Elara stared at Marcus's open hand.

It was calloused slightly from the recent fighting, but his grip looked steady.

She looked back at the cold, dark cell.

Thomas lay in the corner. The shadows seemed to swallow him whole.

He looked so small now. Death had stolen the vitality that made him Thomas.

Her mind screamed at her to stay.

It told her to lie down beside him. It told her to let the cold take her too.

A world without him was a world of grey ash. It was a world she did not recognize.

But then she looked at Marcus.

His eyes were tired, but they burned with a quiet intensity.

He had fought for her. He had come back for strangers when he could have run.

He spoke of living. He spoke of defying the monsters by simply existing.

Elara felt a spark ignite in the center of her chest.

It was not hope. It was not happiness.

It was something darker. Something hotter.

It was hate.

It was a cold, crystallized hatred for the men who had done this.

For Voss. For the guards. For every person who treated humans like cattle.

If she died here, that hate would die with her.

If she stayed, Voss won. The bandits won.

Thomas would be just another forgotten casualty in a ledger of profit.

She clenched her fists. Her fingernails dug into her palms.

'I will not let them win,' Elara thought.

She would live. She would eat. She would regain her strength.

And one day, she would come back.

She didn't know how. She didn't know when.

But she swore it on her very soul.

She would burn this place... this cruel system to the ground. She would make them feel every ounce of pain Thomas had felt.

Even if it took her entire life. Even if it cost her everything she had left.

Vengeance was a reason to breathe.

She looked at Thomas one last time.

She memorized the curve of his jaw. She memorized the way his hair fell across his forehead.

"Goodbye, my love," she whispered to herself. "Wait for me."

She turned back to Marcus.

She reached out.

She placed her hand in his.

Her grip was weak, but her eyes were dry.

"I will come," Elara said. Her voice was raspy but firm.

Marcus nodded. He squeezed her hand gently.

"Good," he said. "Let's go."

He helped her stand. Her legs were stiff from hours of sitting on the cold stone.

She stumbled, but Marcus caught her. He supported her weight without a word.

They walked out of the cell.

Elara did not look back. She couldn't.

If she looked back, she would shatter.

They moved quickly through the silent corridors. The sounds of the other escaping slaves had faded into the distance.

The prison was empty now. It was a tomb.

They climbed the stairs and emerged into the cool night air.

The courtyard was a wreck. The iron gates were twisted metal.

Unconscious guards littered the ground like discarded toys.

Elara stared at the destruction.

"You did this?" she asked. Her voice held a trace of awe.

"We had help," Marcus corrected.

He led her around the side of the main building. They stuck to the shadows.

The town beyond the walls was waking up. Shouts and lights flickered in the distance.

They needed to leave before organized reinforcements arrived.

They reached a secluded patch of grass behind the warehouse.

Two figures were waiting there.

One was a small girl in a white dress. She had black horns protruding from her head.

The other was a grey teddy bear. It sat on the grass and looked anxiously at the corner.

The dragon girl saw them first.

She scrambled to her feet. Her eyes locked onto Marcus.

She looked relieved. Then she looked at Elara.

Her posture stiffened. She took a step back and hid partially behind the bear.

"We are here," Marcus announced softly.

The bear jumped up. He dusted off his fuzzy legs.

"Finally!" the bear squeaked. "I thought you got lost. Or caught. Or eaten."

Elara blinked. She stared at the toy.

"The bear..." she whispered. "It talks."

"Yeah," the bear said. "I get that a lot. Try not to freak out."

Marcus let go of Elara's arm. He looked around.

"Where is Ventessa?" he asked.

He looked at the empty air. He looked at the trees.

"She said she would meet us here," Marcus muttered.

He felt a sudden weight land on his head.

It was soft and warm.

"I am here," a bored voice said from above his forehead.

Marcus sighed. He didn't even reach up.

'Damn, that place isn't your bed,' Marcus thought.

But he didn't say that out loud because of the 'deal'.

Elara stared at Marcus's hair.

A small, white fluffball was nestled there. It looked like a cloud with eyes.

"What is that?" Elara asked. She felt like her mind was breaking.

"That is our ride," Marcus explained. "Her name is Ventessa."

Ventessa looked down at Elara. Her black eyes were flat.

She sniffed the air.

"Another one?" Ventessa asked. Her voice echoed in the clearing.

"You picked up another stray?"

"She is not a stray," Marcus said firmly. "She is coming with us."

Ventessa let out a long, suffering sigh. It ruffled Marcus's hair.

"Inefficient," she commented. "The carpet will be crowded."

"We fit," Marcus said. "Make it work."

"You owe me extra snacks," Ventessa bargained.

"Fine," Marcus agreed instantly. "Double snacks."

Ventessa seemed satisfied.

She looked at Elara again. She seemed to measure the woman's soul.

"She smells like grief," Ventessa noted. "And anger."

"She is a survivor," Marcus said.

Ventessa shrugged. Or at least, the fluffball rippled.

"Whatever," she said. "Let's go. I am tired of this place."

She hopped off Marcus's head. She floated in the air.

The wind gathered. It swirled and condensed.

The magic carpet materialized again. It hovered inches above the grass.

Elara stared at it. Her mouth opened slightly.

"Get on," Marcus said gently.

He stepped onto the carpet first to show her it was safe. It bobbed under his weight.

He reached out a hand to the dragon girl.

"Come on," he said. "It is okay."

The dragon girl hesitated. She looked at Elara with suspicion.

Elara looked back. She saw the horns. She saw the tail.

In the past, she might have been afraid. She might have called it a monster.

But now, she just saw another victim. Another broken thing in a broken world.

Elara offered a weak, tired smile.

"Hello," Elara whispered.

The dragon girl blinked. She sensed no threat.

She took Marcus's hand and climbed onto the carpet. She sat in the center.

The bear scrambled up next.

"Room for one more!" the bear chirped. He patted the space beside him.

Elara stepped forward. She moved like she was in a dream.

She sat down on the edge of the woven wind. It felt solid, yet yielding.

Marcus sat down last.

Ventessa floated back onto his head. She settled in like a nesting bird.

"Hold on," Ventessa ordered.

The carpet rose.

It lifted smoothly into the air. It cleared the warehouse wall and climbed higher.

The town shrank below them. The torches became tiny specks of light.

Then, they accelerated.

The wind rushed past them. The ground became a blur of shadows.

They were flying.

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