I sat in my cell, staring at the walls like I did every night, waiting for whoever it was that was supposed to come back and get me. My head laid against the damp stones, and I took comfort in the silence that was never there.

"Do you know..."

I jumped at the raspy voice coming from the hall outside of the cell I was in.

"Do you know child?"

"Do I know? Do I know what exactly? That I'm going to die? Yeah, I know that. They'll probably continue torturing me for some unknown reason and just keep me as a pet."

"No, child I want to know if you know."

I didn't know what the old woman was getting at. What could I possibly know that is so important? Or what could I know that she would want to know?

"Child when you wake up, there will be a small 'x' on the wall in the corner. Find it. Find it. Find it. Find it."

I looked through the bars at the shadows, trying to find the voice. I strained my eyes and couldn't see a thing.

"What do you mean when I wake up? I am awake."

"Find it. Find it. Find it. Find it. Find it. Find it. Find it. Find it.Find it. Find it. Find it. Find it.Find it. Find it. Find it. Find it.Find it. Find it. Find it. Find it.Find it. Find it. Find it. Find it.Find it. Find it. Find it. Find it.Find it. Find it. Find it. Find it.Find it. Find it. Find it. Find it.Find it. Find it. Find it. Find it."

The whispers were getting louder and louder, echoing in my head and bouncing around the walls. I kept squinting into the dark, searching. I covered my ears to stop the echos but it wasn't working. I looked back into the dark and the woman was standing there not even an inch from the bars. I screamed and fell back onto the ground.

~~~~~~

I bolted up and continued to scream. I turned frantically and scooted back to the wall. It was just a dream. This place only left nightmares for me not like it was much better than the daytime anyways. I rested my head on the wall behind me and stared at the ceiling. My head rolled to the side, exhaustion still present in my body, and I closed my eyes. Not even a second went by before they popped back open.

I knew my dreams were going to drive me crazy with all the coincidences but this had to be some kind of cosmic joke.

There in the corner sat a little x, barely visible and hidden in the darkness.

I looked back at the ceiling and laughed. "You have got to be kidding me!"

Someone had to be playing a terrible joke on me. I crawled to the small 'x' and looked at it. There was nothing special about it, simply a gray brick with the letter scraped into it. I touched it and nothing happend. I sighed what did I expect?

"Pull...it..."

I smiled. The voice was back again. Why it had left me in the first place I'll never know but i scooted forward and examined the edges of the brick. It was disconnected from the others and loose so I wiggled it, and to my surprise it came out. Stuffed inside were papers and a small knife, something I was intrigued made it past the guards. 

I pulled everything out and pushed the brick back into the wall, making sure to leave no traces behind.

I put the knife into the folds of my jumpsuit and sat against the wall that was facing away from the door. Sure, there was less light but I still tried to read the elegant scrawling on the papers.

'I do not know if anyone will find this, nor if it will make it into the right hands. My name is Crinum. If you have found this, at least someone should know of the secret tunnels hidden inside this castle. I was shown them by a wonderful woman named Rivina. Who we are matters not if this note is still here.

The tunnels run from this kingdom to the Elvin one, a secret system built for reasons that do not matter any more. Follow the darkness to get there. Light has no purpose in these tunnels. The entrance is where a man should fill his need.

I was wrongfully imprisoned and I should assume you would have been too, so the best of luck to you. If you survive, tell Rivina: Et ne nos domini absque te amo meos flosculus mortem.

Signed, Crinum.'

My plan was being formed in my head from the second I put down that note to when the guard appeared in front of the cell, ready to lead me to my death no doubt. I had to find where the tunnels were. I needed out and the royal bedroom seemed like just the perfect place to be. I mean that was what that meant.

The sickly grey celled walls were a match for the prisoners, they seemed to take in the spirits of everyone there. The guard yanked me to my feet and I held the dagger in my sleeve waiting to use it. As I was marched out of the cells, I heard people whispering Ritnyr after me. But, I couldn't spend time focused on little details, I was looking for the big ones. The ones that would show me where the tunnels were.

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