She reluctantly discounts, not bothering to watch the horse Sprint after the other. She sprints after him, refusing to look at the frightening building.

They ran for the fort, hearing the scraping of claws behind them. Ahead, through the great wooden doors, there was the darkened interior of the room. Sunlight slanted through holes in the roof, spilling over a strangely luminescent floor. As they drew closer, they could see that the ground was completely carpeted in white, bell-like flowers, which glowed softly in the dim light. They grew on the walls and even covered the ancient furniture lying around the room: a wooden table, a cupboard, a few simple cots. Everything was also covered in snow and ice, as the roof was full of holes. Ash pulled her through the opening, crushing flowers underfoot, and threw his weight against the doors. They groaned, reluctant to move.

She keepswatching the door, frightened. "Kick it." She mutters, "It always works for me." She whispers, stepping away from the opening.

He kicked the stubborn gates. Not much progress. "Come help me push?"

She nods, ramming into the door as vies grow from under their feet to the other side of the door. The door nob starts jiggling, vines grow through the cracks, the vines seem to be pulling the door, she kicked the door, sneering. "Despite how unsturdy this place looks, this door won't budge!"

They closed slowly, creaking with age and time, and the wiremen were no more than twenty yards away when they finally banged shut. Ash threw down the bolt, then pressed both hands against it and sheathed the entire gate with ice. No sooner had he finished than the first blows rattled the wooden door, resounding through the chamber. The ice shivered and tiny cracks radiated through the surface as more blows shook the gate. It wouldnt hold them for long. Ash drew his sword. "Get back," he told her as the door rattled again. More cracks shot through the ice. "Find a place to hide. Theres an alcove behind that statue against the wall--you should be able to fit."

She followed his directions, hiding behind the statue silently. "What about you?" She asks.

Ash glanced back at her and frowned. "Claire, theres nothing you can do for me. You stay! I'll hold them as long as I can. If something happens to me, find your way back to the Summer Court!" A great chunk fell out of the door as a curved wire claw tore it away. The hole widened, as metal talons ripped and clawed at the wood. and the first of the wiremen squeezed through the crack like a giant spider. Claws flashing, it lunged at Ash, who was waiting for it. His sword arced through the air, shearing the spindly fey in half. Another skittered toward him, and he whipped his blade around to slice off a flailing arm. The wireman collapsed, twitching, in the flowers, shredding the delicate blooms like paper.

She shakes her head, "I won't let you get hurt Ash. Just fight off as many as you can and I can use the blooms, it should be a bit helpful." She muttered, glaring at the blooms curiously.

More fey poured through the opening as they tore the gate to shreds. Ash was forced back, giving ground to prevent the wiremen from flanking him. Finally, he stood against a broken pillar, his back to the stones, as the Iron faeries swarmed around him, slashing and clawing. There was a noise above them, and a shower of stones and ice tumbled to the ground. A metallic form suddenly crawled through a hole in the roof and crawled along the ceiling. Ash didn't notice; he was too busy fighting off the fey surrounding him