The blue crystals shone brightly, flashing aggressively within gray, stone compartments, spread about the room. This apparently indicated the coming of morning. I woke up in my little den, snug in my mother’s embrace as the blue light peered through the small opening through which I’d exit. There was nothing quite like a good night’s sleep after a day of extreme terror.

I really hoped I hadn’t slept for multiple days again.

The first matter to attend to was my liege. He’d desired to have my attention after all this time, so he could tell me all about the progress they’d made in the last few days. I went to find him in the newly acquired, second room, and as we walked through the tunnel to the main room where mother’s corpse lay, he talked me through it all.

By now, all the rats but him wore at least one piece of clothing sown from mother’s fur. They had also started skinning the beast under supervision of Brynn, after which the hide could be reworked in many ways such as rugs and leather. The blanket of bliss in my den was the first example, and a gift of appreciation for my noble sacrifice creating the dens.

The explanation largely went over my head, as I had much to think about. I was still tired from the night before, and my mind reeled at the idea that I wasn’t who I was, not what I thought I was. Because, what was I even? To some extent it eluded me what a human was, but I got the sense it was better than being a ratman, and that there was a lot less hair involved. From the visions I understood that humans wore better clothes as well, and I’m sure I’ve dreamed of cooked food, without having ever heard of cooked food.

The conversation did not last long, anyway.

The big guy emerging from the tunnel slightly surprised my sisters. Brynn and the other girl were at a loss for words seeing the big rat sliding over the floor. The earth moved magically to carry him from one place to another, making it seem like the giant was floating just above the ground, not moving a single muscle as his long tail dragged behind him. I supposed it wouldn’t get any less impressive the second time you saw it.

There was another guy there, but he didn’t seem to even notice us as he kept carving eyes into the walls, like he’d done each and every waking moment, expanding on the large pattern he had etched out. By now I wondered if he was alright in the head, but the big guy didn’t seem to mind how the small rat didn’t make himself useful. He even seemed to approve, nodding slightly as he watched over him.

King quickly confirmed that mother was still doing perfectly fine, and we moved back to the second room. After arriving, he beckoned one of the girls there, the one I hadn’t met yet. She needed to also get Brynn. After bowing solemnly, she hurried away. He might as well have called her himself when he was just in the room. I guessed they still really didn’t like each other.

As The girl went to get Brynn, King beckoned Bart, who was still trying to get rid of all the rubble by himself. The confused Bart absently dropped a rock and shuffled our way. I already had a vague idea what was conspiring. It didn’t bode well. Bart however had no clue what he was doing so close to our monstrous King. Nervously, the little black ball of fur stepped about, unable to stand still, tugging and twisting the gray shirt he was wearing.

‘I retrieved Brynn for you, majesty.’ The forementioned girl returned and curtsied.

‘Thank you, Clementine. You may leave.’ Growled King, before the girl scurried away. A happy and or angry Brynn, it was impossible to categorize that grimace, replaced her. The moment she arrived and saw Bart, she physically recoiled, her expression fading to blank. Kind of like fresh paint hit by a bucket of water.

‘What is Bart here for?’

‘As Bart does not have any pertinent tasks to attend to, he will join you to the exploration of the tunnels. You will teach him how to be an explorer, and you will endeavor to keep him alive. It would be practical if he learned to assess these responsibilities, in case our kingdom grows larger.’

Bart, Brynn, and my reactions were quite a broad spectrum.

Bart was so shocked that he didn’t seem to understand how insignificant King had painted him in his order. I thought he was doing a great job of picking up stones and putting them back in another location.

Brynn couldn’t seem to cope and instead stared daggers at King and Bart, which she failed to do since they stood quite some distance apart, which diminished the effect greatly. Something was telling me, she didn’t want to adventure with Bart for some reason. I couldn’t blame her too much; he seemed a bit dim.

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Personally, I didn’t mind. I liked Bart. I just hoped he wouldn’t die. In fact, I was still very preoccupied about the revelations of the day before. It would be nice to have a kindface around.

‘You will be on your way as soon as you’ve grabbed all you need.’

‘Right now?’ I asked.

‘Surely, you’re not really sending us out with the dickwit.’ Said Brynn.

