It was hard to let Zar go.

Ashley knew rationally, of course, that she would be nothing but a liability in battle. There wasn't anything she could do to help Zar defeat The Reaper, but that didn't make her feel any better. Somehow she felt like if she could watch over him, her love would keep him safe.

All that was nonsense, of course. Ashley could remember the bloody fight in the Foront. She had never thought she had a weak stomach for violence, but Nayanors were something else. Seeing someone's guts being spilled out of their bodies, witnessing them stumble on their own intestines... it wasn't anything she would have volunteered to see.

Joslyn was running to her, as fast as she could, making it a brisk walk more than a run.

"Gods," she breathed when they hugged and a sense of relief fell over Ashley like a cloak. "You're alive. When The Reaper started spewing all this nonsense about you and Zar being dead, I didn't want to believe it. Where have you been?"

Ashley answered when she was finally released from the tight hug, smiling to see her friend alive and well too.

"Zar hid me away," she said. "None too gently, but that's behind us now. I guess Nayanors will be Nayanors, right? Never mind me, though, how are you? Zar told me that they were attacking his people. Are you and the baby okay?"

"Yes," Joslyn breathed, the dark flare in her green eyes telling Ashley that she wasn't as carefree as she let on. "I was afraid, though. I haven't been this afraid since I came here. None of the long nights have scared me as badly as seeing those warriors march down the walkway.

"There was a year when Yamor had to stay behind and we spent the long night in a smaller fortress in Zar's domain..."

Joslyn shuddered just thinking about it.

"That was terrible. Never again. I was expecting Garoy, my second, then. Yamor swore he'd never again let anything stress me out. Now he's out there, fighting alongside Zar. He told me that he'd like a swing at The Reaper himself for putting me and the baby in danger. No doubt he'll collect some heads."

She ended the rant, trying to put on a brave smile even when Ashley could see her keeping her hands protectively over her belly.

"Nayanors, huh," Joslyn said. "It's like you said. They are a completely different species, literally of course. The heads thing, for example. It's like a cat bringing its owners dead mice. When I said Yamor will collect some heads, I meant it. He will present them to me later, no doubt, to show me he'll always protect me."

Ashley nodded, taking her hand and smiling.

"It's okay now," she said. "Zar can kick that bastard's ass and then things will be different here. I want you with me for that, Joslyn. We can make something out of this place. Where are your sons now?"

"With the other children, deeper in the Hall," Joslyn said. "Hidden."

"And the other women?" Ashley went on.

Now Joslyn hesitated, finally giving her a sad look.

"Here and there," she admitted. "In the chaos, everything got messed up. People were running around, screaming. Most of those who have been here longer are here with us, but the new ones... I'm afraid some managed to escape into this maze of a Hall. I don't know where they are. I doubt anyone knows, least of all themselves. If this has a happy ending, we need to search for them."

Ashley nodded, giving her an encouraging look.

"We will," she promised. "We will find them all. You can't blame them for running scared. How's Gwen taking it?"

"Not well," Joslyn said, pointing at the blonde standing a bit further away, looking like she had aged ten years since Ashley was gone.

"Gods, she looks terrible," Ashley breathed, starting to move toward her. "What happened to her?"

"A Nayanor warrior nearly took her head off when she tried to tell them they had it coming," Joslyn said, animosity mixing with pity in her voice. "That stupid girl. I can't believe she thought that would be a good idea."

Ashley agreed, but she couldn't muster any of her usual disdain for Gwen. The blonde was coming to meet her, her arms wrapped protectively around herself, shaking like a leaf. The terrified, shell-shocked look on her face would have made anyone take pity on her.

"Ash..." Gwen said, jumping to hug her without warning.

She let it happen, holding the young woman, trying to appear braver than she felt. All of a sudden it seemed to Ashley that being locked up in that dark cell had been the long straw. She'd been alone and scared, but not in any actual danger. One look at Gwen told her that something had broken in the blonde. Even Joslyn, her stern and true companion, looked shaken.

Ashley could understand them both. She wasn't feeling all that great herself.

"It's okay," she whispered to Gwen. "It's alright now. Zar is back and he'll make this all good. Better than it ever was. You have to have a bit of faith and patience and then you'll see. They're not all bad. We are going to come out of this, I promise."

Gwen raised her tearful eyes to her, swallowing hard.

"You were right," she croaked. "I should have believed you and Joslyn. They are not like us. We have – we have to get along with them, I see that now."

"Yes," Ashley said, smiling for her sake. "I swear, Gwen, as soon as Zar's back, I can start making changes here. We will have the Hall to ourselves. I'll make sure no woman is held in a cage somewhere like an animal. We can make a life here, it'll be fine, you'll see. No one will hurt you anymore."

Gwen looked like she barely heard the words she was speaking, so Ashley gave a quick nod to Joslyn who understood and left them be. Ashley led Gwen away to a quiet corner, but even then the woman was half-hysterical near their Nayanor guards.

"When they came for us, I ran," Gwen said, walking away, Ashley falling in step with her. "There's this place around the corner where I hid. I sat there for what seemed like hours when a warrior found me."

