Several hours later, Shana found herself trailing slightly behind Dart and Lavitz. The sun beat down on her from overhead, and she felt strangely hot and cold at the same time. Her head still ached slightly from the attack the week before, but she said little of it. All she really wanted was a warm bath and a comfortable place to sleep alone.

She lifted her head to look at Dart and Lavitz, who were chatting happily before her. Despite the fact that Lavitz had spent even longer in Hellena than she had, he seemed remarkably unaffected by the horrors there. More often than she wanted, she could smell the revolting air, feel the devastating oppression that filled that prison, and see nothing but the darkness of her cell at night. Every time a guard had touched her or opened her cell door to give her a single slice of bread, she was terrified of what they might do. Every day she was thankful that it was never any worse than it was. She hadn't mentioned it to the others yet, but she could tell that the guards had been ordered to leave her unharmed and healthy. For some unknown reason, she was important enough to be kept pure and unspoiled. She often shuddered to think of what that could mean.

A breakout of laughter ahead of her brought Shana back to the prairie. Apparently the two new best friends were exchanging jokes or funny stories. Indignation rose within her, but she knew she was being petty. All those years in Seles, you had Dart to yourself, she thought. He deserves to have a good friend now. She reminded herself that he had given up almost everything just to save her. Looking up at his smiling face, her indignation melted away. He glanced behind him, and for a second, their eyes met. She flashed a small smile, and as he turned back to Lavitz, the picture of his blue eyes remained in her mind's eye. A light breeze rustled his hair, doing something she had wished she could do since she was very young. Whatever else she felt, she knew that she loved him.

The mountains crept ever closer toward them, and just past noon, they arrived near the roots. The grasses ran right up to the mountain base, finally giving way to a lack of soil. The side of the mountain glinted in the sunlight, various crystals exposed by years of weathering the elements. Just a mile away from the steep face, Lavitz stopped and pointed to the right.

"See over there?" Shana followed his line of sight. Almost on the edge of her vision, she could just make out an area of the rock wall that was darker than the light gray surrounding it. "I believe that is our way through these mountains."

"Let's do it!" said Dart, flashing a grin at Lavitz before heading toward the cave entrance. At the smile, Shana's heart skipped a beat and followed him, looking down in the hope that Lavitz couldn't see her involuntary smile as she trailed behind.

Several minutes later, the three of them stood side by side staring into a rather large and very dark tunnel leading beneath the mountain. As Lavitz had described, a sizeable crate full of unlit torches sat just inside the entrance, where they wouldn't get wet from rain. Nothing but silence emanated from the entrance. Lavitz stepped forward and grabbed an unlit torch before handing it to Dart.

"You're the only one with a one-handed weapon," he explained. Dart nodded and received the item.

Now that they had stopped, Shana was reminded of the aching in her feet and legs. "Maybe," she said, "we should take a short break before heading in. Lavitz" - she turned to him - "how long will it take to get through the cave?"

"That's probably a good idea," Lavitz replied. "I'm not entirely sure, but as long as I remember the right path - which I definitely will - it should take somewhere between six and eight hours. It's probably best not to stay in one place in there for very long."

Dart nodded, said, "Sounds good," and sat down to the side of the entrance, placing the torch next to him. Shana and Lavitz followed suit. "We can take a break, drink some water…" His voice trailed off as he dug through his pack. A moment later, he pulled out a wad of vegetables. "And eat some… carrots," he added. Disdain was plain on his face.

"I'm sorry we can't build a proper fire to cook anything," said Shana regretfully.

"No, that's fine," said Dart as he handed out some of the greens.

The group sat and rested for about half an hour, just long enough that Shana began to wish she could sleep instead of trekking beneath the mountains. To her delight, some clouds rolled by, giving them moments of shade. Maybe I should be enjoying the sunlight more, she thought, imagining eight hours without any light but the torch.

Soon after, Dart got out a piece of flint from his pack and his hunting knife. He gathered some dead grass into a pile and used it as kindling to start a small fire. Surprisingly, the fire caught on the first try, and he placed the head of the torch in the small flame. It, too, caught immediately, and Dart laughed at his victory.

