Aldeheid stared at his growing pile of ether stones and pressed his lips into a thin line. Is it enough? This place was huge and crawling with Vidaldi. Tafari would be an issue as well. Carrying the ether stones could prove troublesome unless...

He bit his lip. After all this time with Kitaya, he should know how to improvise. His eyes srifted around the room, from the small sconce holding the candle to the small cot under which he'd hid his stash of ether stones. Perhaps he could throw together a makeshift sack with the sheet. Ether stones weren't heavy, but the threadbare thing looked as though it would fall apart if he poked it too hard. It would have to do.

He piled the hay back atop his stash and sat back against the cool, stone wall. Perhaps he could siphon a little more before the Vidaldi came to yank him from his cell. He took a breath and closed his eyes. Spots of blue appeared in the darkness behind his lids. Some in clusters some moving.

One in the corridor.

Just outside his cell.

Aldeheid scrambled to the corner of the room just as the door swung open. Light from the hall washed over him and a lone Vidaldi walked in, her boots thumping against the dirt floor. She held her hands clasped behind her back, the red, vertical lines on her mask catching the candlelight.

Mellidius' pet, as Tafari had called her. She loomed over Aldeheid — her shadow falling on him — and made a come-hither motion with her hand. She didn't have the chain the other Vidaldi usually brought to drag him around by, but he caught the winking glint of her sickle as it caught the firelight.

Aldeheid stood and followed her out. She didn't utter a word as they navigated the many twists and turns of the labyrinth. No matter how many times he walked it, he doubted he'd ever learn its secrets. Even Kitaya had said she still got lost in castle Kon when she wasn't careful.

They stopped in front of the same door from yesterday, and Aldeheid grimaced. Was this going to be a rematch? Was she humiliated because he'd bested her in front of Mellidius?

They Vidaldi opened the door and stepped aside before motioning for him to enter. Part of him wished he could see what was hiding behind that mask. Contempt? Scorn? Embarrassment?

Aldeheid edged by her and walked into the room. A wall of desert-dry heat slammed into him. Glowing orbs lined the walls on either side of the room, each with a tongue of fire swaying in its center.

At the head of the room, before a chair, stood Mellidius his cape fluttering on his shoulders. As the fabric swayed out of the way, he spotted the symbols emblazoned on his coat—the same one the Vidaldi bore. He touched a splint to an orb and its wooden tip ignited, then turned to face Aldeheid. The fire wavered in his eyes and cast shadows along the angles of his face.

"Preservation of power," he said. Then cut his eyes to Aldeheid.

For a moment Aldeheid drew a blank. Then he remembered the many training sessions they'd had at the Etheria Bastion. The constant drilling on all the magical techniques he'd learned. "Storing up magic to release a spell in increments rather than all at once."

"So you remember."

"It was the first thing you taught me."

"So it was." Mellidius directed his attention back to the fire and turned to face the orbs again. "You've been training withSwordmaster Leandyr. And who else I wonder?" He trailed the splint along the orbs as he walked the perimeter of the room, filling the room with small clinks.

The orbs rolled along the floor and broke into small clusters of ether stones, that stood like tiny knolls on the wood.

Beads of sweat rose on Aldeheid's skin and every breath he took was akin to inhaling fire. But he kept himself leveled, posture relaxed and face impassive.

"Inuwe told me she bested you at the Konian border," Mellidius continued, halting in front of Aldeheid. "And you bested her here, in this very room yesterday. Now we break the tie." He pointed the splint at Aldeheid and a stream of fire shot from its lit tip.

Aldeheid dodged to the side, the ethers stones clattering on the floor as he displaced them. An incantation fell from his lips in a breathy rush and frost coated his arms, fogging the hot air.

"So you still favour ice, I see." Mellidius wagged the splint in front of Aldeheid face.

Meanwhile, he continued to pull as much magic as he could from the ether stones. Tingles of energy ran up and down his back, and ice crystals formed on the surrounding ground, remaining solid despite the heat.

Mellidius shot a stream of fire from the splint, and Aldeheid planted his hands on the ground. Spires rose from the ground, criss-crossing over each other and forming a barrier that protected him from the flames.

He thrust his hands forward, and the spires shot forward, but Mellidius skirted around it, riding a wave of fire streaming from the splint. Aldeheid whipped around and slammed both hands against the ground. Spires of ice raced across the wood and cut across Mellidius' path.

