“I’m a boy,” Kylus said, standing there naked in the bathing room. “I was given the wrong gender at birth. I am a man.”

  “Oh. You’re one of… them,” Sylis said. “Those ones.” I had heard of them in Tamm, but I have never met one before, Sylis thought. I would have expected myself to be disgusted, but… he’s really good-looking!

  “Yes. It’s the reason I was expelled from the Order of the Servants of the Sword. The Sword condemns those who change gender, even though I’m changing from the wrong gender to the right gender for me, and even though both men and women are allowed to enlist and serve the Sword. Many people look down on my kind, so I don’t advertise it and I try to keep it a secret from everyone except those I trust. But I trust you.”

  Sylis stared at Kylus’s face. The most striking things about it were Kylus’s short-cropped blonde hair and vivid blue eyes. His eyes and hair were so intense that they distracted from the fact that the curves of his face were such as might belong to either a boy or a girl. Sylis had not noticed this fact before. Kylus’s voice was a high voice that could be a male or female voice; Sylis had likewise never noticed that. Sylis had mistaken Kylus’s breasts for large pecs because of the way Kylus had them bound to his chest by the tightly laced green leather vest that he wore over his green shirt. Now that Kylus was not wearing any clothes, Sylis could see them very clearly.

  “Well, you don’t behave like a girl,” Sylis said. “You’re definitely very male in how you talk and walk and act. I thought you were a man, I mean, I think you are a man.”

  “I don’t deviate my behavior to conform to others’ expectations,” Kylus said. “Never have. Never will. I am what I am. Take it or leave it.”

  “I will take it,” Sylis said. “You know, Kylus, you’re really strong. How can you be so strong if you’re, you know…?”

  Kylus raised an arm and flexed his bicep, showing off his muscle to Sylis. “The Serve-Swords teach the recruits about a food called strong bread. The dwarves invented it to fuel their work in the mines to the west, but merchants sell it throughout the human realms. It’s a type of bread that tastes horrible, it’s so bitter it’s like a lemon died and went to hell and then you ate the lemon, but it’s enchanted to increase the strength and muscle of the person who eats it. It’s not too expensive and it’s worth every coin. I buy and eat it regularly. I also lift weights and do sword combat training, martial arts training, archery practice or agility training at least five days a week. I’m a good soldier. I don’t doubt that I can win most any fight.”

  Kylus frowned and dropped his arm to his side. “But strong bread is only a temporary bandage, not a solution. To truly become a man with all of a man’s strength, I need a wizard to cast a spell to transform my body from a woman’s body to a man’s body, in all parts. I have been told such a spell exists within the domain of Green magic, but only the greatest wizards can cast it, and they charge a lot of money for it. When the Dark Wizard pays me, I will use the money to pay a wizard to cast that magic spell on me.”

  As Kylus spoke he gazed off into the distance and his blue eyes took on a dreamy, wide-eyed look, and his lips formed a smile. Wow, he really wants that a lot. I can see it in his eyes. “I hope your dreams come true, Kylus,” Sylis said.

  Sylis took his clothes off until he was naked except for the blue mask tied around his head that covered his face. He glanced at Kylus to see if Kylus was looking at him, but Kylus had entered the bath and begun to splash water onto himself, and he appeared to be completely focused on that. Sylis dipped a toe into the bath and felt the warm water bubbling up against his skin, like the warmth of a fire warming a chilled body on a cold winter night. He slowly lowered himself into the tub until he was up to his hairy chest in the hot water, taking a position directly across from Kylus at the other end of the tub. He saw Kylus grab a bar of soap and begin to use it, so Sylis looked at the soaps, selected a blue one, and began to lather and soap himself up. Sylis sniffed the air and noticed that the soap was scented with sandalwood. Thank God for Kylus!, Sylis thought. This bathhouse is much nicer than the bathtub I had on my farm, and I smell better already!

  The water splashed and flowed as Sylis and Kylus moved about and adjusted their bodies to wash every part of their bodies in the water. Several feet of water separated the two young men, and Sylis could only see Kylus’s body as pink-white shimmering smears reflected and distorted through the volume of water. Nonetheless, Sylis couldn’t stop himself from constantly trying to sneak looks at Kylus’s naked body from across the tub, and he felt his body get highly aroused. I’m glad my lower half is under water; I hope Kylus can’t see it! How embarrassing!