"Wow, Dart!" Lavitz exclaimed. "You have some talent with flame, my friend!"

Standing, Dart shrugged, "When you live in the middle of nowhere for five years, you learn some things."

Lavitz and Shana stood, and the three walked toward the cave entrance. The firelight from the torch glinted off the crystals in the wall, which Shana could now see had been chipped at some time before, further evidence of Lavitz's correct information of the cave. She dearly hoped that the guardian was not included in the list of facts turning out to be accurate.

"We should probably carry an extra or two of these," said Lavitz, picking up two more torches. "Dart, can we put them in your pack?"

Dart turned around as Lavitz placed them inside, easily accessible but securely in place. Then they walked cautiously into the dark, staying close to Dart and his torchlight.

"Just so you guys know," Lavitz began, his deep voice echoing off the stone walls, "The path goes straight for a while and then opens up. Basically just keep going straight. Then I believe it narrows again and we come to an underground river, which we need to cross carefully. On the other side of that is a very large cavern, with several ways out. Two… no, three of them all kind of wind together until they eventually get to the other side of the mountain, but that path is kind of curvy."

Trying to build her determination, Shana took a deep breath and was alarmed at how loud it was in the silence.

As the path crept on, it sloped downward slightly, and after a couple loose curves, they were surrounded by pitch black. The temperature began to drop, and she wished she had another layer of clothing like Dart and Lavitz. She began to shiver, whether from cold or apprehension, she could not tell. The small bubble of light around Dart was her only comfort, and Shana tried ever harder to fight back a feeling of fear and oppression. She almost felt as though she couldn't breathe. Every step echoed all around them; all else was as silent as death.

For what seemed like an eternity, they continued forward. She began to hear slow drips echoing through the tunnel, and the ground beneath her became wet and slippery. Footing became somewhat tricky. Once she almost slipped and fell, but Dart quickly reached out and grabbed her arm, steadying her.

"You alright?" he asked, clearly worried.

"Yeah…" Shana said quietly. "Thanks."

"Here," he said. She looked over and saw his hand extended to her. She knew that this was only a gesture for safety, and she told herself that Dart only meant to protect her, but her heart seemed to ignore all this as she felt it flutter inside her chest. Slowly, she took his hand as the fluttering intensified. His hand was warm despite the cold of the cave. His hands were rough, the hands of a warrior and a traveler, but Shana didn't mind. His hand wrapped securely around hers, but she felt like her entire person had been wrapped in his protection. She found that she didn't mind the dark as much anymore.

Slowly, the cave began to widen and slope down further into the earth. It was all Shana could do not to contemplate the heavy amount of rock sitting above her head at that moment. Instinctively, she gripped Dart's hand a little more tightly. Eventually, the walls of the cave left the edge of the torchlight, causing Shana's pulse to quicken. Dart gave her hand a squeeze, and she wondered if he could feel her pulse in her hand. She was certain, however, that he didn't know how much comfort his simple touch really gave her.

The ground became suddenly rough and treacherous, as if the people who had "hollowed out" the cave, as Lavitz had mentioned, stopped at the end of the hall and left. Shana found herself stepping around stalagmites and pillars, ducking under stalactites, and desperately wishing for the end of this cave. All around them tiny drops of water fell into small pools in a strange rhythm. The ceiling was now far out of sight, past the reach of the torchlight. They were obviously in a large cavern. Their footsteps echoed into the distance, their breathing loud in the piercing silence.

After perhaps an hour or more of this slow progress, the passage began to narrow again, just as Lavitz had predicted. The distant sound of rushing water met their ears and steadily grew louder until it was almost deafening. It was not long after this that the ground before them abruptly ended, replaced by a chasm filled with dark, fast-flowing liquid.

Lavitz's voice broke their tense, long-standing silence, almost shouting to match the loudness of the water. "The underground river," he said. "This means we're making pretty good time. I think we've only been in here for maybe three or four hours."

