The sight before her was nothing short of marvellous. An entire city, suspended by nothing but the clouds beneath them, spread wide across the blue expanse of the endless sky. It all seemed so impossible. Towers of shining marble loomed above a glorious, gold-trimmed city that, by all appearances, had no inhabitants. But the place still felt alive when the sun shone down its brilliant light upon the wondrous creation.

Lanala could only wonder how such a city could have been built. Was this, perhaps, where the ancient people of Esterlin had come from? Could she be seeing the origins of her own people, the people of Dosette, somewhere below her? It was an exciting thought, to be certain. There would only be one way to find out if her speculation was true: she would have to explore.

Lanala a heavenly voice called to her.

“I knew it!” Lanala exclaimed. “I knew people had to live here! Maybe... maybe this is a place where Gods and Goddesses live?”

Lanala... wake up. Your friends are waiting.

“Wake up?” Lanala said. “But I’m not asleep. And... who’s talking to me?”

That was when she realized that it was her own voice again. Only it was... her. The power within. It wanted something again. “Can’t you just leave me alone?”

Who’s that over there? Is that Celia? the voice asked. Lanala couldn’t help but look into the distance at a sort of temple with huge pillars and inside it was... Celia. She watched the lithe brunette step into the stone structure but jumped when a swarm of shadows seemed to follow in after her.

“Celia, look out!”

Too late... the voice whispered. She’ll be their prisoner now.

“Wait... I am dreaming, aren’t I? You’re just toying with my mind!” Lanala said.

Am I? the voice asked. Look there.... Mirelle and Luna, the soon to be betrothed. They walk together. Look how happy they are, hand in hand...

Scouring the streets below, Lanala did indeed spot the two princesses holding hands through what looked like a sort of market square, browsing myriad stalls of fruits and jewellery and other wares. But then the entire marketplace was draped in shadow and Lanala could no longer see them.

“What’s happening?”

‘They’ have them now....

“Who’s ‘They’?”

The voice rang out in her head, chuckling away. Wouldn’t you like to know...

“Tell me! Where are they?”

It’s time to wake up now, Lanala. Meryn is worried...

“No! What happened to my friends? Damn you! Get out of my head!”

Until we meet again, Lanala...

Lanala nearly jumped into Meryn’s arms when she awoke. Meryn furrowed her brow at Lanala’s frightened state when she awoke.

“Are you all right?” Meryn asked.

“Wh-where... where’s Artema?”

“Called back to Onellia. Something about some big tournament they need her to set up. It’s a huge thing, apparently, and they need their princess to put her stamp on everything. She said you needed your rest anyway, what with the whole ‘power’ thing that happened to you.”

“And what about Celia?”

Meryn frowned as she searched her memory. “In her room, I think. Just got back from a patrol. Why?”

“Go and check on her! Please... I need to know if she’s still there!”

“Okay... but why?”

“I had a dream... and not just any dream. I heard the voice. It’s still there.”

Meryn nodded. “No doubt. Jhana’s influence is still strong. Just, you know, don’t let it get to you or... well... you know.”

“Yes. I do know. But please, Meryn! Go and check in on Celia!”

Meryn shrugged. “I’ve heard about these dreams of yours. Let’s hope this isn’t one of those...”

Meryn left Lanala’s bedroom and headed off down the hall toward Celia’s quarters. She tapped softly on the heavy wooden door and waited a moment for an answer. When she didn’t hear anything, she knocked again.

“Celia? You in there?”

There was still no answer. Meryn sighed. “Did you tie yourself up again?” Meryn asked, listening carefully this time. Not even a muffled voice answered her as the room within seemed to be in total silence. She checked the lock and noticed it was open, slowly pushing the door open and taking a long look inside.

Celia’s bed was still neatly made and nothing was out of place, as though she hadn’t been there for a few hours. But Meryn swore that Celia had returned from patrol less than an hour ago. She had even greeted Meryn on the way by. That meant that what Lanala had experienced was no dream. Whatever she had seen, it was obvious now that Celia was indeed missing.

