It was a labyrinth, a disjointed network of dead ends, long passages, and false exists. Slabs of stones mounted upon each other created the walls of each narrow pattern, looping and twisting in a capricious manner. The ceiling was low, surpassing my head, while barely skimming Nathaniel's.

"Where does this lead?"

His eyes shone with pride as he scanned the interweaving maze. "It spans the entirety of the city." Reading my mind, he added, "That includes the palace, too."

The only way I knew to travel from the city to the outside world was through the tunnel I crawled through every month to see Jack. I never even asked how the smugglers received their shipments or traveled. But it made sense that they would have their own setup. It explained how Jack found his way to my room.

"Does my father know about this?"

"The Citizen Principia doesn't seem like the type of man to let anything slip his notice."

I bit my lip. "My father is very meticulous with what he deems important." Glancing at Nathaniel, I reassured him. "That means you won't get in trouble for leading me here tonight."

He smiled at that. "What, are we not worth his consideration?"

"My father is a busy man." I ventured closer to the opening of a passageway. "Have you seen the smugglers?"

I felt Nathaniel edge right behind me. Eyes looking past my head, he said, "I rarely use the maze. This is smugglers' domain."

"Are you not allowed to be here?"

"I'd say my presence is highly discouraged."

My eyes caught his. "I thought you didn't like trouble." I felt a slight smile on my face.

"I guess I'm easily persuaded."

I tightened the hood of Nathaniel's jacket lower over my head, and I buttoned the sides. I still felt the bitter chill of the night.

"How do you know which route to take?"

Retracing his steps, Nathaniel guided me toward the perimeter of the cave. Each stone was its own shade of grey. Settled upon each other, the stones created a stalwart rainbow devoid of color.

Nathaniel palmed the uneven surface, brushing over the rough dips and gentle protrusions of the stones. "There's an electronic pad embedded somewhere in the wall. Programmed within it is a map of the city." Skimming lightly over the wall, his fingers paused when he reached a particular block.

The sharp edges were short and proportional. The dark surface was smooth and shiny, like a glossy coat of charcoal finish was painted over the exterior. It was unlike every other rock.

"Years ago," he said, "the smugglers used a tunnel within the wall to access the city. It's a small breach in the wall's system and—"

"It was constructed by my grandmother." Nathaniel looked at me in shock. "She had it done in secret. My grandfather never knew." It was ironic. Emmanuel Navarie had tried his hardest to cage himself and everything he loved inside the walls, while his wife and my namesake, Celeste Navarie, did her best to leave.

I was eleven when I first found the tunnel. I was smaller and thinner back then and could have easily crawled through, but I was too scared of the unknown to try. Four years later, I finally had a reason to escape the palace and explore the outside world. As I squeezed myself through for the first time, I noticed the jagged engraving, C.N. Celeste Navarie. I never knew her. She died before I was born, yet here I was following in her footsteps. I felt a deeper connection to her than anything I felt toward my mother.

Nathaniel dusted his fingers lightly over the black block, and I asked him, "Who created the maze?"

"The previous smuggler leader. She hired and supervised the engineers, mathematicians, and architects."

"What's her name?"

I wasn't surprised when he answered with, "Roscoe." Cookie killed Roscoe to take her spot. Align or die. I felt sick.

As Nathaniel's skin met the block, a warm blue light glowed. It was a singular shade, almost celestial in color. On the illuminated screen, small circles formed in strict lines of three by three.

Using the nine dots as reference, Nathaniel traced a long segment. He had started from the first circle and now crossed into the second column of the third row. A white line connecting the two circles gleamed for the briefest of moments before subtly disappearing.

Glancing at me, he said, "What you saw right there was the first connection. It signifies which ring of the city you wish to travel: inner, middle, outer." He drew another line from the third column to the second, remaining on the second row. "The second connection tells the street number of your destination." Again the line radiated and then disappeared. Sketching the last line, he found his way back to the first circle in the first column in the first row. "The final connection directs you to the specific building." The line faded for the last time, and with it, the blue light vanished. The screen cleared and the dusty hues of the charcoal returned. "And when you know the code, you know the city," he finished.

