(I am so very sorry for the late chapter; school got in the way last weekend with the science fair project, which I was forced to do, and the week's been hectic. Well, hopefully this chapter won't disappoint.)

One Last Chance:

Chapter Eight

Massoud examined the interior of the crushed hallway, searching for an exit. Water was already beginning to seep in, and the pressure would soon break the ship in two.

"Why are you just standing there?" he asked Kaileena as she stood near the back wall, seemingly in thought. He received no answer.

Cracks and holes sprouted and grew, allowing the hallway to become flooded in less than a few minutes afterwards. "Dammit! I cannot believe we are going to die here in this watery hell; I risked my life only to die!" he muttered while trying to remain afloat as the water level increased.

Kaillena shifted slightly and leaned against the wall. "We are not going to die, I can feel it."

"How can you be so sure?" he responded while scratching his head. "It is over…"

"You really are quite a pessimist, you know," spoke a child's voice near the pile of rubble. Massoud and Kaileena instantaneously looked up to see a young girl sitting on a piece of debris; her legs dangled peacefully in the water.

"Saeedeh…" she thought as the girl giggled. "Fortunately, I can easily assist you two in escaping from this predicament." Massoud rubbed his eyes and sneezed. "Hold on," he began. "Just who exactly are you, and from where did you appear?"

She stood up slowly and smiled. "Please quiet down, Massoud; I must concentrate for this to go efficiently."

He quickly silenced as a low rumbling began to occur within the hallway. It grew louder as a faint light took Saeedeh's place; it grew as well, and it soon filled the hallway, blinding Massoud and Kaileena.

Farah gradually rose from the bushes, scanning the area. "They all ventured inside the temple," she stated as the Prince stood as well. "How can you be sure? They most likely know we're here if they passed our ship."

She brushed a strand of hair aside. "Well, they might not, but I suggest we follow them inside."

He sighed and nodded, and they soon began to make their way towards the temple.

The building was very large; it took up most of the area of the small island. "How do you suppose we enter?" the Prince asked as they circled the southern and eastern walls. "I noticed they slipped in through the west wall," she replied. Sure enough, a wide hole had been blown through.

"How did they cause an explosion if we did not hear it?" the Prince thought aloud as Farah strode inside. "Come on; we are wasting time!"

The chamber they entered was damp and dusty; light seeped in through small cracks in the wall from the other rooms.

A rectangular doorway stood against the wall, and two concrete pillars held up a slab above the room.

"This way," Farah ordered before walking through the doorway. The Prince followed swiftly and they both soon found themselves in a long hallway, decorated with parallel pillars and pots.

He shut the door behind him and scanned the hallway as Farah walked around, inspecting it herself. The faint glow of the blocked out sun shone through the glass window above the landing of a staircase to the right. Aside from that small light, the hallway was consumed by darkness.

"They seemed to have moved on," he stated as she neared the staircase. "Well, they most likely ascended up, and we should too." She then began to walk upwards as the Prince sighed.

He followed, but a sudden noise alerted them both. Two armored soldiers had walked out of the shadows towards them.

"Ah, look; those little rats survived," one of them stated while grinning. His helmet reflected the light as he reached for the sword strapped to his side. The other soldier shivered. "You idiot! That's our former king's son; he's-," Before the soldier had finished though, the Prince had already flipped over him and stole the sword from its sheath, quickly stabbing him and decapitating him. He then threw the sword at the remaining soldier, but he had circled around and was preparing to strike.

The Prince ground his teeth and delivered a kick to the soldier's left leg. A shrill cracking noise occurred and he spun around to the soldier's backside, swiftly breaking his neck and kicking him to the floor.

"It seems they knew we were here; they would not have left guards to keep watch."

Farah bit her lip. "Yet, they only left two soldiers. Why do you think they did that?" The Prince cleared his throat. "They cannot spare too many men; they most likely need all the manpower they can acquire."

He looked up and began to climb the staircase.

Time felt as if it stopped; the staircase seemed to stretch on for an eternity. Finally, after a few minutes, they reached the next floor.

The corresponding room was relatively small compared to the hallway on the lower floor. There was a small corridor to the right, and the wall to the north was cut short to allow a large gap to lie between the room they stood in and another room. A series of wooden arches, planks, and beams connected to form multiple bridges to the other side.

The both of them walked to the edge and crouched down to see a group of soldiers scattered throughout the room below the gap. The Prince thought for a moment. "Farah, take the corridor there, and I will cross to the opposite side. If you cannot find me, I will find you, but be careful; there is no doubt more soldiers are stationed here."

She reluctantly nodded and walked over to the corridor entrance, stealing one last glance at the Prince before darting down the hall.

He sighed and began to gradually walk upon the beams, all the while watching his moves to make sure he did not alert them.

Suddenly, however, he tripped. He grasped the beam with his hands, and let out a small yelp, but that was enough.

Each of the soldiers looked up and noticed him; pointing and conversing they sped to the next room with the staircase.

He cursed and hurried his way to the other side. He dashed through the doorway and down a small set of steps, only to reach a somewhat secluded chamber. A wide gap filled with spikes lay to the right while a broken stone bridge connected to the left wall seemed to be the only accessible way.

The Prince sighed and gripped a jagged rock on the wall before running across the wall to the center platform. He repeated this to reach the other side, and then turned to the right and ran through the next doorway.

He stood in a much larger room, with small fountains dotted about the sides of the room. Three soldiers were standing at the center of the room. Two of them held Farah tightly by her arms while the other stood nearby.

"Well, I am most certainly glad you survived that horrible wreck; what of the other two?" Hesam asked casually as the Prince stood frozen near the door, which had been cut off by another three soldiers; he, and Farah, were trapped.