My breath was ragged and sweat started to bead on my forehead despite the cold air seeping around the door overhead. I wanted to go out there, needed to.

But Thain told me to stay here, and I was determined to do it.

I gritted my teeth and made myself a mantra, chanting it obsessively.

Stay here.

Stay here.

Stay here.

My ears twitched as I heard yelling outside. I squeezed my eyes shut and chanted harder in my head.

STAY HERE.

STAY HERE!

I grunted and gripped the railing harder as I stood on the top steps, just under the door. The door that could take me to the training field. The training field that Schula was on right now.

More voices. Some snarling. A loud roar.

"Stay here," I whispered out loud, begging myself to listen. "Stay here, stay here!"

I started my breathing and tried to dip into my serene magic state, but I couldn't quite get there. It felt as though my mind was fading in and out, trying to visualize my little cabin but I couldn't get there.

With one more burst of effort, I forced my way there.

It felt like all the air was knocked out of me. The white spark, the one I saw when Nasir first met me in my cabin, was screaming out. Pain. Fear. Love. Regret.

The spark sent a whirlwind of emotions my way, and I felt her in her rawest magic state. My white spark was Schula.

I opened my eyes, my real eyes. I couldn't do this, the pull was too strong. Nothing was going to make the urgency in this connection ease until Schula was safe.

I gritted my teeth and pushed open the door above me. Thain would be pissed but I could worry about that later.

I climbed out of the doorway and my head snapped to the far side of the training grounds. Somehow, Schula's head turned to me and if we were closer I was sure we would have locked eyes.

She was still chained up, but now a small blizzard was swirling in the space around her. Thain, at least I was pretty sure it was Thain, was hunched over nearly on all fours in a blur of fangs and fury. He was more beast than fae, he was a thing unlike I had ever seen him though I had seen glimpses of it through his glamour. His silver eyes glowed as he fought to gain space between Schula and the warriors, but he was badly outnumbered and already he had an open wound on his shoulder that glistened red.

I didn't have time to think before my body moved. I ran to my friends, leaning over and scooping up the wooden practice axe I had dropped earlier on my way. Thain was doing such a fabulous job distracting the Winter fae around him and Schula that they didn't notice I was almost upon them until it was too late. 

I lifted the wooden axe and slammed the thick head of it into the nearest fae. If it weren't for the fact that she was turning around at the last second, I wouldn't have bloodied her nose the way I did. The snap of cartilage rang clear in my ears as she fell to the ground, clutching her face.

No time, I had to keep going.

Two fae tried to turn to me but Thain was quick to take a swipe at one of them, leaving me with just one to deal with.

And if I was a trained warrior, maybe I could have. My few weeks of meditating and stretching were not going to help me here. Not against the large male with yellow eyes and a snarl on his face. His arms were as thick as my torso, he would be able to snap me in two if he got a hold of me.

I took a wild swing with the axe and missed horribly. This fae was much more ready for a fight than the one who's nose I broke. 

Then, he landed a punch on me, right in the soft spot under my rib cage. The wind was knocked out of me as I rolled across the stone training grounds.

"No!" I weak cry came from Schula, who struggled on her chains. 

That made me angry. They chained her up. They chained up what could quite possibly be the heir to the Winter court, and did who knows what to her while she was helpless. Did they know why they tormented her? Or that she could be DuVarick's child?

Not only this, but what torments had she endured in the past to this court? To DuVarick?

I unclenched my fist and let the wooden axe clatter to the floor. I watched, panting, as the big fae came after me for another attack.

And then, I set the world on fire.

No control, no holding back, I let it out. I roared as my back arched on the cold stone beneath me and I threw flames out around me. I know I caught up the fae charging at me, because he screamed as the heat and flame hit his clothing.

I hoped I hadn't hit Thain, but I was pretty sure I was well away from him at this point. 

But my little show got the attention of more than just my attacker. 

Several heads turned my way. Thain took the opportunity to attack anyone who was distracted. Schula's eyes bored into me with a desperate want, and I'm sure my face mirrored hers as I called out. "I'm coming!" 

I  climbed to my feet, slightly shaky but mostly intact. A few of the fae tried to use their magics against me, but no wind, rain, snow, or anything else was able to penetrate my radius of fire. 

I quickly positioned myself behind Thain, who took up the mantle of protecting me and Schula though he didn't look too good. There had been an awful lot of warriors to fight, and as powerful as he was, Thain was only one male in the midst of them. 

But my eyes were locked on Schula. Up close, I could see healing over bruises, and the scars on her body that I had seen in the bath were joined now by new lacerations. I snarled as I attacked the chains. "Let go!"

I reached out with my hands and grabbed the links, burning them, melting them, pulling them off of her and off the tower that held her.

Schula whimpered, but I was already being as careful as I could. I tried a little harder to be gentle as I pulled the metal from her wrists and ankles. I sagged with relief when she fell into my arms, extinguishing my fire, then the both of us fell over.

She was in my arms, finally, and she was safe. And she would never be hurt like this again as long as I drew breath. Tears fell from her icy blue eyes and she burried her face into my neck. 

"Wren," she sobbed. 

"We have you now," I whispered, stroking her hair. "It's going to be okay."

"Wren, you beautiful fool," she let out a choked laugh among her tears. "If anything happened to you... You shouldn't have come for me."

