With Ryker, Rush, Amina, Idris, and Rayna under our protection, we had our work cut out for us, mainly because they were all quite weak. It would take more than some basic nourishment and healing potions to get them back in shape. They’d spent thousands of years locked up in meranium boxes, deprived of fresh air and, in the non-Maras’ case, sunlight, all while daemons fed on their very souls. The debilitating weakness they had to live with would take months, maybe even years to wear off.

After I launched the fireball to notify Harper and the others of the incoming hostiles I’d seen headed toward them, Blaze and I escorted the delegation survivors back through the maze of narrow alleyways. We were going back to the secret tunnel, and it was our turn to lead the way. We also had to move fast, stay invisible, and keep our red lenses on, making sure we weren’t spotted along the way.

“Where are we going?” Ryker asked, struggling to keep up as we ran past the outer prison block.

“There’s a secret tunnel nearby,” I replied, looking behind us. “We need to go through there if we’re to make it out alive. It’s rigged to explode as soon as we’re out.”

“You outsiders really don’t play around, do you?” Ryker replied, wearing an appreciative smirk.

I could see Hansa and Jax just a couple of minutes back, followed by Caspian, Pheng-Pheng, and Harper. They moved fast and were bound to catch up with us soon, as they dodged attacks from incoming daemons. The alarms were blaring all over the prison city, and troops were coming in from multiple stations.

We had only a handful of minutes to work with in order to avoid a direct confrontation with a horde of bloodthirsty daemons.

“I know I’m asking a lot, but we need to go faster,” I said, increasing my running speed.

Ryker gave me a brief nod and picked up the pace. I could see beads of sweat blooming on the freed prisoners’ faces as they summoned every last ounce of strength they had left. While running, I took out the charmed vials we’d used to collect daemon blood and handed them over to the rest of our group.

“Smear some of this on you,” I breathed. “We’re about to go through a cloaking spell.”

“Watch out!” Blaze warned, then dashed ahead of me, just before we reached the stairs leading up to the cloaked entrance. Two daemons came down, wearing red lenses and growling as they drew their rapiers.

They didn’t stand a chance in front of Blaze, who blew a column of fire at them, temporarily obscuring them. They screamed from the burning pain, but their torment was cut short, as Blaze took his sword out and slashed their heads off in two gracefully swift moves.

I led the prisoners up the stairs, my lighters ready in my hands as I prepared for more hostiles.

“That’s quite the skill!” Amina said, impressed.

“Yeah, Blaze is a very special dragon,” I replied, filled with admiration and pride. It was enough to make Blaze blush and grin like a happy little boy—and enough to make me fall even deeper in love with him.

Just before we passed through the wall, I glanced back to check on the rest of our team. Hansa and Jax made it to the bottom of the stairs, while Harper, Pheng-Pheng, and Caspian cut down several daemons before they caught up with the rest of us. Daemons flooded the streets several yards behind them. Their rapiers were out, blades glistening with a thirst for blood. Pit wolves weren’t too far behind, either, the swamp witch symbols engraved on their charmed collars glimmering amber.

“Time to go!” I said, then passed through the cloaking spell’s faux wall, welcoming the momentary chill.

Two daemons awaited on the other side. Someone had spotted the lack of guards and had summoned replacements. It didn’t matter. I flicked my lighters open and shot two jets of fire at them before they could even fully draw their weapons. The flames swallowed them whole, just as Blaze jumped in and cut them down. Their heads were still burning as they rolled on the hard ground.

I darted over to our left and around the large stones concealing the secret door, which I pushed and held open, motioning for our delegation prisoners to go through. “Go, go, go! All the way up to the top! Vesta and Laughlan are waiting!” I shouted.

One by one, they vanished into the dark tunnel, with Amina and Rush leading the way. Blaze took my place holding the door, then gently pushed me into the tunnel.

“Go, Caia, go!” he said, just as Hansa and Jax reached us.

“Not leaving you behind!” I shot back and held my ground.

Hansa chuckled, then ran into the tunnel, joined by Jax. They put their swords away and headed back to the surface. “You two are incorrigible,” she muttered, her voice echoing through the passageway.

Blaze wanted to insist, opening his mouth to say something, but I gave him my “Don’t even try it!” glare, and he seemed to get the message.

Harper, Pheng-Pheng, and Caspian passed through the wall, their swords still dripping with daemon blood as they sheathed them and joined us in the tunnel. Just then, daemons poured in from the city. With everyone going up through the tunnel, it was time to close it off.

Blaze pulled the door shut. I used my fire to melt the lock and hinges, making it more difficult for the fiends to break through.

We then joined the rest of our group and made our way up through the tunnel. “So far, so good,” I muttered. Blaze was right behind me, and I could almost feel his breath on the back of my neck.

His mere presence filled me with gusts of energy, adding strength to my muscles. I ran faster. A loud clang behind us indicated the inevitable had come to pass: the daemons had broken through the door and were now spilling into the passageway.

“Time to fire them up a bit,” Blaze chuckled.

I flicked my lighters open. “I’ve been looking forward to this all day,” I replied.

And I had been looking forward to it, from the moment Harper had first laid out her plan. The daemons had their movements and range restricted by the tunnel. My fire didn’t. My fire burned and spread through everything, consuming all that stood in its path.

Looking back, I counted at least fifty daemons that were going to be reduced to piles of carbonized bones, with more coming in from behind. Part of me thought I shouldn’t enjoy it too much, but, after all they’d put us through and for everything they still wanted to put us through, I figured I deserved this moment.