"I was interrupted when I was contacting Sorin. Azaesel's dragon can block my communication!" Sephira told them as soon as it was safe to do so. She paced with her hand pressed to her forehead.

"Does he know you're contacting them?" Craven asked in fear.

"I can't tell." Sephira answered with panic in her voice.

"He seems to be playing you as well as you're playing him..." Rauka said darkly.

"Why would he let his spell reverberate back to himself?" Sephira argued.

"What?" Craven and Rauka asked at the same time.

"His spell he uses to mesmerize women. It doesn't work on Duvendis. My wards reflect it back to him and it seems like his own magic is letting me mesmerize him." She explained in a quieter voice with a glance to her dragons that sat alert on the balcony. Craven's eyebrows were furrowed and Rauka looked equally confounded.

"How do you know it's working and he's not just infatuated with you because you're the most beautiful thing he's ever seen?" Craven asked, making Sephira smile slightly with worry still in her eyes.

"Because if he knew his spell wasn't working on me, he would've stopped using it. Every time I try to turn him down his spell gets stronger as if he's trying to persuade me to listen to him."

"What a dick." Craven muttered making Sephira laugh.

"His spell seems designed to stop the one it's working on from knowing it's working. He may not even know that he's being mesmerized." Sephira told them.

"Can you use it to get him to tell you how to stop the Grey Council?" Rauka asked in hope.

"Maybe, but he seems to know something's going on with me. I'm worried he could be onto me and maybe it's a trap." Craven grabbed her to stop her incessant pacing.

"Relax. We won't let you get trapped and he couldn't possibly kill you. The way he looks at you... There's no way he's doing it for show. It makes me sick to see his gorram eyes on you." Craven growled. She let her head drop to his shoulder and his arm hugged her comfortably around her waist.

"Is it dark enough?" Rauka asked, her brown eyes peering out the window at the faint red and orange light from the fading sun. Sephira's eyes went white as she looked through her dragon's eyes. She was annoyed with how badly they were able to see in the dark, but it was useful to know if it was dark enough that the other Nimbi dragons and humans wouldn't easily be able to see them.

"I think so. Let's go. I'll have to contact Sorin on the way. I think they've already started moving to the rendezvous point." She said.

*

The dragons were difficult about flying in the dark. Sephira felt she had to reassure them that there would be nothing for them to bump into in the air if they would just take off and fly straight. She was frustrated with how slow they flew and felt like she was only going the speed of a galloping horse rather than the lightning fast pace she was used to on Caius. What made the flight even slower was that Sephira wanted to be cautious and fly around any settlements so her pale colored dragons weren't seen.

"Took you, forever!" Sorin exclaimed when she landed near the patch of forest and outcropping of rocks they had planned on meeting at.

"These dragons are so slow." Sephira laughed, leaping from the scarred female dragon to embrace her brother. Caius' purr was so loud, Sephira worried someone living in the farmland surrounding them might hear. Craven embraced Dawn, seeing the look in her eyes that seemed to have lingered after she had seen the images that Sephira had sent. Leuthil and the naiads also looked grim and they could see the anger and hurt on Craven's face even though he held his composure well.

"It's great to see you all." Rauka said, hugging Dawn as Craven and Leuthil shared a meaningful look.

"What's the plan?" Malina asked Sephira as the three dragon riders relished a moment with their dragons.

"The plan is to rescue my friend without being seen." Craven told them in the dim firelight Dawn and Leuthil had lit so they could see the orcs and Sephira in the dark of night.

"We can't kill any of the guards so we shouldn't take the dragons so they don't see us." Sephira explained.

"We're not going to kill the ones torturing people?!" Demitro asked in outrage.

"No." Sephira insisted, her silver eyes catching the light like glowing moons as she stared over at him.

"Change into your armor." Sorin insisted, starting to pull her Duvendis armor off Caius's pack.

