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@wingiby-iggiby

Aw, thank you so much!! I’ll definitely keep you in mind!! I’m still mostly in the development stage, but once I get the writing going, I’d really appreciate it!

Awesome! Tell me when it’s ready!

@mischievous-thwapling

As I more or less said above, I’m so sorry for being away. Wow…Did I really miss this much??? I have a lot of catch up reading to do… *laughs nervously*

That’s totally fine! Can’t wait to read the worst fears! Also, I LOVE your quote!

Gavril

While Riure and Liorah were giggling over whatever Liorah had told her about me– Liorah was never shy about strangers– A girl came up behind her. She kept in the shadows, and I couldn’t see much about her except the bow slung around her shoulder and the way she winced after hurrying up to us. Liorah hadn’t been kidding when she said everyone was hurt.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” the girl said, tapping Liorah on the shoulder. “but does he know the way out?” she asked, nodding toward me.

I narrowed my eyes but decided she hadn’t meant to be rude by not directly addressing me, even if it had sounded that way. She was probably just shy, or uncertain about… something. Judging by what had apparently happened, I didn’t blame her for being cautious.

“I’m Gavril, Liorah’s brother.”

I introduced myself before Liorah could answer. I’d learned that seeming dependant on anyone was dangerous. After Father’s death, I’d learned to speak and think for myself, especially in the council of Elders and the yearly meetings of the tribal leaders. My coronation wasn’t far away, and if anyone believed I couldn’t rule by myself, I’d end up a puppet for someone else, or worse, in a war.

“And I wish I knew.” I shrugged, then decided to elaborate. Her question was valid and deserved a full answer. I paused to formulate a good one, ordering the facts and filtering out irrelevant information. “I came in the same way as Liorah, and there seem to be at least a few exits. The problem is that the walls move, and since it’s dark, it’s almost impossible to navigate.”

I raked my hand through my hair, remembering an odd detail.

“It seems that you all have some idea that the castle is aware of us, somehow. Honestly, it’s rather far-fetched,” I raised my eyebrows at Liorah since she was visibly preparing to spit an angry answer at me. “But it seems valid. Even though it was dark, I didn’t find a single crossroad. Not one. But, even though the passage closed behind me, there was still a draft. That means the walls move, so the castle can–somehow– direct what opens and what closes.”

I took a deep breath, trying to sense if they were keeping up. Liorah seemed to understand, even though she was only half-listening. The other girl –I didn’t even know her name yet– had been listening intently, and she slowly nodded.

“So, the castle can control whether we leave or not, and it can almost certainly lead us in circles if it so chooses,” I summarized.

“Also, excuse my manners, I forgot to ask your name,” I said, formulating it as a question.

Liorah opened her mouth to answer, but I shot her a look that made her keep quiet again. If I’d wanted to hear it from Liorah, I would have asked her.