Exit Right Tunnel

Hannah instinctively leapt to her feet and bolted for the shadows. Like anyone who grew up hiding in a cave, she knew how to use the natural maze to her advantage. The miles and miles of underground passages were as familiar to her as her own face, and anyone who wished to pursue her would be grossly disadvantaged in her home territory.

Having caught a brief sight of her, the knight called out, “Wait!”

However, Hannah was long gone.

“Wilfram, what is it?” An older knight entered the cavern.

“A girl was there, just now,” Wilfram said, pointing at where he had last seen her. “She ran away.”

The other man peered about their gloomy surroundings. Carefully, he studied the indicated spot but found no sign of anyone. “Are you sure you’re not seeing things?”

“I swear it! She was right there. Skinny little waif she was, too, and barefoot like an urchin, dressed in a simple frock Pale and blonde, wild but not unkempt.” The young man kept describing the girl, though mostly to himself as if trying to convince himself he wasn’t mad.

“There’s no footprints,” the older knight observed. “Then again, the floor here is mostly stone. Doesn’t look like much place for a child, though, especially with a dragon about.”

“Could she be a ghost?”

“Possibly, but there’s been no reports of this mountain being haunted. Better tell the others to keep an eye out for her. If we’re going to battle a dragon here, we wouldn’t want an innocent lass getting caught in the middle.”

Wilfram nodded. This day just kept getting stranger by the minute, and if he had been by himself, he might have turned back right then. It was a good thing that the queen had sent a whole team of knights. In years past, the late king - rest his soul - used to send lone adventurers one at a time to fight the dragon, but it never proved effective. Hopefully, a group would succeed where individuals had failed.

As the knights headed back towards the entrance, Hannah peeked out of a crevice overhead, having looped back through a small side tunnel. Where did these intruders come from? What should she do? Sure, they had come to slay the dragon, which suited her just fine, but it sounded like her home would be destroyed in the process. What should she do?

1. Tell Uncle Belboz
2. Keep an eye on the knights while staying hidden
3. Talk to the knights
4. Wait until Wilfram is alone and talk to him
5. Leave a note and evacuate
6. Try one of the spells Uncle Belboz had taught her
7. The sight of the knights triggers a distant memory

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