We race down the big stone hallway and through the labyrinthine palace. We get turned around once or twice, but finally, on the first floor, we see it: a huge wooden door, bars across its one tiny window, and we heave it open, descending the stone stairs into the chilly damp.

I hate dungeons. They just feel unpleasant, and this one’s no exception. It’s been wired for electricity sometime in the past hundred years, but it’s lit by dim bare bulbs hung every ten feet or something, which just adds to the creepy feeling.

It’s also eerily silent, which isn’t surprising.

At the bottom of the stairs, Dom and I hold our breath and listen. I’m praying that we’re not wrong about this. It feels like we’re on the right track, but God knows I’ve been wrong before.

And if we’re wrong, then Sven is racing out of the country with Katarina right now, and her chances of coming back to us lessen with every second.

It’s totally silent, save for a faint, slow dripping sound that echoes through the stone chambers. We’re in a wide hallway that’s lined with cells on either side. The first three all have rusty iron bars across the front, the doors slightly ajar.

The last two are just stone walls with heavy metal doors.

Something skitters behind us, the noise echoing, and we both turn but I’m nearly positive it’s just a rat, so we ignore it, still listening.

With every second, my heart sinks a little more.

“Bruno,” Dom finally whispers, his voice nearly swallowed by the strange silence of the dungeon. “I think we were—”

There’s a faint cry, barely audible, and even though I almost can’t hear it, I know it’s her.

Dom takes off like a shot, running down the cobblestoned hall, his feet slapping loudly against the stones.

“Hey!” I hiss. “What are you doing?”

He whirls and glares at me.

“What do you think—”

I hold up one hand, trying to calm him. He’s furious and wild-eyed, and even though I feel the exact same way, I’ve got a little more practice in subduing myself so I can make good tactical decisions.

“I think we should keep surprise on our side,” I say, keeping my voice as low as I can. “Sven always has all those guards around him, and now that he’s taken Katarina, I’m sure they’re still with him. It’ll be easier to handle them if they don’t know we’re coming.”

To be honest, I’m not completely sure we can handle them — there’s two of us, only one with real military training, and probably ten guards.

Dom closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and nods.

“You’re right,” he says. “Of course.”

We make our way down the wide stone hallway, quietly. The cells are creepy as hell, and even though I look into one of the doored-off cells, the inside is completely dark, of course.

Easy to let your imagination get out of control here, even if the place hasn’t been used for a long time. I’m sure plenty of people suffered and died here.

We come to an intersection, then wait until we hear another noise. This time it’s a grunt, like Katarina’s in a struggle, and we follow it to the left.

The passageways twist and turn. I think I’ve kept track of where we are, but I could be completely lost — I’ve got no idea. I just know we’re getting closer and closer to saving our princess, and that’s all that matters.

At last, we turn a corner and see a rectangle of illumination up ahead, a doorway spilling light out onto the hallway floor, and we stop.

“I said no!” Katarina’s voice echoes off the stone. She sounds like she’s speaking through her teeth, breathing hard.

Dom growls and starts, but I grab his shoulder with one hand, shaking my head quickly.

I want to run in there and punch everyone too, I think, and dear God do I want to punch everyone.

But that’s not likely to save our princess, that’s likely get us punched in return by several people at once, and we’re not going to be much use if we’re knocked unconscious, bleeding on the floor.

“Tell me!” we hear Sven’s voice command.

“I’m not saying it,” Katarina growls.

Despite myself, I smile at her spirit.

Fuck yes, that’s our princess.