  “You’ll want to wash and scrub thoroughly,” Kylus said. “The baths are great, but we can’t afford to come here every day. It would get way too expensive if we did. So try to get clean enough to last a few days or a week until we come back.”

  “Okay,” Sylis said. He looked at Kylus; Kylus was focused only on giving himself a bath. Good! He isn’t looking at me! This is becoming very embarrassing for me! Sylis selected a scrubbing brush and got to work cleaning himself. He was careful not to touch that part of himself that had gotten aroused and make the situation even worse.

  By the time the bath ended, Sylis’s arousal had faded, much to his relief. The two boys got out of the tub, dried themselves with towels, and got dressed. As soon as they were out the door of the public bathhouse, Sylis turned to Kylus.

  “How do we get back to the hideout?” Sylis asked. “These streets are like a maze. I’ve already lost my way and we haven’t even started to walk back to the house yet.”

  Kylus sighed. “You have to learn the streets of Imperia at some point, Sylis. You’re a rogue now. What if City Guards are chasing you and you need to know where to run to escape? But don’t worry: I will lead us back. Just please take notice of the route back to the hideout from the bathhouse. I don’t want to have to come with you every time you need a bath!”

  Kylus walked away, and Sylis scurried after him. As they came to an intersection between two streets, Kylus held up his hand, indicating for Sylis to stop.

  “Hurry! Press yourself against the wall! Stay still so that you won’t be noticed!” Kylus said. Kylus flattened his body against the wall of the building at the corner of the street, and Sylis attempted to do likewise. Soon, Sylis heard it: marching boots, as of hundreds of soldiers. Then he saw them: a parade of soldiers in black knight’s armor, coming down the street in a battalion, row after row after row after row of men on foot wearing iron armor that had been painted a smoky, shadowy black. The soldiers at the head of the battalion held long unfurled banners of purple cloth with gold and silver stripes.

  “Who are they?” Sylis whispered to Kylus. The noise of the marching of the boots on the street paving stones was so loud that it was making Sylis’s ears hurt. The soldiers appeared to all be facing forward and none of them turned their heads to look in the direction of where Sylis and Kylus were.

  “Don’t you see the color of their flags?” Kylus whispered back.

  “Purple? I don’t know what it means,” Sylis said.

  “Purple: the color worn only by the King,” Kylus said. “Those are men from the King’s personal army, a force loyal only to the King. While the Star Knights and the Servants of the Sword are the two main standing armies that defend the Imperium, the King has his own private force, which patrols and defends the Royal Palace and the rest of Imperia.”

  “So they are the King’s soldiers,” Sylis said.

  “No, not anymore,” Kylus said. “I would say that they belong to the two dark priests Wote and Shome, not to the King. The King was once a strong ruler and a good ruler; although everyone had their complaints, people were able to live under his governance. One year ago, that changed. Practically overnight, the King grew weak and became a mere puppet when he appointed the two dark priests Wote and Shome as the ministers of state. Wote and Shome run the kingdom and control the Royal army, although Wote and Shome wear black, not purple.”

  “How do you know this?” Sylis asked.

  “I was living here in Imperia one year ago when it happened,” Kylus replied. “I heard the rumors and the complaints and the bards’ songs. Bards would sing tales of the horrors that Wote and Shome visited upon the people. Wote and Shome tortured their critics with torture instruments that the King had previously banned from use for being too cruel. And the two dark priests have mismanaged the resources of the state, causing many towns and villages in the south of the Kingdom to go bankrupt and starve. We don’t see it here in Imperia because this city is still prosperous due to it being a port and a hub for the merchants’ guilds, but the kingdom is suffering. The bards coined a nickname for Wote and Shome: they call them the dark cloud that hangs over the kingdom.”

  “I have heard of Wote and Shome once before,” Sylis said, remembering the Blue wizard Renard Shass at the inn and tavern in Tamm.

  “Quiet, Sylis. Do not speak loudly. We need to not be seen or heard by these marchers as they pass. Wote and Shome’s soldiers randomly attack and beat people they see in the streets if they accuse them of looking suspicious. They make sport of it, too: they ask you what you’re doing as if a right answer exists that you can give to satisfy them, but no matter your answer, they accuse you of being a rogue and beat you.”