’It is a pressing matter for us to know about all dangers we may face in this labyrinth, as the previous day has so eloquently demonstrated. We cannot show weakness. Now, prepare yourselves, with haste.’

Reluctantly Brynn and I moved to where we had left our stuff and reappeared with our salvaged spears. Fully dressed in our shorts and vests, which we were now able to close thanks to buttons made of lizard teeth that the seamstress had made for us. Bart was still there in his own pair of shorts carrying a little club, carved out of vines. It looked smooth and sand coloured, and relatively useless.

---

We stood in the second room, facing the left wall. We reached an easy agreement that the right hallway was still off limits due to a minotaur issue. There was another issue, however. This hallway was blocked off by the large slab of stone that King had conjured. We had to make our way through somehow, because it seemed to be too busy to send us off.

This obviously was my moment. I would have to make a pathway. That King wasn’t here clearly implied it was within my abilities. The burrows had been more complicated to make than forming a hole, but I still wasn’t sure if I was up to this task. What if I wasn’t able to “manipulate” the earth as I could before? I was afraid to fail. Afraid of the pain.

Brynn unsympathetically shoved me in the shoulder.

‘What are you waiting for, idiot knight?’

Hah, that was exactly how I felt too. Idiot knight. Incompetent. I would turn around if a need to prove myself hadn't overcome the anxt, if only slightly. I began slowly, small, trying to touch my soul slightly, feeling if I could still reach, gently grasping at it, pushing a bit through, and feeling the static of soul running through me. Just a bit. I forced a small dent in the wall.

‘What are you waiting for!’ Brynn exclaimed again, nearly crushing my concentration. But I had done it. I could still do it.

‘Shut up. I need to concentrate. Do you want me to faint again?’

I raised my arms, trying to grasp the stone in front of me with my mind. Putting more soul into it.

Not too quick.

Push!

Then the stone wall had a hole in it that we could easily fit through. Bart looked excited at what one would think to be magic at first sight. Brynn just looked bored and climbed to the other side. I followed and so did Bart. On the other side I could see more clearly how it turned out. I didn’t just make a hole, that would actually be too complicated since the stone had to go somewhere and I couldn’t think about what place and how thick it would become, yada yada. No, I made the hole by pushing it back, turning it into tendrils, thinning out and separating. Like spikes.

Now it was time to push it back. Do the whole thing again, but backwards. shove the spikes into the hole. The end result is how King said it would be. Not magic. The stone didn’t conjoin, but left cracks in the middle, an air hole of sorts. Someday I'll get it right.

---

We reached a familiar fork in the road without anything happening. Brynn and I threw a glance at the marked section of the wall on the left path and turned to the right passageway with a decidedness that took Bart off guard.

‘We’re not discussing which path to follow?’ The little adventurer asked, doubt clear in his voice.

Brynn and I shrugged.

‘We’ve already been there before so now we go here. Easy.’ The cranky girl rat said dryly, still not too happy about the newly established team.

’Look Bart,’ I said, ‘you’re very lucky to have this chance. You know, you could become a knight if you do well. I will be the better knight, of course. That goes without saying, but still. To be a knight is glorious; they’re champions of the people, the noblest of protectors within the realm.’

Bart’s lip pressed to a slit. It must’ve not felt achievable to the poor lad.

After arriving at yet another fork, this time unfamiliar, Brynn and I took a moment to break away a section of petrified vines to carve more symbols into the walls.

‘Why do you do that?’ Bart asked. While Brynn led the way I took the time to explain.

‘It’s a way to not get lost when exploring a labyrinth.’

Before I could start the next sentence Bart interrupted me with a question of his own.

‘A labyrinth? I thought we were just in a really big cave. Why???’

I shrugged again and continued talking.

‘Natural labyrinth, then. Anyway, it’s kind of like mapping while you walk, jotting down a code. It’s like counting. Every space has its own number and every path has a notation of the two rooms it connects. The notations can become long, but it’s definitely worth it if you don’t know the size of the labyrinth, or don't have a map. It helps if you remember more or less where the rooms are located, more or less.’

‘How do you memorize all that?’

‘I’m very smart.’ I said, and He gave me a look. ‘I am.’

‘Well I’ll probably manage then.’

The little bastard! Whatever, next time he could ask Brynn, see how he’d like that.