"What?" My heart tightened. 

She did hate me after all, didn't she? 

No matter, she was safe.

"Wren," she looked at me with big eyes and placed a soft kiss on the tip of my nose. "Wren, you're mine, and I'm yours. Of course I don't want any harm to come to you, you're my triquetram."

Triquetram.

It hadn't occurred to me that somewhere out there I might have one. To have found one of them, and for it to have been Schula all along...

"Tri..." I blinked at her.

She nodded furiously, tears still in her eyes but a big smile on her face. 

"I finally found you," Schula whispered.

An angry roar brought us back to the world around us. Thain was furiously fighting the winter court warriors, and even now more of them pored into the open grounds from more wooden doors like the one I came through.

"Shit," Schula coughed.

I took off my training coat and slipped it over her. She needed the padding more than me. I discarded the helmet and was left with boots, padded pants, and the undershirt from my servant disguise.

"We need to go," I said. She nodded and we turned to see how Thain was fairing. 

He had taken several blows, but was still standing. Blood dripped on the ground around him, mixing with the snow and making his footing treacherous and slippery.

I turned my head, trying to find a closer door than the one on the other side of the training grounds. There were several, but they all had at least one fae between us and escape.

Since there was little difference between them, I chose the closest one and ignited my flames again. I made a sudden push for the door, but the warrior was not surprised by my actions. He was not ready either. 

I flung one arm out before me, the other supporting Schula. Fire spat toward the big male and threatened to engulf him, but his own powers were pushing mine back, barely. 

Schula threw an arm out to mirror my own, and my eyes grew wide as the air around us gathered into little ice crystals, and reinforced my attack tenfold. It knocked the warrior aside as though he was a doll in a wind storm.

I felt it, her presence and powers supporting mine. This was what Thian had meant all along. Her strength is my strength, and my weakness is her weakness. I could see how in DuVarick's madness he could lock Nassir up, though it didn't quell my anger at him for it. 

I trusted Thain to follow when he was able, and pulled Schula to the doorway. Inside, without the elements barraging us, I looked her over again. She was tired, and she was hurt, but it was survivable. 

"Can you walk?" I asked.

"I think so," she said. She took her weight off my one side, but kept a solid hold of my hand. I was happy to let her have it. I pulled us along blindly, not knowing where I was going but knowing I needed to go west to leave Icehold entirely.

The tunnels were nothing like the servant's ones I traveled before. These had less ornamental decoration and were probably added long after Nassir was imprisoned. 

"Do you know where you're going?" Schula panted.

"No," I answered.

We walked quietly, as fast as I thought Schula could be pushed. I still heard the distant sounds of Thain fighting on the roof for most of the time we were in the tunnels, until I didn't.

"Do you hear that?" I asked.

"What?" Schula whispered.

"Nothing. Thain was fighting, and now he isn't," I said.

She tilted her head to the side, pointing one ear to where we had come from. "Nothing. You're right."

Neither of us wanted to ask the question, but we were both thinking it.

Was Thain okay?

"Hey," I whispered. "We're nowhere near the ballroom, right?" 

"I- OOH!" Schula was snatched inside a darkened room, the surprise of it caused me to lose my grip on her hand.

"Schula!" I hissed and pushed into the room, only to be pulled further into it by a thin hand with long claw-like nails.

The room was black. I panicked and brought up a flame to my hands as I searched desperately for Schula.

A pink figure closed the door swiftly and pressed a hand to my mouth firmly. 

"Shh," it whispered.

I was about to loose it, when I spotted a wide-eyed Schula sitting on... a bed? 

She was unharmed, sitting there in shock. I made note of the nature of the room. I would have thought it was someone's living quarters, but there were no chests or wardrobes and candles lined every corner, flickering temptation and secrets making the room look eerie. There was a certain seductive musk in the air that reminded me of something. This room had one purpose, and the bed being the sole furniture in it attested to that. I was about to pull the hand from my mouth and that's when the footsteps started.

Right outside the door, the hallway had maybe six or seven beings were running.

My heart pounded for Thain. Was he okay? Was he being chased?

The footsteps slowed, and I distinctly heard doors being opened and closed around us. 

Panic started to set in when I was gently tugged to the bed. I was urged, along with Schula to get under the blankets, and then I turned and recognized the pink figure with short black hair and crystal white eyes. She was naked as the day she was born, save for a diamond collar and a golden ring.

"Krissaph?" I mouthed? 

She winked at me and pulled the blankets over my head, covering me and Schula in one swoop. I heard her blow out a few of the candles before I heard the door pull open.

"Oh, excuse me, Krissaph," a rough voice said. "Have you seen a white fae and an acomplice come by here?"

I began to sweat under the heat of the blankets. Schula reached out and held my hand, which helped my nerves.

"No, I'm certain I've been quite... busy, and haven't noticed anyone else," she purred. "Would you care to join us, captain?" 

"No," the voice said curtly. "Go about your business, but alert us if you see anyone suspicious."

"Your loss," Krissaph giggled. "I'll let you know, captain."

"Right," the captain said, and then I heard the none-too-gentle closing of the door.

The opening and closing around us continued for several minutes before fading. Krissaph finally pulled the blankets from over us and peered down at us with a sly grin.

"Hello you two," she mused. "I got your birdie, and I'm here to help."