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"Pierce?" she asks. Her voice is hoarse from the tears that have burnt her throat, and she aches for the memory of her father.

His thumb traces small circles on her neck below her ear, a calming, tender movement that she never would have thought could come from someone as rough as he is. "Yes." 

"If they're what's outside, why do we even want to get out?" 

Pierce is quiet for a moment. "A pretty cage is still a cage, Trenna. And people don't like to be contained."

"Some do. Some don't care," she says, thinking of her mother, trapped in her own mind, a repeating cycle of madness. Ignorance is bliss. 

"You can walk, you know," he says, so unexpectedly that she pulls back and looks up at him. "You can leave, forget all about us." She doesn't respond. He knows that's not an option, even with how tempting the idea sounds. When she doesn't answer, he smiles slightly, a humourless quirk of his lips. "I think the question you need to ask yourself is: do you value freedom, a life out of bars, or relative safety in a cage? And, if the answer is freedom, are you willing to fight for it?"

"Always," she says softly, so quickly that his smile grows.

The moment doesn't last. He sobers, his hand dropping from her neck to her waist. "Then we should be ready for the fight." He rises, pulling her up with him. 

"Where do we start?"

"With the cave." And he pulls her out of her room, towards the door she dreads but must brave nonetheless.

When they leave her room, Pierce shuts it firmly behind her. There are a few people sitting at the tables, scattered randomly around the room. Some of them whistle and grin; some look sceptical or confused as their eyes trace down to Trenna's hand in his. Her cheeks heat up and she looks down at her feet, but he keeps a firm hold on her hand as he tugs her through the room. "Embarrassed about something?" Pierce murmurs, looking at her over his shoulder.

She raises her head and glares at anyone who dares to whistle or meet her eyes, not catching the grin that Pierce conceals by quickly turning around. Instead of heading towards the kitchen, to the door that leads to the east tunnels, he pulls her towards the training room. She frowns. "Where're we going?"

"We need Kieran to move the rocks. Unless you'd rather try it yourself."

"I'd rather not risk death by cave in," Trenna says.

"I thought you'd say that." Pierce tugs her down the corridor so quickly she almost has to run to keep up. She laughs as she trips over her own feet, Pierce's relentless pull the only thing keeping her on her feet.

She stops laughing when they enter the training room. Kieran stares at them through his narrowed eyes, his face displaying the same scrunched-up, intimidating, bear-like expression as usual. "Pierce." Pierce returns his nod. "Girl," he says, glancing at Trenna.

"Old man," she says, nodding in return. He fights his grin, but it wins out eventually. She can feel him trying to quirk her from her feet, hold her in the air. She pushes back; he is stronger than Pierce, but she can resist his magic, flick it off with little effort. She knows he's not trying very hard, but he still looks at her approvingly.

"I see you've learnt control."

"Don't feel bad. Jack couldn't teach me, either."

"Who did, then?" he asks.

Trenna watches him closely, searching for a reaction. "Pierce did."

Kieran raises an eyebrow. "Has he been teaching you anything else?" he asks, looking pointedly at their joined hands.

She freezes, and Pierce sweeps his thumb across the back of her hand. They don't answer, and Kieran smiles in a knowing way that makes her want to yell at him. But she holds it back and waits for him to speak. "What did you want me for, lad?" he asks, turning to Pierce. 

"You've heard of the east tunnels, what we found." 

"What can an old man do in a place with no magic?" he asks. 

Pierce looks down at Trenna. "We have something that can turn the magic back on." She feels trapped by his cold eyes.

Kieran takes in the two of them. "I see," he murmurs. Trenna doesn't think he's talking about her magic. "Take me there, then," he says. 

They turn and lead him to the caves.