Archive of Our Own

"Remind me why we're here again?" a fourteen-year-old Ian asked anxiously as they stepped through the front doors.

"Only so we can get Mother dearest a birthday gift worthy of a queen!" Barley replied, the seventeen-year-old's boisterous voice drawing a few stares from strangers.

"No, I mean--" Ian stumbled a bit, turning his face so that they couldn't look at him. "--why here?"

The Labyrinth Mall certainly had an...interesting reputation among the townsfolk. According to Barley it had once been an actual labyrinth, a mysterious place where adventurers would go to prove their cunning and might.

Or die.

Rather than tear it down as had been originally planned, the people at City Hall had opted to convert it into a shopping mall. It probably wouldn't have been that bad, if the forces that powered the labyrinth had gone away--which, if the rumors were to be believed, they hadn't.

Barley looked at his younger brother as though the answer was obvious. "Because there's a Faye Jeweler's branch here! Rings and bracelets and amulets of all sizes, shapes and colors! You know how much Mom loves their stuff."

"Yeah, I know," Ian nodded, "but is this really the closest one to home?"

"You know it!"

"Right..." Ian sighed.

"Hey, don't worry. We chose to do this on a Monday, so even with summer vacation in full swing there still won't be a whole lot of people here to fight for elbow room with! We'll get Mom's present, get out, and be home before you know it," Barley reassured him.

As they walked they saw the mall cop--a large, stocky minotaur--riding by on his scooter. Barley nodded a hello to the man, who nodded back. He looked rather grumpy.

"Have we got enough to get a decent birthday present for her?" asked Ian.

"Well, how much have you got, little brother?"

Ian patted the pocket of his jeans. "I managed to save up about fifty from my allowance."

"And I've scavenged a hundred and fifty from all those lawns I mowed!" Barley stated proudly. "It should be enough to get something pretty, if not downright sparkly!"

"A hundred and fifty?" Ian echoed, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "You didn't put that into your van?"

"Guinevere's gonna have to wait," Barley said with a shrug. "Even motor love doesn't compare to maternal love."

Ian groaned and slapped a palm to his forehead. "Tell me you did not just say that."

Barley laughed and playfully nudged Ian as they stepped onto the escalator.

Frankly Ian had expected for them to be wandering around the mall for a long time in search of Faye Jewelers, so he was pleasantly surprised when they found it relatively quickly. Finding a gift for their mother wasn't as difficult as Ian had feared, either. She had a liking for silver or gold colors, so after debating among themselves (and, okay, maybe some bickering), the brothers settled on a silver chain carrying what appeared to be a round, fingernail-sized opal. Ian wasn't sure if it was real or synthesized, but it looked like an opal and glittered like one, and more importantly it was within their price range at a hundred and thirty-five. The only issue Ian had was that they would need the assistance of the jewelry clerk.

A handful of the people who worked at the Labyrinth Mall were common, everyday folk, those who actually left the building to go home at the end of the day. The majority of them, however, were rather strange beings called golems--creatures that, according to urban myth, actually lived inside the labyrinth. For the most part, they were made of materials like clay or stone, though metal, cloth, and even straw also weren't unheard of. Barley had always been fascinated by golems, but to Ian they seemed rather creepy. He hadn't interacted with them very often, but each time he had he'd been unsettled by their dull, unblinking stare, their stiff, jerky movements, and the fact that they never actually spoke--it wasn't known whether they were incapable of talking, or if they were and simply chose not to.

And of course, the jewelry clerk they needed to buy the necklace from was a golem itself, a clay one that wasn't even looking at anyone, but instead had its gaze trained on the entryway. Ian gulped and waved his hand weakly, knowing he needed to get its attention but not actually wanting it to look at him.

"Um, excuse me...?" he tried.

The clerk turned its head slowly towards Ian (good grief, did its neck just crackle?!), and upon being fixed under the stare of its black marble eyes, it seemed Ian had lost the ability of speech.

"Uh, I--w-we, uh--we--m-my brother and me--I, my brother and I--"

The golem said nothing, gave no indication of amusement or irritation--or anything, really. It didn't move a muscle (did golems have muscles?), didn't even so much as fidget. It just kept staring at him. Somehow, that made him more anxious and his stammering grew even more incoherent. Ian was relieved when Barley clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll handle this," he stated confidently. Ian had never really wanted to emulate his brother, but if there was one quality Barley possessed that he was envious of, it was his bravery.

The golem shifted its stare from Ian to Barley as he approached, but Barley didn't show a single trace of discomfort at this. "My brother and I humbly request a necklace," he said boldly.

The clerk tilted its head slightly--very slightly--as though questioning. Otherwise, it still didn't move.

Barley pointed to the necklace shown in the glass counter. "Specifically this one, if you please!" The golem kept gazing at Barley. Then it opened its mouth, and Ian's jaw dropped--was it going to speak to them?

The answer was no: it shoved almost its entire hand deep into its mouth--and pulled out a set of keys. Ian had to swallow the bile that was rising in his throat, and even Barley's face seemed to take on a greenish tinge.

