Master of the Maze

Chapter 3: Premonitions

I woke suddenly in the morning to a soft tapping at my door. I nearly died of shock when I saw Ann Marie standing outside of my door. Ann Marie looked very somber in the dull morning light. "What's wrong?" I asked growing worried.

"I had a dream," she said. " But it wasn't just any dream. It was a vision, a warning. We made a grave mistake with the Great Circle. We told them of our high ambitions, and they took it as a treat because they believe we wish to overthrow their regime."

"What? I said that I wanted to be in the High Council, and you  just said you wanted to be a ruin interpreter. How is that threatening?" I asked.

"Powerful mages in the High Council go on to be in the Great Circle, which means that you would replacee one of them, and ruin interpreters are hand chosen by the Great Council because they must be of great power. I am not their lapdog, thus I am a threat. Maggie's actions, or lack of actions really, were taken as insolent, so they think she's a rebel. To them we are a bunch of cracks about to split oen the regime," Ann Marie explained.

"So what do they do to us in this vision of yours? Warn us, talk to us again, send us to be trained to show manners to our superiors," I went on desperately trying to find a consequence that didn't invole our imminent doom.

"No, it will be much worse. They'll send us into an abyss where the sun never shines," Ann MArie said.

"Ann Marie, you've really outdone yourself on the crazy here. It was a dream and nothing more," i said reassuringly.

"You really think so?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes, the spirits have decieved you Ann Marie. The Ring of Truth burns in fury at those who have decieved you. We are safe, but nightmares riddle your sleep. You percieve them as warnings, but they aren't," I said.

She nodded and thanked me for my reassurace. As I watched her walk awy, I felt the Ring of Truth burn at my own lies. Guilt washed over me, but I had to tell her that they were only dreams. The truth is that they probably wer, but on the slight chance that it wasn't a dream, she had to stay quiet. I laid back down and let sleep lull me into its grasp.

I was running down a dark passage. I had to get out. I had to get away. "The wall, Tyree! Put your hand on the wall!" a voice cried.

Maggie! She was here too. "And when you put it there, never take it off!" Ann Marie called out.

For some reason, I knew this. I also knew that we couldn't stop running. The darkness became unnatural, and I knew Maggie was trying to throw off the thing following us. A hand grabbed my shoulder, but Ann Marie whipered, "It's me. I mean you can scream, but,haha, it would only draw the thing closer."

A roar reverberated through the cavern and pounding footsteps echoed alongside it.

For the second time, I awoke with a start, but this time there was no knock on the door, only a cold fear in my heart that caused me to sweat.