"I'm sorry," Ashley said, giving her arm a reassuring squeeze. "That wasn't supposed to happen. I think I'm to blame for all of this. I tried to make things better, but this is not what I had in mind. It'll all be over soon."

Gwen nodded as they rounded a corner and walked along in the empty corridor. She was still shaking like crazy and Ashley was beginning to think there was something seriously wrong with her.

"Gwen?" she asked. "If you're this out of yourself, we should go and find a healer. Maybe they have something to give you. Or we can go back to Joslyn and she'll find us a place to rest while we wait."

"Wait," Gwen said quietly. "Wait for what?"

"For Zar and the other warriors to come back," Ashley said. "For the Hall to be ours."

Gwen's laughter echoed off the massive walls towering on either side of them. Ashley realized a second too late how alone they were, away from the eyes of the Nayanor guards, when Gwen drew a small gun from behind her back. It reminded her a lot of the gun she'd hidden away like that herself.

"A scream out of you, Ash, and I will shoot," Gwen said, an insane, hysterical glint of madness in her eyes. "I have nothing to lose anymore, so trust me on that. Draw attention to us and we will both die."

Ashley stayed quiet, eying the gun in Gwen's hands and judging if she could take it from her. Gwen backed away as if reading her mind.

"What are you doing?" Ashley asked quietly, glaring at her. "I know you're scared, but threatening or killing me isn't going to make anything better. It will only get you killed. If not by the guards, then by Zar for sure."

"Zar..." Gwen chortled. "Zar is gone, Ashley. He's dead. If not yet, he's a dead man walking. You should have seen how many warriors The Reaper has. The walkway was full of them. Howling, mad maniacs... He won't come back! It's over."

"Gwen –”

"Shut up!" Gwen yelled at her, the gun shaking in her hand.

Ashley quieted. Dealing with a person driven to the edge of their sanity was always dangerous. She couldn't be sure Gwen wouldn’t pull the trigger by accident, at the smallest provocation.

"The warrior who found me..." Gwen was saying. "He wasn't one of Zar's. He was The Reaper's. And he offered me a way out."

Ashley was starting to understand. Before she could say anything, Gwen continued.

"The Reaper wants you, Ash. Don't get me wrong. I think I understand what you did and I commend you for it. You have more spirit than I gave you credit for, but I can't stay here..."

The gun was shaking even more wildly now.

"I can't stay –” Gwen whispered, tears running down her cheeks. "This is too horrible. I can't handle this. All these women... Nayanors are monsters, Ashley. They will hurt me, I know they will. I don't want to be tortured and killed, I can't..."

Her voice broke and broken sobs took their place.

"Gwen," Ashley said quietly, holding her hands up, hoping to placate her. "Gwen, no matter what The Reaper offered you, he's lying. He wants to use me as bait to get to Zar. Don't do this!"

"No," Gwen said, finding her voice again in the face of Ashley's resistance. "No, no. He promised me! He promised that if I delivered you to him, he'd let me go! He said he'd get me a place on a raider ship and they'd take me home when they fly out after the storm! He promised!"

Gods, you poor thing. They really did a number on you. How can you believe him!?

The worst thing was, Ashley could understand her. If she had been in Gwen's situation, on the strange, terrifying alien world without Zar to rely upon and trust, would she have been any different? She wanted to believe she would have been. That she would have never betrayed someone else to be safe herself, or believed a crazed Nayanor warlord.

Not to mention there was no particular comfort she could offer her. There was no ship that could take Gwen home.

"He lies," Ashley tried, knowing she had no other chance. "Listen to me. He'll kill me and Zar and everything you see around you is how it's always going to be! The Reaper would never let a woman go! That is his whole point, he can't show weakness by bargaining with us!

"You have to trust me. Wait with me, just a few hours. Give Zar a chance to kill that bastard and come back. I promise he'll treat you better than The Reaper ever would."

"No, no," Gwen whispered and Ashley could see there was not an ounce of reason in her eyes anymore.

She wasn't talking to a sane person. The crack she'd seen in Gwen before ran too deep. She clung to the false hope like it was her last lifeline, discarding all others that could have actually saved her.

"Stay still, Ash," Gwen said, pulling a transmitter from her pocket.

"Don't do this!" Ashley cried.

Gwen aimed. Ashley had never thought to ask what she had done for a living before being kidnapped, but she recognized gun training when she saw it. Felicia and Ashley had had it too in the station.

Even distressed out of her mind, Gwen wouldn't miss. In her insanity, she'd really shoot her and then Ashley wouldn't do any good for anyone.

She'd never see Zar again.

"Don't move," Gwen warned, her face wet from tears. "The Reaper said alive or dead. I don't want to kill you!"

Ashley stayed still. Her mind was working fast. If Gwen turned her over to The Reaper, what would they do? Cut her throat right then and there or take her to their lord? She suspected the latter. Which left the question of whether Zar was going to be able to save her?

Gwen opened the transmitter. Ashley knew it was her last chance to call out to the guards Zar had posted with those who had stayed behind.

She didn't open her mouth. She had to give Zar a chance – to save her and everyone else. If she died, there was no point to any of it.

"Hello?" Gwen whispered into the transmitter. "Yes, I have her. Pick me up at the agreed location. And then I get to go home, right?"