Emma didn't appear during the night, nor did she in the morning. The knights prepared to leave, and the four looked at each other sadly.

  "I thought she'd come back for us," Grian said, lowering his head. "I guess she really does hate me."

  "Don't say that!" Isabella protested. "She's a trustworthy person. Trust me, I can tell. She has a plan, I know it. She wouldn't leave us behind. She just wouldn't..."

  "Maybe she would," Taurtis said sadly. "Maybe she knows we can't be saved, so she ran."

  "I agree with Isabella," said Sam with defiance. "She wouldn't leave us here to die in the hands of an insane king. She's not that kind of person."

  "How do you know?" said Grian. "She's my sister! If anything, I'm the one who knows the most about her!"

  "Well, you haven't seen her in years!"

  "You just met her yesterday!"

  "Guys, keep your voices down," warned Taurtis. "They'll hear us."

  He gestured to the guards standing near them, who were deep in conversation. The four shut their mouthes for the rest of the time they were there.

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  "Have you found a way out yet?" Taurtis asked through the hole in the wall.

  Isabella shook her head. "No, every brick here is solid. There's no way I can get one to move."

  The four were in the dungeon at the palace. The boys had been placed in a cell different to Isabella's, but the two were right beside each other, and there was a hole in wall where they could talk to each other.

  Isabella was trying to find a way out. Being a rogue, she had escaped many cells and prisons before. But even though she had those skills, she couldn't find a way to escape the palace dungeon. It had too many guards and seemed to be escape-proof. There were no secret exits either. The only escape was through the main door or down the hole where people were executed. It was a huge drop, and nobody had ever survived falling down there.

  In the boys' cell, things were quiet. They had been stuck with an older man who had been there for a while now, and Sam was talking quietly with him. Taurtis stayed by the hole in the wall, so he could communicate with Isabella. Then there was Grian. He sat in the corner, huddling in his robes and wallowing in his thoughts. He was thoroughly convinced that Emma wasn't coming back for them because she hated him for being a horrible brother and leaving her.

  Grian looked up at Taurtis, who was standing with his back against the wall and his arms crossed over his chest. He had his hood down, revealing his messy black hair:

  "How are you so calm?" Grian asked him.

  "I've been down here a few times," Taurtis replied. "I know what happens, so I guess I'm not as scared."

  Grian looked away hesitantly. He didn't want to ask the question in fear of the answer. "What exactly does happen?"

  Taurtis took a deep breath and closed his eyes, as if he was having flashbacks. "You don't wanna know."

  Grian slowly nodded and placed his head in his lap again. Although it didn't show completely, he was scared out of his mind. At that time he wished that he had been better to his sister so that he wouldn't have to suffer through this torture that was fear.

  There was a minutes of quiet. Isabella broke the silence, yelling in frustration. "I so wish I had Sacrifice!" she said aloud.

  "We all wish we had our weapons," Taurtis said sadly. The others nodded in agreement. "Have you tried picking the lock?"

  "No, I'll try."

  Isabella searched the floor for a short stick or small rock. She found a thin piece of metal in the corner. She went over to the cell door and reached her hand through the bars, placing the the metal in the keyhole. She had only just started trying to unlock it when they heard footsteps.

  "Tryin' to escape, girly?"

  Isabella looked up to see the executioner standing there, a smug looked on his face. He was an man of average height, but kit of average height. His arms, uncovered and hairy, were as thick as the door. Only his mask was part of the standard executioner outfit; he wore ripped and stained clothes everywhere else. He plucked the piece of metal from Isabella's hand and threw it behind him. It skidded across the stone floor and fell into the hole to death.

  Isabella looked at the executioner with narrowed eyes.

  "Don't call me 'girly'," she warned. "I could kill you with one hand tied behind my back and no weapons. You're obviously an easy win."

  This got him angry. He gripped Isabella's arm and yanked it through the bars, causing the rogue's forehead to bang against the metal.

  "I'm in charge here," he muttered, and he let go of her arm.

  The executioner stepped back, looking at the two cells. He saw Grian huddled in the corner and grinned.

  "I'm gonna have fun scarring up those bodies of yours," he boomed. This caused Grian's head to shoot up, his eyes full of fear. The executioner laughed at this. "Won't be long now. See you in two hours!" Then he turned around and walked away.