3. The Great Escape

I'm not letting go. Not this close.

The guards are talking, joking with each other. Their voices echo through the empty hall. The sounds of the fete are dim now, the music like a soft chorus. The palace surrounds me; it feels like it will collapse on me at any moment, and I will be discovered, left to rot for the rest of my natural life in the dungeons of Nalbina.

I would have preferred to come here under different conditions. A victory banquet for Reks, or even being awarded myself for bravery in battle. But that is long gone, no chance of that now.

There is a slight draft. I shut the door behind me and feel the stillness of the air. I have little time; surely the guard I snuck past has realized what has happened, and is racing up the stairs.

I dash forward, feeling the blood pound in my head. Too quick, the guards are walking in this direction. In the hallway ahead there is a crest; perhaps that is what I seek. I tumble forward, landing without a sound on the other side of the hall and stop. They don't seem to have noticed.

The crest on the floor is engraved like a hawk. The design is so beautiful, but everything from Dalmasca is beautiful. I have no time for appreciating this beauty. I take the stone from my pocket, the one Old Dalan gave me. I hold it to the crest, but nothing.

Footsteps from behind me. I have no time.

I race ahead, hiding in a nearby nook.

"So what'd you do, to get stuck with this shift?"

A laugh in reply.

"Spilling tea on the captain's table," he muttered.

"That's it?" A deep-throated chortle.

I don't stay to hear the rest of the conversation. I hear a lull in their conversation and use the timing to slip past them.

There are guards everywhere, but none are looking in my direction. I am a shadow, I am the wall, I am a memory. These are the words I use in the streets, but they are even more important here.

You are a fool, Vaan. A treasonous, idiotic fool. Penelo is talking to me, though she is not here. Her voice echoes in my head. She never did like my thieving; she was the one who got me the job to clean the sewers in Lowtown. It was good money, but not as good as this is going to be. The pride of Dalmasca, mine.

Another crest. My eyes are blurred now, lids heavy with sweat, arms tired from carrying Migelo's sword. The lines on my arm are faint now, after inscribing the healing runes on them, but the pain returns now as my body weakens. I've hardly stopped running since I entered the palace, and the injuries I suffered earlier in my search for the palace entrance have still been untreated.

Slipping into an ante-room, I draw up the pants over my left leg. Still battered and bleeding. I sigh, shake my head for being the fool. Kneeling down, I touch the runes on my skin; they begin to glow, the words twisting around on my skin. I can feel the skin twist and turn above the bone; the letters burn white, and then my body feels the sudden relief of pain. The bleeding stops, but I am left vacuous, empty if. I have no time to gain back my energy though. The sounds of the fete are getting louder, which means they must be heading towards the finale of the evening.

Peeking past, I notice the guard has moved away. Another crest is on the ground, the shape of a lion. I might as well try it. Placing the stone over the crest, I feel a warmth flow through my body. The sunstone energy of the crest vanishes, turning the stone into a blackened lump. There is a flash in my mind, and part of the energy surges through me; the hidden room. I see it now, and race toward it.

The guards hear my footsteps and race after me. I turn a corner and run as fast as my feet can take me down another hallway, then stop. The guards in their heavy armor fade down the hallway. They know there is an intruder in the palace. I have no choice no, no exit but my goal.

Before me is the glimmering light I saw in my vision. I approach it, and see part of the frame of the window has been illuminated. I place my hand over the frame, and hear gears moving and grinding. The frame raises into the ceiling, and I see a darkened hallway. Not wanting to make any noise, I quietly step over the wall and slip into the black room. The frame immediately closes behind me.

I am alone once again. My heart races, but I feel the pulse of life, one that I've never felt before. This is definitely a turning point.

-Vaan