The clerk unlocked the back of the case and retrieved the necklace. It set it on the counter in front of them, and as Barley made the purchase, Ian looked up--and saw that the golem was once again staring at him. Ian stiffened, eyes darting from side to side in alarm. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that he felt like a unicorn caught in headlights. Needless to say, when the creature gave Barley his change and they were finally able to leave the store ("I thank thee and hope thou hast a wonderful rest of the day!" said Barley), Ian was able to breathe a lot easier.

"See, I told you we'd find what we were looking for!" Barley said jovially. He handed the sack containing their mother's present to Ian to carry.

"Yeah," Ian replied as they continued to walk, "that's one less thing to worry about. We still gotta ask her what she wants for her birthday supper, though."

"Mm-hmm," Barley said, but it was clear he was distracted--his gaze had been drawn to a window displaying Quests of Yore merchandise.

Ian huffed in exasperation. If he didn't nip this in the bud now, they'd never get out of here! He grabbed a handful of the back of Barley's jacket and tugged insistently. "Barley, come on, we've gotta get out of here so that we--"

Ian's words halted as, for the first time since they'd left Faye's, he took a good look at their surroundings. Corridors. Entryways, some open, some barricaded off.

He let go of Barley and walked a few steps away, glancing around and turning, trying to catch sight of anything that looked familiar, but there was nothing. Nothing that gave any obvious clues as to which way to go. Once that fact sank in, Ian's jaw set and he sloooowly turned back to look at Barley, whose eyes had not left the display in front of him.

"Barley," Ian said tightly.

"What?" Barley asked, still not looking away.

"Where's the exit?"

Barley spared Ian a quick glimpse. "Not too far away; I marked the way back with chip crumbs!" He returned his attention to the store.

At those words, Ian looked around at the bare stone floor...as well as the floor sweeper that was driving nonchalantly by, a golem at the wheel. Ian stared at his older brother, eyelid twitching.

"You were supposed to bring the trail markers!" Ian said, his voice trembling with extreme agitation.

"I...may have forgot," Barley admitted, finally turning around to face Ian fully. "So, I improvised--it's all good!"

"Oh, really?"

"Yes!"

A beat. "So go find the exit." Ian gestured with his head.

"Okay, I will," Barley chuckled and shook his unamused brother's shoulder before starting his way off...and pausing. "Um..." he said as he turned his head, trying to find the path they came from. A few minutes of this passed until Barley returned to Ian, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

"...I see the problem."

"Oh, DO YA?!"

Barley winced at Ian's suddenly raised voice. "We might be in trouble."

"I still can't believe you forgot the markers!" Ian repeated. It had been about fifteen minutes since the boys had discovered their predicament, and they'd been walking aimlessly since.

"It was an honest mistake!" Barley said defensively, "Anyone could've made it!"

"Yeah, but you know the people who work here only give one free set to each customer!"

"Each customer's family," Barley corrected, though his lips clamped shut at the withering look Ian gave him. After a moment, Barley mumbled to himself, "I knew I should've used the ball of yarn instead." Ian didn't bother responding.

Each time a guest set foot into the Labyrinth Mall for the first time, the greeter would bestow on them a bag of glowing stone markers. Supposedly formed inside the labyrinth itself (no one, not even the employees, seemed to know how), these stones could be stuck to the wall behind the user, marking the trail back to the entrance. And the light from each set of stones could only be seen by the person (or people) they belonged to, which helped ensure that guests from outside the family unit wouldn't mistake the markers for their own and get lost. It was the only guaranteed method of finding one's way out of the mall; otherwise, it was all up to chance.

Well, that, and an insane amount of patience--something neither of the Lightfoot brothers possessed. Still, they weren't willing to give up hope just yet.

"Maybe we can get help from one of the workers," Barley said, his expression brightening.

"The golem workers or the other ones?"

"The others," Barley clarified, "They all leave at the end of the day, right? They have to get out somehow--they must have their own markers! We can ask one of them to lead us to the exit!"

Ian smiled in amazement. "That just might work!"

Barley grinned in return. "We've just gotta find someone--that shouldn't be too hard, right?"

It shouldn't have been--but as it turned out, it very much was. The boys walked down the halls, popped in and out of several different stores, kept looking in every possible direction, but the only employees they could find were golems.

"Barley," Ian said, "do you remember seeing any non-golem workers since we got onto the escalator?"

Barley's face scrunched, trying to remember. After a few minutes, he shook his head.

"That's what I was afraid of," Ian sighed. "I'm starting to think that they all work near the entrance--makes it easier to leave after work, I guess?"

"Eh, that's all right," Barley shrugged nonchalantly, "I'm sure one of the golem workers could help us, too."

"Do they ever leave the Labyrinth Mall?" Ian questioned.

"Well...I don't remember ever seeing them, but you never know--maybe they only come out at night! After all, they don't really need to sleep."

Barley might have a point. Still, Ian didn't relish the thought of getting their attention again.

After coming to an agreement, the boys walked into the next open store on their path: a nice-looking hat store. They walked up to the counter where another golem stood waiting--a cloth one that more closely resembled a mannequin.

"Greetings, my friend!" Barley said.

The golem looked at him dispassionately. Perhaps its button eyes shouldn't have freaked Ian out any more than the glass ones of the last golem they spoke to, but they did. Nervously, Ian scooted until he was hidden behind his brother's much larger body, and therefore out of its line of sight.

