The Dragon King's Heart

Laina sprinted to Kol, though she was careful not to make too much noise as it may alert the patrolling guards. When she arrived by Kol's side, Laina smiled. They had found her. 

The whistle in her possession was glowing brightly.

Victoria was kept in her own cell. Her body slumped to one side with her head facing the wall. Laina could not believe that Kragen would leave Victoria in such a horrid cell. 

Someone who treats his supposed mate like this was not fit to be King. Kol looked at Victoria with a saddened expression. The scene before him reminded him of his own plight. When he disobeyed his previous master, he would be beaten bloody and bruised before being thrown into a cell just like this. 

"We need to get her out of here," Laina whispered to Kol. 

"Hey! Who goes there!" A soldier shouted in their direction, surprising them. 

Laina gasped in shock. She did not notice one of the soldiers was patrolling near them. Both Laina and Kol kept silent, hoping the soldier would assume he misheard and walk away. 

But Lady Luck was not shining upon them that day. The soldier was coming up towards them. Due to the commotion, Victoria stirred awake. As she slowly turned to look at the entrance of her cell, her expression broke Laina's heart. 

There was only despair. 

Kol was ready to attack the soldier if he got too close, but Laina stopped him. If a fight were to break out in here, their identities might be revealed. The Crown Princess of Kinshearth and her half-vampire bodyguard infiltrate the Capital City of Wolfenheim to break out a prisoner. 

This could be seen as a declaration of war. Kinshearth would not be able to win, not in its current state. The only way for them is to escape immediately. From her spatial storage, Laina brought out a small piece of crystal. 

With it, they would be able to travel instantaneously once. Laina and Kol both entered the cell. They quickly removed the cloak spell. Victoria, shocked by Laina and Kol, was about to scream when Kol covered her mouth and told her to be quiet. 

"We're here to get you out," Laina whispered to her. 

The soldier was already calling for backup, time was of the essence. Laina gripped the crystal in her hand tightly and whispered a spell. A burst of light covered the room from Laina's hand. 

But they were still in the dungeon. 

"Why isn't it working?" Laina cursed. 

Looking up at the walls around her, Laina realized that there was a spell that had been cast in this space. It had rendered her crystal useless. 

Seeing as their escape route failed, Kol looked to Laina, "What do we do now?"

Since the spell only covered the cell, it meant that if they were to carry out the spell outside of it, it would work. Laina looked towards the corridor outside the cell. She could see the soldier's shadows moving under the light of the torches. 

She turned back to Kol and Victoria, "We only have one chance. Kol, use the cloak spell on all of us. We will go out into the corridor and I will activate the crystal to get us out of here."

"But-"

"No time for hesitation. On the count of three. One, two, three!" 

Kol did as Laina had asked. Once the cloak spell covered them, Kol carried Victoria in his arms. Using an explosive spell, Laina blasted open the cell's door. Black smoke filled the space, providing them with cover. 

Once all three of them were out in the corridor, Laina placed her hand on Kol's shoulder and activated the crystal. In the blink of an eye, they were transported out of the dungeon. 

The next time they opened their eyes, they found themselves beyond the walls of Adolfa, hidden in a forest clearing. Laina heaved a sigh of relief and caught her breath. 

"That...was too close of a call," she commented as she took in big gasps of air. 

Kol placed Victoria down on the ground. The poor woman was shaking in fear. 

"It's alright. We don't mean you any harm," Kol reassured her. 

"Who… who are you?" She asked with a quivering voice, "Is this one of his tricks again? I… I can't take any more of this! Please just let me go!"

The poor woman burst out into tears as she buried her face in her hands. 

"I have done everything you've asked. Why, why are you still torturing me?!" 

Laina wrapped her arms around Victoria. She embraced the poor woman tightly. 

"This isn't one of his tricks," Laina reassured her as she wiped away the poor woman's tears with her fingers. 

"My name is Laina. I am the Crown Princess of Kinshearth and you have my word. That son of a bitch Kragen will never hurt you ever again."

Victoria had never met anyone like Laina before. Though she did not know who this princess was, her words gave her a small flickering flame of hope. 

"How… how do I know I can trust you?" She asked. 

Laina bit her lip. Indeed, she did not have anything reassuring for Victoria to put her faith in her. After all, she had come to Victoria's aid for her own selfish gain too. Laina did not want to lie to the poor woman. 

She had suffered enough. 

"You don't. I came to your rescue for my own benefit too." Laina told the truth. 

"Laina, I don't think that is going to make her trust you," Kol commented. 

Why was the princess telling Victoria the truth behind their rescue mission? This would only lead the woman to distrust them even more. 

"Let me finish. I was asked by the Moon Goddess Selene to come to your aid. But the other reason I did this, is because of my own selfish reason," Laina picked her words carefully as she watched the emotions changing and swirling in Victoria's eyes. 

"I need your help to throw Kragen off his high horse," Laina declared with a grin.