"Maybe you should stay here." Craven said as if he surprised himself. Sephira tilted her head. "Sorin and I can go in and rescue Erek and maybe if he's able to follow by himself, we can silence a few others and get them to come with us." Craven explained. "You can't be caught." He realized, his eyes wide as he thought about the consequences if Sephira was seen and they had to kill all the guards the night after she had visited Icharus.

"Maybe I shouldn't have come..." Sephira said, her eyes searching the tall grass at her feet that was pale grey in the light of the dim crescent moon.

"Fly back and get some sleep." He murmured in a comforting voice. He kissed her on the head tenderly.

"I can try to leave the dragons here, but they're stupid. They'll follow me." She told him in frustration.

"We'll fly back in the dark and then get horses to ride when the city's in sight." Craven told her.

"I should fly back with you. I'm not needed to help get them out. I don't see as well as you in the dark." Rauka spoke up looking at Craven. "Two orc dragons will be too easy to spot, especially Cererus." She said.

"Could you get Caius to fly Craven back?" Sorin asked turning to Sephira who still stood by her black dragon's furry head.

"Maybe. His wards might be strong enough to avoid the three-headed dragon from sensing him." Sephira answered.

"Take his helmet off." Craven said. "If he lets me ride him. He might be fast enough to get me back before dawn."

"Good luck." Sephira whispered looking to Craven and Sorin. Both of them were antsy to get moving, but she hugged them each anyway and neither resisted.

"Put out your fires and make sure you get under cover by morning. The Grey Council is arriving to Thule on Sun's day and I don't know which direction they're coming from. They'll be able to sense you even with the wards." Sephira told the Undine and Naiads before her and Rauka got on two of the gold dragons and Sephira persuaded them with effort to get them to take off in the dark.

Craven and Sorin watched her go, both feeling a sort of relief that she didn't have to go back into Icharus. Craven put on his orc armor quickly and slipped the Nimbi mask over his face before he and Sorin mounted their beasts and flew low over the dark landscape with accuracy on their superior dragons. Craven felt exhilaration leak into his mood as he enjoyed the feel of his familiar armor and the feel of riding his dragon again. His dagger was drawn after they landed in tandem in the shadow of the building. The firelight from the torches high up on the stone wall was not enough to touch them and they were strategic about how they had their dark feathered dragons fly only in the shadows over the dark landscape. They were silent as they made eye contact with each other after dismounting. The wall wasn't rough enough for them to climb, so Craven led Sorin to the front where the entrance was. The walk from the entrance of the towering wall to the doors of the sinister building was lit with torches along either side.

"There might be another way in..." Sorin whispered to Craven.

"Where they dump the bodies..." Craven said with dark recognition as he led Sorin around the other side of the building. Sorin had to stifle a gag as they found themselves in a bog full of rotting bodies and the smell of the facility was amplified by the stinking water. Craven didn't look down and instead focused on being quiet in the water as he made his way to a draining grate. He almost wished they had just flown from the top and taken a chance that the guards wouldn't see them. He had to hold his breath to keep from being sick from the sludge that poured through the bottom of the grate. Then he spotted the metal trap door where they must've thrown the bodies and covered his mouth as he stepped on his dead kin and humans to get to the door. The thin Nimbi dagger was narrow enough to slip through to unlock it. It fell down and he and Sorin both braced it so Craven could see into the room it led to. It was the room with the dead orc bodies and there were no torches lit or voices so he let the door drop. Craven pulled himself up into the room and held a hand out to pull Sorin up after him. They crouched in the dark as they made their way around the bodies. Sorin cringed when he felt one of them drip onto him through his armor as they skirted the room. The hall was lit with torches, but Craven didn't see anyone along the dim hall. He grabbed the nearest torch and it hissed as he pressed it against the wet floor. He twisted it against the floor until it went dark. Sorin followed his lead and they did the same to two more torches on their way toward Erek's room. Craven could hear a deep blood-curdling groan from Erek's room and he stood with his back to the wall and his dagger drawn while he looked around the doorframe. There was a witch in the room with him dripping a yellow venom into his mouth which made him groan and gag. Craven didn't wait, he slit the black hooded figure's neck down to the vertebrae.