"So we're halfway?" shouted Shana. She felt that another three hours without a sky may kill her outright.

"No, a little past that. Like I said, we're making good time."

Shana felt a slight relief at hearing this. Turning back to the river, she let go of Dart's hand and stepped closer, trying to see the other side, but to no avail. She regretted not keeping Dart's hand, but she was afraid he would think her foolish should she try to grab it again.

"So how do we cross this?" asked Dart, voicing Shana's concern.

As she peered into the dark, Shana exclaimed, "There!" She pointed toward a spot in the river where she thought she could see a place for footing. "There are stones in the river we can cross on!"

Dart stepped forward, holding out the torch over the water with his left hand. Automatically, Shana reached out to his arm, making sure he didn't fall into the rushing water. As the light stretched just a bit further, Shana could see that she was correct. Numerous large, rounded boulders rested on the bottom of the stream, just far enough above the water to function as stepping stones.

"She's right," shouted Dart over the roaring. "But we have to be extremely careful. That water is at least a few feet deep and moving very fast, and those rocks are sure to be slippery. One wrong step and we could be gone for good." He looked to the right, downriver, into the black.

For several minutes, each of them gazed at the water, mustering all their courage. Finally, Dart began to move.

"I'll go first," he said, "and then, Shana, I want you to follow. Lavitz, you bring up the rear." He turned to Shana, and her heart beat loudly. "Be careful," he said somberly.

"I will," she said, nodding.

Slowly, Dart stepped up to the edge of the river and extended his right leg over the frothing waters, placing his foot gingerly on the stone and testing it for surety. He carefully placed his full weight on it and brought over the other leg. Trying to stay calm, Shana watched every movement to make sure that he wasn't about to fall. Dart moved carefully to the next stone, only a foot away from the first, and turned, nodding to her.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped up to the edge of the river. Carefully, she reached out and set her foot on the stone. Immediately, she felt water splash up over her worn shoe and sink into it, wrapping her foot in cold. She shuddered, and Dart reached out his hand to her. Gratefully, she took it and used it to steady herself as she placed her full weight upon the rock.

Dart turned, moving to another rock, and Shana followed. Then they both turned and watched as Lavitz made his way out into the treacherous waters. The three moved slowly and carefully across the river, sometimes with the luxury of a large flat stone several inches above the surface, and sometimes having to plunge themselves ankle-deep into the icy water. Dart's flame dimly lit each step forward. Occasionally, Shana worried that Lavitz was far enough away that he would not be able to see, but he never seemed to falter.

After what seemed a cold eternity, the flame illuminated the far shore of the river. The final stone was in sight, though it was a greater distance from the others than Shana had grown accustomed to. Dart found himself having to hop over to it before stepping onto the bank. Shana, knowing that her shorter stature would make this more treacherous for her, gazed fearfully at the stone. She shivered with cold and looked up at him for reassurance.

"You'll be fine!" shouted Dart over the water. "I'm right here! I'll catch you!" He leaned over the edge of the water, extending his hand as far as he could without losing his footing. She looked into his eyes. Within them lay strength, warmth, and confidence, but past that she could see a hint of worry and fear. Her eyes dropped to the stone, and she took a deep breath. She jumped forward, reaching out for Dart, and landed safely on the stone, gripping his hand tightly for balance. Smiling up at him in relief, she stepped onto the shore.

Shivering, Shana turned and saw Lavitz just before the final leap. Dart extended his free arm around her to warm her, and she leaned into the heat. All her bodily warmth had been swept away in the river.

Dart shouted to Lavitz over the din, "You've got this, buddy!" Lavitz flashed a grin up at him and jumped forward.

