The screams had finally stopped.

Ten minutes had passed. They felt like ten years to Marcus.

Inside the torture chamber, Elowen sighed. She sounded bored.

"My arm is getting tired," Elowen announced to the empty room. "And you are getting dull, little one. You aren't screaming with the same passion."

The dragon girl on the table did not respond. She just breathed. It was a ragged, wet sound.

Marcus stood on the stairs, hidden by the concealment spell. His hands were clenched so tight his knuckles hurt.

He watched Elowen stretch her arms and cracking her neck

"I need a break," she decided. "Some wine, perhaps. Maybe a change of tools."

Marcus felt a wave of relief wash over him. It was so strong his knees almost buckled.

The torture was over. For now.

Elowen turned toward the door. She paused and looked back at the dragon girl with a twisted smile.

"Don't you worry," Elowen cooed. "I will be right back. We have so much more to explore and... scream."

Marcus felt bile rise in his throat.

'She is leaving,' Marcus projected his thought. 'We can move now, right?'

He looked at the mysterious little girl beside him. She was staring at the scene with her usual blank expression.

'Not yet,' the girl's voice echoed in his mind. It was calm and flat.

Marcus frowned. Frustration bubbled in his chest.

Marcus gritted his teeth. He hated waiting.

Every second felt like a gamble. But he was powerless without the girl's magic.

Elowen walked toward the exit. She moved with a light, happy step.

She approached the spot where Marcus and the girl stood.

The hallway was narrow. She would have to pass within inches of them.

Marcus held his breath.

'Do not move,' the girl commanded in his head. 'Do not breathe.'

Elowen came closer. The smell of copper and expensive perfume wafted off her.

She hummed a cheerful tune. It was the same melody she had hummed while cutting skin.

She stepped right in front of them.

Then, she stopped.

Marcus's heart slammed against his ribs. It was loud. Too loud.

Elowen tilted her head. She sniffed the air delicately.

Her eyes narrowed. She looked directly at the space where Marcus stood.

"Hmm," Elowen murmured. "It smells... different here."

Marcus stared into her eyes. They were inches away. He could see the madness swirling in them.

She reached out a hand. Her fingers brushed the air near Marcus's chest.

He didn't flinch. He forced his muscles to turn to stone.

If she touched him, the spell would break. If the spell broke, they were dead.

Elowen's hand hovered. Then she shrugged.

"Must be the rats," she muttered. "Filthy things."

She dropped her hand and continued walking.

Her footsteps clicked on the stone floor. The sound faded as she ascended the spiral stairs.

The heavy iron door at the top of the stairs creaked open, then slammed shut.

Silence returned to the dungeon.

Marcus exhaled. The air rushed out of his lungs in a shudder.

"That was too close," he whispered. His voice sounded loud in the quiet hall.

"She has good instincts," the little girl said aloud.

She waved her hand. The air rippled around them.

The blur vanished. Marcus looked down at his hands. They were solid again.

"The concealment is down," the girl stated. "Let's go."

She walked toward the torture chamber. The heavy barred door was unlocked.

Elowen hadn't bothered to lock it. She assumed the chains were enough.

The little girl pushed the door open. It swung inward with a groan of rusty hinges.

Marcus followed her inside.

The smell hit him harder now. Blood, sweat, and... fear.

On the table, the dragon girl flinched.

She jerked her head toward the door. Her eyes were wide and wild.

Raw terror flooded her expression.

She saw a man and a girl enter. Strangers.

To her, they weren't rescuers. They were just new tormentors.

She tried to shrink back against the wood, but the chains held her tight.

Marcus stepped closer. He finally saw her clearly.

She was small. Maybe around 4 years old in human terms.

Her hair was pitch black and matted with sweat.

Her eyes were a striking ocean blue. They were beautiful, but right now, they were filled with panic.

Two small, obsidian horns protruded from her forehead. They curved backward slightly.

A thin tail hung off the table. It had black scales running down its length.

She wore only a single piece of clothing. It was a white T-shirt, several sizes too big.

It covered her from neck to knees.

But it was ruined. It was stained with old brown blood and fresh red blood.

There were tears and cuts in the fabric. It looked like she had worn it for weeks. Or months. Or... years.

Marcus looked at her bare arms and legs. They were a map of pain.

Bruises. Burns. Cuts.

Pity crashed into Marcus. It was a physical weight in his gut.

He had seen sad things as a life coach. Broken marriages. Lost jobs. Grief.

But this was different. This was pure cruelty inflicted on a child.

The dragon girl opened her mouth. Her chest heaved. She was about to scream.

"Silence," the little girl said softly.

She didn't cast a spell. She simply spoke the word.

