Chapter 5

Half an hour later, with two small packages of food clutched tightly in her invisible hands, Phae hurried through the lower hallways of the Citadel. Though for now at least she remained concealed under a veil of magic, she stuck to the shadows as best she could. She could sense already it was only a few hours until dawn, and if she wasn't quick, she might miss her chance to escape through the portal.

She arrived at the council chamber and looked down the stone staircase revealed at its centre. Discovered by her parents long before she was born, the stairway led into a secret sanctum that had once been used by the 'Isle's previous rulers, a corrupt group of mages known as the Inner Circle. Though they had for the most part now been defeated, and their few surviving members scattered across the land, their sanctum still remained, and in it, her planned means of escape.

When they had first opened up the hidden sanctum, her parents had discovered, among other curiosities, an ancient portal to the mainland that the sanctum's inhabitants had used to conceal their movements from the mages in the chamber above. Since her father had ordered the sanctum emptied of its contents for study, he had set up a small research team especially tasked with trying to decipher the portal's ancient runes and trying to find a way somehow to alter its destination. At present, according to Lena, the portal came out a few miles south of Pegwell. It certainly beat getting a boat to the mainland that was for sure.

Cautiously, Phae descended the cold stone steps. Thankfully someone had installed a set of magical lanterns to light the way. As the sanctum was now supposedly open to anyone, the heavy-set doors were wide open. Phae paused, and held her breath. If anyone was still awake at this un-godly hour they almost deserved to spot her, but then, she was still invisible...

Silently, she crept past the steel doors into an expansive hallway lined with statues on either side. Her target was on the far end of the winding corridor, in what most explorers might think was a storeroom. Of course, she knew better. She arrived at her destination to find the portal-room wide open and a group of mages slumped over in their chairs, snoring peacefully amidst piles of parchments, books and experimental apparatus. It had clearly been another long night of labour.

Breathing slowly, Phae crept into the room, doing her best to avoid the bowls of half-eaten dinner and stacks of books that blocked her path. She had taken no more than two steps when all of a sudden, the pain returned. She let out a small yelp, then grimaced as she tried desperately to avoid emitting any more sound. As she did so, the female mage closest to her started to stir. Phae winced as pain wracked through her skull. Something was changing inside her, she could feel it, but right now she didn't know what. Given the events of the past few days, she expected the worst.

Then it happened.

With a flash, the portal room was suddenly bathed in light. Phae looked down at her hands and saw not only that she was no longer invisible, but the light was coming from within her!

In a matter of moments all three mages were wide awake and on their feet.

"What's going on here?"

"Who are you?"

"What time is it?"

Phae screamed. With the thoughts of one condemned to certain capture, she made one final burst for freedom. Shoving the nearest woman down into her chair, Phae burst past the three sets of outreaching arms and made a dive towards the portal.

It was only a few steps away.

Three two one

All of a sudden, the sanctum disappeared and nausea swept over her. It felt as if the world itself had been turned on its head. A few seconds of discomfort and she suddenly found herself standing atop a small rise overlooking a vast expanse of farmland. All around her the countryside of the north-west coast was illuminated by her incandescence.

Phae began to panic. It would only be a matter of moments before someone decided to come through the portal after her, and here she was, a shining beacon in the midst of the darkness.

In a fit of panic, Phae started to run.