• A voice came out of the darkness. "Where is he?"

    Kohana remained silent. She had stopped struggling against her captor long ago. Her hands, tied above her head, were bloodied from struggling when she first came here. She had lost track of time. She thought she was underground but wasn't positive. The air was damp and smelled of earth. Perhaps days had passed, perhaps weeks. She wasn't sure. She did know that she was unable to use her magic.

    Her red hair was matted with blood and sweat. Tiny cuts on her body bled. She winced, letting out a small whimper, as her captor put his blade into her flesh once more. She felt the chill of the steel as the blade made its mark, then the warmth of her blood as it ran down her back. She sighed relief when she felt the man remove the blade. The man walked around to face Kohana. He wiped the blade on his pants. He looked into Kohana's light blue eyes. She returned his stared with defiance.

    "You will never get him." She hissed through clenched teeth.

    The man let out a quiet sigh. He seemed unaffected by her answer. He shrugged. "I can do this as long as I have to. How long can you withstand it?" The man started flipping the knife into the air. He stood in the only light that permeated the darkness. His black hair covered part of his face but Kohana could still see his dark eyes. He leaned against a small table, gently placing the knife next to him. He crossed his arms. His features, although attractive, were partially covered in shadow, giving him a twisted appearance. "All they want to know is... where did you put the boy?" His voice echoed in the room.

    The light, filtering in through a hole in the wall, suddenly became blocked. Muffled voices cold be heard on the other side of the wall. The man tilted his head toward the sounds. Slowly, he approached the hole in the wall. He peered through it, then quickly spun around. "About time." He whispered to himself. Kohana watched the man go about gathering his things -- a bag, the knife, a book. It seemed he was about to walk past Kohana when he paused. He lifted a hand to caress her face. She flinched. He leaned close to her. "I am sorry, my lady." He whispered, painfully. His eyes, void of any emotion previously, were filled with compassion. Kohana frowned slightly, confused by the man's demeanor. The man grabbed her by the jaw, pulling her toward him, and kissed her hard. Kohana grunted and tried to pull away.

    Somewhere behind Kohana, a large door slammed open. The man pulled away from kissing her, smiled and backed away. As soldiers filed into the room, shouting orders, the room lit up. Kohana could see that she was being held in a brick room. She also noticed there was no other way out. The man kept backing away, the strange smile still on his face. Kohana realized what was about to happen. She started to tell the soldiers to stay away from him, but there was no time. As the soldiers rushed the man, sparks began to spray. An earth-shattering explosion blew through the room. Kohana closed her eyes and screamed as fire and chunks of brick flew at her. She suddenly realized that the explosion had not hit her. She opened her eyes. She watched in horror as fire wrapped around her but did not burn her. She saw soldiers being blown apart by the blast, brick tearing off limbs and fire engulfing all. Eternity seemed to pass as Kohana looked on. As soon as it had started, the fire burned itself out. Kohana looked around at the bodies, her stomach beginning to feel uneasy. Ash fell in front of her eyes. She looked up and noticed the rope that held her hands was smoldering. Kohana gave the rope a hard tug. It snapped, sending burning ashes toward her. She watched them fall. They landed, not on her, but on the air above her.

    "...ana." A muffled voice floated to her ears. She turned to look at the source of the voice. At the entrance to the room, a familiar face greeted Kohana. The man's blonde hair whipped in the wind outside the room. His white tunic fluttered about his slender frame. "Hana!" Came the voice again.

    Kohana let out a sob and ran towards her friend. Her tattered red, silk gown whipped around her bloodied legs. She let herself fall into the embrace of her friend, the warmth of his skin relaxed her. He smelled of soap and leather. Kohana breathed deeply, a calm coming over her. The man wrapped his arms around her.

    The pair held each other as soldiers cleared the room. A few minutes later, a soldier tapped the man on the shoulder; he didn't react. "Lord Raven." The soldier cleared his throat. "Lord Raven, the suspect is not here, sir." Both Kohana and Raven looked at the soldier.

    "What?" Raven asked, anger rising in his voice. "How is that possible?"

    "Magic." Kohana whispered shakily. Raven looked down at Kohana, who was looking back into the room she had been held captive in. Smoke hung in the air. "He cast a spell over me... to protect me from the explosion." She blinked away tears, remembering the kiss the man had stolen from her. She was confused. "How had he been able to cast, when I wasn't?"

    Raven and Kohana stared into the room, knowing that this ordeal was far from over...