Mido found his horse, sans rider, waiting just outside the castle walls. Mido mounted the gelding and pushed him at a gallop through the city, following the sounds of battle. Librona's forces had managed to push Asmar's army outside of the city walls where the battle continued.

Mido drew his sword and kicked his horse into a gallop towards the battle. He swung his sword as he charged onto the battlefield, taking out every soldier in his path. Mido made his way towards his troops, dismounting and joining them in the fight once more. He pushed William and Jon out of his mind and he let himself carry his rage into the battle and through his strikes.

He wasted no time; he gripped his sword with both hands and ran towards his first target, letting the sword come across the soldier's chest. He threw himself at each soldier, letting each blow hit his target with precision. Sword blows filled the air as he defended himself of opposing attacks. Their swords crossed, defended, and struck at each other until Mido's made contact on the soldier's armor. He spun around, swinging his sword at his next opponent, fighting off the next attack.

The rain continued to fall, harder and harder with each passing moment. Rain drops dripped off their helmets and blurred their vision, but Mido and his troops continued their fight without hesitation. Their boots splashed in the puddles as they maneuvered their way through the battlefield, carefully anticipating their opponent’s next move.

Mido pushed his next target to the ground and let his sword come down hard. There was a momentary break and Mido let his eyes scan the battlefield. A blur of white through the gray rain caught his attention. He turned to see Lily galloping towards him. He squinted through the rain, looking for her rider, but she bore none. His heart leapt into his throat; something was wrong.

He sheathed his sword and ran to his horse, swinging himself onto her back. Without waiting for a cue, she spun around and galloped away from the battle and across the kingdom. Mido bent low, burying his face in her mane to protect himself from the rain. He wrapped his fingers in her mane, holding on tight as she ran faster than ever. Her breath blew out of her nostrils like smoke as she huffed, her hooves moving faster and faster across the wet Earth.

She darted into the woods that marked the kingdom's boundaries, dodging trees and jumping over uplifted roots. Mido kept his head low to avoid low hanging branches. He peeked around her neck; she seemed to be bringing him to the ruined castle. His heart raced. Something happened to Calliope.

Lily brought them out of the forest once more and passed the ruins, finally slowing as she reached her destination. Two horses picked at the stray strands of grass that poked through the forest floor. Mido slid off her back without waiting for her to stop and searched the area. Calliope was nowhere to be seen, nor were Maria and the soldiers that guarded them. He stumbled through the rain, calling for his friends, but the wind carried his voice away. Thunder rolled in the distance as his eyes scanned the area.

Something on the ground caught his eye and he hurried to it. His foot caught something and he fell to the ground. He turned himself over to see he had tripped over a body. His heart stopped and his stomach churned. He couldn't make out who it was, but the body was built like a man's. The body lay face down in the dirt; dried blood pooled around him. Mido stared at the body, hesitant. He sucked in a breath and turned the body over; it was one of Librona's soldiers.

Mido's eyes searched the area once more. What had happened? Where were Calliope and Maria? Mido looked towards what had originally caught his eye. He crawled over to inspect the object; it was a dead dog. Around the dog's neck, he saw Asmar's emblem.

Mido pushed himself off the ground and ran towards Lily. Asmar had Calliope, and possibly the others. Mido wasted no time kicking Lily back into a gallop through the woods. They made their way through once more, Mido's mind racing. He had to be realistic about this; he could not charge into Asmar alone. King Sloan would send troops with him.

Mido bent his head down once more, keeping himself close to Lily's body, allowing her to maneuver freely through the woods. Asmar would waste no time with Calliope. Surely they would do everything in their power to kill her. Mido pinched his lips together, but a pathetic sob escaped anyway. He squeezed his eyes shut. Calliope had her powers; she was strong. This wasn't over. Surely she would have defended herself. But she wouldn't kill if she could avoid it. Maybe she found somewhere to hide. Maybe she was safe with Maria.

“She's safe,” he mumbled to himself, over and over.

He let his mind wander as Lily carried him out of the woods and across the kingdom. The rain continued to strike the Earth angrily as they galloped, not letting up for a moment. Mido felt Lily slow and he looked up from the protection of her neck. She stood before the river, the bridge destroyed and washed away. Mido kicked Lily once more.

“C'mon, girl,” he mumbled.

Lily pranced and snorted and eyed the rushing river. She pricked her ears towards her master as he spoke calmly to her.

“C'mon, Lily, we need to save Calli.”

The horse nickered and approached the bank. She threw her head and sniffed at the water. She threw her head once more, then plunged into the river. Mido gripped at her mane as the horse struggled against the rush of the water. The icy water stung at Mido's body and splashed over them as Lily pushed on. He gasped for air when it was granted to them and clung to the mare, praying she'd make it across. Her legs paddled furiously beneath her. Mido could hear her snorting hard. Her sides heaved as she used all of her strength to get them across.