But something went wrong. As soon as Lavitz's boot hit the stone, it lost grip and slid into the water, the rest of Lavitz following. His cry pierced the dark, and Dart and Shana both cried out to him. Shana watched in horror as Lavitz reached frantically for something to hold him up, but his heavy armor dragged him beneath the surface. Dart dropped the torch and rushed forward, lying on the ground and reaching out, just as Lavitz managed to break the surface, gasping for air. He reached out to Dart, and their hands met, clasping firm. Dart pulled Lavitz to the edge of the river and struggled to pull him out of the water. Shana rushed forward to help, grabbing Lavitz's other arm and pulling with all her might. A moment later, Lavitz was able to get his leg up on the solid rock and roll over, panting. Shana and Dart sat down, both working to catch their breath.

Presently, Lavitz sat up and moved away from the edge of the water. Still breathing heavily, he sat next to Dart and said, "That's the second time you've saved my life." Water dripped from his hair and body, and Shana worried that he may get sick from the cold and damp.

Smiling, Dart said, "I was just around."

"Then I guess I was lucky you were around." Lavitz stood and added, "We should probably get going. I'm already freezing, and I would love to sit by a nice big fire and warm up. But," he paused, reaching out a hand to help Dart up, "we have to get out of here before we can do that." He extended his hand to Shana as well, and she grabbed it and pulled herself up. Dart picked up the lit torch and another that had fallen out of his pack during the confusion.

Moving away from the river, they found a large tunnel and followed it. To Shana's great relief, the path began to slope upward and was relatively easy to walk on. She found herself staying just behind Dart and Lavitz while they talked about old battles and exchanged war stories. It appeared that Lavitz's brush with death was enough to lift their spirits. Their voices echoed all around, and she retreated within her own thoughts. Trying to keep her mind off the intense cold that caused her to shiver uncontrollably, she tried to remember times when she had been heroic or had walked through terrible danger, like Dart had for both her and Lavitz. Instead, all she could ever remember was Dart protecting her.

Growing up, Dart had been a constant companion. She did everything with him. They went on adventures all the time in the forest near Seles, running up and down hills and creeks, climbing trees and pretending to sail the ocean to far and distant lands. But then as Dart got older, he became more serious. Instead of making sure she didn't fall and scrape her knee, he had begun to worry about other dangers. He began training with Tasman and quickly excelled with a sword, as if it were in his blood. This still seemed to be true, as his skills in Hellena had manifested themselves to be dramatically improved.

She thought back several days ago to seeing him for the first time in five years. The fight outside her cell had frightened her, and she hadn't immediately recognized him. It was when he spoke that she knew it was Dart. She could see him now, running into her cell to greet her, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw how she had changed. She had been struck by him, in the best way possible. His hair was longer, his skin darker, and his muscles stronger than when he had left Seles. She thought that she had moved past her love for him, that she had buried her feelings far away, but it had all come rushing back in that moment, stronger than ever.

Rings of laughter brought her reluctantly back to the dark cave. Arms crossed for warmth, she looked up at Dart and Lavitz, who apparently had forgotten that they were in the deep belly of the mountains with no fresh air or sunlight. Lavitz's hair was still dripping wet, and Shana wondered how he could possibly be so cheerful right now. All she wanted was to get out of this awful cave, but they continued to share military training stories as if they weren't about to suffocate.

Realizing her selfish thoughts, she caught herself. She knew this was unfair to them. She tried to remember that Lavitz had almost just been lost forever in a dark, underground river, and Dart had almost just lost his newest friend. Lavitz surviving should be enough to make me happy, too, she thought, trying to forcefully lift her spirits.

So instead she began listening to their stories. Within a few minutes, she found herself laughing along with them, and the time in the cave seemed to pass a little more quickly. After several more stories, Shana noticed the ground leveling out. Looking forward down the path, she thought she could see something, and she found herself immediately excited.

"Guys," she said abruptly, interrupting Lavitz mid-sentence. "Is that light up there?" She indicated the area ahead.

"Sure looks like it," Dart mumbled.

The group picked up the pace, excited at the prospect of the sky. After several minutes of following the tunnel, they came upon a strange sight. The entire wall, from ground to ceiling, was covered with hundreds of tiny yellow-green lights turning on and off to some unknown rhythm. Enraptured by the beauty, Shana stepped up close to the wall, seeing that these little lights were actually small insects, with abdomens that emitted light for perhaps a few seconds at a time before turning off.

