The Secret Passageway

Within the thorny bush, Nobu felt a handle and pulled it. A section of stone in the wall began to part before them, revealing a hidden entrance.

They entered the narrow corridor swallowed in darkness, the entrance closing behind them. 

Nobu conjured some flames in his hand to act as a light to guide them.

The walls pressed in close and were cloaked in the weight of age. The stone was rough and cold to the touch, mottled with patches of moss. Dust hung thick in the air, clinging to every surface. The cobwebs themselves are dense, not delicate strands, but sprawling, sagging curtains woven over a great deal of time. The smell hit them immediately. Damp and earthy. It was clear some time had passed since anyone had used this path.

"Himari, what is this place?" Sachi asked, breaking the silence. 

"It's one of the many escape routes of the castle. In the past, the Kingdom of Motokami had wars over who should rule and who should own which lands. Passageways just like this one were made in case anything like that ever happened again."

"How did you know where to find it?"

"I spent a lot of time in the castle as a child because of my parents. I also used to play with the prince a lot."

"You know the prince?!" Sachi was surprised. She knew Himari was from high class, but she didn't expect her to know the royal family.

Himari sighed. "Yeah, he was kind of supposed to be my fiancé."

"What?!" Sachi and Nobu gasped.

"I told you both before that my parents are pretty high up. My mother is basically the Queen's right-hand lady. They got to talking and arranged that Soma and I would marry when we were older."

"Soma? So, it has a name?" Nobu scoffed.

Sachi squealed. "So, you were going to be a princess? That's so exciting!"

"Eh..." 

"Eh?" Sachi repeated.

"Wearing fancy clothes and making important decisions doesn't really sound all that fun to me. Plus, Soma is kind of... Eh."

Nobu laughed quietly to himself. 

"What's wrong with the prince?" Sachi questioned.

"How can I say this nicely?" Himari thought for a moment. "He's a little dramatic..."

"Dramatic?" 

"He just-" Himari walked into Nobu's still back. "What'd you stop for?"

Nobu enhanced his flames and illuminated the surroundings. Before them was 7 different paths.

"Well princess, which way do we go?" Nobu mocked.

Himari's mind went blank. She had no memory of there being this many paths let alone which one was the right one to take. "I don't know..."

Nobu summoned 7 of his black feathers, swiftly sending one down each path. Moments later he winced in pain. "Each path has a strong anti-magic barrier. I won't be able to use my magic once we choose a path."

"Should we just guess?" Sachi suggested.

"We could split up to have a higher chance of finding the right path." Himari offered.

Nobu disagreed. "We shouldn't split up. We'll be safer if we stick together."

Himari nodded in agreement. "Sachi, you can choose a path. I trust you."

Sachi panicked. She didn't want this responsibility. Her heart started to race. Fear of making the wrong choice rising. 

Nobu slapped Himari on the back of the head. "You should be the one choosing. You've been here before; you'll have a higher chance of getting it right."

Sachi nodded aggressively in agreement. 

Himari whined. "Oh alright." She looked closely at each path trying to see if any of them would trigger a memory. When she passed the fifth corridor, a memory of running through the path revealed itself in her mind. "I've been through this path before. This must be it." Himari started down the path with Nobu and Sachi closely following behind.

-

It felt like they were walking for days. It was like the path had a mind of its own. Twist and turns. Just when the end seemed near, another winding turn was around the corner. It was endless.

Sachi's exhaustion was obvious as her paced slowed. "Himari, I don't mean to doubt you but are you sure this is the right way?"

"I can't say with complete certainty, but I feel like I've been here before." Himari said handing Sachi some water.

Nobu sighed. Exhaustion setting in. "It doesn't seem like we're getting anywhere." He stopped his pace and leaned against the wall to rest.

Click

The sound echoed, stretching for miles. 

Silence.

It was quiet. Too quiet. It felt ominous. 

Everyone held their breath, not sure what to expect. 

The ground and walls began to vibrate, the sound stronger with each millisecond. Something was coming. Something was coming fast.

Before they knew it a giant boulder was stampeding its way towards them. 

Nobu was the first to react. He grabbed Sachi and Himari by the wrist and pulled them in front of him. "Run and you better not look back!"

The girls ran with Nobu following closely behind them. 

The walls blurred as they raced past, lungs burning, feet slamming down in a frantic rhythm. The roar of the boulder growing louder, closer, unstoppable. 

Then came the traps.

Thin jets of fire hissed from slits in the walls, forcing them to duck and weave as the heat singed the air. A row of spears erupted from the floor ahead with a violent shriek - one grazing Sachi's thigh as she leaped over, causing her to wince. Just ahead, the floor shifted - stone tiles began to fall away into a pit of spikes, ancient gears coming to life as another deadly mechanism awakened for the first time in centuries. 

They only had one choice. To jump.

Sachi's pace slowed due to her fear coming forth.

Nobu picked up his pace. With each arm he grabbed both girls, jumping with them.

However, the entire floor opened, leading into total emptiness. No more spikes. No more fire. No more boulder. It was a trap within a trap.

The air whistles as the three fall into the pit of nothingness. Nobu holds them both close to him in hopes to at least protect them from the fall.

From the dark bottomless pit, gusts of wind force the three apart and proceed to drag them down fast.

They hit the ground. The loud thud echoing in their ears. 

Himari groaned in pain from the fall, wriggling around on the floor. "I think I broke something."

Nobu quickly got up and dusted off his clothes. "If you can move around like that then you're fine."

Himari whined as she got up. "You okay, Sachi?"

Sachi was dizzy from the fall and her body burned from the running. Her thigh still stung from where the spear slightly got her. She was exhausted and in pain. She just wanted to lie down.

Himari noticed Sachi didn't say anything and looked over to see her bleeding thigh. "Oh no!" She quickly dug through her bag to find herbs and bandages. She made her way over the Sachi. "That must hurt. Let me help." Himari cleaned the wound, plastered herbal medicine on it, and gently wrapped Sachi's leg up.

Sachi's voice was even tired, but she managed to still thank Himari.

A sudden nauseating bright light blinded their eyes momentarily. 

When they opened their eyes again, they were locked inside a magical barrier surrounded by tens of royal guards aiming their weapons at them. 

"I guess we ended up in the dungeon after all..." Himari awkwardly chuckled.