It looked like the tunnel might never end. The light spheres would hang about in the air, waiting as they worked through all the obstacles then bounce off along the corridor leading the way.The tunnel led them straight for quite a while then veered a sharp right.Mama and Papa paused at the corner.'Where are we now?' Mama asked in a soft whisper.'This will take us through the back of the DeNaga wing.'Mama stared at Papa. 'Is there no other way?''Not safely.'The line between her brows showed deep in the dim light. 'This isn't safe.'Papa shrugged, lifting Mila back to his hip. 'Nothing is safe now. We have to get out.''Not a word, Mila,' Mama warned her. 'We must be quiet as vesni.'Mila nodded, pressing a hand across her mouth to show she would be quiet.Mama went first.This area of corridor wasn't as cluttered as the last. The doors were no longer on the ceiling, but set into the walls like proper doors, only half the size. All of them hummed when Papa, Mama, and M

'Mama!' Mila cried out, craning to spot her in the blackness. Papa's hands clamped down, holding one of her legs and one of her arms tight. He turned, Mila felt his head move as he looked into the dark too.'Dan'iss! Dan'iss!' Papa's voice cracked, the sound making a ball of ice form in Mila's gut.From the darkness a sound emerged. Thuds, scrapes and scratching like metal against metal that made Mila's teeth chime.'DAN'ISS!' Papa flared out a ball of energy, light rebounded off the walls of the corridor. Mila cried out, covering her eyes from the blinding glare. In an instant Papa vanished. Mila sat alone on the cold wood floor. The lack of anything or anyone close made Mila roll into a tight ball, eyes closed against her knees.More thumps then another blinding flash snapped out, this one piercing her mind. Mila shrieked at the pain.'Zayck!' Mama's voice sounded wrong, strangled and rough. Mila lifted her forehead off her knees, peeking out.Flashes of light revealed frozen m

Now the puzzle looked a third smaller than when she'd stared, but instead of one beginning point to work from there were three. She regarded the three pieces while chewing on the inside of her cheek. Two circular and one rectangle. The rectangle had a large circular opening, about the size of the smaller circle. Mila focused on the larger circle and turned it around, looking for the switch. It looked different to the previous circles she'd worked with, the markings running out from the centre like a starburst. One line caught her eye. With a finger Mila traced down it then jolted when something clicked. She froze. Heart pounding in her ears, she watched the circle break apart, opening at all the lines of the starburst. With another click it moved into motion, each piece folding down on itself and merging with the next. A moment later a tiny gold ball like had been in the first puzzle piece hung before her eyes.Excitement ran through Mila when she realized how the pieces went togeth

Everyone moved. It surprised Mila how many people were here, but so many seemed to be missing too. Mama took her hand. On her other side was her younger cousin Paiga. Normally she annoyed Mila, with all the questions she asked, but the scared expression in her eyes reminded Mila of Addy. She offered her other hand to Paiga, who took it with a tentative smile.The group began to walk.Mila hadn't realized until now how tired she was. She stumbled over the riverbed the rocks stubbing her toes as she held Paiga and Mama's hands. It made tears run down her cheeks, but she didn't stop. On and on, picking her feet up, tripping, Mama's hand stopping her from falling. Paiga tripped and Mila managed to hold her arm high enough to stop her cousin from hitting the stones.'Thanks, Mila,' Paiga sounded like she felt. Ready to cry. So very tired.Around them the adults talked. Mila listened.'Where do we go?''The hidden caves. We can keep underground nearly all the way to the coast.''The

With that entertainment gone, Mila went back to focusing on her feet. Pull one knee high while keeping balance and drop it. Each step seemed to make her head go lower. But she kept going, with Mama and Papa pulling her along. Finally, after what felt like hours and hours, Uncle Gydon said they could stop.'Take your rest, I'll be waking you in an hour to keep guard,' he motioned an uncle. 'Then you take an hour watch and wake the next. You get five hours rest. Make the most of it.'Papa and Mama and several other adults had bags with clothing. It all got pulled out and spread around the group, trying to provide a little warmth and comfort. Mila curled up between her parents, her head against Papa's chest. It seemed so cold and strange she didn't think she could sleep.Then she closed her eyes.'Mila, lovey, wake up.'Mila stirred at Mama's voice and the gentle touch of her hand on her back. She sat up with a jaw-splitting yawn. Blinking, she peered around in confusion.'Mama, a