"My brother and I have gotten lost," Barley continued. "By any chance, would you happen to know where to find the way back to the entrance?"

Ian couldn't see from were he was positioned, so he distracted himself by glancing at the hats that were lined on the wall--caps, fedoras, sun hats, beanies like the one Barley tended to wear when he wasn't in school. Hats never seemed to agree with Ian. His fluffy, gravity-defying hair was more than likely the reason for that.

"Thank you very much!" Barley said, pulling Ian's attention back to reality. "I bid thee good day!" Barley saluted the cashier golem and pulled Ian along with him out of the store.

The brothers made their way down the hall, Barley reaching his fingers out to the side and skimming the wall.

"So we're going the right way?" Ian asked hopefully.

"Yep!"

"How do you know?"

"It pointed this way!"

Ian's pace slowed. "It pointed," he said flatly.

"Sure did!"

Ian paused. "Did it say...or do...anything else?"

"Nope."

Ian waited, but Barley didn't say anything more. He stopped, and so did Barley when he realized that his brother was no longer following him.

"It didn't let you know how far to walk, or what to look for?"

"No, it just pointed--funny thing, it doesn't have fingers. Did you notice that? How can it handle cash registers or change or anything without fingers--?"

He was interrupted when Ian snagged his arm and dragged him back the way they came.

"Hey, what--"

"We're going back," Ian stated adamantly. "We're gonna talk to that golem and, I don't know, ask for a map or something, get it to elaborate somehow--!"

His words were cut off as they arrived--at the blocked entrance to Sires, the hardware store. On the barricade was a sign that read, "Closed Until Further Notice."

"Uh..." Ian said, confused. "Barley, did we pass any other stores since the hats?"

"Nay, we most certainly did not," Barley answered matter-of-factly.

Ian groaned.

"We're just gonna have to call Mom," said Ian, stating the simple solution. "She can run up here with the trail markers, make her way to us, and then we can all leave together."

"If you do that, she's gonna ask what we're doing here!" protested Barley.

"Come up with something," Ian said reasonably. "You don't have to tell her the truth."

"Oh, I wasn't worried about me," said Barley, raising an eyebrow. "I was talking about you--we both know you're a terrible liar."

Ian sputtered, wanting to deny this yet knowing it was the truth. Barley smirked knowingly. "Shut up!" Ian finally said lamely. Barley snickered.

Ian pulled out his phone...only to see the words "No Service" in the corner. He waved the phone around, even took a few steps away in hopes of getting a signal. No such luck. "No reception--of course there isn't," Ian muttered with a scowl.

"Yeah, there usually isn't here," Barley replied.

Ian shot him a look. "And how do you know that?"

"I tried it the last couple of times I was here."

"And you're only telling me this now?"

Barley held his hands up. "I never tried it on the higher floors! So..." He reached over and patted Ian's back. "You solved a mystery--great job, buddy!"

Ian glowered at his brother. "Glad I could help," he said sarcastically.

Sometime later, the brothers stumbled into what appeared to be a large intersection with a loud fountain right in the center of it. In front of the fountain was a sign, and when they stepped closer Ian was overwhelmed with relief at seeing the map that was plastered onto it.

"At last, a clue!" Barley cheered as he jogged up to it, Ian hot on his heels. Once they reached the map, they studied it closely.

The intersection was displayed in a near-diamond shape, with paths branching diagonally from each side like an X. Dead center of the map was a circle that symbolized the fountain, and a red dot was just beneath it. An arrow pointed to the dot, with the words "You Are Here" beside it. Barley jabbed it with his finger.

"Okay!" he said excitedly. "Ian, can you see any stairs on the map?"

Ian squinted, quickly scanning the image. It took a moment, but he finally saw a small rectangle attached to the end of the northeastern hall. He checked with the legend in the corner of the map, and he smiled when it confirmed what he'd guessed. He looked away to exchange glances with his brother, who was also smiling.

"You found it?" Barley asked him.

"Yeah!"

Barley laughed. "All right!" He returned his eyes to the sign. "We are one step closer to..." His brows furrowed, and he frowned. "Uh-oh."

Ian's grin disappeared. "What do you mean, 'uh-oh?'" He looked back at the map, and his heart sank.

The image of the fountain was still there...but that was the only comfort to be had. Because now, it was at the bottom left corner of the map! Rather than a diamond in the middle of an X, now it was shaped like a square.

"It's okay, it's fine!" Barley said, clearly trying to salvage the situation. Try as he might, though, he couldn't hide his alarm entirely--Ian could see it in his eyes.

"Fine how?" Ian asked frantically.

"Are the stairs still there?" Ian looked, his eyes flicking everywhere, until he once again spotted the rectangle. "Yes, they are," Ian verified. Remarkably, it was still in the northeast corner of the map, roughly the same as before.

"Great! Let's go!"

They stepped away from the fountain, and Barley's arm found its way around Ian's shoulders, keeping him close. Sometimes Ian found Barley's constant clinginess to be a little frustrating to deal with, especially when they were out in public. This time, however, he welcomed it. Ian hated the thought of being separated from Barley and left alone in a place like this. One hand still holding their mother's gift, the other found its way up to Barley's hand, gripping the back of it firmly.

