We are led through bustling stone buildings of the rebel camp. Our shackles and chains drawing attention to us as we went on, but it was almost unavoidable as the town was full of people, peddling and working their trades. The one thing that stood out to me the most, was how many children there were. There were more children than adults here, and they cautiously watched us as we trudged by.

The men were dressed in tanned rogue's garb, and the women wore different colored hooded cloaks and wraps that covered their faces. There were a few women dressed in mage gowns, but they were nothing like what was worn in the palaces or castles I have been to. They were made of simple light fabrics, that draped to the floor in vibrant colors, each bearing the sigil of a fox in flame in different areas.

This place held its own beauty, although it was a hot sandy wasteland on the outside, the inside was vibrant in color and where teal blue water pooled it flourished in green around it.

We are led into the middle of a main street, I look ahead to see a large pyramid like structure. It was made of solid white blocks of stone and slate with an eight pillared entrance. We walk onwards and I glance at Gogo beside me, she is searching the area around us nervously.

"It's ok Gogo, we will get through this." I assure her.

She lowers her eyes.
"I hope so, my queen."

The man behind me laughs quietly to himself, he was really starting to get on my nerves. I turn completely around to face him walking backwards, picking up the slack in my chains.

"You find this funny? Shackling poor helpless women?" I scold.

He laughs louder.
"Helpless? From the strength of your mana draw, I'm pretty sure under your power, we are the ones who are helpless. I shackled you to keep the others from worrying."

"A smart man you are." I smile. "Does that mage who bosses you around know?"

"Oh yes, but the others don't, and they don't hold any magic circuits, they are commoners, still learning to fight. I appreciate you not using that power on us."

I turn back around to keep my footing, carrying on the conversation.

"We don't want to hurt anyone, we are only asking for help." I reply.

"Well...You can speak with Evanora about that, she is our strongest mage here, and the founder of this sanctuary. She already knows you are here."

This man is very informational, he doesn't seem to be holding back any answers to my questions. I turn back towards him once again.

"Whispers here travel fast...You talk to all your prisoners this much?" I ask suspiciously.

"Not really no, but you aren't exactly a prisoner here, now are you?"

He was right, the shackles were just for show, he is just trying to keep things quiet. I turn back around and carry on. We approach the entrance which is guarded by ten more guards, five on each side.

"Where is your dragon...umm....?" He asks.

"My name is Brianna.. and my dragon doesn't do well without food and water. He is waiting for me in Emeriss." I reply. "Do you have a name?"

"Garret." He replies. "Tell me...do the people of Emeriss follow you out of respect? Or do they bend the knee in fear?"

Gogo gasps and scowls at him.

And that catches me off guard, bringing back the looks on their faces in the arena. It pained me to think people feared me, that is not how I want to rule them, it is not how anyone should rule. The shock of his question causes me to stop suddenly and Garrett crashes into me. I stumble forward only to be caught by his strong arm. He pulls me up into him, pressing my backside against his front.
"I apologize for my loose tongue, Brianna." He says trying to douse the fire.

But it was too late, I could barely hear his apology through my shock. I turn to face him and place my hands on either side of his face making him look into my eyes. He rests his hands on mine staring back equally.
"I never ONCE wanted to frighten anyone. I just wanted to free them." I snap, as my eyes begin to water. Then I shove him back as far as the chains would let me. He does not resist my backlash, he only watches at me still holding onto the chains.

But Gogo wasn't finished with him and lashes out.
"YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT SHE'S DONE! WHAT SHE WENT THROUGH TO CLEAN THE TAINT FROM EMERISS, TO SAVE EVERYONE FROM EVIL!" She shouts and begins to fight her captor, pulling on her chains.

...And I watch the chaos unravel...

Gogo pulls the chains tight wrapping them around her hands over and over until the man is within inches of her. She lowers her eyes snarling. Then she strikes the man in the jaw while simultaneously letting the chains go, knocking him to the ground, he does not get up. I stare at her wide eyed, that was one impressive punch for a woman of her stature.

Garrett looks at Gogo, then at his comrade and then to me with fear in his eyes. And for a few seconds there was peace between us, which quickly ended by the blunt end of a guards sword hitting the back of Gogo's head..

Do not engage, do not engage..I repeat to myself, the last advice my father had given us. But Gogo had just thrown that all out the window. Dammit!

And the fight was on, I summon my crystals only covering my legs and arms, they click and clack together forming indestructible armor. Garrett backs up slightly at the sight and I use them to cut through my shackles leaving the chain around my neck intact.

Gogo stumbles onto her knees from the blow to her head, dazed. And suddenly we are surrounded by ten more guards pointing their swords at us. If I can disarm them without hurting them, then we may still be able to save our recruitment.

I glare at Garrett who looks around at his men then back at me. And Gogo interrupts our standoff, she pulls the chains out from under the man she comatosed then uses them to whip another in the head. He shields his face and the chain wraps around his arm twice, then pulls him into her, grabbing a dagger from his belt. She holds the blade to his throat and they stand off. She was as impressive as Kit in her fighting skill, but I need to stop this from going any further.