His mentor leapt over them, nigh touching the ceiling and shot a barrage of fireballs at him. Aldeheid widened his stance, and ice formed over his feet, rooting him to the ground. He drove an icy fist through every flaming ball, the impact sounding like cannon fire in his ears.

Their bout continued, each clash shaking the chamber. Aldeheid wondered if their battle of spell-casting would bring the labyrinth down on top of them. Mellidius didn't relent, firing wave after wave of fiery fury at Aldeheid, and while he held his ground, the number of ether on the floor dwindled.

As he sidestepped a wave of fire, he spotted a lonely ether stone on the ground. Realization hit him like a punch to the gut, knocking the wind from his lungs. This was Mellidius' plan all along, to get him so invested in the fight that he wouldn't notice when his resources ran out. And he'd be forced to use his power.

He supposed Mellidius didn't count on the fact that Kitaya had taught him to be more self-aware and deliberate when spellcasting. Perhaps the Vidaldi had told his old mentor of how he'd burnt down the forest, and now Mellidius wanted to know how much control Aldeheid had over his power.

Aldeheid lowered his arms. His mentor remained ignorant. "No."

Mellidius laughed and pointed the splint at Aldeheid's head. "You're sharper than I remember , Aldeheid. Or perhaps I'm not as good at mind games as Tafari."

"What are you doing here, Mellidius?" he asked.

His old mentor fired another blast of fire, but Aldeheid didn't move. The flames halted just before hitting him, crackling with the desire to destroy. The heat licked him, drawing beads of sweat from his skin and making his eyes water.

Mellidius waved the splint, and the fire shot into the wall at Aldeheid's right, leaving a black scorch mark as it dissipated.

"Unlike you, Aldeheid. I'm here of my own volition.I was given the opportunity to make Magika even greater than it is now. To be a part of a merging that will change the course of history. How could I refuse, especially when I was paid so handsomely?" His cape flashed bright enough to make Aldeheid squint. It took the form of a woman, with braids piled atop her head in an intricate bun.

A pang of shock radiated through Aldeheid, sending his heart into a frenzy. "Shara? No, you're dead." He'd seen the scar on Mellidius arm, where he mark used to be. Yet here she was.

"Aldeheid," she said, smiling at him. "It's so good to see you. You look well."

Aldeheid opened his mouth, but no words came out. His mind wanted to reject what his eyes were seeing. This wasn't right. Death was supposed to be the end of the bond.

Shara frowned at him. "Listen Aldeheid. I know it seems bad, but I promise what we're doing is for the betterment of everyone. And the alternative—"

Mellidius shook his head and held a hand up to stop her. "It's alright. I'm not trying to sway him to our side. Tafari has already ruined that."

Aldeheid tore his eyes away from her. He wanted to crawl into a dark hole and forget this nightmare ever happened. But part of him still wanted answers. Mellidius could just consort with these masked terrorists and then talk to him like they'd just had a drink at the bar yesterday.

"Do you have a plan?" Mellidius asked, outing the splint with his thumb and forefinger.

Aldeheid grimaced. "A plan for what?"

"To get out of this place."

"I..." he clenched his jaw. Trusting Mellidius in light of what he knew now would be unwise. But he didn't know how to get out of this labyrinth on his own.

His mentor sat in the chair—the only thing that remained remarkably unharmed by their battle—and crossed his ankle over his knee. "I need you to be my messenger, Aldeheid. If you care at all about those you love, tell Eriani to stop what she's doing. To leave the thin spaces alone."

Aldeheid swallowed, trying and failing to keep the shock from his face. That was the same message Death had given him in his dream.

Mellidius reached into his coat and tossed a shining silver trinket at Aldeheid's feet. It bounced open with a metallic clang, its tiny red arrow sinning. A compass.

"This will aid you in getting out of here. Keep heading south. All the southern corridors lead to the exit. I'm glad we had this talk."

Aldeheid opened his mouth to speak, but the door creaked open behind him.

"Inuwe, kindly escort Aldeheid back to his cell."

He scowled at his old mentor, even as the Vidaldi dragged him from the room by the arm. "Is this supposed to be my replacement?" He scowled at the woman.

"No, she's an improvement."

[A/N]: I updated last week, but a lot of you seemed to have missed it.Perhaps because Wattpad chapter updates were not working. Just so you guys know, I don't miss updates, so if you don't see a chapter go up by 11:59 EST on Sundays, it's either because Wattpad is glitching or I'm dead.