This is it.

Aldeheid piled the last of the ether stones on the threadbare sheet. He refused to stay in the wretched hole a moment longer. The only way he wasn't getting out of here, was if they killed him. The compass Mellidius gave him winked from the corner of his cell. In the back of his mind, he still debated trusting his old mentor or not.

He tied up the stone before tearing the edges into makeshift straps. With a prayer to the gods it won't fall apart, he secured it to his back. The compass glinted in the corner again, and he stared at it for a long moment before scooping it up. It would either lead him to salvation or death.

As he waited in the corner of his cell, Aldeheid whispered an incantation. The magic built in his hands, sending tingles across his skin and raising the hairs on his arms. The thumping of boots against stone came down the hall outside his cell as his escorts approached his cell.

A few tumbling locks and jingle keys later, the door swung open with a metallic wail. The Vidaldi didn't have time to reach for their chains before his spell slammed into them, throwing them out of his cell and into the corridor. They slammed into the wall and fell in a limp pile of tangled limbs.

He ran from his prison and gave the compass a cursory glance to ensure he stayed on the right bearing. South, Mellidius had said, and Aldeheid couldn't believe he was trusting him. He could be running to his death.

The slapping of his feet on the stone echoed through the halls as he careened around corners and curves like a runaway horse. The ether stones clicked and rattled on his back and he sent up a silent prayer that his makeshift sack wouldn't fall apart.

He came to a junction and turned east before taking another corridor that put him on the southern bearing again.

He whispered a spell as he climbed them two at a time, keeping his steps light. Electricity materialized on his arm, bright, white and hot. He waited with his hand on the door and listened for any signs of life on the other side.

Shuffling feet and ruffling clothing were like whispers beyond the door. Aldeheid ground his teeth together. No quiet way to do this, and he was bound to get caught anyway, may as well leave some chaos in his wake. He threw the door open and it bang against the wall, before losing one rusted hinge.

Several masked faces swiveled his way as he flooded the hall with electricity. Magic buzzed loud in his ears, drowning out their scream. No doubt he'd alerted the entire facility with this stunt. He need to hurry.

As the light and noise cleared, he caught a billowing black hem disappearing around the corner. "Damn." He checked the compass and sprinted past the unconscious Vidaldi. It wouldn't be long before they alerted the others, and everyone in the labyrinth was hunting for the escaped prisoner. He continued through the maze of halls, stopping every so often to check the compass.

Aldeheid banked another corner and an invisible force slammed into him. He careened down the corridor, arms flailing as he tried to get his feet back under him. His back hit a wall, and the air fled from his lungs.

"You insolent dog."

He slid down the wall and braced a hand again the ground, wheezing in a breath. A whistle reached his ears, and he lunged forward as a flail slammed into the wall, sending bits of stone flying.

A stampede of footfalls echoed through the passageway as the Vidaldi stormed in, swathed in their black robes with chains at the ready.

Tafari raised a hand to stop their advance. "Secure the exit. I need to teach this mutt who his master is."

Aldeheid scrambled to his feet and faced Tafari as the Vidaldi disappeared down the hall. Despite his unsteady feet, he smiled inwardly. Tafari made getting out of here so much easier, how sweet that she didn't even know it. She yanked her flail from the wall and paced forward, the hem of her jacket billowing behind her despite there being no wind in the corridor. His earring winked in her ear as it caught the torchlight.

He wasn't leaving this place without it. Lightning arched between his fingers and danced up his arms. He needn't kill her, just incapacitate her long enough to escape. He thrust his hand forward a bolt escaping his fingers with a crack that shook the hall.

Tafari whipped her flail around and it punched through his spell, shooting for his head. He side-stepped, grabbed the chain and sent a ripple of electricity down its length. It shot down the metal, quick as a blink and slammed into Tafari. She soared down the hall the hall bouncing and rolling like a rag doll and Aldeheid sent another bolt after her for good measure.

Her body jumped, nigh touching the ceiling before falling limp. Aldeheid sidled up to her and knelt down.

She lay on her side, body twitching from the residual lightning bouncing over her skin. Her dark eyes glinted with malice, and her lips were twisted into a scowl—a look that could slice a weaker man in two.

Aldeheid took his earring from her ear and whispered one last spell. Vines grew up from the ground, locking around her limbs and pinning her to the floor. "I'm no one's dog." He stepped over her and ducked around the next corner, making sure the way was clear before he closed his eyes and reached out with his mind. A cluster of blue sat near his location. That had to be it. The exit.