  “Is the King still alive?” Sylis asked.

  “Yes, so they say, although he has not been seen in public for a while,” Kylus said. “Anyway, knowledge of the details of the court is above me, and I don’t care about the King’s court anyway. The Temple of Light is controlled by the priests, not the King. The only thing I care about is stealing the Crystal of Light to pay for my spell.”

  “Okay,” Sylis said.

  Eventually the marching battalion passed by the intersection. They had not seen the two young men hiding in the shadows. Sylis and Kylus made their way back to the hideout, reached the front door of the Van Rozen house, and went in. Sylis and Kylus separated. As Sylis walked back to his room, a single thought was the only thought in his mind: the image of Kylus’s naked body. He went to the hallway outside his door, but he stopped before he went in, to think one thought: Darn it! I think I’m in love with Kylus—and I don’t think he loves me!

  Glorissa and Nathan were sitting at the dining room table of the Van Rozen house. The table was a long wooden table of dark wood that had been polished by the rats during Yarid’s fae song to such a fine polish that Glorissa’s and Nathan’s reflections could be seen in it. Nothing but the darkness of night filtered through the brown fabric curtains drawn over the windows, so several white wax candles on the table provided the only light. A scroll of parchment was rolled up at Glorissa’s elbow.

  “I cannot believe that I am going to lead you into the Star Knights Estate, Nathan, but somehow I fear that I will,” Glorissa said. “So, before our raid begins later tonight, I need to establish some ground rules. I left the Star Knights on friendly terms. Many of my best friends continue to be cadets in the Star Knights Academy, which is located on the grounds of the Estate. Some of my cadet friends might be tasked to patrol of the halls we’ll be sneaking through, so we might run into one or more of my friends. Rule number one: do not use attack magic against anyone. No death strike spells, no incineration spells, no explosions, no acid clouds. None of the things that you wizards of Black like to use. Rule number two: no reanimations. We’re invading the Tomb of Heroes in the Star Knights Estate for you to use your weird creepy read the mind of the dead spell to get a map of the Temple’s maze out of the rotting worm-eaten brain of the architect who built the Temple of Light or whatever dust is left of his brain after having been buried thousands of years ago. But that’s it. Do not reanimate any of the other dead in the Tomb of Heroes. In fact, do not use any magic other than the spell you cast to read the undead’s mind.”

  “You seem to be taking all of my favorite weapons away,” Nathan said. “We are not exactly going to be expected or welcomed by the Star Knights, what with us being a bunch of thieves intent on defiling the legendary architect’s corpse buried in their sacred crypt. Do you think they’ll throw a big party for us and give us some slices of chocolate cake if they see us? What do we do if they catch us, when I can’t blast them with magic?”

  “That brings me to rule number three,” Glorissa said. “Rule number three is: just do what I tell you to do. Like, seriously. If they see us, and I say run, then run. But I have another trick that I’m going to teach you in case they catch us.”

  “This better be a good trick,” Nathan said.

  “It is, and I’m only going to teach it to you against my better judgment,” Glorissa said. “I have a plan in case the guards of the Tomb catch us and surround us. The Star Knights have a secret sign called the Star Knights salute. It is something only we know, although we are allowed to teach it to our most loyal allies. I will show it to you. If they catch us, we both give them the Star Knights salute, and that should get them to trust us… and then as soon as they walk away, we make a break for it and run.”

  “I am not a Star Knight,” Nathan said.

  “Yes, and I thank God that you are not,” Glorissa said. “But like I said, it’s not just for us to identify each other, we also use it to spot our allies. The Star Knights are governed by a group of ancient wizards called the Council of Elders. The Council of Elders have a reputation among the Star Knights for being sort of weird and crazy and for making strange plans and sending random Star Knights on random quests to do heroic deeds or accomplish tasks for the Kingdom all the time. If the guards catch us, you and I give the salute, and I tell them that the Council of Elders sent me on a quest and that you are my ally, and that we are both there as part of our quest. They won’t be allowed to ask what the quest is or why we are breaking into the Star Knights Estate at night, because a Star Knight never questions or doubts the Council of Elders. If they recognize me, they might know that I left the Star Knights, but I will tell them that was pretend and part of my quest and that I’m still really a Star Knight. If they buy my story, it should buy us enough time to make a break and get out of there.”

