the room, ready for trouble. A swift glance told me everything I needed to know. It was the torture chamber, and the torturer was in.

I threw myself across the room in a desperate rush, catching him by surprise. We went down in a tangle of limbs. Pain shot through me as I fell atop his spines. He fought to free his arms, but even his unnatural strength was no match for the rage and hate that had built up in me. With my free hand, I drew the rusty spike that I had secreted out of his chamber days before. I brought it around in a short, brutal arc, burying it in his throat. Thick black blood poured out, steaming when it hit the floor.

Our struggle had attracted attention more quickly than I had hoped. Voices growled in the hall, coming this way. I limped across the room to the only other door. I didn’t know where it went, but it was better than here. It was locked, but that wouldn’t stop me. Not today. I took a deep breath and with a running start slammed into the door. The frame shattered and I burst into