right and that there really was no other alternative. A wave of shame washed over her as she realized that her concern and worrying was starting to hinder their efforts.
"Ok. I'm sorry. I'm overthinking this," She said as she shook herself slightly, "Just because there's a lot of things that could go wrong, doesn't mean that it will." She reaffirmed, her voice a little steadier.
"Exactly," Orynn smiled at her.
Aoife closed her eyes for a split second, uttering a silent prayer to all the deities and ancestors that she had ever invoked before and turned to Orynn with a fierce determination in her eyes.
"Ready?" She smiled.
"Ready." Orynn grinned as they moved as quickly and as silently as they could towards the dingy corner that housed the three people they had come to rescue.
Aoife darted to the left, stepping back into the shadows as Orynn stood motionless in the entrance to the passageway of the three cells. They could hear both Allen and Greyson's pained cries and instantly they knew that Lexi had already given away more than she ever should have been forced to. The amused cackling of Narcissa as she taunted them did nothing but fuel their anger.
In seconds, Orynn's furious growl rippled and echoed through the cells, startling Narcissa out of her laughter but as she turned to see Orynn, her defensive posture relaxed.
"Ugh, what the fuck do you want dragonling?" She snapped with an irritated flick of her fingers in his direction, "You're interrupting the fun. I don't think our Lord Eromaug will be pleased at this interruption."
Orynn's growl of fury only grew louder as the spines on his neck and head stood high, protruding through his hairline as he flashed his teeth at her.
"Oh for fuck's sake, what is wrong with you?" Narcissa snapped in frustration, "Are you angry because your new little friend is getting what she should have done from the very beginning? What the hell are you going to…" Her words trailed off as her face transformed in a mixture of shock and fury as Orynn's palm exploded with wild magick, illuminating his face in a terrifying light.
"Why the fuck do you have magick?!" Narcissa shrieked hoarsely as Orynn laughed coldly and turned his palm towards her, sending a furious flame spiraling towards her.
Narcissa shrieked loudly, ducking to the side and colliding with the wall, her face transformed in fury as Orynn trilled mockingly at her.
"You worthless little runt! All this fucking time you had access to dragon magick and kept it from me?!"
Orynn flung another cascade of the wild magick towards her sending her shrieking for cover,
"You little bastard that fucking hurts!" She screeched as she began to barrel towards him.
Orynn made a great show of pretending that he wasn't able to summon any more magick and turned his back to Narcissa, racing for the stairs as she yelled triumphantly and followed him without a glance backwards.
"Don't worry Aoife, I'll have her follow me to my mother's cavern and when she leaves, I'll come back to find you." He spoke calmly into Aoife's mind as he disappeared up the stairs at speed.
"Just you wait till I catch up with you! That dragon fire will be mine! I will tear it from your body and savor the screams of agony as I do so!"
As soon as Narcissa had vanished up the staircase, Aoife stepped from the shadows, moving quickly to the cells and cast a worried glance at the writhing bodies of Allen and Grayson.
She swore loudly as she turned to Ximena's cage, finding her stood by the bars expectantly.
"I could smell your magick when you entered the dungeon, young one. Tell me, what must I do." Ximena grinned, her eyes alight with the hope that had escaped her in the decades that she had been trapped here.