The left hallway had proven, as Aeronwyn feared, to lead to an inner sanctum where the priestesses would rest. The bedding was long since gone and when Keri touched one of the wooden dressers it literally fell to dust before their eyes, contents and all. Keri's look of shock and guilt made Aeronwyn laugh, which made Keri laugh along with her.
They retracted their steps and tried the right branch of the hallway. This had been exactly what Aeronwyn had hoped for. Within a few minutes they had found a staircase leading up. Aeronwyn hated to leave their shelter but the danger of being found increased with every day they stayed. Keri, other than her face, was fully healed and with a hooded cloak no one who knew her would guess it was she. She walked steadily and her arms, both of them, were perfectly normal. The confidence that she had gained under Aeronwyn's tutelage meant that her head was held high and the sloped shoulders had disappeared with her insecurities.
Keri didn't really know much of life beyond the prison as she was so young when her family had consigned her there. They had discussed at length what the best course of action was and agreed they needed to stay away from the cities. With no real knowledge of the countryside, the best they could do would be to avoid interacting with anyone until they were sure it was safe to do so. For all they knew, no one outside the prison was aware of Aeronwyn's escape! It wasn't much but it would have to do for now.
After a full day of climbing stairs, they reached what seemed to be a landing. The stairs simply opened up onto it and, about fifteen feet away from them was an opening with more stairs visible beyond. On one side were a few stone benches clearly meant to provide rest for weary travellers.
"Well," said Keri, "Looks like we are meant to take a break!"
"Hard to get a good sleep on stone, but let's take advantage. Just in case, Keri, I will take first watch and you can take second. Keep an eye and ear on the stairs behind us and wake me if you notice anything unusual."
"You are expecting them to follow us, aren't you?" Keri asked.
"Probably. I think we have at least a day or so head start but it isn't wise to assume anything. I have no desire to wake up and find I am back in captivity!" Aeronwyn was angry that they had been drugging her but also puzzled. Keri had assured her that she had never seen that before so Aeronwyn was concerned that they knew something that would make them choose to do that.
"They will never get me back. Ever! You have shown me what I can be and I have no intention of letting anyone take that future away from me." Keri said angrily. Aeronwyn grinned in agreement.
"Nor should you. You are a priestess of Althene, a mage and my friend. And you have barely scratched the surface of what that even means for you. That is just the beginning of what life has in store for you!"
Keri gave Aeronwyn a grateful look and started sorting out a bit of a camp. She offered Aeronwyn some food and water, took some for herself and placed the sack with the rest of their supplies on the bench as a pillow.
Other than the lack of sleep as a result of taking turns on watch, nothing eventful happened that night. It was awkward finding a way to deal with toiletries but the two were soon on their way up the stairs. At one point, Aeronwyn thought she had heard something behind them. They stopped and listened carefully but it was not repeated so they put it down to imagination and moved on.