The ground began to rattle. A discordant clash of sounds persisted as a whizzing sound pierced the air.

I swung around, stumbling as I moved forward. My vision began to distort. The walls were closing in on me. The tunnels of the maze shook as they uprooted themselves from the ground. Like snakes, the walls slithered past, gaining momentum with each passing second. The walls shot past rapidly. It felt like the rush of a thousand trains, barreling past without a moment's notice. It seemed like a cage. And the walls looked like snakes, haunting, terrifying things. They careened past me. Darted behind me. Charged at me.

I twisted my head left and right. Feeling dizzy as deadly walls narrowly evaded me. The air whooshed, whipping my hood off my head. My hair blew about my face, blinding me. Suffocating me.

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't see. I could barely feel. The lights flickered on and off. What kind of a place was this?

I searched for Nathaniel amongst the chaos. His bun, usually tightly wound, loosened, but his eyes were the same. Calm, focused, watchful.

I heard the grating grind of stone scraping the ground. I turned. It was a wall. It had jagged stones and reached a few inches above my head. As it advanced, I could see the individual dimples on the rock and rather than a bland grey, I saw the streaks of steel blues and dull black, swirling within the colorless rainbow. It was so close, I could see the cracks and the clumped grains that roughened the surface. It was that close. It was too close. My mind urged me to jump to the side, but my feet stayed firmly planted on the ground. My eyes bulged. My chest pounded. Still, my feet refused to move. I opened my mouth. No scream was uttered. Protecting my head, I started the countdown.

I opened my eyes. The wall no longer barreled toward me. It had forked into two, spitting east and west like the tongue of a snake. I stood in the wide angle of semi-triangle. Taking shaken breaths, I lowered my arms from my head.

And then the lights died. The room was dark.

"Nathaniel?" I called out. I reached forward with my hands, feeling around for him. "Nathaniel?"

A hand clamped around my wrist. "I'm here."

"Nathaniel, what was that?"

He shook his head. "I've only used the maze once before, but what it did...how erratic it was...I've never seen that before."

"How is it supposed to happen?"

"Once the code is entered, the maze shifts to the desired location. It's a quick and easy process. The lights never go off."

I was quiet for a while. "Do you..." I bit my lip. "Do you think the smugglers did this to us?"

"I don't think so."

I didn't know. I didn't know anything. Before he showed me, I never knew this place even existed. I ran my fingers through my hair. At least I tried. My fingers got caught in the messy knots. Not wanting to deal with it, I searched for the hat I saw in Nathaniel's coat pocket and shoved it over my head, tucking every strand beneath the soft cotton.

I heard Nathaniel shifting behind me.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"We got here by falling inside this cave." His short pause reminded me of my ungraceful entrance. "Let's retrace our steps back to the palace. You'll return to your room, and I'll finish my duties."

"And that's it?" My nose flared at his commanding tone.

"That's all there can be, Filia Principia."

"Because of Olive?"

"No, because your fiancé is arriving today for your engagement party. The only reason you are here is to rebel against your father. And if anyone finds out about this, the only person who will get in trouble is me."

"You're calling me selfish?" He didn't refute it. "Then, you should have never left wi—"

"Who's there?" The voice was low and unfamiliar. "I heard your voices," he accused. "Don't you know this is smugglers' domain?"

Gunshots popped, pelting the ceiling. I fought hard to stifle my scream.

Another man said, "For those who can't count, I shot three times. Means I have three bullets left."

"One for the girl," the first man continued, "one for the boy."

"And one just in case I miss."

In a mock whisper, the first man said, "He never misses."

I couldn't hear the tread of their feet, but their presence overwhelmed me. I knew they stalked us, circling around us with the confidence of a predator who knows the next meal is in sight. As they pushed in, I felt them smiling.