"What are these?" she asked in wonder.

Instantly Dart replied, "Rock fireflies. It makes sense actually." Shana turned away from the wall to look at him and saw Lavitz nodding in affirmation. Both of them stared at the wall, but not really seeing it, as if they were remembering something.

"Why?" Shana prodded.

Lavitz replied, "These little guys live in caves all over Serdio. Because of that, they adopted the name 'rock fireflies.' Makes sense that these are what was emitting the light we saw. We're not close enough to the end of the cave for it to be the light from outside."

Walking closer to the wall, Dart held out his finger and let one of the insects crawl onto it. He pulled his hand back, watching the small creature mozy around, occasionally flashing. "Very helpful, these little guys."

"Indeed," said Lavitz. They made no effort to explain further.

Slightly irritated, Shana asked, "How's that?" She failed to hide her frustration as well as she had wanted.

"Their light has a healing power," said Dart matter-of-factly.

"Wow, really?"

"Yeah," said Lavitz. "But it only works on really minor stuff. Cuts and bruises, sometimes overall fatigue. How long you stay in the light and how bright it is affects how well it works. Actually, we've been standing here long enough…"

He bent down and removed the bandage from his left leg that Shana had nursed in the shack. As he peeled away the final layer, Shana gasped to see that the skin was completely healed. No trace of a wound remained.

"Yeah, my arm and hand feel a lot better, too," Dart said, removing the bandages from his forearm and knuckles. Beneath these, too, was perfectly healed skin.

Shana lifted her hand up to the side of her head and pressed gently, but was surprised to feel no pain. She looked down at the bruise on her left arm, but it too was healed. She realized that, though these fireflies gave off no heat, she didn't feel as frigid as before, and her energy had renewed somewhat.

"Wow, they're amazing!" she exclaimed.

Smiling, Dart and Lavitz agreed. "But," Dart added, "we should probably keep moving. Even though it's good to know these are here, I really am ready to get out of this cave."

And so they continued, reluctantly leaving the warm light of the fireflies.

Reinvigorated, they moved more quickly than before, and after about half an hour they found themselves in the second cavern that Lavitz had mentioned before. Although they could see no more of it than the one before, the distant echoes indicated that this place was much larger. Shana looked with awe on the various crystalline forms of rock that they passed. Rather than being a dull white or gray like before, she began to see pink variances.

Noticing her eyes straining a little more than normal, she looked over at the lit torch and saw that the flame was dwindling. Immediately she spoke up.

"Hey, we need to light another torch before that one goes out. I definitely do not want to get stuck down here with no light."

Heartily agreeing, Lavitz pulled a torch out of Dart's pack and held it over the flame. Moments later, the radius of their lighted area increased, and Shana was shocked at how much brighter the new torch was. Apparently the old one had been waning for quite some time before she had noticed. Lavitz gave Dart the new torch and took the old one for himself.

They kept moving through the cave, and the vigor left by the light of the fireflies began to fade from Shana's heart. The dark once again became oppressive, and she had to cling to the knowledge that they were almost out of the dreadful cave. The group walked in silence once again, and she figured that the other two were having similar thoughts. She resisted the urge to take Dart's hand.

Suddenly she heard a sound, like skin sliding across wet stone. Taking in a sharp breath, she halted and looked out into the blackness surrounding her. The other two stopped as well and looked at her curiously.

"What is it?" asked Dart quietly.

Heart pounding, Shana said, "I thought I heard something."

Just then she heard it again, much louder and much closer. Something big was sliding toward them across the cavern floor. The others must have heard it too, because instantly Lavitz set down the dying torch and readied his lance while Dart drew his sword. "Shana, get behind me," he said, a serious tone in his voice.