Meryn hurried back to Lanala and, when they met eyes, Lanala knew right away that Meryn did not have good news.

“She’s missing, isn’t she?”

“I don’t know how but whatever vision you had was absolutely real. Where did you see her?”

“Um... it was a city. In the sky,” Lanala said. “I also saw Mirelle and Luna disappear into these shadows. So it’s not just Celia...”

“A... what?” Meryn was having a hard time fathoming the idea. “Lanala, how the hell... what do we do?”

“I can maybe get us there. I can use a spell and try to transport us up there so we can save them. We have to.”

Meryn nodded. “Okay... and what do we do about those shadows you saw?”

“Just avoid them,” Lanala said. “And find those three. When we get there I’ll show you where I saw them.”

Meryn sighed and shook her head. “All right. Let’s do this, then.”

Concentrating hard on her thoughts, Lanala summons forth the words to the spell she needs to get them to... Langiit. The city in the sky. How did she know the name of the place?

“Langiit, in the heavens forever condemned, the place that which our world was stemmed. Take us there to the land of the gold, among the clouds to the place of the bold.”

Meryn shook her head again. “I’ll never understand why we need all those rhymes in this world.”

Lanala said nothing as both she and Meryn were suddenly draped in shadow. They could see nothing but each other, surrounded by darkness, but only seconds later they stood at the top of a huge marble tower overlooking a magnificent city.

“Wow...” Meryn said, unable to find any words. The vast, empty city stretched on for miles in front of her and Lanala. The cobbled streets were laid with marble bricks and lined with a sort of gilded trim on the edges. She eyed the tall towers and the immaculate houses, taking in the impressive sight. On instinct alone, Meryn’s eyes carved a path through the winding streets, spotting back alleys and checking for footholds along the walls of every building.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Lanala’s voice. “There’s the temple,” Lanala said, pointing to a building with a triangular, peaked roof held up by many pillars. Meryn spotted it right away, simply nodding and remembering the quickest path she could chart on the streets below. “That’s where I saw Celia go in and then some shadows raced in after her. I didn’t see her come out.”

“And what about Mirelle and Luna?”

Lanala turned to her right and pointed down to the ground at the marketplace she had seen them strolling within. “Down there is where I saw them last. They were walking together and then that whole area went dark and I didn’t see them again. I woke up soon after that.”

Meryn nodded again, noting the labyrinthine nature of the complex marketplace and its myriad colours of wares in front of unoccupied stalls.

“So you don’t know where they could have gone?” Meryn asked.

“No. But maybe we’ll find something if we check around the areas. Should we split up?”

“Absolutely not,” Meryn said. “That’s sure to get at least one or both of us captured. We stick together.”

“Right, that’s a good...” Lanala suddenly stopped speaking when the world around her suddenly turned black. “Meryn?”

“Lanala? What’s happening?”

“I think... someone doesn’t like that we’re here.”

Meryn could still see the city but nothing but darkness suddenly consumed the area where Lanala was standing.

“I’m coming, Lanala,” Meryn said, stepping forward. But she found that she couldn’t step into the darkness. And it was moving away from her. “What the hell?”

“Meryn, what’s wrong?” Lanala asked.

She didn’t receive an answer. “Meryn?”

The darkness seemed to grow around her and Lanala couldn’t even see her own hand in front of her face. That was when her hands were forcibly pulled behind her by some unseen force. “No! Stop! Let go of me!”

Lanala battled the invisible force but, strong as she was, she couldn’t bring her wrists forward. They remained trapped behind her back. Still frantically searching for Meryn, Lanala felt very faint all of a sudden and, unable to fight anymore, fell unconscious on the ground. With its captive subdued, the darkness drifted away through the city to find a more suitable place to store its latest prisoner. And with just one intruder left to deal with, the darkness might finally get the peace it desired.

...

