A rumble, a rattle and a scrabble resounded down the stairs within the wall. The lights flickered and went dark on the stairwell; they flashed and shattered in the armory. Everything went dark save the light of the open door. Growls, snarls, chitters and yips closed in on the darkness in the hall. Their eyes gleamed.

The robot sharpshooter blasted his way through the wall of fur and scales, and its lightbulb eyes glared at Liam and Vincent. [b]"Go! I'll shut it behind you."[/b]

It was time to make their escape.

[center][sup]art by [url=https://www.artstation.com/artist/vadozzer]Vadim Shchepilov[/url][/sup]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/QbI8wK7.jpg[/img][/center]

To step through the liquid silver portal was like passing through a beaded doorway -- and on the other side, their feet met etched stone and sand. They stood in a vast cavern, sharp with stalagmites and stalactites, weedy vines and hooded mushrooms, illuminated by glowing crystals embedded in the rock and hovering, magnetized, between the sharp points.

Behind them was only more sand and rock, and under their feet was a flat stone that had been etched long ago with a receiving sigil; the portal, it seemed, only worked one way.

The hiss and clank of machinery resounded behind them, around the bend of solid rock. After a few moments, a young woman sprinted out from behind the rock and rushed toward them; she was dressed all in pale violet, her crown shimmered in the light of the stones, and her gray hair was spun delicately just as it had been that morning. Behind the queen, two enchanted robots followed her quick pace, their gun-arms held at ready, as if they expected the grit might have discovered the portal.

With wet eyes, the queen rushed directly at Moth and Kat, flung her arms about their necks and pulled them into an awkward embrace. She was smaller than she appeared on the screen over the city; her head barely reached Moth's shoulders.

[b]"You have no idea how happy I am to see living faces,"[/b] she said quickly, stepping back and grasping Kat's hand.

Then Vincent seemed to step out of thin air onto the engraved sigil, and the queen very nearly attacked him from behind for the sake of a hug, as if to reassure herself that he was flesh and blood.

Liam stepped onto the sigil, and the queen stopped short before touching him. [b]"Oh, gods. You need medical attention."[/b] She looked up to her robot escorts and motioned in the air; a tall, red-plated robot jogged forward. The queen smiled warmly and touched Liam's face. [b]"You'll be all right. We're safe here."[/b]

She stepped back to allow the robot to assess Liam's injuries for immediate treatment, and she looked up to the others gathered there. [b]"We're underneath the palace spire. We should be safe, at least for awhile."[/b]