Chapter 12

Among Mazes and Puzzles

The air was surprisingly cool inside the dark marble corridor as it passed through the prince, caressing his body giving the prince extra comfort. The corridor was dark and the only sources of light were the torches that hung onto the cracked walls. Jamal touched the prince's shoulder, alerting the prince. He pointed to one end and they both nodded to each other, not one of them daring to speak in the midst of their enemies' lair.

Moving their feet without so much of a sound, they reached at the end of the corridor. To their dismay, instead of an escape route, they came across a door, larger than any they had ever seen in their presence of Zarul's lair. The door was made entirely out of metal and the solid substance made the door even more intimidating to those who dared open it. The prince turned his back to Jamal.

"If my knowledge deceives me, you, who were a member of these so-called bandits, should know what lies before this door," said the prince, his tone grave. Jamal remained silent, as if nothing in the world mattered to him. The skin on his face tightened and he looked back at the prince with the fierceness of a hardened warrior.

"What occurred in the past does not concern you," snarled Jamal, eyes glinting in the darkness. "I am not quite fond of what I did back then, but it was the only way to survive in these times of great peril. As of for this door, I have no idea of what lies beyond it. Zarul must have created it in my absence here. And another thing, if we had used the path opposite of what we had used, we would have to faced hordes and hordes of Zarul's minions."

Jamal moved closer to the door, moving his hands up to touch the metal surface. The prince kept his tongue from prying more history of Jamal's life and focused on the matter at hand. He examined the door, trying to find whether it was accessible by pushing it open. That option was soon forgotten for the door did not budge and inch after Jamal had pushed it. Jamal kicked the door in frustration and walked away from it.

"Seems that force is not the key to opening this door," muttered the prince. He suddenly felt a familiar presence tugging at his mind again. He glanced down to his waist belt and noticed that his dagger was glowing faintly in the near darkness. Jamal did not seem to notice. The prince let the dagger enter through the barriers of space and into his mind, flinching as the sudden force stabbed a part of his consciousness.

You of all people should have known how to open doors such as that, said the dagger in a mocking tone. The prince thought nothing of it; instead he asked the dagger if there was a way, hoping that it had an answer.

Do you have an answer then? asked the prince. He was pacing now, feeling that the more they stalled, the less time that they had. The dagger sighed and the prince waited impatiently for an answer. It came.

Kindly place your attention to your left prince, said the dagger and thus, their mental link was cut. The prince, who felt strange after the mental cut, staggered a few steps back and moved his right arm to the hug metal door, to support him.

"Are you alright?" asked Jamal, eyeing the prince worriedly. The prince nodded and pushed himself back to his full height. Without replying Jamal, the prince focused his gaze to his left. He was surprised to see a large object hanging from the walls and it took him few more minutes for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Jamal seemed to notice and he too stared at the hanging object.

It was a lever.

A smile escaped the prince's lips and he soon started towards the lever. Gathering his strength, he jumped forward, running up the rough walls and grabbing the lever. The lever slowly started to descend from its original position and a loud sound, created from the grinding of metal on metal, filled the air. Soon the door opened fully and a ray of hope entered the prince's and Jamal's heart.

"Hurry, go through the door," ordered the prince. Jamal hid no inclination to disobey but merely ran through.

"Make sure you catch up," said Jamal and he was gone. The prince released his grip on the lever and he landed on the ground, his limbs shaking from the impact. The shaking subsided and the prince ran through the slowly closing metal doors, dagger gleaming in the darkness.

The sight that lay before them was astonishing. Instead of the endless amounts of tunnels that the prince had expected, a maze of obstacles lay before them. They were standing on no more than a platform before the extravagant area and the prince felt as if he had returned to his rightful place. Jamal stared at his surroundings, noting the poles, ledges, cracks and ropes they could use to traverse the terrain there.

The platform that they were standing on now was facing a large pillar, with ledges that both of them could land on to. On the far distance of the area, a huge door was placed. To get there though, was the problem. Platforms, pillars, walls, levers, traps and everything else was there as an obstacle to the prince and Jamal.

"Where does that door lead to?" asked the prince curiously. Jamal shrugged and said, " I am not quite sure but it may be the only way to escape

"This is not what I had imagined it to be," said Jamal, moving closer towards the edge of the ledge. He kicked a peace of broken rock off the ledge and watched as it plummeted to the ground beneath it. "A fall from this height could prove fatal." He kept his taken out weapon back onto his waist belt and returned to his normal posture. "Shall we then?"

"It would be rude not to," said the prince, keeping the Dagger of Time as well. Jamal was the first to jump. He grabbed the ledge with his powerful fingers, and pulled himself up, now standing, body flat against the side of the pillar. Motioning to the prince with his head, he moved to the other side of the pillar, body flat and stable against it.

The prince wasted no time and immediately jumped to the pillar. He grabbed the ledge, perfectly, and heaved himself up with his strong arms. Jamal was already on another platform higher above, waiting for him. He moved quickly and soon, he came to the other side of the pillar.

"Seems like Zarul had been very busy indeed with his excavation," said Jamal. The prince grabbed the rope, climbed it until he reached the top and now stood on another platform. There were walls on each side of the prince's side, but at the end, there was a large opening.

Jamal was at the end of the platform, gazing down upon the vast amount of abyss before them. The prince brushed off a bit of dirt that had dirtied his shoulders and moved to Jamal's side. Examining his surroundings, he found it possibly, but difficult, to propel himself around the terrain while dodging arrows in the process. Jamal sighed, frustrated by the sight.

"It seems possible to reach that door," said the prince moving towards the edge of the platform. In front of him was a pole, hanging limply from the wall. "But it won't be easy."

"I know," said Jamal, folding his arms. The prince shook his head.

"We're wasting more time, we must hurry. Or would you rather have yourself captured again by Zarul's men?" This seemed to convince Jamal. The prince was pleased.

"I shall go first," replied Jamal, moving his hand towards the pole. The prince did not object, but merely bowed.

"As you wish." Jamal snorted in response and the moment he was about to jump and grabbed the pole, a tremendous earthquake sent tremors towards the entire area. The platform that they were on vibrated from the force and the prince and Jamal feared that it might snap and break and fall.

Fortunately, it did not break. Beads of sweat had now accumulated upon the prince's forehead. He turned to Jamal, who looked as pale as the snow and they both said nothing. All they could hear were the loose rocks falling from their last positions.

And then a roar. The prince's hair tingled from the sound of it, for he knew that roar very well. Jamal grabbed the prince's shoulder, turning the prince to his fearful eyes.

"What is that?" asked Jamal, startled. The prince dared not breathe. It has come. The entire area shook and suddenly, at the other end of the platform, a black hand grabbed at the edge.

"Run!"

To be continued….

Author's note: Whew, the tests are finally over and I now have time for writing this fanfic. Haha, reviews aren't that much, but I'm happy for them. Thanks everyone!