They walked for a while, passing a cookie stand, a clothing store, movies and novelties. After a good few minutes they turned right and went further...until they came to the intersection.

The intersection.

Ian uttered something unintelligible as they recognized the fountain they had left behind.

"Welp..." Barley said, his voice a slightly higher pitch than normal, "...fountain still looks nice. All refreshing, and..."

"What does the map say now?" Ian cut across him, speaking through gritted teeth. There was a beat before Barley responded.

"Don't know--it's not there anymore."

"...Figures."

"Okay, there's a simple way out of this," Ian said desperately. "We got up here on the escalator--all we have to do is ride it back down to the first floor. From there it should be easier to find the entrance, right?"

"Sounds good to me!" Barley agreed.

"Cool," said Ian, happy to have some semblance of a plan. "Keep an eye out for it."

"Found it!"

"It should be around here some--wait, really?!"

Barley pointed. "Really," he affirmed triumphantly. And sure enough, right next to what appeared to be a food court, was a pair of escalators. Ian had never seen a more beautiful sight. Just as he was about to run to them, Barley put a hand on his shoulder, holding him in place.

"Hang on," he said, "wanna get something to eat before we leave? I don't think either of us have had anything today."

The aroma of several different meals was making Ian's mouth water and his stomach grumble. There still weren't a whole lot of people around, either. But he really just wanted to get home as soon as possible. Ian grabbed the arm that held his shoulder and pulled.

"Barley, let's go--we can eat when we get home, okay? I'll even make us something!"

Barley blinked. "Baking?"

Ian chuckled. His regular cooking was about average at best, but to his own surprise he had a knack for making sweet things. Barley was constantly asking him to bake things like cupcakes or brownies, and it wasn't uncommon for him to share them during his Quests of Yore campaigns. He also seemed to take pleasure in bragging about his little brother's culinary skills. To be honest, Ian had actually been considering cutting back on his baking out of concern for the weight Barley was rapidly gaining. But he could make an exception today.

"Yeah, I can bake us something--how do cookies sound?"

"Chocolate chip?"

"Snickerdoodle."

"Nah--how about peanut butter?"

Ian smiled. "Deal." They shook on it and boarded the escalator.

Ian held onto the side rail as they traveled downward. Barley started to whistle beside him, and Ian checked his watch: 2:56 p.m.. Ian sighed heavily.

They kept going down. And down. And down.

He tapped his fingers on the rail, starting to get a little impatient. Had it taken this long to go up the escalator earlier? He couldn't remember.

Just as he was beginning to wonder if they'd ever get off, he saw the bottom. And from the way Barley eagerly elbowed him, he had seen it too. His older brother let out a loud whoop when they finally stepped off, and Ian was tempted to join him. He kept the impulse restrained, though.

"Awesome!" said Ian, "Now we can finally start looking around for IT'S THE SAME FLOOR!!!!!" Ian's voice rose to a screech as the brothers laid eyes on the familiar food court.

Barley's mouth opened and shut, but no words came out--probably the first time in his entire life Ian had ever seen his brother speechless. After a few seconds of this, Barley's jaw clicked shut and he swallowed. Then he spoke.

"Maybe we can just try again. Take the escalator and hope that we--" He stopped talking when he turned around, which made Ian turn as well. There were a couple of clean-looking restrooms--but the escalators were gone, as though they'd never been there at all.

For a couple of moments, neither of the boys spoke. Then, Barley faced Ian. "Wanna get something to eat?"

Ian's shoulders slumped. He said in a small voice, "Yes, please."

Lunch was good, at least. Pizza. It was something.

After spending so much time walking in circles, Ian had no wish to leave the tables where he and Barley had been eating and resting their aching feet. For Barley it seemed to be the opposite: after consuming a proper meal, he was reenergized and eager to keep going.

"Okay, maybe asking for directions didn't work out," he said, "so maybe we can tag along with one of the other customers--just until we leave. We shouldn't get any more lost if we stick with them, right?"

"I guess..." Ian replied uncertainly. They didn't have many other options, but...even at a time like this the thought of interacting with total strangers made his stomach churn.

"Come on, what have we got to lose?"

Ian thought of so many ways he could answer that question, but he held his tongue. In any event, he had noticed a problem. There were only a few people to begin with, but by now all but one had left: a middle-aged elven woman. And she was just leaving herself. Ian hurriedly tapped on Barley's shoulder and pointed. They took off in a jog after her. They caught up to her in the hall.

"Hello, ma'am?" Ian asked. She spared him a glimpse, but otherwise made no effort to stop or even slow down, forcing the brothers to keep pace alongside her. "Miss?" he spoke again.

She kept walking, but turned to look at him in earnest. "What?" she said, and Ian tried not to balk at how unfriendly she sounded.

"We, uh...we're kind of lost."

"And...?"

"We were hoping you could lead us back to the entrance," Barley piped up.

"After you're done shopping, that is," Ian cut back in, "we don't wanna rush you. But would it be okay if we could stay with you until then?"

"No," the woman answered.

Ian faltered. "Huh?"

"I said no," she snapped. "I'm sick of always having to deal with imbeciles who got lost because they were too stupid to bring their own markers."

"Hey, it's not like I meant to leave them," Barley argued, "I just forgot!"

