My feet pounded on the cold stone as I ran down the long hallway. It had been easy to figure out how to open the door from the inside, though it had taken me a few minutes more to find the secret release in the hallway so I could get back into the room, or any other room. I skidded to a halt and a T junction and tried to catch my breath. I looked behind me but saw no one. I wondered how long it would be until Marcie found out I was missing.

I turned right and tried to pace myself. I wished I knew the layout, or even how big this castle was because the hallways never seemed to end. I turned left down another hallway and let out a yelp as I almost jumped out of my skin.

"Lost?" Marcie asked with a bemused expression

I tried not to look sheepish.

"Really, where do you think you're going?" She had a half smirk going now. "You haven't the slightest idea where you are."

"I was trying to change that." I said under my breath.

She sighed and gave me a long look. "Fine. Come with me."

"So are you going to tell me whats going on? You seem to be switching sides on a regular basis." I asked as we walked. "You've obviously been trained by the elites, you seem to be on the kings good side, and you work with this rebellion."

We stopped at a door and she triggered the hidden release. We stepped out of an alcove into a more public looking hallway, though there was no one there at the moment. We headed right as she started talking.

"Well. The underground initially contacted me when I was well on my way to joining the kings personal guard. I was commanding the advanced scout division at the time. They managed to plant enough ideas in my head that I realized what the King was doing is wrong and that I should help them and their cause. It was soon after this that I was sent on a mission to infiltrate the elite ranks and gather information for the King, as well as the underground." We turned into a short hallway with a large stairway spiraling upwards.

"And they just accepted you just like that?" I asked.

She wrinkled her nose, "of course not. It was nearly two years before they fully accepted me. By then however, I was was the equal of any warrior there. I was trained by Bryce for most of the time as a matter of fact, before he was sent here. The council had heard rumors of a rebellion stirring and wanted to verify this and to contact them. Before he left however, I was able to talk to him and tell him who I really was. I was able to secretly give him a formal letter of recommendation to the King, as well as a letter to present to the underground when he made contact." She paused as we stepped out onto the battlement.

The castle was enormous. I understood now why she had looked so amused when she caught me. I could have been wandering for days on end. She dismissed the soldiers standing guard and continued her tale.

"It was months before we heard from him and we feared that he had been found out. Finally however we received a message. He had been accepted into the Kings ranks and had made contact with the underground. He sent us information and updates on negotiations with the underground. Nearly half a year later though, the rumors started." She paused, resting her elbows on the crenelations as she stared off into the distance.

"The rumors?" I asked breaking the silence.

"We think they starting coming from here, the castle, though no one knows for sure. There were rumors that a wizard had revealed himself.. a wizard.. after all these years... imagine what it would be like to meet such a man.." She blinked a couple times as she realized where she was. "This wizard had come forth to reveal a prophecy it seems. The elite sent men to find him, the King as well of course, though they never did find him. The prophecy was another matter however. It caught on like wildfire, threatening to engulf everyone. You've already heard of this prophecy I believe. The ranks of the underground quickly swelled and soldiers deserted to join the elites. Small rebellions broke out and were quenched just as quickly. Events transpired that verified the truth of the prophecy and the Kings paranoia took control. He sent dozens of his most trusted men out to wait for the prophecy to manifest itself. But nothing ever happened. The rebellions died out, disagreement grew between the elite and the underground, the King's son started hunting the underground, the prophecy was forgotten. The King eventually died and his son took over, butchering his rule even worse then his father."

"Wait hold on here." I stopped her. "This sounds like it was ages ago, not just a few years, but you speak as if you were there. You're not that old."

She smiled in a funny way. "I still look beautiful for a woman of 92 do I?"

My jaw hit the stone floor. "What? How can you? You're? That's crazy!" I stammered. She look far to amused at my disbelief.

"My lineage comes from a line descended of great men and women. At some point before anyone can even remember, the wizards were not only plentiful, but rulers as well. Some of them experimented with things. And as with all things, some of them sought to forbid death from claiming them. They never succeeded. They did however find a way to stave it off a while. Pure breeds like myself can live a good 400 years less we meet an untimely end."

I sank down with my back against the wall before I fell over. "I swear, you people are going to give me white hair before I'm 30." I muttered.