The rest of the walk remained silent. Flint didn’t so much as look back at Ki, which she was grateful for. She didn’t want him to see the confused and accusatory look on her face. 

  Was this where the thieves came from? If so, how did they get into the Chamber? Better yet, why would they go into the Chamber? Did they know something about the Vault that she didn’t?

  Her heart shuttered.

  Would they know where Na is?

  She didn’t want to hold her breath, but the prospect of the idea sent a tingling sensation traveling through every one of her nerves. If she could learn more about the Vault from the strangers, she could find Na and unravel the mystery all in one. She inhaled sharply, excitement pouring over her mistrust.

  Finally, a small village came in sight at the end of the path. Flint seemed to relax at the sight of it, his grip on his bow loosening. Ki, with one hand still wrapped around her wounded side, quickened her pace to walk with him. Her eyes widened at the sight of the modest village, laid compactly across a grassy plain out the outskirts of the forest. A handful of people were visible at that distance, all wearing the same loose-fitting clothes as Flint.

  She gasped at the sight of it, awe and wonder swirling in her chest. A certain lightness spread from the tips of her fingers all the way down to her toes. She hadn’t even noticed her vision tunneling and the world tilting around her until Flint had his arm around her, hauling her back to her feet.

  “A little farther, okay?” he said, his voice kind.

  For a moment, she forgot about her suspicions. Swallowing thickly, she nodded, allowing herself to lean against him for support. Her side burned in agony, pain returning with a vengeance.

  She wasn’t sure when exactly the world slipped through her fingers, but blackness engulfed her vision and a roaring filled her ears. Distorted images swam through her mind; pictures of the Vault, of its three Guards, of the Master in his hooded cloak. The pictures slipped through her fingers like sand, with no meaning or feeling attached to them.

  Finally, she jolted awake again, sitting bolt upright with a gasp. A quaint, little room greeted her. It was sparsely decorated, with a desk and chair at one end, a bookshelf to her left packed full of books, little jewelry boxes, and papers. To her right, beside the bed she found herself in, was a nightstand and a glass of water sitting on top of it. A heavy quilt had been draped over her, practically smothering her in the soft bed.

  Her head throbbed in the same, painful rhythm as her side. Wriggling out of the sheets, she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Her violet skirt had been replaced with a pair of dark gray pants, paired with a cream colored tunic much like she had seen all the other townspeople wearing. Her pale pink flats were gone, leaving her feet bare and exposed to the cold. With the shake of her head, she pushed herself to her feet. Her vision tunneled, her breath swept out of her lungs. A dizzy spell quickly overtook her, and she eased herself back into bed.

  Maybe I should just… rest. That would be smart of me.

  Though her thoughts said it, her fingers twitched at the thought of lying there for who-knows-how long. Na was still out there, as were her answers about the Vault. She was finally in the world outside, yet her legs had turned to jelly and her eyes refused to see. All because of Ti and her spear, cutting a massive hole in Ki’s torso. Not to mention tearing her favorite dress. Or was it even her favorite dress? She couldn’t remember having another, it had been the only thing she had worn since coming to the Vault--however long ago that was.

  Maybe it was a blessing in disguise that it had been torn.

  Though she wasn’t sure the thief look was really her style, she was glad to be out of clothes that reeked of blood.

  She flopped back against the bed, staring aimlessly at the ceiling.

  With a soft creak, a door at the back of the room opened. The wooden floorboards groaned under the footsteps of her visitor.

  Ki sat upright, turning to find Flint already at her nightstand. He seemed surprised to find her awake, but only offered her a smile as he rested a small bowl on top of the nightstand. Steam curled up from the bowl, and the smell of fresh stew wafted through the room. Ki curled her fingers around the quilt. She couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten anything.

  “Feeling any better?” Flint asked. There was kindness in his smile, but a wariness in his eyes.

  “Sort of.” Ki wasn’t entirely sure how she was supposed to feel after being stabbed, running from the Vault, and wandering through a forest. As far as she could recall, she had never been stabbed before. She wasn’t too keen on letting it happen again either.

