Sage was just gaining a lead on him, earth pounding beneath her feet as she aimed for the entrance. She could hear the second pair of feet behind her, but not getting any closer.

Suddenly, a new sound, hooves. She bite her tongue, putting on an extra burst of speed as she tried to get to the entrance. Not far now, maybe fifty feet or so. Twenty. Ten.

Something grabbed her cloak, but she was ready for that, her brooch already loosened so she could slip it off. She still lost her footing, sliding the last few feet to the entrance.

Her fingers touched the stone archway, and she spoke a word.

A blinding flash of light cracked around her, blinding her pursuers, and when they opened her eyes, she was no longer there.

Instead, she was three countries away, plunging into the dark evergreen boughs of a different labyrinth. She didn’t know what they would make of the apportation, whether they would see it for what it was, or attribute it to something entirely different. True, she could think about all the possibilities, but right at this moment she could feel the stress pumping through her body, and all she wanted to think of was her home.

It took her hours to get through to the clearing, even after taking every single short cut that she knew. However, she had never felt more glad to she her little shack, a bit battered in all the rain that had been happening lately, but still study.

She took the pot out from where it had been bobbing in the water butt, brushed the curtain aside, and struck a small fire in her pit. Soon, the entirety of the tiny house was warming teaup, and the pot nearly at the point of bubbling. Adding in her own blend of crushed leaves, the tea brewed, and she settled down in her nest with the steaming mug cupped between her hands.

A gentle rain started outside, pattering on the roof. Sage was pleased that it had waited until now, but reached out to push the curtain behind a hook, so that she could watch the raindrops splattering against the ground and leaves.

The sound of rain, steaming tea in her hands, and the anticipation of a new book squirrelled away in her bag. So could finally feel the tension ease out of her shoulders, and relaxation setting in.