Cold air against her face is what finally woke Celia from her long nap. For some reason, it felt she had been leaning against cold, smooth stone. And she also found that she couldn’t seem to move her limbs properly.

“Hmmph?” Celia tried to say, only to realize that her voice was also muffled. Then a wave of excitement rushed over her body and she knew exactly what had happened to her.

“Mmmmpphhh...” she sighed.

Looking around, Celia found herself in a place she did not recognize. In fact, it looked nothing like Esterlin at all. The marble walls that surrounded her looked far older than anything in any of the seven kingdoms.

She was in a cell, she knew that much, but the ornate nature of the structure in front of the iron bars made her believe she was in some sort of temple. But no such temples existed anywhere in Esterlin. Not only that, but she had just been in her quarters at the Guild’s fortress. How did she end up here?

“Mmmph!” she cried out, trying to get anyone’s attention but the place seemed abandoned. Not even her captors were anywhere in sight.

Celia struggled to sit up, fighting against the ropes that held her. She had been tied at the ankles and knees, as well as having rope tightly pin her arms to her sides. She couldn’t help her excitement when she looked down and saw her breasts framed perfectly by the rope around her torso. It always was a pleasing sight for Celia.

With her wrists crossed and tightly tied behind her back, Celia was also silenced by a cloth gag that covered her mouth and kept another large cloth wedged between her teeth.

Struggling with her bonds, Celia battled a mixture of fear and excitement at her predicament. The tight ropes excited and stimulated her on one hand but on the other, she didn’t know who had captured her, why they had tied her up like this, nor what they intended to do. Not only that, she was certain that she was no longer in Esterlin and had no idea if anyone would be coming for her.

She panicked a bit at her last thought and kicked her legs against the tight ropes, thrashing her arms and doing everything she could to free herself.

“Hllllmmmmppp!!” Celia cried into her gag, rendered almost completely silent by the cloth over her mouth.

She heard a sound then, like a rushing wind, and everything in the room in front of her went dark for a few seconds before becoming bright again. Celia stopped struggling and waited for something else to happen but there was nothing. Then she finally saw it. The shadows were... moving. It had passed her cell but now it was rushing toward the outside. Celia could see a gap between two pillars where the bright blue sky shone through and lit up her otherwise dark cell.

It disappeared down a long set of stairs, the sound of rushing wind getting fainter as it moved away. Celia could only wonder what that could have been and sat stunned for a few moments. It didn’t take her long to realize she was still tied up and needed to get herself out of this cell.

But while she was struggling she spotted someone, crouched low, approaching from the stairs the strange shadows had just gone down. It was a woman in a short yellow dress with short, bobbed red hair. She had a crossbow drawn and seemed to be reloading another arrow. It was only a few seconds before Celia realized who she had spotted.

“Mmmph!” she said, trying to get Meryn’s attention.

Meryn said nothing, raising one finger to her lips, approaching the cell slowly. Celia jumped and squealed when Meryn dashed to one side all of a sudden, rolling once, and firing her crossbow. It hit the wall and the impact showered the room with bright, golden light.

Celia recognized the sound of rushing wind from before and the sound picked up then before stopping altogether. Meryn stood up straight, loading another arrow, and crossed the room to the cell and the iron gate between her and Celia.

“They can hear you,” Meryn said, removing a lock pick from her pouch and getting to work on the door.

“Hmmph?” Celia asked, furrowing her brow.

“I don’t know what they are. Some kind of guardian creature. It’s like this place is cursed. And they really don’t want us here...”

“Wmmmr... mmph hmmmr?” Celia asked, hoping Meryn would understand.

“You want to know where we are?” Meryn asked.

Celia nodded.

“Some city in the sky. Lanala dreamed about it but even she doesn’t seem to know what this place is or why it’s here. But she drew you here by accident with that power of hers. I can only guess that Jhana did this somehow. I wish I could ask Lanala but she disappeared almost as soon as we got here.”

Meryn finally worked the cell door open and crept inside, pulling the gag down from Celia’s face and helping her spit out the cloth in her mouth.

