Gripping my hand, he pushed us against the wall of the palace. We skulked amongst the bushes, crouching low to the ground. His hand felt around the stones as we advanced, until he approached a stone with a slash, carving the stone into perfect halves.

He dropped my hand and braced his feet deeper in the snow. Nudging his fingers within the crack of the brick, he pried the two halves apart, leaving a rectangular hole in its place. The muscles in his hand quaked as he exerted his strength. The stone quivered in its place, wiggling back and forth.

A low, grating sound pierced the air.

I flinched at the noise, my eyes scanning my surroundings.

"She can't hear it. She's too far away."

I finally spotted her scrambling figure as she stalked the pathway leading to the edge of the city. She looked small in the distance. Small and harmless. I huddled against Nathaniel.

"Let's just go."

"She's not following us anymore. We don't have to go anywhere."

"Then, let's leave for the fun of it." I met his eyes, wondering if he'd agree. I watched as he mentally calculated the risks. 

"I'm not sure this is wise."

"No, but we'll have a good time."

Shrugging, he said, "If you wish."

I stared at the empty hole in the wall, waiting. Nothing happened. I glanced at him, but he held up a finger. Wait.

A groaning murmur soon filled the air. I glanced at him again, but his gaze held fast on the stone wall.

The hole in the wall began to shake as the surrounding stones rattled in their positions. But the stones weren't rattling, I soon learned. They were revolving. In a matter of seconds, forty stones twisted on their axis about ninety degrees, so they poked out into the sky, rather than lay flat.

I reached out to touch one, but Nathaniel pulled me back.

"It's almost over."

The rumbling lessened as the stones smushed together in quick succession, creating a five by three feet void. Big enough for a human to duck through.

"This way," he said. I entered first, dipping my head in order to pass and Nathaniel followed.

Behind me, I heard the dim shutter as the stones resumed their position within the wall. It was pitch black inside, a blanket of dark nothingness clouding my vision. Guiding me by the waist, Nathaniel propelled me forward, feeling his way around the tunnel.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Do you know anything about the smugglers?"

"What does that have to do with my question?" He glanced at me once and after rolling my eyes, I acquiesced. "Fine, I do know about them." Jack's face blinked in my vision.

"Well, they need a way to travel." We reached the end of the tunnel. But it was still dark; I could see nothing. 

"Is this it?" My voice was incredulous.

"Patience, Celeste, is a virtue." He jumped down into a hole I couldn't see. I inched closer to the border, searching for him, but I lost my balance. My feet tottered on the edge, and my arms swung.

Hands latched onto my waist, but it was too late. Momentum pitched me forward. The air whooshed as my body plummeted four feet to the bottom.

I landed on top of Nathaniel. His arm twisted uncomfortably beneath my spine. I shifted, so I didn't lay on top of him anymore and thudded to the ground. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe. Everything hurt. Pain reverberated throughout my body.

"Are you okay?" I wheezed.

He grunted in answer.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"Me too," he replied.

That made me smile. I turned my head to its side to look at his face. My eyes had adjusted to the lack of light, and I saw the outline of his jaw and his matching grin.

Almost as one, we erupted into laughter, our bodies shaking as mirth flew past our lips. My arms clutched my stomach as I groaned, "It hurts too much."

"See where trouble gets you," he said.

"Whereas being wise—"

"Is safe."

"No, it's boring. Don't you sometimes wish for..." I paused, not even sure what I was saying. I laid on my back, my eyes cast toward the ceiling. The darkness was compelling. Limitless and empty, like a stretch of the blue sky. I felt weightless, suspended in the air, even as I felt the hard ground press into me. The darkness was a blank canvass. There, I could paint any image my imagination could conjure. My mind sketched a girl dancing on a hill, unfettered by life's obligations.

In a small voice, I finished my sentence. "...something spectacular to happen?"

A dim light flickered on. The bulb illuminated a small circle on the wall. In quick succession, the bulb opposite to the first powered on. Looking behind us, I could see we had fallen into the mouth of a cave. The walls were lined with small light bulbs screwed onto concave cylinders. As if sensing the glow of the first two, the other bulbs lit up in a brilliant cascade, one brightening up after the other, until the entirety of the cave was radiant and glowing.

I felt the cool intensity of Nathaniel's dark eyes as he stared at me. Slowly, I turned my head to meet his gaze. "Adventure comes with a price," he said.

Inside the translucent bulbs, a dancing girl shone bright. Her future was limitless, brilliant. All she had to do was reach.

My body didn't ache anymore. I pulled myself up to my feet with ease. Stepping into the light, I said, "So does safety."