I lifted my head after several minutes of wallowing in despair. That's enough, I thought to myself. I need to do something.

But what? I couldn't contact Grace. The Fiend's presence was separating our minds. And I couldn't move much, not without choking myself on the metal collar around my neck. I nearly glanced up at the plate with the carving on it, but looked away at the last second. I didn't want to empower the Fiend any more, but I did want to think about that carving.

Impurity. When I thought the word, I saw the rune in my mind's eye, and the Fiend stirred to life anyway. That was what Provost Dulin had said about these carvings, right? They were raw knowledge, contained within a shape. The speech of the Great Ones. Which meant…the lantern-bearer from my vision was a Great One. They had to be, that was how they communicated with me. Lantern-bearer…Lantern-Light…could they be a servant of the Lantern-Light that Cèlisians worshipped? But Barbosa had called the red moon the Lantern-Light, and the thing in my vision didn't seem to be very fond of that moon. Was he just wrong? I could see that. He was definitely delusional, at least

I growled and pressed my claws against my temples. The cracks in my mind were sore, like this line of thinking was rubbing them raw, reopening scabbed wounds. The identity of the beings in my vision weren't the most important thing right now. What mattered was that that carving, Impurity, somehow triggered the Fiend. It was the same carving from the catacombs and the windmill village, where all the inhabitants were infected by the Scourge, where the corruption had taken deep root in the land itself, and the spirits were foul and distorted.

So…the Scourge either was "impurity", or it was exacerbated by it. Not that I had any idea what "impurity" meant. But if it was setting off the Scourge, and it also stirred the Fiend…then I must be….

I shook my head violently at the thought, sending the chains clattering and clanking over the floor. No. No! If I was infected, I could have spread it to the others! To Grace! At any second, any one of us could turn into a monster. Was that what Brand had talked about when she mentioned turning into "demons"? Were those just dragon-fiends? But then every dragon would have to have the Scourge if any one of them could become a demon, and no one had ever mentioned the disease until recently. And I still didn't know how the concept of "impurity" played into all this!

That also must mean that the "Great Mind" carving we saw in the catacombs somehow suppressed the Fiend, since that's the only other carving we saw, and it was at that time that the Fiend went away. As I thought about it, I heard the Fiend's thoughts retreat. But they didn't fully cease. I guessed I'd need more power, like how Barbosa had ignited the Impurity carving with fiend blood to corrupt me.

Okay, I thought to myself. Time to gather my thoughts. The Fiend in me and the thing that turned humans into monsters were closely related, and were some kind of impurity. When it was given control, that impurity apparently manifested as violence, or…something. Maybe "selfishness", since our greed or pride didn't necessarily mean being violent. And it was alive in me, as well is in the rest of the dragons in our flight.

I let out a long breath. Having more knowledge felt good, but I looked at the Fiend with greater suspicion. Grace had suggested I work with it, but now I wondered if that had just gotten me closer than I knew to becoming a demon. The human fiends didn't have any semblance of self left in them, and I suspected that if the same thing happened to me, neither would I. I'd have to figure out a way to suppress it again after I got out of here. If I got out of here. Although….

I looked down at my chains. My memory of the moments that the Fiend had control was a little hazy, and painful to recall. The bloodlust that had roared in my mind was horrifying, and I shuddered at the thought. But I did remember that when I had raged against the chains, there had been a popping sound. And sure enough, one of the links attaching my neck to the wall was broken on one side. The metal had been stretched a little, but not enough to fit the next link out of the hole and free myself. I'd need to bend the chain a little more, not to mention burst the shackles on my arms. But it was a good sign.

I tried to fit my claws into the link, but my hands were too big to get any leverage to try and pry the metal apart. I shook my head, sat up, and tried to shift. Maybe if I made myself a little smaller, I'd be able to break the chain. Or maybe, if I was able to become human again, I could just slip out of the shackles sized for a dragon. I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of that yet.

But when I brought myself back to that endless sea in my mind, it was rough. Stormy. The water was opaque, filled with static. There was a red haze in the air that choked my breath. I coughed, opening my eyes again. A needle of dread pierced my heart. It was gone. The place in my head that let me get closer to being human, it was a ruin. I couldn't go there now. Maybe I wouldn't be able to go there ever again.

I stamped on the stone floor and growled again, this time at myself. I was here alone, with no support from my friends. I couldn't let myself get swallowed up in sorrow. I had already had my one allotted time to let my emotions out. Now I had to put them aside, and focus on getting out of here, before one of the archvicar's lackeys came to bleed me or dissect me or something.

