"Pa is going to kill us."

Thepa turned to the young Galak giving her a short sympathetic smile. Like herself, the female that stood next to her was doubled over, panting, and covered in sweat. She felt perspiration rolling down her own bronze complexion from her shoulders and chest to the small of her back. There it mixed with the sand and dirt caked to her body and left her with a desperate need for a bath.

However, now was not the time to worry about such trifle manners. Instead, she gave a quick check around the corner before responding.

"I'm sure you're fine Maeve. I doubt he would hurt one of his younglings."

It had only been a week since Maeve arrived, but in that time Thepa had found her life turned upside down. The prospect of ending the war, fueled by a specific prophecy, drove the two of them to the small desert island where Thepa had saved Zuna five completions ago. In fact, getting to the island had been the easy part. Since arriving, Thepa found herself in a gantlet, sneaking into Remberant, running from the guards, and relying on a whole lot of luck to arrive where they now found themselves. Still, they needed to press on. Soon their presence would be known and the other Galaks would be on the two of them faster than a youngling avoiding a much-needed swat.

Get it under control, Thepa silently said to herself. Now's not the time to fall apart again.

Still grasping for breath, Maeve tried to control her breathing, but struggled. "You...can't possibly...know that."

Thepa rolled her neck up and back against the wall careful not to further rip the tear in the back of her shirt. Slowly, she rolled until she felt the tips of her thin horns pierce the wall's stony exterior. Small pops of air escaped her joints while particles of sand fell down her damp clothing. The stretch wasn't much, but it helped calmed her nerves and relaxed her muscles before she planned their next move.

"Sure I do. Call it maternal instinct."

Maeve sucked in another deep breath and leaned back against the wall. "You don't know Pa. I know he'll be mad I used the portal. If he finds out that I went to you of all Saintians, snuck you into the Remembrant, then allowed you into the Inner Sanctum, he'll feed me to the wyrms."

Thepa smiled. "Good thing I killed both of those then."

A small chuckle escaped Maeve's ruby lips. "Thanks for that by the way. I didn't get a chance to tell you the first time. Really, if it was under better circumstances..."

Like killing a bunch of your kind?

"Things could have been different, I know." Thepa said completing the thought. "But could have and should have are things of the past. What's important now, is we make it to the portal. How much further?"

She watched Maeve take stock of her surroundings. Like most of the rooms Thepa had observed in the Remembrant, the room was composed of desert sandstone. Maeve had explained to Thepa that the Galaks who had occupied the dwelling had dug down deep into its depths centuries ago. At first, the Galaks had used the small mountain that penetrated the surface to protect themselves from the harsh elements of the desert. However, as their people grew in number, they dug down deeper into its depths, all the while subconsciously heeding the call of the portal's song.

"Not too much further. We're almost to the pit. If we need more time, I think we could hide here."

Thepa took another look around the room. Four beds lined the two walls and a scatter of personal effects cluttered its corners. Whoever its occupants were lacked discipline. The sight of it reminded Thepa of one of the many times she had visited Rory's room. For all she knew, the place belonged to her doppelganger. The distant memory brought a smile to her face just as her pendant started to glow with a small blue hue.

"Maybe, but I don't want to be caught here." Thepa said contemplating the room's strategic disadvantage. "It boxes us into a corner. I've rather not hurt anyone else if I can help it. I've rather not..."

"Yes?" Maeve asked. For a moment Thepa's blue eyes locked with Maeve's orange. Nothing was said, but Thepa could tell based on the small glint in the Galak's eye, she was both nervous and excited for what was to come. It was an experience Thepa knew all too well. She gave the Galak a knowing look then broke eye contact once it became awkward.

"...I've done enough to your people. Our war is against the beasts and Adreanna, not against each other. There is no need for anyone here to get hurt."

"And if it comes to that?" asked Maeve.

Could have and should have...

"We'll pass that bridge when we get to it."

Maeve said nothing. Thepa took her silence as a chance to consider the matter settled. She wasn't sure what Maeve would do if she actually had to hurt one of the Galaks, but for the moment she didn't want to think about it. Instead, she took one last look at the passage outside the room and realized it was the large chamber where her first showdown with the Exarch had taken place. If she was correct, to the left of her was the small room where she first met Maeve almost five completions ago.

She wanted to take a quick glance to confirm, but before she could, she watched two Galaks come through the hall to her right, driving her further back into the room. Carefully, she approached the door a second time and peeked from the crack in the frame just in time to see the two proceed across the room towards the place she and Maeve had originated.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

I don't know if we're going to make it.

"It's only going to get harder from here," Maeve said as if to read her mind. "If we can make it pass the prison cells, I can lead us towards the secret entrance. Fortunately, its rarely guarded."

That got Thepa's attention. She raised a brow and turned back towards Maeve caught off guard by the short remark. "What do you mean unguarded?"

Maeve shrugged. "A hidden entrance deep in our own fortress? A guard would be out of place."

"Makes sense," said Thepa. She took one last look towards the chamber to see if the coast was clear. Finding nothing but shadows of light, she moved her hand upward and gestured for Maeve to follow with a short bend of the forefingers.

"Let's go."

