Liya sank against the wall beside the white stone plinth, holding her nose gingerly. A nosebleed was an easy fix, but this time she went as slowly as she could with it, trying to measure the glow of magic flowing from her nerves to her veins.

She glanced miserably up at the laar atop the plinth. The odd yellowish light gleamed on its blank eyes.

Slowly she let herself sink to the ground, into the shadow beside the plinth. The hallway was eerily silent around her.

Suddenly she heard the soft thunk of a door opening nearby; from the other side of the unlit statue on her right, a square of light fell across the dark hallway, framing the slim shadow of someone standing in the doorway. To her surprise it was Helly who crossed into her field of view then, studying a sheet of paper in nir hands thoughtfully.

"Helly?" she said weakly, and Helly stopped short, seeming startled.

"Liya!" ne exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm lost," Liya explained, with some embarrassment.