I couldn't pry the chain open, so I tried thrashing against its hold. I had popped it before just straining against it, but now it gave me nothing. The wards lit up, and the metal suddenly toughened. I kept trying for several minutes, but nothing changed except that I exhausted myself further. They were too strong. I must have only been able to break it because the Fiend had given me extra strength and pushed away the exhaustion.

I heard it whispering before I even had the thought. It begged to be let back in. I could do that. I'd even probably be able to take the reins back when I needed to. I had done it every other time; the only reason I couldn't earlier was because of the carving, and it wasn't ignited right now. I knew I might get me closer to becoming a demon, but it was either risk this, or take the risk that I'd have another way out before the archvicar's plan came to fruition. My instinct was not to jump into risk, and I sat there for what felt like an hour while I slowly got thirstier and hungrier, agonising over whether I had the right idea, trying to make sure the Fiend wasn't just poisoning my reason.

But the passage of time was a looming sword I felt hanging above my head. I couldn't just sit here, indecisive. I had to take action. So I let my guard down.

I felt my mind recede, and a different set of priorities fall into place. I let out a defiant roar and hurled by body against the strength of the chains, reaching for the distant door of the chamber. I felt energy coursing through my blood like a raging torrent, and even let a little of it begin to burn to give me more power. Red shapes flashed on the shackles, but they couldn't hold me back. I heard one pop, then two more. My arm suddenly swung free, and then the rest of me fell forward, skidding across the stone on my claws.

I stood tall, huffing and snorting in triumph. The metal still clung to me, but the chains were broken. The door was before me, the exit to the open sky. I felt the needling voice in the back of my head trying to get me to slow down, and I decided to try and shove it aside. I had important things to do. People to burn. I didn't need that annoyance buzzing in my ear. I lowered my head to charge at the door.

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Then I stopped. I felt a new emotion in my heart. Fear. Why was I afraid? I was a dragon, fierce and powerful. Nothing in this world could threaten me. But I was still afraid. Afraid of…myself. Nothing else could hurt me, except for me. But I would never do that. Why would I do that? The gnat in my brain couldn't do that.

Except when it could, back beneath the dark, black water. I had been in danger then, more than I had ever felt before. The tiny insect had become an outsize threat. Even if it may never be in that position again, I was still forced into a defensive stance I had never had to take before. I couldn't squash the threat, much as I wanted to. I could only placate it, and hope it didn't take notice.

So I relinquished my grip. And then I was back, suddenly out of breath, doubled over and panting from exhaustion. The Fiend was strangely quiet. I had felt everything it felt, thought all the same thoughts it had. Why was it afraid of me? "Beneath the dark, black water," it had thought. Was that the key? Whatever space that vision had transported me to, was that the place where I could just…cut it out of me? Set myself free?

I should have felt elated. That was the closest thing to a cure I'd actually found, but for some reason all it did was make me anxious. It didn't matter then, anyway. I couldn't go back to that lake. Maybe I could ask Emrys or Provost Dulin about that, but for now, that fear was keeping the Fiend quiet, which was good enough for me.

I flipped the plate over, and a pressure lifted off my shoulders. I felt the mental walls crumble, and the Fiend receded even further. I reached out immediately.

«Grace!» I shouted in my head. «Grace, can you hear me!?»

I felt her mind come closer before she responded. «Holy saints above, Belfry!» she said. «Are you okay? Where are you? What's going on?»

«A lot,» I said, my heart filling with joy at the sound of her voice. «To keep a long story short, I jumped into a magic lake underground trying to outrun the chasseurs, but I got caught and thrown in a dungeon. I've got no idea where I am. I just got out of the restraints they used. It was…easy.» I suddenly connected the dots. «Maybe too easy. I'm worried they're going to do something when I try to escape, but I've got to try anyway. Are you okay? Did you get out of the city?»

«We're back at the castle,» said Grace. «Everything went to hell when we lost you. Arthur, Griffin, and Brand all had an attack of some kind. The ersatz can't shift back anymore, and they're saying that the voices in their heads are really loud. What the hell kind of a lake did you jump into?»

«One "with the essence of a god", apparently,» I said.

I felt the essence of a sigh through the bond. «Look,» said Grace. «I can feel that you're having issues too. The others have their minds under control for now, but are you okay?»

«I am now,» I said. «I think. There's a lot of strange things going on. I'm trying to focus on getting out of here.»

«Right,» said Grace. I could feel how nervous she was, but she didn't let it get in the way. «Is there a way you can find out where you are? Landmarks you can see, noises you can hear?»

