M-E-T-H-O-D of Madness

Ariyanna pressed her hands to the glowing rune, Thomlin and Verra touched her shoulders.

“By the first seal….”

“Laes tsrif eht yb,” Thomlin and Verra whispered in unison, their voices low but steady.

“By the second seal....”

“Laes dnoces eht yb....”

The air around us shimmered, the wards flickering violently like candles in the wind.

“By the final seal, I release the anchor!”

“Rohcna eth esaeler, laes lanif eht yb!”

The rune circle glowed brilliantly blue, rippling across the ground, the wards flickered once, turned dull and died completely.

“The wards across the entire Palace are dead,” Ariyanna panted.

“Why didn’t we just do this from the start?”

“Because now they know we are here,” Ariyanna said, wiping sweat with her palm, rubbing it off her white robes. 

“Then we'd better go,” Thomlin said, already moving ahead.

We slipped deeper into the palace grounds, past the now-dormant wards, every step suddenly felt louder. Thomlin led us to the left, toward a narrow archway carved into the Palace wall.

“How do you know where we’re going?” I asked, keeping pace.

“Servant gossip,” he said with a grin that looked far too casual. “A bottle of Thornwine and a bit of charm and they’ll tell you just about anything.”

“Please tell me you’re not drunk right now,” Verra muttered.

Thomlin just winked and pressed a hand to the stone arch. A section of the wall groaned, swinging inward on silent hinges.

“Ta daaa!" he exclaimed.

The tunnel beyond was narrow and the ceiling low. The air was so dusty, cobwebs were everywhere,at one point, I swallowed a spider and almost choked.

“Keep quiet,” Lira whispered. “Sound carries down here.”

We moved single-file through the dark, only Ariyanna’s softly glowing runes lighting the way. The passage twisted, then opened into a wider hallway lined with crates and barrels, dried meat — storage for the palace kitchens, by the looks of it.

We crept forward until the faint light of the kitchen spilled into view. Ariyanna, held by Thomlin by the legs, sneaked her head downwards slowly scanning the room.

“Clear,” she said, then fell through, landing like a cat. One by one we followed.

To the right of the kitchen door was a floor of polished black marble. Golden banners hung from the walls, each bearing the sigil of the Palace. We slipped through, heading down the stairs and emerging in a huge hall where crystal chandeliers rotated slowly on the ceiling. The floor was filled to the brim with small stones, making sounds as we walked. As we got to the end, the hall diverged into three separate pathways.

Ariyanna glanced at Thomlin. “Which way?”

Thomlin scratched his head. “Well….this is where the gossip ends.”

“What?!” Lira exclaimed. “This was really important, Thomlin!”

“Relax,” Thomlin pointed. “The vault has to be in one of these three. We split up and whoever finds it signals the others.”

“That’s …actually not terrible,” Verra admitted. “But each group needs a mage so we can keep in contact. I’ll take Ash…”

“No.” Lira cut in sharply. “Pairing Ash and Ariyanna with a mage puts them at a disadvantage if they’re cornered. It’s better if they’re with someone who knows their limits well. Verra, you stay with Ariyanna, I’ll go with Ash.”

The group fell silent, considering it. Then Thomlin nodded. “No objections. We meet back at the rendezvous point if something goes wrong.”

He went down the center corridor, melting into the shadows. Verra and Ariyanna exchanged a quick nod before heading left. That left Lira and me staring down the right, a long stretch of black marble lit by slowly turning lanterns.

“Ready?” Lira asked.

“Yeah.”

The corridor stretched ahead into a spiral staircase, lanterns illuminating our shadows but we couldn’t see down to the bottom.

Lira pressed me back against the wall, fingers firm on my shoulder. “Down,” she mouthed.

We crouched in the shadows of a pillar as the guards came into view: one was tall and broad-shouldered, spear in hand; the other shorter but carrying a crystal lantern that shed pale blue light. 