  “And what if they don’t buy your story?” Nathan asked.

  “Oh, then they’ll run us through with their swords or cut our throats right then and there,” Glorissa said. “Breaking into and entering the Star Knights Estate without permission is a crime punishable by death, which the guards will deliver instantly to anyone they catch, and simply knowing the Star Knights salute won’t excuse us for the crime. But that’s the great thing about the fact that you have me to guide you, Nathan! I lived on the Estate for years while studying at the Academy and I know every detail of that wonderful, beautiful, magical castle. I have a plan that I thought up for how to get you into and out of the Tomb of Heroes without any problems.”

  “You seem to miss the Star Knights,” Nathan said. “I get the sense that you would rather be back there with them than doing this mission with me.”

  “Obviously I would,” Glorissa said. “I love the Star Knights and would do anything to return to them—except abandoning my quest to search for my lost sister. She wasn’t just my sister, she was my best friend, and I will do what I must to find her, even if that includes leading a person like you into the sacred protected grounds of the Star Knights. Like I said, I can’t believe I’m doing this, but I’m doing it.”

  Nathan smirked. “I do not resent your evidently negative estimation of my personality. Many people react to me that way; I have grown accustomed to it. And I agree to comply with your rules. I know almost nothing about the Star Knights and their Estate, so I must trust you and follow your lead. Although I must point out that many members of the illustrious, storied, legendary noble house of Darkchurch, to which I belong, were members of the Star Knights, decades ago and hundreds of years ago and even thousands of years ago. This will not be the first time that a Darkchurch has set foot in the Star Knights’ castle.”

  “That’s great, I was, like, so interested in learning that,” Glorissa said sarcastically.

  “And I enjoyed telling it to you,” Nathan replied. “Now, what are the details of your plan? I assume you intend for us to enter and exit unseen, since you will not allow me my combat magic in the event we are caught. How can we do that?”

  “I am glad you asked! I came prepared. I have drawn a map of the Estate to explain my plan to you,” Glorissa said. She grabbed the parchment scroll and unrolled it. Nathan took hold of the map and began to study it, his beady black eyes sweeping up and down, left and right, drinking up each detail of Glorissa’s drawing of fine black lines.

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  “The Tomb of Heroes is a crypt in the lower levels of the castle, which itself is located in the southeast section of Imperia, east of the Poor District,” Glorissa said. “The Tomb is under constant guard, but it isn’t part of the area where the Star Knights live or train, so they do not regard it as a high priority target for their defenses to protect. The Star Knights Estate outer wall has a side door that faces a back alley of the Poor District. That door is guarded by two Star Knights at all times, but that job is always given to fresh first-year cadets as a training mission: a test of their ability to stay focused in the face of the boredom caused by the fact that no one ever really goes down that street, because it doesn’t lead anywhere other than a dead end against the wall of the Estate. If the cadet guards follow Star Knight protocol, then if they hear a loud noise down the alley, they will leave their posts to investigate. I bought some firecracker marbles I can use to create a distraction, so they leave the door unattended. The Star Knights gave me a key to the front doors when I joined as a cadet, and I did not give the key back to them when I left. While the guards are gone, we sneak in.”

  “Sounds reasonable,” Nathan said.

  “Once we enter the door, we’ll be in a courtyard and meditation garden called Starlight Courtyard. No one will be there at night. If we walk through Starlight Courtyard, we will find a door into the castle. It opens into a hall. This is where it gets dangerous for us. The entrance to the Tomb of Heroes is at the far end of that hall, but the hall will be guarded by Star Knight cadets on patrol: again, this is a mission that the Star Knights like to give to young cadets to test their ability to stay sharp and focused at all times, day and night. These guard will have swords and arrows and they have the authority to kill intruders on sight. We will have to sneak around and stay out of sight. Fortunately, I have been in that hall many times and I know that the Star Knights use it for storage because going to the Tomb of Heroes isn’t a common thing, so it should have boxes and crates and outdated knights’ equipment and other junk all over for us to hide behind as we sneak ahead.”

  “I can sneak,” Nathan said. “No problem.”

