Corvan cowered behind a boulder as the buraks left the cavern, one still celebrating the successful hunt with loud shrieks.

Corvan slumped against the broad rock, the pain in his shoulder overwhelmed by an intense ache in his heart. In the few short days he had known Tsarek, they had become more than just traveling companions. A soft sob shook his body, sending fresh pain across his chest. Tsarek had been his only connection to the grandfather he had never known and he could’nt believe his friend was gone. How could he possibly go on to rescue Kate without Tsarek’s help?

As the burak’s sounds faded away, the enormity of his situation sank in. He was far below the surface of the earth. No one knew where he had gone, so no one would come looking for him. Ever. He couldn't go back through the labyrinth. He needed to go after Kate, but how would he find her? For the first time in his life, Corvan was truly on his own.

Tsarek's final words filled him with dread. Kate didn't have long to live. If he was to save her, he had to set aside his fears and keep moving deeper into the Cor. His only hope was to locate the pointed roof of the temple.

That must have been what Tsarek meant when he pointed his arms over his head. Tsarek knew he was about to be captured and was giving Corvan one last instruction. No, two, for the paws over the mouth had been telling Corvan to stay quiet, so he could escape the buraks. Tsarek had sacrificed his life to save him.

A biting cold penetrated his sweat-drenched clothes. If he didn't get dry ones on and start moving, hypothermia was sure set in. Trying not to move his injured shoulder, he managed to drag his pack closer with his slippered feet. At least they were warm. His cloak, however, was still back in the tight crawlspace.

He found the leather thongs that had tied the top of the pack cut in two. Why would Tsarek have done that? Pulling the cover open, he discovered that Tsarek had retrieved the cloak and stuffed it back into the pack. Slipping the cloak over his shoulders, he carefully lifted the hood into position. It was wonderful to be warm again.

It took a bit fashion a crude sling for his arm with only one hand, but once it was in place, the pain began to subside. Pulling himself up against the boulder, he noticed faint patches of purple light appearing around the cavern. Tsarek must have been right; they had found a way past the labyrinth.

Dragging the heavy pack down the slope, he entered the clearing where Tsarek had been captured. He needed to lighten his load, or he wouldn't get much farther. He managed to lift the pack onto a flat stone with his good arm. As he pulled the rest of his clothes from the pack, the scent of wood smoke and beef jerky wafted out. His stomach growled. In this timeless world, there was no way of knowing when he’d last eaten.

The soggy labels had fallen off the tins, but it didn’t matter—he had left the can opener at home. If only Kate hadn’t taken Tsarek's Swiss Army knife. He picked up a familiar rectangular tin. A can of Spam, the kind with an attached key to open it. He flipped it over—the key had broken off.

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Why was everything going wrong? Anger welled up, and he hurled the can away. Pain shot through his chest as the can bounced off a rock, cracked, and landed in the dirt at his feet, neatly split open along the seam.

Sitting on a rock, he held the tin firmly between his knees and peeled the top back with his good hand. Cold, gritty Spam—he’d never tasted anything so good.

Even with the tins out, the pack was still too heavy to carry with just one arm. Reluctantly, he pulled out Tsarek's crystal and set it on the ground between his legs. There would be no more music from Tsarek. His tears fell on the tapered crystal, skidding down its length and leaving phosphorescent trails behind.

As he reached out to the crystal, a tiny spark leaped out to meet his hand along with a sound like miniature wind chimes in a summer breeze. Placing a hand on the crystal, an overwhelming weariness settled over him. He closed his eyes. "Please help me find a way out of here," he whispered. "I want to go home."

In his mind, he was suddenly surrounded by a dense fog. Two figures emerged from the mist. His mother and father. He called out, but they didn’t hear. Following them through the murky air, he found himself climbing the Castle Rock. His parents passed through the western gap and the fog parted to reveal a figure sitting on a black throne.

It was Kate, draped in a blood red cape and a sparkling ring of gems on her head. Thick black bands encircled both of her wrists.

Corvan's parents knelt before her, begging her to open the door, so their son could come home. Kate raised her hands and pointed to his home. Lightning arced from the bands, and his house dissolved into a pool of molten stone that set the fields alight. The fire roared away to incinerate every house in town in its path. The flames swirled back around his parents. They cried out in pain, and then they too were gone.

"No-o-o-o!" The cavern walls echoed with his cry as he forced his eyes open. How could Kate become an evil queen capable of destroying the entire world? Is this what would happen if he failed to rescue her?

A rumbling crash interrupted his thoughts as the rock face where he and Tsarek had entered collapsed onto the slope. The rocks gained momentum, smashing against each other, and sending tremendous shudders through the ground as the slide roared downward, then ground to a halt. He needed to get out of there, and quickly. The avalanche would surely bring the buraks back. A dense cloud of rock dust rolled in around him as if the cave were trying to bury him alive.

The fine dust filled his lungs and he pulled the hood across his face to breathe through its fabric. Keeping his head low he waited for the dust to clear.

It was difficult to see through the murky air. He pulled the hammer out. The circles from the hammer's handle were clearly reflected in a tiny round pool at the base of Tsarek's crystal.

His tears had flowed down the crystal and collected in a small depression at its base. Touching the shiny surface, he found it as solid as the crystal itself. When he pressed on the edge, a thin circle—like the small round mirror, his mother kept in her purse—popped out.

Sitting back, he traced his finger across the surface. The glass rippled, turning dark blue with small points of light, like a starry sky.

Hope. He felt it grow in his heart as he gazed at the tiny stars. He had made it this far. He was past the Cor shield, and now if he could find Kate, they could find a way out and see the stars together yet again.

After slipping the glass into his pocket, Corvan picked up the pack by one of its severed straps and headed toward the exit where the buraks had gone.