"Frankly I don't care what your excuse is," the woman said coldly, "and the fact that you're kids doesn't make any difference to me. Now go away."

Ian stepped away from her, seeing that her mind was clearly made up. He grabbed hold of Barley's jacket sleeve, making him do the same. Barley had a look of disbelief on his face. Ian knew how he felt.

The woman called back to them over her shoulder. "Maybe next time you'll learn not to be so negligent." Her tone of voice was nasty, and it riled Barley up.

"Oh, yeah?!" he hollered back. "Well, I hope you crash your broom when you fly it home today!"

Ian was too dismayed to reel his brother in like he usually would. In fact, he silently agreed with him.

After their encounter with such a rude woman, Ian was hesitant to speak to anybody else, but Barley was determined. After a while they saw a satyr man making his way along the wall, and Barley grabbed Ian's upper arm and pulled him along to meet him.

"Good day to you, sir," Barley said when they were close enough, "may we have a moment of your time?"

The man's body seemed to jolt for a second, and his eyes snapped up to look at them with the speed that Ian might attibute to prey. "Sorry, what?" he said, drawing his overcoat tighter. Ian frowned. Wasn't it a little warm to be wearing any sort of coat?

"My brother and I failed to bring our trail markers," Barley explained, "We were wondering if you would be so kind as to lead us out of the labyrinth--assuming you were leaving anytime soon, that is."

The man blinked rapidly, then gave a short, almost nervous-sounding laugh. "I'm leaving right now, actually," he said. He cleared his throat. His behavior struck Ian as a little bit odd, but then he remembered all the times he had royally messed up his own social interactions. He certainly wasn't one to talk.

"So, would you let us come with you?" Ian asked, "Just as far as the exit, I mean."

"Uh, sure, yeah," the satyr nodded quickly. Then his stare intensified, and his voice suddenly became more assertive. "Just as far as the exit."

Ian saw Barley's eyebrows raise at the man's change in demeanor, but Ian truly didn't care--not now when they were so close to finally getting out!

"Well, great!" Ian said happily, "Let's get going--"

He stopped when he heard the sound of several pairs of footsteps--heavy footsteps--approaching from behind them. All three of them turned around to see a group of golems standing there, staring directly at them.

Outwardly they didn't look much different from normal, save that they seemed to be standing a little bit straighter. Yet somehow, Ian could almost sense that they were angry. His feelings were confirmed when he noticed that a few of them had their hands balled into fists. He found himself shifting from foot to foot.

"Um...hi..." he squeaked.

It went without saying that the golems didn't respond. They did, however, start to walk quickly towards them. Ian wasn't certain if it was the lights playing tricks on him, but...were their eyes red...?

One of them--a rusted metal golem--slowly raised its hand, its joints creaking as it did so. It pointed straight at the satyr--who, at this point, was sweating profusely.

"I'm outta here!" he shrieked, and he bolted.

Ian yelped as Barley yanked him out of the way of the golems that stampeded after him. His older brother's arms were wrapped around his front, and Ian brought his hands up to hold onto them. They watched in utter bewilderment as the golems caught up to the satyr at the end of the hallway. One of them grabbed the man's legs and dangled him upside-down, shaking him. Movies and CDs dropped to the floor from several of his pockets.

"Oh," Barley said in astonishment.

That wasn't the end of it, though. As soon as another golem gathered the stolen items in its arms, the group marched back up the hall, the satyr kicking and flailing. Once they reached the midway point, they turned to the wall, where one of them reached out a pressed something. Ian gasped as a section of the wall opened to reveal a hidden alcove. The man's pleas to be let go were silenced as he was thrown unceremoniously inside. The wall closed behind him.

"Uh, Barley...?" Ian asked meekly. "They, uh...they didn't just..."

"Killing law-breakers isn't allowed anymore," Barley answered. "More likely they'll be holding him for the police."

"Then...we can just wait here? When the cops show up, we can follow them..."

Ian's words trailed off when the golems all gazed at them. Even with the robber in their custody they still looked disturbingly hostile. Ian couldn't see his brother's face from his position, but Barley was clearly thinking the same thing.

"I can assure you all, we don't know that man! We ran into him just before you guys showed up! So...if you all don't mind, my brother and I shall be going. Keep up the good work!"

And with that Barley released his hold on Ian, and the two boys walked as swiftly as they could back the way they came.

After that, the boys found themselves back at the fountain.

"Annnnnnd here we are again," Barley sighed. He didn't sound the least bit surprised. "Wanna toss a coin in and make a wish?"

As a matter of fact, Ian did not. Instead, he stalked over to the fountain, dunked his whole head straight into the water, and let out the scream that had been building in his chest for the past hour. Bubbles erupted from his mouth as he did so. It wasn't a cushion, but it would do.

After what felt like a minute of this, but was probably only seconds, Ian pulled his head back out and took a deep breath. He held it for a bit, then let it out.

"Feel better?" Barley asked gently.

Ian didn't respond at first: he was too busy shaking his head, water flying everywhere. Then he straightened, excess water running down his face and soaking his shoulders. He pushed his sopping wet hair out of his eyes. "Yeah," he said in wonder, "kind of."

Barley pulled Ian into a hug. "Good." He shrugged his jacket off and used it to towel-dry his younger brother's head.