  “That is not the only obstacle we will face in that hall,” Glorissa said. “There are three places where that hall opens into another, larger hall to the right. And the hall that it opens into is one which leads to the Great Hall of the Keep, so it basically is part of the Star Knights living area and will have lots of knights coming and going. When we come to those three intersections, we will just have to pray to God and dash across and hope that no one sees us. If someone sees us and sounds the alarm, they might kill us instantly or they might take us prisoner. If they capture us but do not kill us, give them the salute, and I will tell them the story about a fake quest. If they buy the tale and leave us alone and do not chain us up, we run back the way we came and try to get out of the castle at the first opportunity.”

  “That’s great, but you haven’t told me what’s inside the Tomb or taught me the salute,” Nathan said.

  I am dreading teaching this creep the secret Star Knights salute, but I have chosen to do it so I will do it. “It goes like this,” Glorissa said. She placed her right hand over the left side of her chest, with her hand open and covering her heart, and held her left hand up, arm bent at the elbow, palm open and facing out.

  “I see. Like this?” Nathan asked. He copied the pose.

  “Yes,” Glorissa said. She frowned deeply at the sight of Nathan giving her the Star Knights salute but did not say anything about it.

  “I will bring my pouch of firecracker marbles with me, and I can toss one if we sense someone bearing down on us in the hall. At the end of the hall, the hall curves sharply to the left right before it ends, and the door to the Tomb is at its end. If we can make it to the end, we can both fit behind that curve and no guards in the hall will see us. I have never been in the Tomb, because the door is only opened when the Star Knights bury one of our heroes there, and no war has been fought in decades where a heroic Star Knight died. I have no reason to think the door is locked; most of the doors that far into the castle are kept open. The cadets have rumors about the crypt, which I heard when I was at the Academy. We believe that the coffins are labelled with plaques or shrines to indicate who is buried there, so we should be able to find the legendary architect easily. I can read and I suspect so can you, so we should be able to read the signs.”

  “Yes, I can read,” Nathan said. “I come from a highly educated noble family.”

  “Good. Some of the Academy teachers like to scare the students with stories of creatures and monsters that live in the crypt and threaten us with sending us down there to punish us if we behave badly, but I think that’s just a made-up story for the teachers to scare us into good behavior. I never heard of them ever really sending one of us down there. I think there’s no truth to the stories.”

  “Does that complete your plan?” Nathan asked.

  “Yes. It does,” Glorissa replied. “After you’re done, we just go out the same way we came in.”

  “I have decided that I will call you by a cool nickname while we are on this mission. I will call you Glow,” Nathan said.

  “Please don’t call me Glow.”

  “Okay Glow, I’ll be sure to comply with your request. I will also require a nickname from you to serve as my codename so that the Star Knights can’t identify us. You will call me Mr. Dark.”

  “I am not calling you Mr. Dark. Also, your name is Nathan Darkchurch, so Mr. Dark is a great codename for them to not know who you are,” Glorissa said sarcastically.

  Nathan laughed. “Good point, Glow. What about Dr. Shadows? I would like you to call me Dr. Shadows.”

  “Do you have a doctoral degree from a school?” Glorissa asked. She did not say her private thought: Did they give you a doctorate in being an asshole from Asshole Academy?

  “I should have a doctorate given the amount of student debt I have from the tuition I paid to the necromancer who taught me,” Nathan said. “But no, I do not hold a degree. Your point is well taken! I have chosen Mr. Dark as my codename.”

  “I am not calling you Mr. Dark, Nathan!” Glorissa said. Her head dropped and she held her face in her hands to keep from screaming.

  “We’ll work on the codenames thing, Glow. I am confident you’ll get used to it,” Nathan said.

  Is this whole thing a big joke to him? Glorissa thought. He’ll have the last laugh—when he gets both of us killed.

  “As a wizard of Black, this is the type of mission that we enjoy,” Nathan said. “This mission sounds like fun.”

  “Really?” Glorissa asked.

  “No! Not really!” Nathan said. “This is a nuisance that must be overcome, but we must have that map of the maze to proceed, and only the dead architect Kamryn Karcorrin would know the secret of the maze he built. The sooner we get this done, the better. Let’s go!”