“And those... shadows... haven’t captured you yet? How?” Celia asked.

“I’ve spent too much time in big cities, dodging criminals and scumbags and sometimes even the law, to let some spooky shadows get me. And this city might look different but it’s just like any other. They’re all the same at they’re core.”

“So you’ve just... avoided them?”

“So far. And my bolts have helped keep them back. Let’s hope my luck doesn’t change.”

Meryn made quick work of the ropes binding Celia and helped the smaller woman to her feet. “Thanks, Meryn.”

“Don’t mention it. Now, stick with me. We’ve still got three others to get out of here.”

“Three? Who else is here?”

Meryn sighed. “It’s a confusing story...”

...

Two women shuffled and shimmied against the pole but neither of them could wriggle free of the bonds that held them there. Mirelle and Luna were tied, back to back, to a thick wooden pole in the very centre of the strange marketplace that neither of them recognized. They had noticed a strange sort of darkness move around them in circles and the sound of rushing wind accompanied the moving shadows.

It was as if being tied up and gagged wasn’t enough to hold them. The shadows that moved appeared to be guarding them.

Mirelle shifted in her standing position, trying to get comfortable, but the ropes dug into her skin and held her tight. The ropes pinned her legs to the pole at the ankles, calves, and thighs. Yet more rope wrapped around her waist and a rope was tied to each of her wrists, pulling them behind her and around the sides of the pole. She knew then that her wrists were also tied to Luna’s since she could feel the ropes tighten even when she didn’t struggle.

Further ropes framed her chest and tied her arms to both her sides and the pole behind her. Her mouth was then filled with a soft cloth and another covered her mouth and nose. Luna was tied in the exact same way on the other side of the pole and each woman’s struggles would pull on the other’s restraints. It seemed they were tied to both the pole and each other. At least we’re together Mirelle thought. Though I wish I could see her...

Luna fought hard and growled into her gag, struggling against the tight ropes but making no progress. There was nothing she could do, anyway. No knots were in reach, she couldn’t reach Mirelle’s ropes, and she could barely move at all whenever she tried.

The pole was anchored to the very centre of the marketplace, though it was obscured by quite a tall stall that seemed to mock them as it displayed coils upon coils of rope and thick, white cloths. Though they didn’t know it, this stall would have shielded Meryn and Lanala from seeing them from up on the tower they had arrived in.

Of course, neither woman knew if or when rescue would ever get there so mewled and growled into their gags, hoping to draw some kind of attention. But the cobbled marble streets were dead silent without a single living soul present in the city.

Everything felt so empty and lifeless, though even that was unnatural. The city was immaculate and well maintained, though no people called it home. The city was a lifeless paradise, though that couldn’t be true.

Luna noticed the moving shadows before Mirelle and tried to alert her, though her gag got in the way. Something had happened to this place long ago, Luna discerned, and the city had to be cursed in some way.

But how had they gotten here? And who tied them up? Were the shadows their captors? With all these questions swirling in her mind, Luna jumped when the shadows darted away from the marketplace, moving toward something. The sound of rushing wind dissipated and she and Mirelle were now left in silence.

“Hhhllmmmmpp!” Mirelle called, trying to get anyone’s attention. “Hllmmmp mmmph!”

“Mmmmrrggh!” Luna growled. “Hllmmmp!”

Their calls for help were not answered and both women continued to fruitlessly fight the ropes that held them captive. Luna closed her eyes, growled into her gag, and thrashed as hard as she could against the ropes, desperately hoping to loosen something.

A soft, quiet voice whispered to her and she stopped struggling. Her eyes shot open as soon as she heard the words.

“Stop wriggling so much and let me get these knots undone.”

“Cllmmm!?” Luna said, peering down to find the Guild’s Guardian working away at the knots on Luna’s ankles.

“Shhh! They’ll hear you... I don’t know how long Meryn can keep them distracted.”

