Neiras heart raced as a howl pierced the quiet night air. The hounds had picked up her scent.

She hurried along the cliff, breaking into a run again despite the uncertain terrain. The howling drew nearer. She could hear the pounding of the horses hooves.

Her breathing grew ragged as she pushed onward, no longer using the stone wall to guide her. A patch of loose rock slid out beneath her. Her stomach lurched. She crashed down onto the hard, unforgiving stone.

Her arms and knees were bloody and scraped, but the bones felt intact. She was releived she hadn’t hit her head. Rolling over with a groan she paused.

There was a small opening under a lip in the rock. It seemed to be a tunnel. One that was visible only from the ground. If it went deep enough…

She looked back toward the sound of her pursuers. The torches were closer now. There wasn't time for anything else. The guards would be close enough to see her soon. It was now or never. She scrambled forward, dragging herself into the hole.

It was a tight fit. Neira doubted any of the guards would be able to come in after her should they find it. Of course that wouldn't stop them from simply waiting her out.

She hated having to improvise. Unfortunately planning her next move was a luxury she could not afford at the moment. The rough stone stung her wounded arms, surely leaving a blood trail for the hounds to follow.

The walls came in even closer, stalling her progress. A wave of dizziness hit her. She squirmed backward in a panic.

From the mouth of the tunnel she heard the clatter of hooves and the murmer of mens voices. She couldn't go back until they moved on. She would wait until they left and then sneak out to find another hiding place. The minutes stretched on, the guards still conversing just outside the tunnel.

Crack!

A torrent of stone crashing against stone rumbled behind her. The voices of the men drowned out by the clamor. Neiras blood ran cold. They were sealing her in!

There was no going back at all now. She would have to try and squeeze through the tight passage and hope it wasn't a dead end. Shoving her pack through ahead of her, Neira fought to keep her breathing steady.

Her hips caught in the narrow channel. She scrabbled at the stone, adrenaline surging through her. Darkness was all she could see, but she could feel her vision contorting. The rough stone snagged at her clothing and scraped against her flesh.

Wriggling through left her bleeding in several new places, but at least the tunnel had widened. She wiped her eyes, sucking in a few slow breaths. After a moment she had calmed her heart rate and managed to stop trembling.

She started down the passage once more. Before long she was even able to crawl on her hands and knees. Her entire body ached as she made her way through the pitch black. Her eyes grew heavy. Time and trauma seemed to be catching up to her.

She kept crawling even though her limbs were leaden from exhaustion. If this was to be her tomb then at least she would die trying to escape. How long would it be until she ran out of air? Were those lights floating around her eyes from a lack of oxygen?

—

By the time the guards returned it was morning.

“I see you are foolish enough to return to me empty handed?” Rifat glanced up at the guard over his sumptuous meal. Irayen raised her glass to her lips to conceal a smile.

“The slave girl is dead.”

Irayens smile froze. Her heartbeat drowning out everything else.

She watched as Rifat slammed his fist down on the table and shouted something at the guard. This couldn't be happening. She squeezed her eyes shut, setting her cup back on the table.

“The hounds tracked her to the cliffs. We found tracks and blood leading into a tunnel. It looked to be a Sak. We blocked off the opening to trap the beast. The girl will either suffocate or be devoured.”

Irayen stood, her voice trembling. “Excuse me.” Rifat waved her away, his eyes still on the guard. She rushed out, holding back tears.

“A Sak You say?” Rifat mused “That is certainly a worse fate than I could have inflicted. Very well, you may return to your regular duties.”

—

The lights grew larger and clearer. Neira came through into a spacious, dazzling cave. She could now see the lights were actually glowing crystals embedded in the walls and ceiling.

On the far side of the cave was a bubbling spring. Dark tunnels watched her from every wall of the cave. Dozens of gaping paths to choose from.

Neira crossed to the spring. The water reflected the light from the gems. Colors danced across the pool. In the center a stack of stones rose above the waters glistening surface. A strange symbol was etched into the top stone. Neira had never seen anything like it.

She reached into the spring, sliding her hand through the cool water. There was an inscription carved into the bottom of the fountain.

Here at the altar of Hesh, Minar and Zyree,

you may beg for the aid of these goddesses three.

A heart that is worthy or cause that's unique,

is likely to summon the help that you seek.

Neira had never heard of the goddesses Hesh, Minar or Zyree. Then again she was not familiar with many of the deities of this land. The people here seemed only to worship a small few.

When she was young her parents had taught her about all the gods of her land. They had always told her that each God had a place. Each was important and none should be neglected. They had worshipped each with equal fervor.

Still, none of the gods had saved them when the slave traders came. Neira pushed away these bitter musings. Memories and regrets would not help her now.

A low grumble from her stomach reminded her of the food in her pack. She pulled out a few of the food bundles and a waterskin.

Opening the pouches she noticed several peices of dried meat. She smiled. Irayen knew her too well. Taking a small piece she tossed it in her mouth savoring the rich, smoky flavor. She tore off a hunk of the nutty brown bread as well and tucked the rest away.

Looking around as she chewed, she wondered at the myriad of tunnels leading away from the cavern. With so many choices surely one of them would lead her to safety. At the very least her immediate concern was no longer suffocation.

Still, the idea of having to search through all of them was daunting. She dropped her head with a sigh, hugging her chest to her knees.

A small scratching sounded to her right. Looking up she saw a tiny pair of eyes peering out from a tunnel. Whiskers twitched as the little mouse sniffed the air and ventured into the cave.

Neira watched, keeping perfectly still. She didn't want to risk startling the creature. It scampered up to the spring. A tiny pink tongue dipped into the water, rapidly lapping it up.

Its paws brushed water across its fur and it scurried away down another tunnel. Neira started to follow but stopped as she reached the tunnel.

If this wasn't the way out she would never remember which tunnel it was when she returned. She had already forgotten which tunnel she had emerged from.

If there was to be any hope of finding a way out, she would need some way to mark which paths she had explored. She set her bag in the tunnel opening

Turning, she searched for a loose stone other implement. Her eyes fell on the stones in the spring. It wasn't like she owed the gods anything. There was no evidence they were even real.

Her eyes roved over the inscription once more. It wouldn't hurt to ask for help. Getting out of the caves was a challenge, but it was far from being her greatest concern.

What better time would there be to make a plan then while being trapped in a labyrinth of tunnels hiding from armed guards?

Returning to her pack she sat down and pulled out the map. Her eyes roved across the parchment while her mind burned through thoughts and ideas.

After a while she settled on a request for the goddesses and returned to the spring. Kneeling by the edge of the water, she pleaded.

“Oh mighty Goddesses Hesh, Minar, and Zyree; I beseech your aid in my plight.” She paused, uncertain of how to proceed.

Perhaps there was another inscription somewhere with more detailed instructions. She looked up, and found herself gazing into another pair of eyes floating in the air in front of her.