  Can’t wait to get this over with! Glorissa thought. I just pray I can prevent Nathan from blasting them if we run into my friends and a fight breaks out. “I’ll go back to my room and get suited into my Star Knights armor and weapons,” Glorissa said. “Go prepare your spells or whatever it is you wizards do and meet me at the front door of the house in half an hour. Then we’re off.”

  “Agreed,” Nathan said.

  Glorissa and Nathan met at the front door of the Hideout and ventured out into the city. Heading south, they crept down narrow streets cast into darkness by the night. No one saw them. They arrived at the entrance to the back alley that Glorissa had mentioned. The castle of the Star Knight rose up into the night sky almost directly above them, its many towers and turrets looking a silvery pink-white by the light of the moons; some of the towers were so tall that their spires cut across the moons themselves when Glorissa looked up and gazed at them. She lowered her eyes from the castle and looked to confirm that the entrance was still there, just as she remembered. The door was there, and she could make out two guards standing there in the dim light, as she expected. Then she returned her gaze to Nathan.

  “Wait,” Glorissa whispered. She grabbed a small fabric pouch tied to her belt, and pulled out a small, perfectly round, orange-colored glass marble. She loosened her shoulders, tightened her muscles in anticipation, raised her arm up and then swept it down in a circular motion, rolling the marble in the direction of the guards. The marble rolled away, heading towards the guards. The marble vanished into the night.

  “Well?” Nathan asked.

  “I said wait!” Glorissa replied.

  Off in the distance, at the far end of the alley, something exploded, and for a split second the night’s darkness was pierced by bright white and red and orange lights, flickering and flaring and dancing and sparkling like fireworks. Nathan moved to walk forward, but Glorissa grabbed him by the arm and held him.

  “One more moment. Give the guards time to go investigate. And… now. Let’s go,” Glorissa said.

  The door was unguarded. Glorissa unlocked the door and opened it. She and Nathan walked through. She turned and relocked the door.

  They stood in a vast courtyard. The ground was coated in huge stone blocks carved into the shapes of stars; the stars were cut in such a shape that the stones locked together to pave the entire span of ground. A water fountain and garden stood in the center of the courtyard. The garden was in bloom with tall white flowers whose large petals had a texture that was incredibly soft and smooth. Small geysers of water flowed from the mouths of angels atop the fountain and splashed into its basin. Because of a magical enchantment, the stone angels on the fountain moved as if alive: every few moments one of the angels would smile and wink, and the feathers of their angel wings moved in the slight wind that blew through the courtyard, with a few stray feathers of stone blowing away in the breeze.

  On all sides, the massive structures of the castle rose up around them, towering up so high that Glorissa could not see their tops even as she angled her head to gaze up. The entire courtyard was bathed in soft silver moonlight which poured down from the sky like liquid silver and shimmered when reflected in the water of the fountain and against the pale white flesh of the flowers. No noise could be heard other than the splashing of the water flowing into the fountain. Glorissa and Nathan were alone.

  I am home, Glorissa thought. Drink this in now: you will soon be gone again.

  “This is a nice place,” Nathan said. “I can see why my ancestors joined the Star Knights.”

  “It is a nice place,” Glorissa said. “But being a Star Knight is about more than how nice the Estate is. It’s about being a hero of the realm, helping others, and being humble before God. Anyway, we’re here on a mission. Let’s not lose focus. Follow me.”

  Glorissa dashed swiftly across the courtyard, and Nathan had to run as fast as he could to keep up. Nathan caught up to her at a door at the far side of the courtyard.

  “The hall I told you about is on the other side,” Glorissa said. “Get ready to sneak.”

  “I enjoy being sneaky,” Nathan said.

  Glorissa opened the door a crack and peered inside. She saw no one. She opened the door wider, and she and Nathan slipped through.

  As Glorissa had promised, the hall was full of boxes, crates, and many instances of what appeared to be an outdated model of Star Knight armor, strewn about at random. The hall was very tall, its vaulted ceilings looming high above them, although it was relatively narrow, and one could walk from one side to the other in under a minute. The walls, floor and ceiling were made of the same stone, a red-pink stone marbled with streaks of gray. The boxes and crates were made of wood and held together by nails, and ranged in size widely, ranging from boxes the size of a bag or treasure chest to crates taller and wider than a human or horse. The old suits of armor were silver, but they seemed worn with use, and they did not have that shiny mirror-like quality that Star Knight armor was known for. The hall had no windows and was lit by torches spaced a few spans apart set into sconces in the walls. The torchlight provided adequate light by which to see, although its illumination was dim enough to resemble late evening or early dusk.

