The guard on the other side of the door pulled a face that was a mixture of confusion and surprise, but with most of the emphasis on the confusion part.

　　"Sorry about that", Elizabeth said, as she sent him flying across the floor.

　　Luella swiftly took his gun and keys, tossing the small sword to Aelgren, who inspected it disappointedly.

　　Another guard appeared, and was instantly dispatched by a blast of power from Elizabeth`s hand, the shockwave bowling him over as though an invisible giant had yanked him off his feet.

　　"There`ll be plenty more where they came from", warned Barnaby, being the last to step out of the cell into the wide, torch-lit corridor. The door to the Skycage, now buckled and bent, swung on its hinges behind him.

　　Luella stooped to retrieve a pistol from the second guard, twirling it around like a gunslinger of the Wild West. "So what are we waiting for?"

　　The group moved along the corridor as swiftly as they could. The first few sentries were no more than sleepy statues, and sneaking past them with the help of Elizabeth`s magic was as simple as beans on toast.

　　Elizabeth was thinking just how straightforward this was when Luella threw herself into a wall.

　　"Blackcoats", she whispered, spotting Elizabeth`s confusion.

　　"How many?"

　　"A lot".

　　Aelgren began to draw his sword. "What do you think - can we take them?"

　　Luella shrugged, even though the look on her face made it perfectly clear that the real answer was a lot closer to Absolutely No Way`.

　　Elizabeth, who was still marvelling at the vivid and glorious sensations within her, said: "Maybe we don`t have to".

　　Now it was Luella`s turn to look baffled as Elizabeth raised up her arms, stretching them out as though she was a diver preparing to launch herself into the air.

　　And it was a most peculiar thing. The edge of her awareness raced outwards, carrying her instantly to the outer wall of the tower. She could actually feel the cell doors of the Skycage.

　　A stereophonic drumroll of crushed metallic thud-d-d-d-d-ds echoed down the corridor as a row of cell doors burst open. It was followed by a furious barrage of agitated yells.

　　An explosive flash and raucous hollering boomroared down the walkway.

　　"That should keep them busy for a while", said Elizabeth, as the column of Blackcoats trooped off at speed to investigate.

　　The others looked suitably astounded.

　　"You`re starting to get a hang of this magic thing then?" remarked Aelgren.

　　Elizabeth drew the energy rays back into herself. "Do you know, I think I am".

　　They resumed their journey without any further delay. An unknown sum of skittery minutes later and at last they had arrived at the control centre of the jail. Amber lamps flickered with a warm and sleepy glow as hard-faced Blackcoats patrolled the lines of the perimeter. At the centre of the chamber was a round wooden desk. Behind it sat a fat man with rings on every finger. The only way to get out was through a great iron slab of a door. Which, as it happened, was also blocked by a pair of hostile guards.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

　　"Any bright ideas?" Luella whispered, as they hugged the wall of the corridor.

　　"You`re the one with the guns", Aelgren pointed out.

　　Izzario put a hand on Luella`s shoulder. "Let`s not be hasty. There has to be a better option than trying to fight our way through".

　　"And we don`t want to do anything that might draw attention to ourselves", Barnaby cautioned.

　　Just as he said this Elizabeth blinked and a flash of inspiration made fiery nuclear halos. "Actually", she said, "we do".

　　She closed her eyes.

　　The world rippled . . .

　　Elizabeth watched the Blackcoats drone about for one or two seconds more before starting to yell at the top of her voice. "Hey you! You over there! Yes, you with the ugly face".

　　Every single Blackcoat stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the skinny, freckle-faced, red-haired girl who was jumping up and down and waving her arms above her head.

　　"Oh, you`ve all got ugly faces", Elizabeth mumbled, as several of the Blackcoats began to move in her direction.

　　And then the fat man behind the desk must have issued some form of command because even more of them were coming.

　　Her nerves were stretched to snapping point as she took flight down the corridor, the guards chasing after her with a boot-stomping affray.

　　Elizabeth ran until she had drawn them far enough from the chamber before spinning around to throw up a shield - a shimmering, watery sheen of light that sealed the passage between herself and the guards oncoming. A shower of musket balls fizzled into it, disintegrating in a curtain of brilliant little sparks.

　　In a single move Elizabeth tugged at the air and sent a blazing-hot fireball streaking brightly down the tunnel.

　　The blastwave pulverised eardrums and rattled everything that wasn`t bolted down.

　　Back in the chamber Elizabeth watched the rest of the guards race off to secure the corridor that her other self had all but turned to rubble.

　　The rest of the group couldn`t have looked more amazed if she had just sprouted an extra head. Which in a way she had.

　　"Soul splitting, I think you call it", she said, with a satisfied grin.

　　And a solid, irresistible hammer of sleep pounded the back of her skull. Her vision swam, her knees buckled. And as the floor rose up to greet her there was just enough time to think, That`s funny, my legs were here a minute ago . . . before all of a sudden they weren`t.

　　Elizabeth opened her eyes to find that she was underwater. Or it might have been above the clouds or deep beneath the earth. Wherever it was enveloped her in an endless soup of nothing. And she knew that she had been there for an immeasurable amount of time.

　　Dark shapes circled her on all sides.

　　The clouds. The traffic lights. Dad`s voice . . .

　　The dreamscape disintegrated as swiftly as it appeared.

　　"This is nae time to be taking a nap", Aelgren was grumbling, over the incessant clang of the prison alarm. "Are you all right there lassie?"

　　Elizabeth checked. She wasn`t sure. "I think so", she said. "What happened?"

　　"You blacked out again".

　　Elizabeth`s head still felt as though it was bunged up with treacle as Izzario helped her climb, unsteadily, back to her feet. "Magic isn`t a plaything", he counselled. "Slow down before you hurt yourself".

　　Elizabeth nodded with drowsy eyes, staring forlornly at the empty palm of her hand. Only moments before she had bristled with the Godlike glow of unlimited power, as though all the energy in the universe had been right there at her fingertips.

　　But now, there was nothing.

　　Was that it? Could magic just make itself disappear like that?

　　Aelgren tramped across the control room, heaving the deadbolt handle of the iron door aside. The group tumbled past it and onto the spiral staircase just as the air behind them began to buzz with the scent of Blackcoats.

　　"I still cannae believe", Aelgren said, tightly closing the seal, "that one wee box caused all this trouble".

　　"And we still don`t even know where it is", Barnaby pointed out.

　　Elizabeth remembered the conversation that she had overheard from behind the curtains. "I think Penelope might have been talking about the Omnaria", she yawned. "The man she was with said that some sort of box had been taken to her personal vault".

　　"Then we need to get a move on", Luella remarked, disappearing down the camber of the stairway. "The whole of Caranthis is going to be looking for us after this!"