“I don’t think I can go much further,” said the princess, panting behind me.

“Just a little longer, we must be getting close now,” I said. The palace was already on the outskirts of the city, buried amongst the trees. This tunnel lead beyond the palace, the exit at a safe distance away from it. I assumed it went on for at least a couple of miles. It was just about four miles before we reached a worn ladder at the end of the tunnel. I slowly released the princess’s hand and gave her the wormlight.

“Stay here. I’m going to make sure the coast is clear first.” I climbed up the ladder and pushed open the piece of wood on the top carefully. I peered out from underneath and saw we were in the middle of the forest, and the palace was off in the distance. Black smoke billowed up from the town, inking out the twinkling stars in the night sky. I watched as the palace collapsed, shaking the ground like an earthquake as it gave a groan and tumbled to the earth below it. I heard distant screams and the clash of metal on metal. Every once in a while, there was a vibrant flash of light that signified someone was using magic. I closed my eyes for a moment and prayed that the King had made it out safely. Once I recovered from my thoughts, I looked around, trying to see if anything was hiding in the dark. I saw nothing but the shadows of the trees being quietly disturbed by a soft wind. It was a strange change from the chaos we had left behind us. I deemed it safe for the princess, and then crawled out of the tunnel and landed firmly on the soft grass.

“Come on up,” I said down to the princess. Within a couple of minutes, I reached down and helped her out of the hole disguised as a stump. When we were both back on the ground, we looked around, as if each of us was trying to figure out what to do next. The princess’s eyes landed on the town in the distance, and I watched as her face fell.

“Oh no,” I heard her murmur. I placed my hand on her shoulder. I wanted to console her, to try and offer some kind of heartfelt advice to rest her uneasy mind. There just wasn’t any time for it.

“We can’t stay here. Come on,” I said. I grabbed her hand and pulled her away. Her big brown eyes were still on the chaos behind us as I pulled her through the trees. Suddenly, there was a huge explosion behind us, and both the princess and I stopped in our tracks. We watched as the palace shook, then its walls began to crumble. De'Claire Palace tumbled towards the ground, pummeling the town with its remains. We stood in silence as the dust rose like a cloud to the sky, casting off images as light from magic users refracted through it. 

De'Claire Palace had fallen.

I started to pull on the princess's hand, and she reluctantly followed, unable to tear her eyes away from the scene behind us.

There was a safe house designed for such an event, but I couldn’t be sure that I knew where it was. We jogged through the trees, my only thought to get her as far away from the battle as possible. We ran and ran. Out of nowhere, a voice rang through the night. 

“Hey!” said someone loudly in the dark. The princess and I both froze, turning toward the sound. I didn’t think my heart could beat any faster. Could it be true that I missed someone while making sure the coast was clear? Had I already put the princess in danger? I didn’t have time to think anymore.