He tucked his earring in his ear and continued down the hall at a sprint, whispering a spell along the way. He needed his best magic. Frost cloud the air around him and tiny patches of ice formed in his wake. He'd freeze over whatever hell awaited him at the end of this labyrinth.

Guttural language drifted towards him as he neared the exit. He lightened his footfalls and approached slowly. From the voices alone, there had to be at least twenty. He pulled as much magic into his body as he could. It buzzed in his ears ad made his hair stand up. Frost crept up the walls and floor, blooming like flowers in spring.

Aldeheid spun around the corner and released the spell. Ice spread across the corridor climbing up the walls and over the bodies of the Vidaldi, freezing them in place. The residual effects of the spell left him shivering, but he set his discomfort aside and stepped past the frozen bodies.

What waited him at the end of the hall was a dead end. A pulsing sensation, like a heartbeat radiated from the compass. Aldeheid held it up and the wall in front of him rippled and shifted like waves on the ocean before vanishing.

Charred walls and ash coated floors awaited him in the passageway beyond. He whispered a spell to summon a tongue of fire to his palm and stepped inside. The acrid scent of burn invaded his nostrils and coated his throat. Branching halls and pathways drifted by him. Another labyrinth?

Every room he passed was empty and covered in soot, some accented with the burnt remains of furniture. Some parts of the floor warmed his bare feet, indicating that this fire and destruction was young. After many more twists and turns, he found a long corridor with rays of light illuminating its end. He ran for it, kicking up clouds of ash in his wake.

The bits of sunlight dappled his skin and above him criss-crossed over one another, stretching up to the clear sky. Freedom. He pressed both hands to the wall and whispered a spell. The earth cracked and buckled beneath the strength of his magic, and dust clouded the tunnel. The wall receded, transforming into a steep incline. And with the help of that incline, Aldeheid marched to his freedom.

A sweet savanna breeze awaited him beyond the exit. He sucked the crisp morning air deep into his body a warm sensation tingling through him. Now he need only find Kitaya. Which meant he needed to get his bearings, figure out the way to town. If he could find a tall enough tree...

"You made it out."

Aldeheid startled and whirled around. Mellidius sat on a rock next to a mountain of smoking ash. At his feet, his Vidaldi keeled bowing before the ash as though it were a god. Perhaps it was he who burnt down the facility.

Aldeheid took a step back and checked his stock of ether stones. They clicked together in his makeshift sack. He estimated less than half remained based on weight alone. But would it be enough to defend himself against both Mellidius and his minion?

He glanced at his surroundings, not taking his eyes off his old mentor for more than a second. O one side, thick woods of tall trees and dense bushes fought for the savanna sunshine. On the other, a cliff rose up high as a building, coated in vines and tree roots. He could run, like Kitaya always told him, instead of getting into a fight he couldn't win.

"I'm not going to fight you Aldeheid," Mellidius said, as he picked the dirt from beneath his fingernails with a twig. "Don't forget to deliver my message to Eriani."

Aldeheid lowered his hand to his side a cold weight settle on his shoulders. "You could tell her yourself. Kon isn't far from here, and I'm sure she misses you."

"Until Eriani put herself and Kon on the right side of this conflict, I will have no dealings with her." He stood and tossed the twig away. "The only reason I spared you is to be my messenger. Don't make me regret it."

"You coward," Aldeheid said. "Do you know how many innocent people you're hurting? People who can't even defend themselves."

Mellidius sighed, shaking his head at him as though Aldeheid was a silly child. "You're still so naïve, Aldeheid. I suppose I shouldn't expect better when Kitaya is your cape."

Aldeheid Lunged forward, but the Vidaldi place herself between him and Mellidius, sickle at the ready. "Don't you dare insult her. She was right about you. You're a fool."

He tilted his head, golden eyes dancing with mirth. "Well, give her my regards."

As his old mentor turned away, Aldeheid fisted his hands at his sides. This Mellidius wasn't the mentor who taken Aldeheid under his wing at the Etheria Bastion. This was someone else entirely. Someone he couldn't reach or reason with.

He wanted to shout, scream, tell Mellidius he was wrong. That it was he who was on the wrong side of the conflict. That his involvement would leave the blood of millions of innocents on his hands.

But his words, his strength would be wasted on such an effort, met with the cold indifference that had made its home in those golden eyes. And he needed that strength to find Kitaya, warn her about this madness before it was too late.

So, when Mellidius disappeared into the thicket of woods with his new protégé in tow, Aldeheid only stood and watched.