Their recognition of a threat sent her heart beating even faster, and she moved away from the sound, pulling her bow from around her chest and nocking an arrow. Lavitz took up position beside Dart, guarding her together. The sound came closer, and couldn't have been more than just barely out of the range of the torchlight. Shana drew back her bow and stood ready to fire at whatever jumped out at them.

Dart, Lavitz, and Shana all held their breath, listening for any sign of movement.

Suddenly there came a swish of air as something moved toward them lightning-fast, and Dart and Lavitz both jumped backwards as something massive jabbed forward. For a split second while in the torch light, the creature was visible. Shana thought that it looked like a massive snake, large enough for her to sit comfortably in its mouth, were it held open. It was also eyeless, no doubt a result of living life in a lightless cave. Its skin was brown and covered in thick scales. As soon as it tried to strike, Shana let fly her arrow, and a second later, a piercing shriek filled the cave. The sound was followed by a flurry of motion.

As Shana readied another arrow, Dart and Lavitz both moved to the left. The giant snake creature moved as well, sliding along the rock and making its presence known through that dreadful noise. Shana began to follow Dart and Lavitz, but Dart held up his hand and shouted.

"No! Stay there! It'll follow us!" Then turning to Lavitz, he said, "Keep it away from Shana!"

Lavitz nodded and began to make noise by tapping his lance against the stone while they moved away. The previously dying torch was now completely burned away, and she was left alone in the dark watching her protection step further and further from her.

She drew back her bow once more and kept it aimed at the source of the sound. As soon as it stopped moving, she fired. There was no sound for several seconds until she heard her arrow fall uselessly a hundred feet from her.

Suddenly the sound began again, the creature moving toward the others, and she hurried to ready another arrow. She could see better from here, and could actually make out the figure of the snake as it neared them. It seemed to be at least three feet thick and perhaps sixty feet long, although most of the tail remained in darkness. She aimed once again, and as the snake struck at Dart and Lavitz, who must have been almost sixty feet away from her by now, she fired, this time finding her mark. The snake let out another great shriek and pulled back to where she could no longer see it.

There was a loud splash, and Dart shouted in alarm. Next to him, Shana could barely make out a small puddle of liquid that caused a strange bubbling on the rock, seeming to eat it away. The creature could spit acid.

Shana began to worry about ever seeing the sun again. She didn't know how they could possibly defeat this creature. It was too fast for Dart and Lavitz to attack, and she could only seem to get in shots when it was well-exposed and close to them. They could not possibly hope to outrun it if it could spit an acid powerful enough to dissolve rock.

Dart and Lavitz began to make more noise as they moved further from her, intending to draw the snake that way, but the noise only made it harder for her to hear the snake's movements. She kept her bow aimed in that direction, waiting for the right moment. Suddenly, Shana began to hear the sound again, but not from across the cavern. The sound was moving toward her at an alarming speed. She screamed involuntarily and shot haphazardly, missing the creature completely.

"SHANA!" screamed Dart, and he bolted toward her. The sound was within feet of her, still moving forward, and she became paralyzed by fear. The bow fell from her hand as she stared into the void. She knew it was about to strike, but she could not move.

Staring into the black, her eyes strained to see. She thought for a moment that she could actually see the snake, but the torch was still too far away. But then the creature became clearer. A light began to shine on it, illuminating its ugly face with a pale blue light whose source she could not see. Her heart stopped as she saw the beast strike at her, and she closed her eyes. When no pain arrived, she opened them and saw the snake being pushed back, repulsed by the light, now brighter than any torch. It lifted its head high, and then burst into thousands of pieces, like blue shards of glass.

Darkness filled her eyes again, and she felt suddenly exhausted. Panting heavily, she slumped to the ground. A few moments later, light returned as Dart approached, running at full speed. He quickly knelt beside her, dropping his sword by his side.

"Shana, are you okay?" he asked frantically.

Still panting, she worked out the words, "I… think so."

"What happened?" asked Dart, turning her face toward him, his eyes lingering on her forehead for a few seconds. "How did you do that?"

"I didn't… do anything," said Shana, shaking her head slightly. Then, "Why are you staring at my forehead?"

