Englecon Mine, Desmond, 10416 P.C.

The tunnels in the mine were lit by flickering torches casting eerie glows and shadows along the walls. Stephanie could see the marks of the tools used to create the tunnel, feeling them as she trailed her fingers along the stone walls. How many years had it taken to dig out this mine? Well over a decade, she was sure. There were so many twists and turns, so many tunnels branching out from theirs leading to unknown destinations. Stephanie decided to stick to the main tunnel, creeping along its twists and curves on nimble feet. Matthew hadn't had her years of training; his steps were a bit louder, his movements less graceful, yet he was far from incompetent.

He grabbed her arm, pushing her back against the wall as she was about to creep around a curve. She looked up at him.

"Camera," he whispered, gesturing around the corner. She frowned at him, watching as he crouched down and picked up a loose chunk of stone from the ground. How had he noticed the camera before she had? She hadn't seen it at all. Mutely, she watched as he rolled the chunk between work-worn fingers, peeking around her the slightest. With a quick, well-aimed throw, the stone with flying and Stephanie heard the crash of the camera as it was knocked down and smashed.

They shared grimaces at the noise before continuing down the tunnel. It seemed to become a natural process: Matthew stopping her then busting down another camera. She had no idea how he knew they were there; some were around corners he never could have seen. At times, he threw a rock around a corner without even looking. He only ever missed twice.

"How do you know where they are?" she finally whispered after he took out the fifth camera in their escapade. They were at the end of their tunnel, a T intersection with a sharp corner.

Matthew swallowed hard, pressing his back to the wall beside her. "I can... sense them. I don't know how, I just can."

Stephanie furrowed her brow. "Athrii, maybe?"

He frowned.

"Maybe they're Athriian powered," she explained. "Maybe you can sense Athrii."

His frown deepened. He stared at the wall, concentrating, and she could see the realization slowly come over his face. "I think you're right," he murmured. He stayed incredibly still, yet she could practically see the wheels spinning in his mind. Golden sparks flickered in his eyes every once in a while. It was mesmerizing, like a light show in his irises.

He looked at her quickly, a strange new kind of determination in his eyes. He didn't seem as anxious as before. "Six cameras down the tunnel, then something bigger. A lot bigger. A lot of magic."

"A control room?" She remembered the screens she encountered when she was first brought in. She had never even considered how they would have gotten electricity for it — there was no generator. Of course it had been Athriian-powered.

Matthew, however, was shaking his head. He peeked around the corner, and then turned back to her, his finger to his lips. She listened carefully, realizing that the sounds of mining were much closer than they had been before. They had found the other slaves.