Meryn is here too!? What the hell is going on? Luna asked inside her own head.

“Whmmph thmmmr?” Mirelle asked, trying to see who was speaking.

“Mirelle, please! Don’t let them hear you! I don’t plan on getting captured again.”

“Cllmmm?” Mirelle recognized her friend’s voice.

“Yes it’s me. Now stop making noise or they’ll hear us...”

Mirelle simply nodded and waited for Celia to finish untying them. She had a lot of work to do and there was really a lot of rope. But it seemed she wouldn’t have as much time as she hoped as all three of them watched Meryn bolt around the corner, firing off another of her bolts, and she ran toward them.

“Get them out, now!” Meryn shouted. “They’re coming!”

“Mmmph!” Luna said, trying her best to struggle free but she still couldn’t do it.

“Damn it...” Celia said, unsheathing a knife sheathed on her ankle beneath her pant leg. “Gotta go faster...”

Celia sawed away at the strong ropes, keeping an eye on Meryn still sprinting toward them. She saw the entire city disappear into darkness behind her and started sawing faster. “Oh, that’s really not good...”

“Celia! Hurry up!”

“I’m trying!”

Meryn managed to load another bolt, turn, and fire all in one motion without once stopping her stride. The bolt stuck in the ground and golden light caused the moving darkness to shrink back. It helped buy Celia enough time to free Luna from her bonds.

Now the pair of them worked on Mirelle, quickly getting her legs free before Meryn reached them and helped untie the princess’ arms. Meryn grabbed hold of Mirelle’s wrist and pulled her forward. “Move!”

The moving shadows rushed in like a tidal wave, crashing over the marketplace just as the four women made it out. They stopped and turned around, seeing the whole marketplace covered in an unnatural pall of shadow where they had been only seconds ago.

“There will be more of them,” Meryn said. “Come on. We have to get Lanala so we can get out of here.”

“Is... is there a way out of here?” Luna asked.

“I don’t know. But Lanala will. We have to find her. Come on. We stick together, stay out of the shadows, and move along the rooftops.”

“Um... we’re not all crime fighters, Meryn,” Mirelle said. “How are we going to keep up? Not that we can’t try but...”

“Relax. It’s the safest and quickest way around this city. Now, I remember the tower where Lanala disappeared. We’ll start our search there. Come on, quick! Before more of them show up.”

Meryn led the other three women deeper into the city, helping them reach the rooftops, and dashing away back to the tower where she and Lanala had first arrived. She could only hope that Lanala was being held somewhere nearby.

...

In her foggy mind, Lanala thought she could hear the voice of the power speaking to her again. Only this time it was in front of her instead of within her mind. The voice echoed, as though inside a large room, and Lanala imagined that the voice was still speaking to her.

“Wake up...” it said.

The fog of her mind was starting to lift and she could see the figure of a woman standing before her. She could swear it was a mirror...

“Mmmpph...” Lanala grunted, the sound of her muffled voice waking her up even more. Am.. am I tied up?

“Come now, Lanala,” the voice continued. “Shouldn’t you be used to this by now?”

“Mmmph!” Lanala said, finally waking up and realizing that the figure of the woman in front of her was real. She was also right about being tied up.

A heavy coil of rope wrapped around her arms and torso, pinning her arms in place. Her wrists were also crossed and tied behind her back but they, in turn, were tied to a metal loop in the wall behind her that kept Lanala anchored in place.

Her legs were stretched out in front of her and tied at the ankles and above and below the knees. A rough cloth had also been stuffed in her mouth and covered over by another thick cloth tied on behind her head. The gag covered her mouth and nose and pressed tight to her face.

“There you are...” the echoing voice said.

The room was indeed large, and quite dark, and the ceiling stretched on quite high above them. It was a stone room, circular in shape, and devoid of any features. There also didn’t seem to be a visible door anywhere inside.

“Welcome to your tower...” the voice said.

Lanala feared looking at the figure in front of her, remembering what she had seen when she first started waking up. Please don’t be me... Please don’t be me...

