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Prologue

Then…

SLADE

Hands chained and bound, I stare through the cage bars It’s quiet today It’s been quiet all week, in fact Quieter than usual

So

Closing ainst the stone wall behindtucked behind her ear as she smiles over at someone who is too blurry to make out She must be farther away today

But I see her

That’s all that matters

I’ve seen this i my mind, because I want to see it at least once myself

Not that I’ll claim her

I just want to see her with my own eyes

See if she’s as perfect as she’s been inyears

The ground vibrates under h to cause me to open my eyes and look around Nu toof power is

Then the ground rumbles, and every cell seems to shift

Jerking at the chains, I forcemy arms stretched to their limit as everyone else followsto their feet, I listen, hearing so far above

“There’s a fight going on,” someone whispers

Hope becomes a stench in the room Haven’t they learned better than to feel hope by now?

Don’t they kno stupidly dangerous such an emotion is?

Before I can remind theh the cells with such explosive power that it almost blows me off my feet Numerous others are knocked down or thrown into walls

The volatile wind disappears as quickly as it cae bars that suddenly look like iron instead of spelled confines Daring to hope just a little, I glance down at my chains

I’m one of the feho is chained inside the cell, because the cell alone wouldn’t hold me

With one harsh jerk, the chain on hts up one side ofall the ti for a trap

It’s always a trap

But I know for a fucking fact they wouldn’t risk freeing me

Taking a deep breath, I rip both my arms forward Stone crumbles around the base of the chains for the first tis of the stone with them at the end