  Glorissa and Nathan moved forward by a process of hiding behind a large box or crate, looking around, seeing no one, and then dashing out and running until they saw another crate, which they ducked behind to hide, and then repeated the process. They saw no guards anywhere yet. They moved forward in this way, until they neared a section where the hall opened into a wide arch on its right. Bright light came from the right, and they could hear distance noises echoing into their hall from whatever was to their right.

  “People might see us when we cross this intersection, and there is nowhere to hide and no other way to go,” Glorissa said. “When I point, we run. Just go fast and hope no one sees us.”

  “Right, Glow,” Nathan said. “I’m ready.”

  Glorissa shook her head. She took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. She pointed, and she and Nathan ran down the hall. Glorissa ran so fast that she did not have time to turn her head right and see if anyone in the other hall was looking their way. She and Nathan reached a large crate at the far side of the intersection. They ducked behind it.

  “Did they see us?” Nathan asked.

  “I don’t know,” Glorissa said. “Wait. Let’s listen. We might hear their footsteps coming.”

  They stayed still and listened. Nothing, and then… Glorissa’s body went stiff, and she felt fear rising inside her. She heard someone’s footsteps. And they were getting louder.

  “Just stay,” Glorissa whispered. “Maybe they won’t see us.”

  Glorissa and Nathan hunched down behind the crate, trying to get as small as possible behind it. The footsteps approached, and whoever it was stopped right on the other side of the crate. But, judging by the sound, it was only one person who had walked there. Glorissa waited, clenching her teeth to try to hide the noise of her sharp, anxious breathing. She kept waiting for this person, whom she assumed was a guard, to leave, but she did not hear him or her walk away. She continued to wait. She looked at Nathan, and he returned her gaze, but she said nothing. I don’t know what Nathan is thinking. I just hope he isn’t thinking of casting a spell.

  Suddenly, the footsteps came right up to the crate… and then whoever it was turned around and began to walk away.

  Thank God, Glorissa thought.

  The two waited for a few minutes, and by that time the footsteps had faded to the far end of the hall from which they had entered.

  “Do you think it’s safe to go?” Nathan asked.

  “We have to take the risk at some point,” Glorissa answered. “Come on.”

  They ducked out from behind the crate. Glorissa looked left and right, swiftly turning her head to see in every direction as fast as possible. The guard was gone, and no one else was visible. She breathed a sigh of relief. The two of them continued forward.

  They reached a crate and hid behind it. There was nothing else to hide behind between this crate and the second intersection in the hall.

  “Ready?” Glorissa whispered.

  “Yes, Glow. Ready,” Nathan said. Glorissa pointed her finger, and she and Nathan leapt out from behind the crate and charged forward. They crossed the intersection. The first thing she saw to hide behind was a pile of old chest-plates and helmets, so she ducked behind it; Nathan followed her. She waited, her chest heaving up and down with her frenetic breathing, and she felt sweat drip into her eyes from the locks of braided hair at her forehead. She heard and saw no one.

  “I think the coast is clear, Glow,” Nathan said.

  “I think so too,” Glorissa said. “Time to move.”

  They continued deeper into the castle hall, moving from one crate to the next to hide from any random guards, but they saw no guards in the hall. At last, they reached the third and final intersection of the hallway. They knelt behind a large box, ready to jump up and run.

  “Ready to go?” Glorissa asked.

  “Ready when you are,” Nathan said.

  Glorissa pointed with her finger. She and Nathan stood and dashed wildly across the intersection. As she reached the other side, she heard a voice: “Hey! Who is that?” Glorissa looked around, but things were going too quickly, and she could not see a place to hide. Visions flashed in front of her eyes: captured by the Star Knights, disgraced in front of her friends, her head hanging in shame as she was executed for being a traitor. She felt hands grab her and yank her backwards, and she barely resisted as someone pulled her from behind and placed a hand firmly on her mouth so that she could not scream or speak.