The dragon girl's mouth opened, but no sound came out.

She choked. She tried to force air through her vocal cords, but nothing happened.

The dragon girl's eyes widened even further.

She looked at the little girl with absolute horror.

"Don't worry," Marcus said quickly. He stepped forward, hands raised.

"She just silenced you so we don't get caught. We aren't going to hurt you."

The dragon girl didn't listen. She was shaking violently. The chains rattled against the wood.

She pulled at her restraints. She didn't care about the pain. She just wanted to get away.

"Hey, hey," Marcus tried again. He kept his voice low and gentle. "It is alright. We are here to help."

The dragon girl shook her head frantically. Tears streamed down her face.

Marcus paused. A cold realization hit him.

He imagined Elowen standing here.

He imagined Elowen smiling that sick smile.

"It is alright. I am here to help you... reach your potential."

His words sounded just like hers.

To a victim, 'help' and 'hurt' sounded the same when spoken by a stranger in a dungeon.

"Damn it," Marcus whispered. "I am making it worse."

He looked at the little girl. "She is terrified. We need to calm her down."

The little girl ignored him. She looked at the chains.

She lifted one of her arms hands and...

Snap.

Crack.

The sound of metal shattering echoed through the room.

The heavy iron shackles around the dragon girl's wrists and ankles broke apart.

The blue runes on the chains flickered and died.

Marcus blinked in surprise, and began staring at the little girl.

He didn't know much about magic but that was surely high-level magic. And she did it without a chant.

"Wow," Marcus muttered. "And here I was wondering how to pick the locks."

The dragon girl fell forward. She caught herself on the table.

She was free.

Marcus smiled. This was good. This was progress.

"See?" Marcus said, turning to the dragon girl. "You are free. We are going to get you ou—."

Marcus was cut short by the sight in front of him.

The dragon girl lunged as if to attack him

She moved with impossible speed.

Marcus's eyes widened, as if he saw death coming.

He couldn't move. He couldn't dodge. He was too slow.

The dragon girl was inches away.

Then, she stopped.

She froze in mid-air.

It wasn't that she stopped moving. It was like time stopped around her.

She hung suspended between the table and Marcus. Her claws were reaching for his neck.

Marcus stumbled back. He fell onto his butt hard.

"What..." Marcus gasped.

He looked to the side.

The mysterious little girl had one hand raised. Her finger pointed at the dragon girl.

Her expression was bored. Like she was pausing a game.

"Hmm," the little girl said. "We have a feisty one here."

She flicked her wrist. It was a casual, dismissive gesture.

It threw the dragon girl sideways.

She flew across the room and hit the stone wall with a sickening thud.

She slid down to the floor and landed in a heap.

Marcus scrambled backward on the floor. His heart was hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird.

He gasped for air. He touched his neck. It was intact.

He looked at the dragon girl.

She groaned. She curled into a ball in the corner.

She looked small and broken.

Marcus's fear turned into shock. Then anger.

He pushed himself up. His legs were shaky.

"Hey!" Marcus shouted. He turned to the little girl. "What are you doing?"

The little girl looked at him. She lowered her hand.

"Saving you," she replied simply.

"You threw her against a wall!" Marcus yelled. "She is a child! She is injured!"

"She tried to rip your throat out," the girl pointed out. Her voice was flat.

"She was scared!" Marcus argued. "She didn't know what she was doing!"

"If I had not acted, you would be bleeding out right now," the girl said.

Marcus opened his mouth to argue, then closed it.

She wasn't wrong. He knew that.

If she hadn't stopped the dragon girl, he would be dead.

"You could have just held her," Marcus said, lowering his voice. "You didn't have to hurt her."

"Pain is an effective teacher," the girl said. "It establishes hierarchy."

She pointed to the corner.

"Look," she said. "She is quiet now. She is listening."

Marcus looked.

The dragon girl was pressed into the corner of the room. She was shaking violently.

She wasn't looking at Marcus anymore. She was looking at the little girl.

Her eyes were filled with absolute, overwhelming terror.

She recognized power. And she knew she couldn't beat it.

"She isn't listening," Marcus whispered. "She is traumatized."

Marcus rubbed his face with his hands. He felt exhausted.

This was a disaster.

They had come to save her.

Instead, they had terrified her, silenced her, and thrown her against a wall.

In the dragon girl's eyes, they weren't heroes. They were just a new, more powerful gang of monsters.

He looked at the trembling dragon girl.

They were short on time. Elowen might return soon. The guard would wake up as well.

And now he had to convince a terrified dragon to trust them before they all got killed.

"We need to fix this," Marcus muttered. "And fast."

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