  Flint sucked in a breath through his teeth. “I feel I owe you an apology,” he said. “I shouldn’t have made you walk that distance in your condition. I guess… maybe I was a little confused. Distrustful is probably a better word for it.”

  “Because of my name?”

  “Well, yes, and where you came from.” He sat on the edge of the bed with a sigh. “You’ve… never heard the legend of the Vault of Dreams, have you?”

  Ki shook her head. While she knew of the Vault from a Guard’s perspective, she could only assume there was more to it when she heard it from an outsider. Just from the way he responded to her name, she could guess it wasn’t a pleasant story. And why should it be? All three of the Guards had never dealt kindly with intruders.

  Although, she did note to herself that it was mostly Ti who intercepted them. Ki and Na were always discouraged from leaving their posts at the Vault doors.

  Flint gave a bitter laugh, lacing his fingers and gripping them tightly together. “The Vault of Dreams is a mystery to us all. Only the Master has ever been inside, and only he knows what lies within. It is the duty of the three Guards--Ti, Ki, and Na--to keep all but the Master from entering. Curiosity drives us to investigate, but all who have ever gone in have been killed by the Guards, their bodies dropped into the Forest of the Dead. My father was one of those killed.”

  “But, if you don’t even know what’s there, why do you go?” Ki asked. The curiosity had driven Na to the brink, and he had gone into the Vault. Only to never come out again. She had always experienced the same wonder, knowing it to be a powerful force, but why? 

  Despite all the danger, despite all the sadness, despite all the pain, why could no one resist the Vault of Dreams?

  “Personally,” Flint began, leaning back on his hands. “I believe the Vault is an escape.”

  Ki blinked. “Escape?”

  He inclined his head in her direction. “I think it’s all a lie. This world, the Chamber, the Vault, the Master, the Guards, all of it. I think it’s all a lie and the only escape lies in the Vault. I think the Master is trying to keep us here. To what end or what purpose, I don’t know, but that’s my thought. That’s why I want to go.” He turned his gaze to the wall. “I want the Guards to know. I think they’re just as trapped as we are.”

  Twisting the blanket in her fingers, Ki nodded slowly. Na had said something similar, that nothing had ever felt real in the Chamber. But wasn’t she outside the Chamber? Hadn’t she just escaped?

  Wasn’t Flint in the escape?

  A headache began to throb behind her temples. Forcing back a whimper, she pulled her legs against her chest and buried her face in her knees. 

  “I barely escaped,” she murmured against the thick fabric of the quilt. “I barely made it out of the Chamber with my life. But my friend, Na, he… he went into the Vault.”

  Flint inhaled sharply. The bed creaked as he moved. “Then you were a Guard? You were a Guard who ran?”

  Ki nodded, turning her face away. Her tangled braid fell over her shoulder, though most of her hair had fallen out by now. She hugged her knees tightly. “I was a Guard who ran. I ran because I panicked. I was overwhelmed by confusion and loss. Na is gone, and I don’t even know where to begin to look for him.” Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision. She shuddered as a sob clawed at her throat. 

  “I thought running away from the Vault would be the answer, I thought maybe, somehow, he would be beyond the Chamber. That I would find him here.” Frustration and helplessness fanned the embers in her heart, warming her chest with anger.

  “I guess I was wrong.”

  Flint hummed thoughtfully. Wood paneling creaked beneath his steps as he circled to the other side of the bed, where Ki still sat curled up in a tight ball. He perched on the edge of the bed beside her feet. Curious, she tilted her head to peer at him through her tears and loose hair.

  “I know how to get to him, to Na,” Flint said softly. 

  Ki sniffed, wiping her eyes with the heel of her hand. “Y-you do?”

  “Sure.” A sly grin found its way to his face. “If he went inside the Vault, that’s where we’ll go too.”

  “We?”

  “I’m going with you. I’m long overdue for a visit to the Vault anyway. With a Vault Guard on my side, now is the best time to barge in.” He tipped his head to the side, his gray eyes shining. “Don’t you agree, Ki?”

  Hope flared in Ki’s chest, driving away the crushing feeling of helplessness. Despite herself, a smile broke out across her lips. She wiped the last of her tears away and shoved her hair back from her face.

  “Of course I do.”