"Gogo! Stop!" I yell, but she ignores me, only seeing red now.

A crows screech from above stops me.
Do you need assistance my queen?

No, do not engage Revish! I snap back in thought.
He caws back circling us above.

We have the upper hand here, go to my father, let him know we are safe. And report back to me!

Yes my queen. With another flap of his wings, he flies away towards the other side of the pyramid.

Four guards move in towards me, things were happening too fast, I instinctively begin to draw mana and summon my book. It appears above me floating in the air buzzing with energy. Then Garrett does something unexpected. He summons a rune stone, no longer the knight I thought he was, it appears in his hand and he begins to draw his own mana. But his draw was nothing compared to mine.

I search my book for a spell to freeze everyone, but not paralyze. We need to talk this out. But before I can flip through the first few pages, Garrett has called forth a fireball strong enough to kill at least ten men... astonishing. I brace myself for the hit, he raises his hand as his power peaks and prepares to unleash it. Suddenly his flame dies out and he stumbles over kneeling down cursing. It was Gogo who had put a stop to his blast, by cutting into his calf with the dagger she had taken, but not before she disarmed and disabled the man she took it from. Garrett cries out in pain.

Then I feel it...A power as strong as Roan's thunder, the air around me becomes electric, prickling my skin, and the sound of thunder cracks through the sky above me. My only defense against a power this great is my buster sword made of arcane crystal. I pray it can withstand the hit.

I draw a large amount of mana dropping my book to the ground, then call forth my crystals. As the sword begins to form, the air around us is sucked in and everyone stumbles towards me. But as the tip of the blade comes to light, arcane energy bursts out of it, sending everyone onto their backs. I turn quickly bringing up the sword in both hands, just in time to meet the lightning. It hits with colossal force, pushing me back on my feet. I slide back towards Garrett, holding my blade firm in an attempt to break its strength. This lasts for minutes until I am on one knee barely holding on. As a last minute defense, I push my blade upwards as hard as I can before I lose control. This forces the lightning upwards into the sky and it disappears, echoing into the distance.

I lower my blade, still kneeling and breathing heavy. I look ahead to the mage who produced such a mighty blast of lightning. It was a woman, black hair, violet eyes, and pale flawless skin. She wore a ruby red mages gown with gold charms hanging from a belt around her waist. "Evanora". I whisper.

Her eyes lock onto mine, although her expression doesn't show any fear, the shake in her hands tells me no one has ever survived a lightning blast by her. I come to my feet and grip my sword. Gogo stands beside me fully armed now, ready for anything. The guards around us bring up their swords and Garrett draws more mana in..

"So the rumors are true." Evanora says, her voice trembling.

We watch her intently waiting for the next move. She lets her orb disappear, flicking a hand at her guards, and they put their weapons away. I let my blade dematerialize and place a hand on Gogo lowering her dagger.

I step forward towards Evanora.
"We are not here to fight, arch mage, we are here as allies." I reply.

She glances at Garret behind me, who is breathing heavy from the gash in his calf, still holding his mana draw.

"You alright Garrett?" She asks.

"Yeah." He grunts.

I turn to Garrett and walk towards him while summoning my book back to my side. He watches me nervously as I kneel beside him.

"My apologies Garrett, please let me heal you."

Before he can protest I place a gentle hand on his calf and whisper the incantation. The wound closes up almost instantly, I look into his eyes and he stares into mine.

"I'm sorry Garrett. I didn't mean for this to happen."

And his eyes soften, as the tension between us subsides slightly. He stands up before and reaches a hand out, helping me back up.

"You are something else, Queen of Emeriss." He replies, and I can see a half smile form under his covered face.

"I would say the same for you, and here I thought you were a knight." I wink. He lowers his eyes to the ground and chuckles.

"Summoner of Dragons." Evanora Calls. "Come with me, we have much to discuss."

I glance at Gogo who looks at me nervously. I smile and she seems to relax after that, handing  the blades over to the guards. They unshackle her and Garrett unshackles the chain around my neck. Whispering of how I could do it myself.

"But where's the fun in that?" I ask. He shakes his head smiling. Then he takes both our arms in his and courts us through the entrance and into the pyramid, following behind the arch mage.

——————————————-
Kit pov

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT OLD MAN!!" Vance shouts, holding Jed up by his shirt.

"That would be sir to you! Now get your hands off me boy! Or I'll show you what the word "great" in my name really means!" He snarls back.

Vance reluctantly lets go, cursing heavy. Harold and Grim move over to my side of the cell, so as not to get in the way of anymore scuffles. They are silent through this whole argument, knowing better than to speak in the heat of an argument between these two.

"Calm down guys, have faith in our Queen and in Gogo. They are probably more dangerous than the entire rebel army put together." I chuckle.

Vance blows out a long breath still cursing. And Jed laughs whole heartedly.

"You're right about that! Those girls...looks aside, could take down three times the men guarding us right now.

I look around at our cell, and the guards that keep watch over us. They were heavily equipped and wore light clothing. Most look like Jed right now, he must have had an influence on their armor and garb, as well as their weapons and training.

