Dream of Dragons

princess.”
Loren leaned back, tears in her eyes. “I know. I just don’t know what to do, Kae. My mother is dying and no one knows how to cure her. I feel so helpless.”
“Hey, don’t cry. I’m sorry for being mad, but getting locked up kind of does that to you.” Kae said softly, slipping her hand through the bars to lay it on Loren’s. “I’ll help you. I wasn’t able to help with your last crazy adventure, so I’ll make up for it here.”
“But where do we start?” Loren sniffed, wiping the tears from her eyes. She didn’t move the hand that was under Kae’s.
“Well…Getting me and Ma’trii out is a start. Not to be rude, but we can’t do anything from in here.” Kae said with her usual cocky smile. Loren couldn’t help but chuckle.
The princess took a ring of heavy iron keys down from the wall, and had Kae and Ma’trii out of the cell in a couple of minutes. The huntress stepped out of the cell, stretching and rubbing her wrists that were sore from shackles. Ma’trii stepped out soon after Kae, opening and closing his mouth to massage his jaw.
“So, princess.” Kae said, looking to Loren. “Now what do we do? Are you sure this won’t land us back into the dungeons?”
“I promise, this won’t. I just have to talk to the Warmaster, or Spymaster-“
“Yes, my lady?” a voice said by the entrance to the dungeons. “Would you like to explain to me and Sairus why you are releasing prisoners?”
Loren turned, and was face to face with Spymaster Isran. He had his arms crossed over his chest and a disappointed look in his face. Beside him stood Warmaster Sairus, with his hand on the pommel of his sword. Behind Loren, Kae and Ma’trii took a hesitant step back into their open cell.
“Spymaster, Warmaster…” Loren began slowly, trying to think of an excuse. She didn’t think she would get this far. “I need this huntress and her Beastman companion to help me.”
“With what?” Sairus asked. He looked at Ma’trii and wrinkled his nose. “That is no Beastman. And they are still prisoners, my lady. Your father’s orders.”
“I know! I know my father ordered them captured. But they did nothing wrong! I wasn’t hurt, I went with them on my own!”
“My lady.” Sairus’s voice was firm. “We cannot trust them, you have to understand. The queen was almost assassinated by someone we thought was harmless, and trustworthy. You are too important to be left alone with strangers.”
“He’s right, my lady.” Isran said, his voice soft compared to Sairus’s. “You father will die of heartbreak if he loses you too.”
Loren hung her head, defeated. She looked back to Kae and Ma’trii, but the two had already returned to their cell. Kae closed it behind her, and was just waiting for Loren to relock it. The huntress smiled.
“It’s alright, princess. We understand, and we don’t hold it against you.” Kae said from behind the bars. Ma’trii came up and stuck his nose through, panting happily.
“If its any comfort, my lady, we’ll make sure those two are well taken care of.” Isran said. Sairus still looked at Ma’trii with disgust in his eyes, but with no hostility.
Loren approached the cell door and turned the heavy iron key to lock it. She couldn’t meet Kae’s eyes, and turned away so she wouldn’t have to. She stopped, as Kae took a hold of her arm and tugged it gently.
“It’s alright, princess.” The huntress repeated, smiling softly. “We’ll be here if you need us.”
Loren could only nod, fighting back tears, and pushed past Sairus and Isran as she left the dungeons.
The two advisers sighed and shared a look, before turning towards Kae and Ma’trii.
“We have some questions for you two.” The Spymaster said.
“And we will take very good care of you.” The Warmaster added.
The guards assigned for the night shift came at midnight. Two Beastmen clad in the plate armor of the guard stood at the entrance of the dungeons, one facing in and one facing out. Kae yawned, and leaned against the far wall of hers and Ma’trii’s cell. It had been hours since Loren met them. The Spymaster and Warmaster asked basic questions; who they were, how did they meet the princess, what were they really. They didn’t seem too worried about the huntress, but Warmaster Sairus always looked at Ma’trii with disdain. Most true Beastmen did.
An alarm of some kind sounded outside the dungeons, in the courtyard. Kae thought nothing of it, but the two guards at the dungeon doors took off running. Kae leaned against Ma’trii for warmth, and began to nod off to sleep. Under Kae’s head, Ma’trii shifted and suddenly stood, dropping Kae’s head to the floor.
“What? Ma’trii, what was that for?” Kae grumbled.
“Nice to see you too, Kae.” Loren said, her voice muffled by a cloth drawn over the lower half of her face. She was busy fitting the key into the lock.
“Princess?” Kae said in disbelief. “What are you doing here?”
“Getting you out, obviously.”
“What about the Warmaster and Spymaster? Your mother?”
“I know!” Loren hissed with such urgency that Kae was taken aback. “I know about all that. But I cannot stay here, I have to leave.”
“Why?”
“I just have to leave! Come on, hurry up!” Loren said, throwing the cell doors open. She led the way out of the dungeons, trusting Kae and Ma’trii to keep up with her sweeping cloak. She was dressed just like a thief in the night, and Kae hoped to all the gods that would listen that this escapade wouldn’t land her in the dungeon again. Or worse.
The alarm that drew the guards from their posts was a fire in the stables. Kae couldn’t hear any panicked neighing, and assumed that Loren set the fire in one of