“Heard the wards are gone,” the tall one spoke. “Should we sound the alarm?”

“Who cares?” the other replied. “Let the wardkeepers handle that. Our job is to protect the Princess.”

They moved forward, heading straight for us.

Lira touched my hand. “When the tall one passes, I’ll take him. You take the other one”

“Are you sure?” I pouted. "I don't want to put you at a disadvantage."

“Just do it."

The first one passed and Lira moved fast, one arm around his throat, the other clamping his mouth, dragging him to the dark. When the other guard came in rushing, I tripped him then grappled his neck. I tightened my grip until he passed out.

“Not bad,” Lira said, lowering the tall guard gently to the ground.

We hid both of them under a gap in the stairwell and kept moving.

Lira halted suddenly, raising a hand. I froze mid-step.

“What is it?” I whispered.

She motioned to the top of a huge door to the right written: The Princess Suite. 

To our left the path led somewhere down a ramp but Lira insisted that we open the door and so we did.

******

Meanwhile, Verra and Ariyanna’s path led them into a chamber with six golden staircases spiraling outward from the walls, suspended midair by thick, glowing vines. The space was so open that their footsteps echoed endlessly and the air felt thick with static, prickling against their skin.

Ariyanna placed a hand on the nearest railing and looked down. The abyss below was so dark she couldn’t see the end.

“This feels wrong,” Verra muttered, scanning the chamber. “It's too quiet.”

A soft creak echoed from one of the staircases in front of them on the other side.

“Hello, sister,” Rhennmar said, her voice smooth. “I thought that was you earlier. Not many can break through my anchors like that. And what’s this, you dragged Verra into one of your messes again?”

Ariyanna stiffened, faintly smirking. “Ahh, you know me, I love sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong.”

Rhennmar’s lips curled into a faint smile. “And you always loved meddling with things beyond your station.” She stepped forward until she was a few metres from them. “I would offer you the chance to surrender but we both know what your answer will be. So, what say you, Verra? If you leave now, I might be generous enough to let you walk away with your freedom intact.”

Verra tensed moving closer to Ariyanna, her staff crackling faintly with violet light. “You’re generosity is wasted on me, Your Sageness.”

Rhennmar sighed, flexing her fingers. Sparks danced between the golden railings, jolting Ariyanna’s hands off. “Your rebellion ends here.”

She raised one hand and curled her fingers. Five streaks of gold lightning shot from her palm and struck the steps around Ariyanna. The static lifted her pink hair.

Another flick of Rhennmar’s wrist, another bolt screamed across the space but Ariyanna’s hands blurred through a pattern of runes, pulling them from her own skin. The lightning struck the runes, getting absorbed and redirected back toward Rhennmar. But she simply stretched one hand, catching the bolt and absorbing it into a ball of swirling gold energy.

“Still clinging to cheap tricks, sister. Reflection spells have never worked on me.”

“I know that.” Ariyanna’s smirk turned sharper. “It was just a distraction.”

Verra had slipped away during the exchange, moving silently along the outer edge of the stairwell, using the railings as stepping bridges. She appeared at Rhennmar’s flank, planting her feet, her staff glowing red.

“Ignis Lance!”

A line of fire exploded from her staff.

“Pathetic,” Rhennmar muttered not even turning her head. Her hands blurred, weaving hand signs faster than eyes could follow. The golden stairs shuddered — no, bent — coiling toward her. The railings pulled themselves into a spiraling barrier around her, magnetized.

The fire struck and was pulled apart, its embers redirected across the chamber like burning shrapnel. Verra dove aside to avoid the backlash.

“Interesting strategy,” Rhennmar said mockingly. “Thinking with your head. Go on, little sister, show me how strong your resolve is.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ariyanna’s jaw tightened. She used her palms to swipe the sweat of her forehead in the air. The sweat condensed into bubbles circling around her hand.

 “Just shut up, will you? We’re just getting started.”