Much later, after yet more walking, they ended up in an area that neither of them were familiar with. There were empty stores that had clearly been closed for a while, and a door that hung ajar. It revealed a room that might been an office or surveillance room, but had since been abandoned. There was absolutely no one around, not even a golem.

"Now what?" Ian asked tiredly. Absent-mindedly he swung the sack from the jewelry store.

Barley held his chin, eyes closed in contemplation. His jacket, which was still a bit damp from being used to dry Ian, was now tied around his waist. Then he grinned and snapped his fingers, a lightbulb seeming to go off in his head. "Now we get creative!"

Barley jogged over to the door and began to examine it. Ian watched in confusion.

"What are you doing?" he asked quizzically.

Barley didn't answer; he simply looked the door over. Then he settled on his knees and pulled something out of his pocket. "I've been waiting for a chance to use this!" he said brightly.

Ian's brows furrowed as he stepped closer, and saw that the object Barley was referring to was a multi-tool. Adjusting the tool to his needs, he grunted as he worked the door from its hinges, first at the bottom, then standing to reach the top. He stuffed the multi-tool back into his pocket and pulled the door away completely. Ian gaped.

"Barley!" he hissed, "That door isn't yours! It's the mall's property! Do you have any idea how much trouble we could get into if we get caught?!" Ian was already envisioning himself and his brother being thrust into a pitch black secret room with no way out.

"It's okay, nobody's used this room in a long time," Barley replied casually, "Besides, I'm only borrowing it!"

If possible, Ian became even more baffled. What could Barley want with an office door? Apparently he was about to find out.

Barley dragged the door over to the opposite wall, then set it standing up against it. "My brother," he said dramatically, "this could be our way to freedom!"

"Uh..." said Ian dumbly, "what is?"

Barley gestured grandly to the door. "This is!"

"You've lost me." Ian pushed the sack up his arm until it hung from his elbow.

"The magic that powers the labyrinth makes the infrastructure change."

"Yeah, today's pretty much established that. What's your point?"

"My point is that now we're going to use that to our advantage--we're going to make our own path!"

Ian stared at Barley. Then at the door. Then at Barley. His brother's expression was proud, as though he had discovered the secret to eternal life.

"You can't be serious," Ian said bluntly.

"Oh, but I am," Barley replied, undeterred.

"You honestly believe that when you pull that door, the exit's going to be on the other side."

"Well, maybe not the exit," Barley admitted, "but perhaps a way to the exit--it can't hurt to try, right?"

Ian supposed it couldn't...but he still couldn't help but think that it was a really, really strange idea.

Barley rubbed his hands in anticipation, then put his hand on the doorknob. He took a deep breath...and pulled the door "open."

On the other side was a stone wall. Surprise, surprise.

Barley frowned and pushed the door back against the wall. "Maybe we have to wait a little bit first," he said thoughtfully. Ian gave his brother a skeptical look, but Barley wasn't looking at him. Instead, he walked over to a nearby bench and sat down. Not knowing what else to do, Ian went to sit down next to him.

It had been perhaps five minutes or so before Barley stood back up and walked back over to the door. Sighing, Ian got up to join him. Barley grasped the doorknob, looking a little more serious. He pulled, and once again it opened to a wall.

Barley made a few more attempts after that: he waited longer before opening it, he repositioned the door so that it would open the other way. At one point, he had even flipped it upside down before trying again. As Ian expected, nothing happened. Finally Barley gave up, and he let the door go. It fell to the floor between the two brothers. Barley didn't bother picking it back up.

"Oh, well," he said with a shrug, "Guess we should just look somewhere else." He turned and started to walk away. Ian stepped onto the door to follow, feeling too lazy to walk around it.

He would regret that decision when the door opened beneath him.

Ian gasped loudly as he dropped, and it was pure luck that his hands grabbed the edge of the floor, keeping him from falling all the way down. His legs kicked, trying to find purchase, but the only thing they could find was air. Against his better judgment, he looked down.

He was hanging above a deep pit; at the bottom was a chamber of dark, sinister-looking water. From somewhere above him Ian could hear Barley chatting, apparently unaware of the situation. He couldn't make any words out, but it hardly made a difference, because the only thing Ian could focus on was the idea that there could be something dangerous waiting for him at the bottom.

"Barley!" he screamed.

"Ian?" he heard Barley ask.

"PULL ME UP!!!"

Barley squawked, and Ian felt his brother's large hands enfold his wrists and lift him out of the hole. Even when he was safely out, Ian scrambled until his arms and legs were wrapped around Barley's form. Ian's dignity had gone out the window, and he barely cared.

He felt Barley pat his back comfortingly. "Huh," he said, amazed, "it really did work!"

"Yeah, yeah, great, fantastic," Ian stuttered through chattering teeth, "but...let's not do it again."

A while after that, Ian and Barley were wandering down yet another hallway. Rather than having a bunch of closed doors or being abandoned, it looked as though this one was being renovated. The smell of paint and plaster hung on the air. The workers were nowhere to be seen, of course. Why would they be?

"Okay, how about this," said Barley, "You remember that room that the shoplifter was tossed into?"