«Nothing I can see,» I said. But hear? Maybe. I stepped up to the door, holding my ear up next to the barred window. I was clearly deep underground, because most of what I heard were rattling chains and guttural growls that might have been fiends. I closed my eyes and focussed, tuning out everything nearby. Distantly, above, were voices. They were…singing. Chanting. Like a Church choir.

«I think…I'm beneath the cathedral,» I said. «The one in the Chapel Ward.» It was a little bit of a guess, but an educated one.

«Okay,» said Grace. «I'm coming.»

I nodded. «I'll try to meet you halfway. I'm already out of my chains. I—» Footsteps cut off my thoughts, and I retreated into a corner before I could get spotted at the door. «Someone's coming. Don't get yourself killed. I'll see you soon.»

«Yeah. I'll see you.» Grace spoke with full confidence before her mind drifted a little further away.

The footsteps grew louder, echoing through the dungeon with their metallic clanks. I held my breath. Getting out of those chains had been too easy, especially since Barbosa must have seen that one break earlier when he used the carving on me. Any part of my escape attempt could get foiled by a trap at any moment. So I listened closely, trying to hear if this passing soldier was part of an ambush, or alone.

I only heard the one set of footsteps, which came up to my cell and then stopped. "What…?" I heard the soldier mumble as he peered in the window. I held absolutely still, hoping that no part of me was visible from where he stood.

I was hoping that he would just keep walking, give me some time before the alarm was raised. I heard a set of three clicks from the other side of the door, and then a slow creak as the soldier eased it open, leaning into the cell to look around. I had moments before he noticed me. I had no choice but to act.

I lunged, tackling the man out of the door and into the hall. He didn't have time to draw his sword before I pinned his arms to the ground, tearing off his helmet before covering his mouth to keep him from screaming. He was clad in full plate, like an antiquated knight, but despite the durability his armour provided him, all the metal plates were easy for me to hook claws under and pry off his body. My weight and strength were too much for him to resist as I snapped off his gorget to the sound of twisting metal and tore his throat. At least he died quickly. I was expecting to feel a rush of excitement from the Fiend, but its response was muted and not what dulled what had once been a gut-wrenching experience. No, by now I was used to killing people all on my own.

I glanced both ways, looking for more soldiers, but there were none. The hall curved inward in both directions, like it made a big circle around one wide central pillar. There wasn't a visible exit, but I figured I'd find one somewhere else along the circle. Before I left, I dragged the soldier's body into my cell, propping him up in the corner out of sight and snatched the keys he'd dropped when I attacked him. Both directions probably led me to the same place, so I went right on instinct.

The hall was little more than a square stone passage, with metal doors lining the outside. I had to crane my head up to look into the windows if I wanted to see inside the cells, but I spent time doing it anyway in case there was someone innocent in here I could save. But after the first few attempts, my hope faded. Fiend. Fiend. Dead fiend. Fiend. After Barbosa's display of power, I couldn't be sure whether these fiends were captured like that, or whether they were people that Barbosa turned into test subjects. Most of them were shaved or partially skinned, with exposed parts of their musculature bearing nests of scars and sutures. I couldn't look at them for long without feeling sick. I wished that I could save them, but letting them out would only put them and other people in danger.

As I rounded the edge of the circle, I found the exit. Behind a door that looked exactly like all the cell doors was a stairway sloping sharply upwards as it spiralled in. I was expecting a checkpoint, but there was none, just the stairs.

What grabbed my attention more, though, was the huge steel grate on the inner pillar just in front of the exit door, letting me see inside. It wasn't just another cell. It was a pit that descended at least a hundred feet further down. At the middle of the grate was a barred door, behind which laid a small walkway that led to a simple lift, which was the only way in and out of the pit I could see. The bottom was shrouded in darkness, but my draconic eyes could make out a huge, monstrous form, chained by its arms to the ground. I couldn't see much detail, but I thought it looked like the one that had drank from the lake in my vision.

I couldn't help myself but stare, wondering who they might have been, and whether their corruption was any different than that of those in the city today. The Fiend urged me to enter. I could let them loose. As long as I escaped, a fiend that big would be able to wreak havoc on Barbosa's cathedral.

I shuddered. That would also risk hurting innocent people that might be at the cathedral. Worse, it could hurt Grace if she got here while it was still on a rampage. That was enough to quiet the Fiend. I backed away from the grate. I just needed to get out of here. I could almost feel the presence of fiends here like a pressure on my scarred brain. I stumbled toward the exit, suddenly overwhelmed by the atmosphere, and finally slotted the key on the third try before blindly sprinting upstairs.

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