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Mido felt her hooves hit the bottom as they neared the other side of the river. The horse pulled herself forward, stretching her neck as far as she could to stay above the water. Her front legs searched for a place near the banking that would hold long enough to pull them out of the water. When she found her spot, she lunged forward, climbing out of the river with all of her might. Mido clung to her as her body lurched forward. Her back legs slipped a few times before catching the banking. She trotted away for a moment before stopping to shake.

Mido patted her neck, cooing to her as he let her catch her breath. When her breathing slowed, Mido pushed her on once more. The horse found her rhythm and continued their way across the kingdom towards Librona. Mido had lost all sense of time, but he imagined it was nightfall when they finally reached the capital, the battle still raging in the distance. He turned Lily towards the battle and searched the chaotic battlefield for King Sloan. He caught sight of the king and his steed just on the outskirts of the battlefield, shouting commands at his troops. Mido pushed Lily faster until they reached his side. The rain continued to pelt the Earth as they shouted over the thunder.

“They've got Calli,” Mido panted.

“What do you mean?” King Sloan turned to him, his eyes knit tightly together from the stress of the battle.

“Asmar. They have her,” he said between gasps, his heart racing.

“How?”

Mido shook his head. “Spies. I dunno.”

“It's at least a day's trip to Asmar,” King Sloan said. “If they have her, it could be too late.”

Mido shook his head hard. “No. I'm going.” Mido turned to leave.

“Mido, wait.”

Mido stopped, turned to his king, and waited.

King Sloan hesitated for a moment before sighing. “You can't fight a kingdom alone.”

Mido forced a crooked, half-hearted grin. “I could, but please don't make me.”

King Sloan nodded. “I know. But I can't give you much to accompany you. I need men here to defend the city.”

Mido nodded as he looked over the battlefield.

“I will come with you,” King Sloan added.

Mido hesitated. “Your kingdom needs you here, sir.”

“My kingdom needs an end to this war. I must speak with Rowan right away. I have good men here that will protect this kingdom with their lives.”

Mido nodded. “I hope your horse can keep up.”

Mido scanned the battlefield for Ian as King Sloan barked orders to his troops and found him and his horse in the midst of a group of Asmarian knights. Mido pushed Lily forward into the fight and let his sword come down hard against their armor. Lily snorted and threw her head as Mido directed her through the fight, swinging his sword and bending his body to dodge the oncoming blows. The two men fought the knights off quickly until they fell to the ground and their horses bolted away. Mido motioned to Ian to pull back and the two raced back towards King Sloan.

“What's going on?” Ian asked his friend as he pulled his horse to a stop on the outskirts of the battlefield.

“Calli and Maria are gone.”

Ian felt his heart stop for a second. “What do you mean gone?” he asked.

“They're in Asmar. Are you coming with me?”

Ian smiled at his friend. “You had to even ask?”

Mido turned to his king. King Sloan waved his arm and a group of mounted soldiers followed them back towards the city to prepare for their journey. Mido waited impatiently, barking orders at his men until they were ready. Mido and King Sloan lead their soldiers out of the city and through the kingdom. Where Scarletta's castle was to the south of the kingdom, Asmar was to the East, just on the other side of the distant mountain range. Getting the troops over the ridge would be the biggest challenge, though he did not know what waited on the other side.

They rode towards the mountain range as the storm continued its heavenly attack. They reached the base of the range within an hour's ride and began the climb over the ridge. They galloped through the trees, hooves splashing in the rain water that rushed down the mountain. The horses slipped in the mud as they climbed, but pressed onward. The mountain grew steeper and the trees thinned until they reached a roaring river, hurrying its way down the mountain side. They stopped to examine the obstacle; it was far too strong for the horses. Their only option was to make their way around.

Mido grew aggravated. Time was not on their side and now their journey would be even longer. He pushed Lily on, encouraging the others to travel faster. The horses whinnied, their breathing hard as they continued their way up the mountain and around the river. Hours after they started their climb, they finally reached the mouth of the river. They circled around the lake and continued up, the peak in sight.

The rocky mountain side was slippery from the rain. The horses could not go on any longer at their gallop. They picked their way carefully, slipping occasionally and falling to their knees. They pushed themselves up and pulled themselves on until they reached the mountain's peak. Mido and King Sloan examined the view below. To the east, they could just make out the faint shape of Rowan's castle. Camps dotted the area around the capital, their fires burning brightly, flickering in the night.

The troop pushed on, making their way down the mountain side. The horses followed each other one by one through the slippery rocks once more until they made it below treeline. Their pace quickened and Mido felt at ease once back in their gallop. They made their way off the mountain quickly. Mido was relieved to be galloping across the kingdom, the castle growing as they got closer.

They approached a nearby camp, surprising the troops. They drew their swords and blew through the camp, taking out any soldier in their way, but not stopping to engage. The soldiers shouted to one another and suddenly, their fire was out in warning. Mido and King Sloan galloped on with their soldiers. All that lay before them was the castle.