As quickly as they could, the two left the room and made their way to the right. From there it was a short jog down a sandy hallway before they came to a platform that overlooked a large pit. From its edge, Thepa could hear a light splash of water making its way over, but couldn't locate its source. She knew they would have to make their way down the spiral bridge that lined its side, but the whole thing made her uneasy. The farther down they made it, the more they would be exposed and she wouldn't be able to protect them.

Maeve made no such hesitation. Instead of waiting for Thepa to take the lead, she walked right passed her sprinting down its wooden path. Once she reached the stairs, her leather-covered footsteps clacked off the wood, but they were met with stone silence. For the moment, luck was with them.

At the bottom of the stairs, Thepa's heart stopped. She had almost forgot in the five completions since her last visit, about the two doors before her. Her choices that day had almost destroyed three satyrs, herself included. Each time she had to look at Zuna and Fokin, a new wave of guilt would wash over her and she would mentally beat herself up for almost getting them all killed.

For a brief second, she froze as part of her deliberated between wanting to rip the door to her right off its hinges or scream in blood-fueled rage. However, neither manifested. Instead, Maeve's now softened footsteps pressed forward and the two proceeded passed the prison further into the Remembrant's depths.

Minutes passed.

The hall narrowed, but something else was off, prinking an easiness in Thepa's horns. At some point after the prison, all sounds Thepa might have expected to here were now drowned out by the beating of her own heart. She shouldn't have been this nervous, but the farther they traveled, the more the tingle made the way down her spine. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight, and she was doing all she could not to quake in her hooves. She was so on edge that by the time Maeve broke the silence, she almost jumped out of her skin.

"Something's wrong. It shouldn't be this bad."

"W-what shouldn't be this bad?" Thepa stammered, but before Maeve could answered, they turned the corner which opened into an impossibly large anti-chamber. A large triangular stone stood upright in the middle of a smooth foundation. Its edge gave off a deep amber light, washing the sandstone in a dark shade of orange. High ceilings that the light failed to penetrate rained down large drops of water that never hit the ground. The whole experience made Thepa think of frozen rain, but the ground was absent of any precipitation.

Most importantly, they were not alone.

"Daughter?" said the Exarch with a raised brow as he turned in their direction. "How did you...?

"Run!" Maeve screamed.

Thepa didn't need to be told twice. She knew she had to make for the portal, but the four other Galaks in the room now made that impossible. As quick as she could, she took off back towards the pit. Her ascent back up eased the feeling of trepidation as the hallway widened, but now it was replaced with frustration that their one shot at the portal was lost. She considered trying to find a way to double back once she made it back to the top of the pit, but she would still need Maeve to open the portal.

As Thepa burst into the pit room, she felt something reach out and grab her leg. Lightning reflexes allowed her to barely dodged its grasp, but the small gesture was enough to send her body spiraling towards the unknown depths of the hole. For a moment, another shiver of fear washed over her, but instinct kicked in. Before she reached the edge, she brought her legs in, pushed up with her hands, then vaulted backwards away from the pit. Her body connected with something hard and set it back towards the entrance of the tunnel with a low grunt. Thepa turned just in time to find the Exarch making his way back to his feet.

"I warned you not to come back here Realmwalker. Now you'll pay with your life."

Thepa shifted her hooves and held up her fist close to her face. Inwardly, her mind was screaming at her to grab the daggers tucked safely into her backside, but she wanted to keep her earlier promise that she made herself. She might have hated this particular Galak, but she didn't want to hurt Maeve or any other Galak if she could help it.

Without warning, the Exarch lunged. His large form barreled into her with his shoulder. At the last second, Thepa was able to shift her body and twirl out of the way as he lumbered passed. As he did, she grabbed his belt, swung her body around his backside, flipped her legs up and around to his front, then mounted his head. When her slender limbs found their mark, she dropped her body and twisted with all her might. The sudden change of center caused the Exarch to stumble bringing the two of them crashing to the ground.

In the chaos, Thepa lost control. The Galak had too much forward momentum in his charge, and the two of them tumbled towards the pit. A scream pierced her ears from somewhere in the chamber and she felt her body leave the edge. Quickly, she reached for the two daggers tucked behind her and drove them with all of her might into the wall's stony exterior sending flying sparks passed her body. A shot of energy pierced her muscles and even as the weight of the Galak grasped her legs from below, both her and the daggers managed to stay fixed in place.

"Help them." Maeve called from above.

Thepa's muscles screamed, but the Galaks above worked quickly. Somewhere a rope was lowered to bring her and the Exarch back up the to the surface. However, by the time Thepa made it to her hooves, more Galaks had joined the contingent. Whatever hope she had of escape were now dashed as she now stood before a well-armed squadron and a grinning Exarch.

"Pa, please. She may be our only hope." Maeve pleaded, but it didn't matter. Thepa had made her run and failed.

Could have and should have. Neither one any use to me now.

The Exarch took one last look at his daughter then grabbed a nearby spear. As he did, Thepa thought about the things in life she cherished most. She thought fondly of the time she had spent getting to know her mother and the openness they now shared. She considered the secret rendezvous with Fokin in the jungle which in hindsight were probably not so secret to begin with. Most of all, she thought of the love of her life. A tear ran down her eye, and she said a silent goodbye to the blue-eyed youngling that had utterly captivated every aspect of her now condemned heart.

I love you Bitty. Please, please forgive me.