Lavitz stopped next to them. "That light," he said. "That blue light. It came from you." He looked at her, mouth agape.

"Wh-what?" stammered Shana. "I couldn't have… That's… that's impossible." She shook her head and looked down at her hands, as if they were somehow to blame.

"He's right," said Dart, looking at her with concern. "Your forehead began to shine, bright and blue, and it stopped the snake and killed it."

"I don't understand!" exclaimed Shana, suddenly indignant. "How could I have a power that I don't even know about?"

Kneeling down in front of her, Lavitz eyed her with concern before saying, "I don't know. But the fact remains that we defeated that creature, which I suspect to be the 'guardian' that I heard about, and now we need to be getting out of here."

Shana took several deep breaths and nodded, picking up her bow and struggling to stand to her feet. Dart handed the torch to Lavitz, put his arm around her waist, and lifted her up. Despite the events that had just transpired, Dart's strength helped her, and the three began, a little more slowly, to make their way in what they believed to be the direction of the exit.

After only a short time, they came upon a small indentation in the ground, about a foot across and a couple inches deep. Within it sat not water, but the strange substance the creature had spit at Dart.

"Wow, this was almost perfectly flat before," he remarked. "It must be some kind of acid, eating away at the rock."

Shana stared curiously at the puddle while they skirted around it carefully and resumed their trek. After a few minutes, she felt stronger and told Dart that she would be fine from here on out. He removed his supportive hand and retrieved the torch again from Lavitz. For the remainder of their time in the cave, Lavitz and Dart walked on either side of her.

The more eager she was to get out of the cave, the slower time seemed to pass. After what seemed like several hours, they finally found the far wall of the cavern. Turning left, they followed it until they found a large tunnel, though slightly smaller than the one they had come through before. They turned down this tunnel, moving a little faster than before, fueled by their hope of an open sky.

After an hour or so of weaving through tunnels, three of which seemed to be braided together, they finally thought they smelled fresher air. A soft warm breeze came rushing softly toward them, and to their great delight, they could smell trees in it. Their pace quickened once again.

Finally, they saw dim light ahead, and the path sloped upward. Then they could see the exit, and all three began running toward it. Laughing with joy and a feeling of freedom, they ran outside, each of them stopping and breathing in the fresh air. Shana held her arms out and spun around, eyes closed, feeling the crisp night air on her skin, warm as it felt compared to the cave. She stopped and looked up at the night sky, filled with thousands of stars gazing down at her, welcoming her back to the world. Ever bright, the moon shone down on them, wiping away the despair of the cave's darkness.

Looking around, she saw that they were in a lightly forested area. Maple, oak, and elm trees grew tall right up to the edge of the mountain. A small clearing had been made near the cave entrance, and a road cut through the trees to the northwest.

"Look!" she called, pointing at the road. "Does that lead to Bale?" She turned to Lavitz excitedly.

He laughed at her enthusiasm and said, "Yes! We should be able to arrive by tomorrow at sunset, if all goes well. But we should camp here tonight. I am exhausted after that adventure!"

Shana and Dart agreed, and Dart said excitedly, "Guys, there are trees… That means we can make a fire! Tomorrow we can have some real food for breakfast!"

Lavitz and Shana shouted cheerfully, and they all agreed to go find some fire wood. A few minutes later, Dart assembled it all, grabbed the torch, and thrust it into the heart.

As the flames roared to life, Lavitz and Dart removed their armor, and they all stretched their sore limbs near the fire.

"Now this is nice," said Dart tranquilly.

"Man, I'm still wet from that river!" Lavitz said, feeling his tunic and trousers. "It's a little chilly with that wind blowing."

"Thus the fire," answered Dart with a grin.

The group fell into silence as they simply enjoyed being on the far side of the harrowing journey through the cave. Shana believed that the worst was behind her. She lay down, and after several minutes of watching the jumping flames, she fell fast asleep.


Author Note: I really loved getting to write from Shana's perspective. I hope you all enjoyed it as well. Stay tuned for more!