“Close your mouth, Ki. And stop giving me that surprised look.” He chuckled, combing his hair back. “You always were a weird one.”

  “Who are you?” Ki bit back, narrowing her eyes. “Where is Na?”

  He blinked, the smile finally dropping from his face. “What are you talking about? I am Na.”

  Ki grit her teeth. She lifted her hand and pointed to the doors of the Vault. “But Na went inside the Vault. You can’t be him, he never came back!”

  Her voice was loud enough to attract Ti’s attention, who glanced at her from over her shoulder. She didn’t say a word, eyeing the two with a blankness in her green eyes. There was no confusion, no bewilderment. Only the slightest hint of recognition. For both of them.

  Not-Na scoffed, furrowing his brow. “I don’t know what you mean, Ki. I never went anywhere. I’ve been here, at my post, with you and Ti for as long as I can remember.”

  “Ki,” Ti finally addressed her, her voice calm like ice. “You need to take a deep breath. We have work to do, and I can’t have your unwarranted panic getting in the way.”

  Ki grit her teeth, her anger swelling in her chest. The blond wasn’t Na, and he certainly hadn’t been with her for as long as she could remember. Time wasn't real inside the Chamber, but she knew Na--the real Na--had been gone for far too long. On top of that, she hadn’t left her post, so when had the fake Na come in?

  Most importantly, why did none of it matter to Ti?

  Na was still missing, and she seemed to be the only one who cared. No, the only one who knew.

  Ti shared a look with Not-Na. With a sigh, he stepped towards her and laid a hand on her shoulder. “Ki--”

  “Don’t touch me!” She slapped his hand away, stepping back to put distance between them. “And don’t call me that. I don’t even know you!”

  “Of course you do,” he said, genuine confusion twisting his expression. “I’ve always known you.”

  Ki shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. It wasn’t true. He wasn’t Na. He wasn’t Na. He isn’t Na.

  She spun on her heel and ran, holding tight to her spear. Behind her, Not-Na called out to her, his voice wavering. Ti remained silent. Ki didn’t care. She ignored them and sprinted faster, leaving the massive, ornate doors of the Vault behind. She had to get away. She had to get away from the Vault, from the Chamber, from the Master, from all of it.

  With a rough push, she landed against the floor with a thud. Pain exploded in her arm as it hit the ground first, taking the rest of her weight. Wincing, she rolled over and forced herself to her feet again, whirling around to face her attacker.

  Ti stood before her, with the Vault far off in the distance. Her view of it had grown hazy, as if the void-like appearance of the Chamber was trying to hide it from her view. Her heart leapt at the thought of not being able to find it again. What if Na really was still behind the Vault doors?

  He can’t be, it’s empty behind the doors. There’s no sound, no movement. He has to be somewhere else in the Chamber. 

  The trail of thought led to dead end upon dead end, but she pushed on anyway. She had to get away from the Vault, and she had to find Na.

  Ti’s spear nicked her arm. She yelped and dodged a second strike, watching as the spearhead dove straight for her heart. Ti pulled it back, twirling the spear so that the blunt end faced Ki. With the swing of her arm, the end of the spear crashed into the shaft of Ki’s own as she lifted it to guard herself. With a grunt, Ki shoved Ti back. She turned and dashed away. 

  There had to be an exit. The thieves had to be coming from somewhere. There had to be another door somewhere.

  Her arm stung, blood seeping into the deep purple fabric of her sleeve. Ki grit her teeth against the pain, switching her spear to her other hand. Despite being such a little scratch, her whole arm felt as if it were on fire. Pain tore through her skin, and warm, sticky blood left a horrible metallic scent in the air. Even so, she forced herself to run faster. Her feet pounded against the floor, her steps echoing as she ran and ran. If she could just find the door, she would be free.

  Behind her, Ti was rapidly gaining. She had always been the quickest and the strongest. Ki had known in the back of her mind, but now, she knew.

  This was what it felt like to be a thief of the Vault.

  Cold metal scraped her side, cutting through the tie around her waist and dragging a deep gash through her skin. Searing hot pain burst from the wound. Ki screamed as she collapsed, meeting the floor with her chin first. She bit down on her tongue on impact, filling her mouth with the taste of blood. Black spots danced across her vision and the world rocked beneath her. With a whimper, she pushed herself up again, wrapping an arm around herself.

  Ti planted her foot on Ki’s back, shoving her back down against the ground again. The wound in her side screamed in protest. Ki couldn’t tell if the scream came from her or from the ringing in her ears. The world around her blurred from her pain.

  “Where do you think you’ll go?” Ti hissed, driving the head of her spear into the ground right in front of Ki’s nose. “There’s nothing out there. This is where you belong, this is where the Master wants you.”

  “I don’t care what the Master wants.” Ki reached out for her own spear, her fingers brushing weakly against it. “I’m not going to stay when my friend is missing, and I won’t just accept that he’s gone. I’m going to find Na--the real Na--and neither you nor the Master can stop me!”

  Finally, her fingers grasped her staff. With a shout, she flipped over, throwing Ti off her back. She scrambled to her feet, panting at the protest in her wounded side. Ti glared daggers at her, green eyes flashing. Ki lifted her head, setting her jaw and forcing her lips to stop quivering.

  “He’s out there,” Ki said, forcing her voice to stay firm. “And I’m going to find him.”

  Ti’s eyes narrowed. “There’s nothing out there, Ki. Na, the Na you’re looking for, is gone.”

  The tug in Ki’s chest returned, an inkling of doubt. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, a voice whispered that Ti was right. 

  Ki steeled herself, planting her feet firmly on the ground to keep from swaying. For once, she kept her mouth shut. She didn’t argue with Ti.

  With a sigh, Ti rose to her feet and turned her back on Ki. As soon as she did, the floor opened beneath Ki’s feet and the void of the Chamber swallowed her. Darkness fell over her vision and the wind whipped through her hair. The sensation of falling dragged her down, but her thoughts were too bleary to process even a moment of panic.

  The exit to the Chamber had found her.