Prestigious

3. Ti Dioradoa (The Maze of Secrets)

Charlie

The dusty red-brown walls undulated in textured waves as Tane and I sprinted after Azurael, the famed madman. This was the man Nolatai would have called brother if they'd been earthborn. I trusted Nolatai, but the infamous traitor? Not so much. The fear of being caught rose up in my throat and drowned my ears in thunder. All I could hear were the imaginary footsteps of the Prestigious coming to take us away. I pushed myself harder.

I hadn't run this fast getting to The Oasis the first time. But in a full sprint, it was easier to see how the tunnel curved so slightly it was almost a trick of the light.

We came upon the first sigil carved into the wall before long. While I only increased in speed, I found myself alone a few strides ahead. Tane had stopped dutifully behind Azurael whose scarred hands caressed the symbol.

"So, suddenly we have time to admire the Abannonian artistry of dirt-work?" I called, hoping it would jump-start the pair into action. Tane just sent me a wistful smile and crossed her arms as she watched Azurael admire the wall.

Defeated, I jogged back to stand in the torch-light next to Tane.

"Do you hear it?" she whispered. When I shrugged, she pointed her chin at the sigil. "There's air behind it."

I didn't get to ask her what she meant, because the crazy ex-angel reared back and slammed his fist into the center of the emblem. Dust fell in clouds around his knuckles, but the symbol remained unshaken. He leveled Tane with a heavy stare to which she responded with a nod as if he'd given a full speech.

She moved to stand beside him, silent and serious. In unison, they moved their arms in glacial arcs. The shadows danced in anticipation on the floor behind them.

I turned to peer down the tunnel in the direction we'd come, wondered if they'd take my wings for treason like Azurael's, and heard a terrible rockslide. When I looked back at Tane and Azurael, they were up to their shins in what was once a dirt clod wall.

Azurael shook off the debris and smiled at me. "Boy thinks he can fly because he has wings." He shook his head, laughed, and held his left hand out for Tane while snatching the nearest torch from its mooring. "Secret path in secret tunnel saves time."

Tane motioned for me to follow as she took the man's hand and ducked into the darkness.

Call me a naysayer, but the new tunnel wasn't exactly inconspicuous. "And what's stopping them from following us into the brand new hole in the tunnel?"

"No Prestigious will ever return from this place." Azurael's voice was made for telling legends. So I let him tell it. "Dioradoa is the true path to the Oasis." I hopped over the pile of rocks to join my partners in crime as they led me further into the dark.

"But I got to the Oasis just fine," I called ahead. From the fading light Azurael carried, I watched him turn to give me the stink eye.

"You didn't tell me he interrupts," Azurael murmured to Tane.

"You will get used to it. What is Dioradoa?" she said, ever the mediator.

I almost gave the Azurael guy some words but didn't get the chance. We hit a crossroad. Or maybe it was a hallway. Honestly, it was too dark to see much other than the perfectly curved walls that sloped and swooped in both directions away from us.

One long trail of gold script glinted off of the flickering fire Azurael held.

"It is the angel's labyrinth. The Earthen tunnel takes a full moon rising to reach the furthest reach of The Oasis. The route through Dioradoa is but half a rise, and leads directly to the heart of our commune." His voice fell in hushed embers against the echoing walls. "The messengers live here now. John's traps keep them safe."