"How could I forget?" Ian asked dully. He had mostly calmed down from the incident earlier, but his legs were still felt stiff with tension. It certainly didn't make walking comfortable.

"Well, maybe we should look around--there's gotta be more secret doors. Maybe one of them opens to a passageway!"

Ian groaned in protest. Barley set his hands on Ian's shoulders.

"I know it's been a long day," he said softly, "and I know we've had a few bad surprises. But we're gonna make it out of here, okay? We've just gotta try a little more."

Ian couldn't bring himself to feel too optimistic at this point, but he nodded anyway. Barley smiled and let him go.

"Feel along the walls, okay, Ian? There's gotta be a switch or a button somewhere."

Ian did as he was told...while also not straying too far from his brother.

He wasn't sure how much distance they covered trying to find any abnormalities in the walls, or long they took doing so. Ian could always check his watch, but he had forced himself to stop doing that earlier: the more he had checked it, the more he would realize how much time had passed. The more that happened, the more he was reminded that they weren't any closer to getting out before the mall closed. The more he thought of that, the more his anxiety shot up. So he refrained.

They did find a water fountain, which was a relief to their parched throats.

Eventually, as Ian ran his hand along the wall, he was finally rewarded when he felt one of the stone bricks give a little. He froze, certain that he'd imagined it. Then he pushed down a little more, and he laughed.

"Barley, over here!" he exclaimed.

Barley rushed over to him. "You found one?!"

"I think so!"

Barley shook Ian ecstatically. Ian shrugged away from him and put both hands on the brick. He swallowed, then pushed it.

Beside them, a door opened...and a huge mound of bones tumbled out.

Their mouths hung open as skulls, rib cages, finger, femurs and other bones fell to a heap at their feet. All of them looked old...pre-dating the mall, maybe.

"Uh--that, uh...th-that, bones, skeletons," Ian stammered.

"Yep, those are skeletons," Barley responded; he was slightly calmer, but his eyes were wide with shock at the scene in front of them. His hand found Ian's shoulder and squeezed.

Just then they heard the sound of wheels rolling over the stone. They looked to see a straw golem dragging a trash can and other janitor tools behind it. It stopped in front of the bones and pulled out a broom. It began to sweet them into a pile. Ian couldn't believe how casually it was behaving, as though this were normal.

Maybe it is, he thought with a gulp.

"Excuse me," said Barley, raising his hand, "can we ask you something?"

The golem didn't stop sweeping. It didn't even look at them, its gaze fixed firmly on the mess.

"Hello?" Ian said, anxious. "We need to get out of here--can you help us?"

No response. Abandoning courtesy, Barley reached over and shook its shoulder a little. "Hey!" he called insistently.

The action caused the broom to slip from the golem's hands. It bent down to pick it up and went right back to what it was doing. It still wouldn't so much as glimpse at them.

After a few minutes of this, the brothers had to accept that the golem wasn't going to acknowledge them, and they continued on their way.

Ian would've been lying if he'd said that he hadn't been unsettled by the sight of those skeletons--obviously explorers who had never found their way out of this place. He looked over to his older brother. Barley looked as tired as Ian felt, but aside from the way his fingers twitched there was no clear evidence of distress.

Barley was still running his hand along the wall, stopping at random intervals to check the stone more closely. Ian had given up doing so himself, instead plodding along beside him. Barley didn't seem to mind.

Ian was just dozing out when he heard a click.

"Ian," Barley laughed. Ian looked to see another secret door opening. "I found another--"

He never finished his sentence, because tentacles erupted past the door!

Ian shouted as they stretched out and writhed, his eyes bulging at the sight. Barley pushed Ian away from the door, and he rushed in and shoved with all his strength against it. Even from a safe distance Ian could tell that it wouldn't be enough, and without thinking he joined in, adding his weight (which admittedly wasn't much) to it.

But whatever that creature was, it was stubborn. Emitting a bizarre wailing sound, its green tentacles thrashed, trying to force its way out. Ian dug his heels into the floor in an attempt to brace himself.

"Close it," he yelled, "Barley, push!"

"What do you think I'm doing?!" Barley shouted back. The tentacles curled around the edge of the door, one of them attempting to curl around his ankle. "Oh, no you don't!" Barley snarled, and he kicked it fiercely.

Another tentacle reached down from over the top of the door, and Ian ducked his head as it swooped dangerously close to it. He pressed his back against it and tried harder to make it close. He felt a surge of hope as he felt the door gradually move backwards.

"Back!" Barley cried, and he truly sounded like one of those warrior figures he was always gushing about. "Get back! Back, you savage beast, back!" The creature shrieked as its tentacles were caught in the doorway.

"Go back to the abyss from whence you came!" Barley bellowed.

The tentacles finally retreated, and the door closed with a satisfying bang.

For several moments the boys did nothing but lean against the door, eyes wide like their world's full moons and heaving for breath. For a while, they didn't speak. Then, just when they thought that things couldn't get worse...

The lights went out.

"We're doomed," Ian moaned, "We are never getting out of here."

Barley had used his phone to light their way through the darkness away from the last hall, but it wasn't very long before Ian had finally sank to his knees, unable to go further. Barley had offered to carry him on his back, but Ian had declined--he really just wanted a few minutes to rest. Ian had thought that Barley would insist, might even carry him regardless of what he said, but instead he had settled down beside him. Now they were sprawled on their backs in the middle of the floor in who-knew-where.