"Craven." Erek whispered in relief as Craven looked down at the pale face of the witch to make sure she was really dead.

"Come on." Sorin said, cutting the leather straps holding Erek before prying open the metal around Erek's bruised bloody wrists.

"Craven, I thought they got you!" Erek said in a harsh whisper as his face was still twisted in pain. Craven pried at the iron collar that was tight around his friend's neck.

"I'm here to get you out. Our dragons are waiting on the side of the building to fly us out of here." Craven whispered as his dagger nicked Erek's neck. "Sorry," Craven cringed as blood leaked from the cut.

"It's nothing, Craven. Whatever they're feeding us is horrible..." He croaked, clutching his stomach as he fell from the torture device into Craven and Sorin's waiting arms.

"Should we try to get another one?" Sorin hissed in a whisper as they faced the dark hallway that led to the other torture rooms which were all still brightly lit with torches and screams could be heard echoing against the wet walls.

"Let's not risk it." Craven decided at the last minute as his friend failed to hold in a moan of terrible pain. Sorin struggled to help hold up the heavy-set orc that was barely able to move his feet to walk as his body seemed completely incapacitated by whatever curse they had fed him.

Erek's skin was slick with sweat and blood and he only had a scrap of his blackilt left around his hips. They struggled to get him out of the trap door and he slid down the metal like a dead body, falling into the other cold wet dead bodies with sadness on his face like he knew he'd become one himself.

Craven needed both his hands to get the trap door up and he cursed when he was unable to latch it from the outside.

"Just leave it. Maybe they'll think he just escaped by himself." Sorin whispered, urgently as he slipped on the bodies in an effort to lift Erek's body from the filth. Craven just lowered the cold door and it crushed into the bodies with the heavy sharp edge of it. They were knee deep in the polluted murky black water and the mud clung to their feet making it harder to wade through to higher ground. Erek had completely lost his ability to walk and Sorin struggled to keep moving with his heavy thick arm pressing painfully onto his shoulders and his boots getting pulled into the mud at the bottom of the bog.

Craven could tell Crow was not happy about the smell of him and Erek as he told the dragon to be quiet and let them into the saddle. Craven's heart was beating hard when they took off from the shadowy fields together and streaked through the cold night air at a break-neck pace.

*

They used all the water from the Undine and Naiad water bags to get the muck off their legs and boots. Craven worried they'd know he broke the orc out if he returned to the castle with the awful smell that clung to his boots. He ended up throwing away the Nimbi boots and putting on his boots that were on Crow.

"Take care of him." Craven told Dawn as Erek groaned where he lay in the grass. "Erek, fight, you bastard!" He growled as Caius lunged toward him and then put his front end down for to mount. He flinched, but something about the movement made him think Sephira had tranced with her dragon to get him back.

"Sephira says, hurry up." Sorin translated as they all jumped into action to mount the dragons. They put out the torches and Craven climbed to Caius' saddle as fast as he could watching as Oryx's bird-like talons gripped his friend carefully as they flew East.

Caius lurched forward so fast, Craven thought he'd lose his Nimbi turban and mask. He crouched as Sephira pushed Caius to his fastest pace. She knew she had limited time tranced with her dragon before Azaesel might come and find her. She realized he had showed up after each time she reached out to Sorin or Caius while in the castle. Her slow dragons had just made it back when she reached out with Caius to see Craven and Sorin had been successful in rescuing Erek. She was breathing heavily as she willed Caius to get her mate back before the sun rose. When her concentration wavered and her mind slipped out of Caius', he assured her he would get to where she was as fast as his wings could carry him.

"Are you okay? Did they make it?!" Rauka asked urgently as Sephira's eyes turned back to their normal color and her chest was heaving beneath her heavy gold armor as if something had happened.

"They rescued Erek. I've guided Caius to Thule with Craven but I don't know if they'll get here in time." She said breathlessly, with her hand clutching at her heart. She ached with worry about her dragon, her mate, and her brother. The others' dragons would be so conspicuous in the daylight and even Caius would be in danger if the sun rose and Azaesel or any of the Captains noticed him land on Sephira's balcony.