Our cell was smaller, with a dirty stone floor, encased in a wooden structure and bars made of steel. There was a force around the cell, which is most likely some type of magic, making any type escape futile. We were stuck here, that was for sure.

And here I stand, watching these two bicker and swear at each other for over an hour now. Shockingly, Vance has thrown his respect for the father of his bride to the floor. I would never speak to Jed like that, especially if I were to marry his daughter. Which brings my thoughts to Brianna, gods I wish I had her, just one more time. She's gotten more attractive since I had first met her. Her skin has turned a deep Caramel color in the desert sunlight, her hair is a lighter summer blonde, which complements the green glow in her eyes. Her temperament has changed, and for the better I think. She is no longer that timid and shy girl she used to be...no...she is strong and bold, never doubting herself or her power, and she holds onto that golden heart of hers, spreading her love through the realms, to anyone she meets.

I hope she is ok, although I know she out does most men and women around here... still...this isn't the best situation we've all been in together. But Jed seems fine with it, which has me thinking this is all part of his wacky plan.

"What's the plan now, Jed? We got into the camp, what do we do now?" I ask.

He grins.
"We Wait..." He replies, ever so simply.

I sigh. I am already impatient and it has only been a couple hours.

"So we just sit here like prisoners and do nothing?" Vance snaps.

"Yes.." Jed laughs.

Vance slams a fist against one of the metal bars, only to be shocked by it.
"Ow! Damnit!" He curses.

"Listen to me boy!" Jed shouts at Vance. "Evanora will figure out soon that I am Brianna's father. Once she figures it out she will release us and we can get on with our mission. Separating us was the best thing we could do. She knew we were coming, from the minute we hit the chasm she knew of Brianna's presence. If we showed up together they would have killed us all."

"I still don't get it old man, why would it matter if we were separated or not? If anything they would have been safer by our side!" Vance argues.

And I begin to realize why. The knights of Emeriss hunted these people, all of them groups of men who did unspeakable things. But two women alone would cause suspicion, and suspicion leads to questions, and questions need answers. They would capture us instead of killing us, and get their answers.

"Because the rebels..." Jed begins, I cut him short finishing his explanation.

"Because the rebels are used to being hunted by men, women are a rare sight, especially women who lead men. This causes questions, and questions need answers, Vance. And Gogo's white fox illusion gave them a hint we were coming. It was all a part of jeds plan...well done sir." I bow my head to Jed.

He smiles back at me sharing a comrade to comrade moment before turning his focus back to Vance.

"I still don't like it." Vance says.

"Dammit boy! You are as stubborn as Brianna!" He's complains.

We are all interrupted by the familiar caw of our good friend Revish. He swoops down in crow form landing just outside our cell. He glances at all five of us.

"You all smell like fornication, what have you been doing?" He asks sarcastically, cackling to himself.

"Hey now! Don't be groupin us into dare sideways quarrels mate." Grim replies.

"Did you find Brianna?" Vance asks eagerly.

"Yes, she is fine and Gogo is in good hands as well. In fact I've never seen a woman knock a man unconscious so quickly before."

I grin wildly. I trained that girl well, she is my best student of course she can disable a man twice her size in mere seconds.

"I trained her well Rev." I reply.

"That you did, as for Brianna, well she defended herself against a fierce lightning strike from your Umm..."catcall"... I believe, as she calls her." And the crow winks at Jed.

"She did what?!" Vance shouts.

And Jed bursts out laughing.
"Well, well, well, Rev, looks like you've picked up some humor along the way. Yes my lady Evanora is one of the strongest mages I have ever met. Until Brianna summoned that dragon that is."

"Yes, well it would seem the quarrel between the guards and her ended positively. They are leading them both into that large pyramid over there to talk." Rev turns his beak towards the stone structure beyond.

"So it is only a matter of time before we get out of this cell, and join them?" I ask.

Rev twitches his head.
"That is correct. Your plan was wise sir Jedrick. But I have been told to wait here with you until Brianna has settled things."

"Very good, we will wait patiently for Brianna and Gogo. Thank you for your help, Revish." I reply.

"Of course, rogue warrior." He bows his head in my favor then spreads his wings and flies up into the top of a small pillar.

"I'm still not sure about that guy..." Vance whispers.

I roll my eyes, he is having trouble connecting with everyone in the group. He seems a little more on edge since we lifted the taint off of Emeriss. I can understand a little, he did watch the love of his life almost die, then almost die again, and his jealousy towards me is reasonable. But I have never seen him go this insane over a woman before. He loves her deeply, and if he ever found out her feelings for me, he would never forgive me. But all of this doesn't give reason to lose control of one's temper.

"Vance, look... it's going to be ok, let's have faith in our ladies. They are strong and fierce. I don't doubt their abilities to lead us in this task." I reply.

He scoffs at me, crossing his arms pouting.
"You all better be right, I can't lose her to anything."

"Neither can I." I reply quietly, only to get a glare back from him.

And we wait...