Her hopes were dashed when Lanala looked up and saw her own face staring back at her. The woman’s eyes were dark, however, like her own had gone when the power took her. They were dressed identically and the woman in front of her even had the same colour hair and hairstyle as Lanala. In every way, aside from the eyes, this woman was Lanala by all outward appearances.

“Mmmph! Nmmm!”

“Oh do relax, dear. You’re safe here. You know how I can protect you...”

“Nmmm! Gmmt mmwmmm frmm mmm! MMMPPHH!”

“Stop your pointless squirming...” the voice, her own voice, said. “You won’t get out of those ropes.”

Where am I? Lanala asked with her mind, hoping she would get an answer.

“I already told you. You’re inside your tower. You remember the one. You were drawn to it when you and that friend of yours arrived here. It is your tower.”

No Lanala thought. This isn’t mine. How could I live here, in Langiit?

“This was the home of your people, once. You know, Jhana has been searching for this place for a long time. But you beat her to it. But she is weak. You are strong. The strongest of them all...”

“Mmmph!” Lanala said, struggling in her bonds. No! I am from Ikaatan! That is my home! I grew up there! That’s where my family is from!

“And what do you know of your family, Lanala? What do you truly know?”

Lanala said nothing, glaring at her captor, herself, and continued trying to free herself from the tight ropes.

“You don’t know nearly as much as you think you know... but that will come in time.”

Liar! Lanala thought, thrashing against her bonds. You’re just trying to get inside my mind again! Well it won’t work this time!

The woman, the power, smiled at her and knelt down to meet her eyes. Lanala hated seeing her own face with such malevolence in her eyes. It just wasn’t right.

“Langiit is the ancient city of the Mageia race. They were, and still are, a powerful race who have made up the most powerful sorceresses in all of creation. Jhana belongs to this race. As do you, Lanala.”

“Mmmmph!” Lanala said, still desperately fighting the ropes. Stop it! I know you’re lying...

“Do you, Lanala? I can hear the doubt in your mind...”

You can hear nothing! Lanala thought. You are not me and I am not you!

“Who is the liar now, Lanala? And everyone knows the worst lies are the ones we tell ourselves... Face the truth. You are Mageian and this was once the home of your people...”

Lanala growled into her gag and, though she still didn’t believe what the power was telling her, decided to go along with it. Maybe she could some more answers that could help her fight this temptation off for good...

What happened here? Lanala thought.

“A terrible curse, brought on by someone I’m certain you’ve heard of. She lusted for power, just as Mageians always do. She wanted to rule this beautiful city... but the other sorceresses had her imprisoned. But they did not know just how powerful this sorceress was. She escaped her bonds and cursed all those who lived here... now they roam as the shadows you see all around you, defending their city, blind and deaf to the outside world. All they know is anger and sorrow... all brought on by one woman. You do know who I am speaking of?”

“Mmmphh..” Lanala said, rolling her eyes. It’s Jhana. It’s always Jhana.

“No. Not this time...” the voice said. “The woman who brought Langiit to its knees was called Alhanna the Immortal...”

“Mmmph! Nmmm! Nmmm!” Lanala said, struggling even harder in her bonds, her eyes growing wide.

You... you’re just using my own memories against me! That’s not possible! She couldn’t have...

“Stop lying to yourself, Lanala. You know I speak the truth. It was your mother... your kindly father did tell you her name, didn’t he? And, whenever you brought up her name in the academy, everyone always spoke of her in hushed whispers. Often they would just stop talking, wouldn’t they? They feared invoking her... Alhanna... Your mother...”

“MMMMPPHHHH!” Lanala screamed, struggling furiously. No more! I won’t listen to your lies anymore! My mother... was a mystery and still is. I don’t know where she is but that doesn’t matter anymore... I have made my peace and found my life. I will not let you destroy it!