"You should try to rest. You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow." Rauka insisted, with a comforting hand on Sephira's shoulder.

"I don't think I can sleep... but you're right. I should try..." She said softly.

*

Sephira tossed and turned until her eyes flew open at the presence of her dragon and her mate. She leaped out of bed and flew into his arms.

"Let me wash this off..." Craven muttered, as Sephira let go and turned to her beautiful dragon. Tears leaked from her eyes with the heart-breaking feeling of making him leave as fast as his wings could carry him. She kissed the side of his face before she used all her magick and might to push off the balcony and streak towards Sorin in the East. She gasped with the effort of getting her unwilling dragon to fly away from her as fast as possible with muscles burning with exhaustion and pain in his chest both physical and emotional.

Rauka caught her body as she collapsed where she stood on the balcony. The elf was pushing her mind and her magick too much.

*

"My Lord." The urgent-sounding voice of one of the Captains interrupted Azaesel and Sephira's morning meal. Sephira could see the annoyance on Azaesel's face as he turned to the older man in the gold armor who was bowing as he addressed him. "One of the orcs in Icharus escaped last night. The guards found one of the witches dead and a door open." He said urgently. Craven watched the unconcerned look on Sephira's face with interest.

"So?" Azaesel asked, with his lip curled at having his meal interrupted.

"What should we do, my Lord?" The Captain asked cautiously.

"Get another orc?" Azaesel sneered sarcastically. "We'll likely be attacking Gundam with the forces we've been training here in another week." He announced.

"Yes, my Lord. I apologize for interrupting your meal." The Captain answered hurriedly before backing out of the room.

"See, Lord Azaesel," Sephira started, getting his attention immediately. "This is what I was worried about! If the spell isn't strong enough, the better half of our forces could turn on us." She insisted. He looked unconcerned.

"My dear Sephim, the spells are unbreakable." He tried to comfort her. "The orc that escaped was most likely one that was not fully turned yet and will die anyway." He added. Sephira kept a hold on her expression but she could feel Craven holding his breath in an effort to not react in the corner behind her.

"Well, I hope you're right. I only want our cause to be successful." Sephira lied through her teeth in an alluring voice as she lent strength to Azaesel's mesmerizing spell through the gaze of her silvery eyes into his.

"Today I will make preparations for the banquet and I'd like your help if you're willing. I also have something I'd like to show you." He told her sounding excited.

"I was hoping to do some training today." Sephira mumbled sincerely.

"Oh?" Azaesel asked sounding intrigued. Her eyes fluttered up to meet his.

"Maybe you could spar with me?" She asked in a girlish voice, making his heart beat harder in his chest.

"I would be very interested to spar with you." He grinned. Craven was surprised he didn't feel as worried about Sephira fighting Azaesel as he thought he would. Maybe she could catch him off guard if he was too worried about hurting her.

*

Sephira had reached out to Sorin briefly to see that they had all barely made it back to their hiding place without being seen or at least without being attacked. She had slipped on the more comfortable personalized armor, the silversmith had made for her along with the silky black tunic and pants that the seamstress had made to match Azaesel's. Her golden hair had been brushed out to more closely resemble a human's hair and she only had a few braids and dreadlocks in some of the longer pieces. She had requested a mask be made and was not thrilled that the mask looked more like her than the frightening dragon-like face she had described. The armor was lighter than the overly heavy thick Nimbi soldier's armor and the seamstress surprised her with a kind of golden neck piece that was embedded with jewels as if it was a kind of decorative necklace. She sat studying it when Azaesel and Qetesh landed on the balcony making her dragons' hearts spike with fear as they scattered out of the way. Craven and Rauka stood in the antechamber while Sephira had been sitting on the couch in the lounge. Rauka was glad she and Craven could hide in the dark antechamber as their eyes watched Azaesel approach Sephira.

