The cell door clanged shut. “And stay there!” the guard groused, and turned to leave.   With an unconcerned shrug, Ashes produced an eyepatch from her shirt pocket. It was a black, piratical number equiped with a cord for tying it around one’s head. Ashes fitted the patch over her left eye and leaned back against the dingy stone wall, crossing her clawed feet out in front of her.    Tears shot her a miffed glnace as he used his sleeve to dab at the blood on his forehead. “Seriously, Ashes, why do you wear that thing?”    “It makes me feel cool.” Ashes wiggled her uncovered eyebrow at him. “You should try it sometime.”    “What, feeling cool?” Tears shook his head and winced. “Overrated.”   Ashes laughed.   Glaring at her, Tears kicked out at the bars of the cell. “I fail to see the humor in this situation. We’re stuck in a crusty old jail cell under the city with no mist in sight. You lost the gate key, and those guards could be back to drag us to our deaths any minute. I can’t believe you’re not worried.”   “Why should I be?” Ashes retorted, closing her eyes. “This isn’t bad. At least we don’t have to spend the night in the marsh. And if you’re serious about kicking those bars out, I’ll have you know that you’re going about it the completely wrong way.”   Tears grunted and gave the bars another solid kick. “And how would you go about it, O Mighty Mentor?”    “I would kick the door, for one, not the bars; and I would use my heel and kick it in the middle, where there’s the least resistance,” Ashes drawled without opening her eyes.    Sitting back with an irritated flick of his forelock, Tears gestured to the metal mesh that made up the cell door. “Care to demonstrate?”   Ashes rose in a fluid motion and grinned. “Thought you’d never ask.” Her bare foot shot out, clawed heel connecting powerfully with the center of the mesh. Tears leaped to his feet as the door ripped free of its hinges and clattered to the stone floor.   “Okey dokey, time to go.” Ashes pulled a speechless Tears out of the cell. “Everybody in the building must have heard the clang.”