“I would never dream of destroying your life, Lanala. If anything, I want to make it perfect. Imagine the power... to do anything... to create and destroy... you could rule it all, Lanala. Kingdoms could rise and fall with a simple thought... the very bones of the earth beneath you are at your command... all you have to do is let me in again... please... you know you want to...”

“MMMPPHHH!” Lanala screamed again, still fighting the ropes. I want no such thing! Get out of my sight and get out of my head! No more!

The voice chuckled. “Very well... but you’re on your own. You know how you can get out of those ropes without help... just a simple thought and I’ll be here,” the power said, tapping Lanala’s forehead with one finger. “You know how to find me...”

The figure faded away before Lanala’s eyes and she looked around the wide room, desperate for a way out, but she couldn’t find any. Not only that but she didn’t know if Meryn would ever find her in here...

“Hlllmmmmp! Mmm mmn hmmmr! Mmmmryn! MMMMMMPH! HHHLLLMMMMPPP!”

Her voice was muffled to barely a whisper behind her thick gag and almost didn’t echo off the walls around her. She just hoped Meryn could find a way inside the tower because, if she didn’t, Lanala feared what she might be tempted to do to earn her freedom...

...

None of them could find the door and they knew they were running out of time. Everything in Meryn’s instincts told her that Lanala had to be inside the tower but she didn’t know how to get inside. Making matters worse, she knew thee shadows would be closing in and if they didn’t find a way on soon then they would all be captured and Meryn knew she wouldn’t be able to hold them off forever.

While Meryn relentlessly searched the wall with her sharp eyes, Luna circled the bottom of the tower with her eyes closed, one hand only inches from the wall, as she tried to find some crack in the wall that her ice could would slip into, hoping it would indicate some kind of door. She was on her third lap now, however, and she still had no luck.

Mirelle simply joined in Meryn’s search, her magic weak in comparison to Luna so there wasn’t much else she could do.

Celia, meanwhile, had taken on the dangerous task of climbing the tower and searching it from the top. She was nimble and strong enough to make the climb rather easily and scoured the rooftop above for some way in. Much like everyone else, however, she couldn’t find any opening.

With the shadows getting closer, Meryn hurried her pace to find something, anything, that would get them inside.

“Are you certain she’s in here?” Mirelle asked.

“I... I can feel it...” Meryn said. “I don’t know how. But she’s in here.”

“Does it have something to do with that power of hers?”

“I don’t know, Mirelle. It might... let’s just keep looking.”

The three women on the ground stopped when they heard a voice call to them from above. “Hey!”

Meryn shouted back up to Celia, only hoping her voice carried enough to reach all the way to the top. “What is it?”

“I found a trap door! But there’s no ladder!”

Meryn cursed under her breath. “Keep trying! There has to be a way in!”

Celia stepped back from the ledge and peered down the trap door again, seeing nothing between her and the floor several stories below. She leaned down toward it and, very faintly, heard the muffled sound of a woman’s voice.

“Hlllmmmp!”

Celia gasped. “Lanala! But how do I get...” Celia felt around with one hand, searching for anything, when she bumped something that she couldn’t see. It felt wooden, sturdy, and was certainly a frame of some kind. But she still couldn’t see anything. However, it meant that she had found a way down. At least, she hoped it was a way down and not some awful trick. There was no other choice, though, if she and her friends wanted to save Lanala.

Celia walked to the edge again, where the other three were still waiting for her to return.

“The ladder’s invisible!” Celia said. “But it’s there! I’m going down! I’ll try to find a way to let you all in!”

“Please be careful!” Mirelle shouted back.

“I will!”

Making her way back to the trap door, Celia felt around carefully, trying to find a solid foothold. Her heart pounding in her chest, Celia found the invisible ladder again and took careful, slow steps downward toward the bottom.

It was a painfully slow climb and every second just made the knot in Celia’s stomach pull tighter. She took in heavy breaths, trying to calm her nerves, as the floor still felt like it wasn’t getting any closer. Celia could only hope the ladder reached all the way to the bottom or didn’t have any missing rungs. But now, suspended in mid-air above a cold, stone floor, there wasn’t much choice if she wanted to get to Lanala.