"Just as I had hoped, your armor seems fit for royalty." Azaesel's voice said with a snakelike look to his eyes as he spoke. "Are you not satisfied with it?" He asked when Sephira seemed to not have heard his comment.

"It's fine." Sephira answered, looking up to Azaesel with an unreadable expression.

"Then what's the matter?" he asked. Sephira had to think quickly and she feigned pretending to phrase something that was bothering her.

"I...it's nothing." She answered, knowing her real problem was only the thought of meeting the entire Grey Council in only a skimpy dress with no weapons and on top of that she had to focus all night on keeping her tattoos and her intentions hidden.

"Come. Let's go meet the nobles in charge of the banquet!" Azaesel pressed, holding his hand out for her to take. She clipped the neckpiece around her neck and went to put on her mask. "Oh, don't bother with that!" Azaesel said, pulling it away from her and grabbing her arm to pull her away from the couch. Craven and Rauka had both drawn their swords in response to the rough maneuver. Sephira gasped and put her hand up to stop them, but she was looking at Azaesel's angry reaction to their brazen reactions.

"Okay, let's go." Sephira said when she had regained her composure. She took her arm from him and led him to the balcony where her dragons waited for her and four of Azaesel's dragons had gathered as if to intimidate Sephira's dragons more. It lent an uncomfortable feeling to the atmosphere that emanated from her dragons. She bid her larger male to take off after Qetesh and Azaesel and felt the other three dragon follow behind her as if to make sure she didn't attack their master from behind.

*

Sephira was introduced to the seven women responsible for planning the events for Azaesel and the Grey Council. They were all wives of wealthy men that funded the Grey Council in a way Nobles would fund a Monarchy, but it was odd that the druids of the Grey Council were foreigners to Lightning Territory. It was called a Kingdom, because it used to have a King, but Azaesel used the Grey Council to help him overthrow the King in order to take control of the large territory that was known for having a large army. Azaesel, Sephira noticed, seemed to have the power and position of a king while the Grey Council was treated more like the nameless faceless members of a King's Council. The aristocratic women fawned over Azaesel and they seemed unable to resist his charm, despite his orc-like features. Sephira knew the orcs and humans had a rocky past, with humans being driven to violence towards orcs based only on their appearance. She was surprised by how the maids and other women seemed taken by Azaesel and wondered if it was his spell alone, or if they genuinely thought he was attractive. She realized, she herself was biased towards orcs and hadn't noticed how odd it was to see female humans interested in an orc-like man with darker skin. She never feared orcs and admired their superior physiques since she was young. She was more turned off by a human's blunt teeth than the sharp fangs she was used to, but she noticed with most humans it seemed to be the opposite.

She was almost relieved that Azaesel had forgotten about her request to spar with him because she was exhausted from not sleeping more than an hour or so the previous night. She followed Azaesel around as he excitedly planned the lavish event and she mostly stayed quiet unless he asked her opinion on something. He also, she noticed, forgot to show her whatever he had planned on showing her. It wasn't until the evening that he noticed she wasn't quite herself and she told him she didn't get much sleep the previous night. He let her go back to her chambers and when she landed on the ledge she saw Rauka had fallen asleep on the couch in the lounge. She took off her armor and went through the curtain into the sleeping chambers to find Craven had fallen asleep on the bed. Her footsteps were too quiet to wake him, but he gasped when she started pulling off his armor.

"Are your ribs healed already?" she asked, quietly as she ran her hand softly over his side.

"They don't hurt that bad." Craven mumbled, not opening his eyes as he tried to pull her down into bed with him. She slipped out of his tired embrace to get her crystal from her tunic only to find it missing from the pocket. She frowned, looking on the floor and then around at the dresser, and in the drawers. "Come to bed." Craven begged.

"I can't find my crystal." Sephira pouted.

"Maybe the maid..." Craven's voice trailed off as if he lost the energy to finish his sentence. Sephira made a note to question her nervous maid when she came to offer them dinner and then slid into the lush bed next to Craven.