It was only a few more minutes before Ayren's first manacle broke. Now that his wrist didn't have to rest occasionally because it wasn't unnaturally bent, he could concentrate and cut faster.

It gave Rowen renewed hope. She cut one side of her left manacle and began working on the bottom portion of it.

In a half hour, her first manacle was off and Ayren had moved to his ankles.

Jason awoke and, finding himself otherwise useless, distracted everyone from worrying by chattering about any topic that came into his head--bar ones involving their current situation. It improved everyone's mental strength.

While cutting made Rowen weaker, it also strengthened and honed her magical ability, like a workout for her muscles. She was able to slice through her second manacle within the hour as she got the hang of it.

Ayren, using one hand for each side of his left ankle shackle, cut through it equally as fast. He seemed to be having difficulties with keeping balance while cutting through his last restraint, however. He occasionally expanded his wings as a reflex, and they battered Rowen and Jason in the face as he struggled to regain balance.

Jason's voice was growing hoarse as Ayren's last shackle came undone. The boy fell to the ground, wincing as his bruised ankles took the impact, and rushed to help Rowen.

"What about Jason?" she demanded.

"It'll be a lot faster if we're both working on his," Ayren explained.

The first ankles restraint fell quickly. The duo worked as fast as they could on the second one.

When Rowen finally fell to the floor, bruised and weakened, Jason sighed with relief and stopped talking.

"Yes!" Ayren pulled her into a fierce hug. Rowen wrapped her arms around his neck and hoped he couldn't feel her wildly beating heart.

*

Ayren felt Rowen's heart, beating frantically through her shirt. He grinned over her shoulder and finally pulled away.

"Hi," called Jason. "Don't want to rain on your parade, but you still have to free me and rescue Maria. Oh, and then there's getting out of this place."

"Debbie Downer," muttered Rowen, smiling slightly.

"Live in the moment," begged Ayren.

Jason groaned. "Just cut me loose."

He was free within the hour.

The friends collapsed on the floor in a bear hug. Rowen almost sobbed with relief. She was free.

Ayren was the first to rise. He eyed the metal bars somberly. "I can't touch those."

Rowen moved past him and sliced through the lock like it was butter, using the last of her strength.

It clattered loudly to the floor before she could stop it.

"What's going on?" a gruff voice called from the cell block entrance.

Ayren strode out of the cell with a fire of rage burning bright in his eyes. "Allow me."

The guard rounded the corner.

Ayren punched him in the face and fluttered into the air, wrapping his legs around the man's neck and dropping to the ground. The man's head hit the ground and he was still.

"Is he..." Rowen ventured.

"Don't know, don't care," snapped Ayren. "Let's go."

Rowen noticed there were rings of dried blood around Ayren's wrists, and more stained his jeans and shoes, running from his ankles.

"Oh, my god. Your wrists!"

Ayren glanced down and sighed. "I, um...must have pulled at the...the restraints too hard when they were looking--when you--"

"What? What happened?" Jason asked slightly hysterically.

"Tell you later. Let's rescue Princess Maria." Ayren began walking briskly toward the exit.

Rowen dimly remembered Ayren yelling and begging the guards to stop when they had used the claw (as she had nicknamed it) on her. She blushed slightly and shivered at the terrible memory.

Ayren had tried to rescue her from torture as they hung on a wall in jail together. How sweet.

*

Ayren was feeling all kinds of uncomfortable.

First there were his wrists and ankles, which stung like hell. His arms just generally hurt from being in the same position for hours.

Then there was the fact that he had nearly depleted his magic.

Next came the what the hell do I do with my life now? feeling.

And, finally...there was Rowen.

If she knew who you actually were--well, had been...

Find Maria. Focus.

Ayren ducked into the room Jason's visions had told them about. His heart clenched at the sight.

He ran back outside and blocked Jason and Rowen from seeing inside the room. "Don't look," he pleaded.

Rowen's brow furrowed. Then, her eyes shot wide open and she moved around Ayren. Jason hesitantly followed.

"No--" Ayren attempted.

"Oh my god," Rowen choked out. Jason held back a sob.

Maria was in, to put it lightly, horrible shape.

Most of her hair was gone, chopped roughly off, by the looks of it. One of her legs was bent at an unnatural angle and her arms and legs were a mess of cuts. Her face was bruised and bloodied. She was lying in a puddle of her own vomit and the cell reeked of human waste. She was frightfully skinny and from the looks of it, barely breathing.

Since she wasn't wearing any shoes, they could also see that her left pinky toe was missing and the stump was wrapped in a filthy bandage. The rough wrapping was also bloodstained.

*

Rowen dry heaved. She clung to Ayren to keep from falling.

Jason moved as if in a trance toward Maria. Incredibly gently, he picked her up. "She's so light," he whispered, tears running down his face.

"We have to go," Ayren murmured. "Can you carry her?"

Rowen could tell when he glanced at her that Ayren sensed he would have enough on his hands with caring for her.

"Of course," Jason snapped. He cradled Maria like she was a child.

Maria opened her eyes.

"Oh my god. Oh my god," Rowen began saying over and over. Jason carefully knelt.

"Maria, it's me. It's Jason."  He bit his lip, smiling nervously.

Maria smiled slightly, then winced as if the effort pained her. Her hand slowly raised to touch Jason's face. She traced his cheekbones and touched his nose and lips, as if she couldn't believe he was really there. A tear slipped down her cheek and she buried her face in his T-shirt.

"Guys." Ayren was more urgent. "We have to go--"

"Kill those bastards," Jason interrupted, straightening up. Rowen nodded vigorously.

Ayren's eyebrow raised. "Huh. That's unlike you two."

"Our best friend--" Rowen remembered that Maria was concious. She took a deep breath and let it out in a shuddering sigh. She bent her head back and took a few more deep breaths.

"Okay. I'm good. Let's go."