Eevi ran through the halls of the Manor as fast as she could, though her shackles hampered her speed. The explosion had rocked her, but she got away before most realized what was going on. She recalled all guards carried identical keys, capable of freeing her.
But she had her eyes set on one. And she saw him flee into the Manor proper just moments before.
Eevi slid down the corridor, taking a guess where he could've ran off. Sure enough, Thed stood outside Urash’s room, pounding on the door with both fists. Eevi’s crossbow remained tied across his back, swinging as he thrashed.
“Hey!” Eevi shouted. Thed turned, and Eevi saw his eyes red, either from the explosion itself or tears. Probably both. Eevi couldn’t give less of a shit.
Thed didn't really respond so much as wail. He attempted to pull out his scimitar, but dropped as soon as he felt its weight. His hand was in no shape for swordplay.
Eevi charged, gripping the ends of her shackles, and swung the chain into Thed’s face. The force cracked Thed’s jaw, dislodging a tooth. Thed blindly swung his wounded hand at Eevi, but Eevi caught it with her chain. The force broke through Thed’s bandage, breaking his hand in two. At the sight of his hand once again split in half, Thed wailed once more. Eevi then brought down the shackles with all of her weight on top of Thed’s skull. He collapsed to the floor with a thud.
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“Dumb fucker,” Eevi muttered, spitting over him. “If you busted the mechanism, I’ll kill you right here and now.”
Eevi reached down at his pant legs, fumbling for a key. After looking through a pocket, she found an assortment of keys, trying one after the other. There were at least two dozen to choose from.
As she finagled with the keys, Eevi looked over the crossbow. It seemed to still be in working condition. He even carried her quiver with him. How convenient.
Still, as Eevi sat in the hall, she wondered whether she did the right thing. She had left them there, unconscious. But she needed to defend herself. Sure, there were plenty of guards to choose from at the moment, but only one carried a weapon she could use.
“You’re going back,” Eevi said to herself, switching from one key to the next. “You’re going back for them, otherwise what was the point?”
After her tenth attempt, she nearly threw the key ring in frustration. Instead, she kicked the unconscious Thed.
“You’re going back,” she repeated in her mind. “Remember which key works, and then you’re going back and saving the others. You’re going back.”
A screech interrupted her internal lecture. Eevi looked up in fright, recognizing the sounds immediately. At the end of the hall stood two charred screamers, their heads swiveling. They flinched as Eevi’s key ring clashed against itself.
Eevi took a deep breath. “You’re going back.”
Suddenly, the shackles unlocked and fell to the ground. The screamers immediately sprinted down the hall towards her. They moved fast enough to snuff out what flames remained on their scarred skin.
Eevi dived on top of Thed, pulling the crossbow off as fast as possible and inserting two bolts. She aimed it at the screamers, firing away.