  Glorissa closed her eyes and waited for death. Nothing happened. She opened her eyes. She had been pulled into a narrow space between two crates, which had been so obscured by a shadow cast by another crate between them and the nearest torch she had not seen them. The hand over her mouth was gloved in black and attached to a black-robed arm. A wizard’s robe. Nathan, she thought. I could bite his hand, but I don’t think he would taste very good. She heard the heavy footsteps of many people come out from the intersection and walk into the hall, very close to her, but she could not see them; one of the crates blocked her view.

  “Did you see someone?” a voice said. Glorissa was unable to gasp through the hand on her mouth, but she would have: it was her friend, Lydia.

  “I thought I did. Do you see anyone?” another voice replied. Glorissa did not recognize this voice.

  “I don’t see anyone,” a third voice said. That was her best friend, Josper!

  “Spread out and look around,” the other person said. “It’s probably nothing, but we have to be sure.”

  Glorissa fought with every drop of energy in her body to stay so perfectly still that they would never notice her in a million years. She heard footsteps going in several different directions. Don’t look between the crates, don’t look between the crates, don’t look between the crates! she repeated in her mind, mentally imploring her friends not to find her. She waited, as a drop of ice-cold sweat dripped into her eyes. One pair of footsteps was hovering nearby, but this person was not coming near enough to have an angle to see Glorissa and Nathan, or for Glorissa to see them. Glorissa winced as she heard the footsteps get very close… and then stop.

  “I went all the way to the door to the Tomb. No one’s here!” Josper said.

  “I think you’re crazy, Joseph!” Lydia said. “Why would anyone be out here anyway?”

  “I saw someone!” the other person said. “I was walking to the Great Hall and I saw someone out of the corner of my eye! I did!”

  “Do you want to file a report with the teachers?” Lydia asked. “Because I won’t file a report to support yours, that’s for sure. It’s White’s shift to patrol here tonight, not Red’s. There’s a party in the dorm for Blue students tonight, and they invited some of the students of Green and White. You would not know, what with you being Red: you’re not invited. I’m not going to let this delay me.”

  “I’m sure you saw something, Joseph, but it seems to have gone away,” Josper said. “I don’t see anyone. Lydia and I are on patrol for another hour. We’ll keep our eyes extra sharp during that time.”

  “Okay. Say, do you think you can get me into that party?” this person named Joseph asked. Glorissa did not remember who this Joseph person was, if she had ever met him. She did not know many of the Red students at Star Knights Academy.

  “Maybe. I would have to ask the Blues. Meet me in an hour after my shift ends,” Josper said.

  Three sets of footsteps went off in three different directions. Silence embraced the hall. Glorissa waited for Nathan to let her go, but he continued to hold her. She waited. Eventually he removed his hand from her mouth.

  “We need to go, but be careful,” Nathan whispered. “We can’t be sure how far away the guards have strayed or when they might look in our direction.”

  “Okay. And… thanks,” Glorissa whispered back.

  “You’re very welcome, Glow. Mr. Dark always gets the job done,” Nathan said. Glorissa sighed and shook her head. The two of them poked their heads out from behind the space in between the crates. They saw no one. Glorissa and Nathan crept out, slowly and carefully, ready to run at the first sign of someone. No one was in the hall. They quickly dashed the rest of the way to the end of the hall and went around the leftward bend at the end of the hall. Behind the bend, a section of wall obscured their view of the hall—and blocked the guards on patrol from having an angle to see them.

  The door to the Tomb of Heroes was a large iron door with a ring through its handle. No keyhole was on the handle, so Glorissa assumed it was unlocked. She grabbed the handle and pulled it. The door was heavy, but she pulled with all her strength, forcing it to swing open. The door made no noise as it went, but it opened into a chasm of total darkness. Glorissa could not see anything within the void.

  “Allow me,” Nathan said. He whispered something, and an orb of soft white light appeared just inside the Tomb’s door. The orb’s light revealed a staircase leading down, with both the staircase itself and its surrounding walls made of bricks of a dark blue stone tinged with flecks of black. “The light will go wherever I go. Come on, let’s get this over with,” Nathan said. He walked forward and began to descend the stairs, his robes flowing behind him like a trail of shadow. I told him no spells, but I am not going to complain about this one. Glorissa followed Nathan and his orb of light, and they ventured down into the Tomb of Heroes.