Danny was shaken awake by the small hands of the Mapmaker.
"They're coming for us." The child whispered urgently in her ear as she blearily opened her eyes, "Get up now."
Danny pushed herself up from the cold stone floor as quietly as she could, her breathing becoming quick and panicked as she fumbled around in the dark to try and find her belongings.
"There's no time Danny, we have to leave!" She heard June's voice hiss from somewhere down the pitch black corridor. She stumbled after the voice, her heart pounding in her ears. This was a part of The Academy she'd never been in before, but June had lived in this darkness for years. It was their job to know it by heart.
Her hand finally found June's shoulder and she clung on tight, following them through twists and bends in the seemingly endless hallway.
Danny began hearing footsteps- the clack of cold metal soles against the dusty flagstone. June froze with terror before turning towards Danny and pushing past her, leading them in the opposite direction.
Danny kept her grip on the child's shoulder and tried her best to stop herself from breathing or walking too loudly. As the two children practically sprinted in the opposite direction, the footsteps grew louder and louder- like a frenzied drum. They echoed in all directions and seemed to swirl around the two- trapping them.
Under Danny's hand, she could feel the Mapmaker shudder and gasp with horror. They stopped in their tracks, unable to tell which way to go.
Danny reached down for the younger child's hand and squeezed it before tugging June in a random direction. They followed her like a rag doll, not protesting as she pulled them blindly into the belly of the ancient academy. Danny did her best to ignore the footsteps.
It's just another mind trick. Don't let her get to you.
Danny started to run, one hand in front of her to try and stop herself from crashing into any walls, the other gripping June's.
Danny ran.
She ran right into the huge pit that was in the middle of the floor.