Celia started to relax a bit when the floor finally got closer, though she was just as slow and careful with her steps downward. Finally, she let out a long breath as her feet touched stone and she stood up straight on solid, sure ground once again.

Another muffled scream reached her ears from the darkness. “Hlllmmmp mmm! Mmmmmph!”

“I’m here, Lanala!” Celia called, looking around the dark room in hopes of finding her friend.

“Mmmmph! Mmm mmphr hmmmr!”

“I can hear you, Lanala! I’m on my way!”

Celia headed off in the direction she heard Lanala’s voice, still not seeing her, but she could hear the shuffling of movement and continued following that sound. Eventually, she spotted the struggling form of a tied up and gagged woman against the wall, unable to escape her bonds.

“Cllmmm!” Lanala said when she spotted the nimble Guardian of the Guild.

“I’ll get you out of those ropes, Lanala. Hang on!”

Finally reaching her friend, Celia first removed Lanala’s gag, allowing her to take a deep breath.

“Celia, I’m so glad to see you! Are you all right? What happened?”

“The same thing that happened to you, I think. I was at home, getting ready to take a nap, and the next thing I knew I woke up tied up and gagged inside a cell in this weird city. What is this place, Lanala?”

“It’s... hard to explain. But it’s been here for a very long time.”

Celia finally managed to work Lanala’s arms free and the pair of them worked on untying her legs.

“So how did you get out?” Lanala asked.

“Meryn is how... she’s kind of incredible. She’s been fighting these weird shadow... things. I don’t know how she didn’t get caught. She just knew her way around, somehow. Like by instinct. Just how long has she been a crime fighter, anyway?”

“Most of her life, as far as I know,” Lanala said. “And she’s way smarter than she lets on, I think. Not many could come to a strange city and know their way around right away.”

With her legs untied, Celia helped Lanala to her feet. “Please tell me you know where the door to this place is...” Celia said.

“I’m sorry but I don’t. But I can get us all home from here now that I’m free. Just give me a second...”

Lanala closed her eyes and searched her mind, finding the old stone fortress of the Guild, picturing it as though she was there. She then held the image of her four friends, Celia, Meryn, Luna, and Mirelle, in her mind and a spell came to her.

“Take us from here, the Mageian city, to our home without fear, all in one committee..”

Celia grabbed hold of Lanala’s arm when the tower around them began to fade and, in only a few seconds, she and Lanala were standing in front of the fireplace in the Guild’s lounging room within their fortress. She looked around and all three of Meryn, Luna and Mirelle were just across from her, a little bewildered.

“What... what just happened?” Meryn asked.

“I got us home,” Lanala answered. “Celia rescued me.”

“Well... Meryn did most of the work...” Celia said, rubbing the back of her neck.

Meryn stepped forward placed a hand on her shoulder. “Good to see you again.”

“And you, Meryn. I was really in trouble there... I almost let it in again.”

“Good thing you didn’t. I’m not sure we could all take you on like that again. Just know that you can fight it. You’re stronger than this.”

Lanala let out a long breath, walking away from her friends and back toward her room. “Thanks, Meryn. All of you should get some rest. It’s been a trying and confusing day for us all...”

Meryn furrowed her brow but she let Lanala go. “Take it easy, Lanala. And don’t give up.”

Lanala sighed again. “I won’t.”

As she walked away, her mind remained on her conversation with the power. It couldn’t be true... could it? Was her mother really a powerful Mageian sorceress who cursed the city in the sky? Could it be true that she and Jhana were both of the same race? And if that really was true, would Jhana know more?

Lanala did not wish to seek out Jhana on her own but, maybe, when the time came, she would be able to confront her and demand answers to the questions that plagued her mind. For now, though, Lanala just wanted to be with her wife and hoped Artema would get home soon. She was in need of a comforting touch...