The only response to her cry was a thundering verdict that made the rafters above shake. The words grew into the roar of a windstorm, nearly deafening in the enclosed space of the hall. It was only quick reflexes, honed through years of training, that saved her from the shadowy blade striking for her head. When it flew out of the darkness, she threw herself to the ground, yelping inadvertently as it buried itself into the door barely an inch above her shoulder. For a brief moment, she could see her own terrified reflection in the dark steel, and then instinct kicked in, invoking the pure human will to<i>survive.</i><br/><br/><b>"We'll see about that," </b>she growled, leaping back to her feet. The unnatural blade had created a massive crack up and down the height of the door, nearly breaking it into two pieces--one with the lock, and one with the hinges. With a roar of her own, she rammed into the hinged side, throwing every ounce of force she could muster at the door. She heard the hinges squeal as a piercing pain bloomed in her shoulder, and then she was falling forward, back into the main hall. Dazed and injured, but determined to live, she scrambled to her feet and fled, bolting past piles of rubble and broken furniture at a dead sprint. The way out of the castle was just up ahead. She was so close...