The castle was silent as ever. Servants had been too scared to speak to the king for years, gladly keeping their heads connected to their necks.

Luckily for them, they had Niko. With his wolfish head and incredibly well-groomed hair, there was no way any maid would deny a begging dog.

For once in her life, Dionna was glad her brother had been cursed. At the very least, it made this step of the plan easier.

He had already told her that he did not mind risking his life for the cause. Even if it meant in the morning they would be dead. At the very least, she would get him out by then.

If they got caught then, she would die before he did. But she had to believe that it would not happen. Because, as she had sworn to herself plenty of times over, she would not. He had earned her trust since the moment they could talk. It was at the point she had to give him the wheel.

She took a breath. It would alright, it would be so fast. He would get out without a scratch. Besides, the worst that could happen was her arrest.

Even then, they could barely trace her to treason. No one would suspect a dog to be an accomplice to a usurpation of the throne. No matter how mad the king was, they would never kill a dog for simply being in the castle.

As she gazed out of the grate they had hidden themselves behind, she wished on the stars she was right. Nothing would happen, their plans would work out.

And they would finally be able to escape this awful place