"We will," Barley said. His tone wasn't overly cheerful or determined like it had been for most of the day; it just sounded like a statement of fact. "I don't know how long it'll take us...but we'll find a way out. We'll just catch our breath, relax, and then keep looking."

Ian sighed in resignation. "Okay." He fiddled with the plastic sack, checking that the necklace was still inside and giving his hands something to do.

He heard Barley grunt and shift slightly next to him. He couldn't see him, though--even though being in a sea of pitch-blackness was stifling, Barley had suggested keeping their cell phone lights off to conserve power. Ian had agreed, if only reluctantly.

"You know," said Ian, "even if we found the exit now...we probably wouldn't be able to leave. Now that the mall is closed, the doors must be locked."

"We'll break them--or if not, we'll just wait right next to them until someone comes in the morning."

"There might be a burglar alarm installed--breaking them would bring the police down on us." Ian didn't actually care at this point; he was trying to make conversation. Silence made the darkness feel thicker, somehow.

"Then we'll get an escort home," Barley replied. "Certainly don't feel like waiting at the bus stop." Ian heard Barley scratch his arm. "Can't wait until I can drive."

Ian chuckled. "You have an interesting way of looking at things, don't you?"

"Just one of the perks of being me, little bro."

They shared a small laugh. Ian's comfort died when neither of them said anything else, and the sound of his own breathing added to his uneasiness. Ian moved over until he was pressed up against Barley's arm. It made him feel a little more secure.

Then Barley spoke...and what he said was unexpected.

"I'm sorry, Ian."

Ian blinked. "For what?" he asked.

"For getting us into this mess. For forgetting the trail markers. I let you down." Ian could hear the disappointment and regret in his brother's voice.

Ian thought about this. It was true that right after finding out what had happened he had been angry with Barley for being so careless. But as the day had worn on his anger had changed to urgency, then frustration, then exhaustion...but throughout it all, there had also been relief. Relief that he wasn't in this alone. That Barley had been there to keep their spirits up, even if they were in a slump right now.

He reached over and squeezed Barley's arm. "You didn't mean to...you did your best to get us out of here. Yeah, all our plans failed miserably, but...you didn't let me down."

Barley didn't say anything back, but Ian didn't remove his hand. After a moment, he felt Barley cover it with his own. Ian closed his eyes, seeing little point in keeping them open.

He didn't know how long they stayed like that...before he heard Barley gasp and shake his shoulder.

"What?!" Ian yelped, "What, what is it, what--?!"

Then he saw it. A beam of light dancing in the darkness. Ian narrowed his eyes, trying to make it out.

Was that...a flashlight beam...?

It was Ian's turn to gasp as Barley wrapped his arms around his middle and dragged them both to their feet. He pressed them flat against the wall.

"Are you crazy?!" Ian whispered, "It might be someone who can help us!"

"Yeah..." Barley murmured seriously, "and it might not."

Before Ian could say anything to that, the light found them. They both squinted and held their hands up to shield their eyes.

"I knew I'd catch up to you," a deep voice grunted, "It's about time for you two to leave."

The boys were lost for words. Then the light left them to illuminate the face of the man who had found them. They recognized him instantly.

"You're the minotaur!" Barley exclaimed.

"The mall cop!" Ian added.

"The minotaur mall cop!" Barley topped it off.

The man in question yawned. "Yep."

Ian was flabbergasted to see him here. Because he was a flesh-and-blood worker rather than a golem, Ian had figured that he would've left like the others, or at least kept away from the deeper parts of the labyrinth. The minotaur's presence now definitely challenged that theory.

"What are you still doing here?" Ian asked him, "Do you work the night shift, too?"

At this the minotaur let out a dry laugh. "No, kid--I live here."

"Huh?" Ian said.

"It was very common for labyrinths to formidable minotaurs inside their bowels," Barley explained.

"Do you have to phrase it like that, man?"

"Still is common," the cop interrupted, "even if our labyrinths don't test adventurers anymore."

"We, uh..." Ian swallowed, then continued. "We didn't mean to stay so late...we just got...kind of..."

"Lost," the mall cop finished, "I know. That happens in the labyrinth." He pointed the flashlight back at them.

"Excuse me, sir?" Barley said, "You said we needed to leave--"

"I'm here to lead you out," the minotaur interrupted.

Ian's mind blanked. Did he...did he really just say...?

"You--really?!" squeaked Ian in shock. "You mean it?!"

"Did I stutter, kid?" the man responded grouchily. He turned around, taking the light with him. "Follow me unless you want to spend the night here." Without waiting for them, he walked off. The brothers hesitated only a second before sprinting after him.

At first the the atmosphere felt too awkward for any small talk. But as always, Barley found a way to break the ice.

"So you stayed even when this place was turned into a mall?"

"Sure did."

Ian spoke next. "How do you know where you're going?"

"I've lived here my whole life--I know this place like the back of my hand."

"So, are you the minotaur who challenged anyone brave enough to come into this place in search of treasure?!" Barley asked, his voice filled with excitement. Ian never ceased to be amazed at the way his brother could conjure energy from seemingly nowhere, even at a time like this.

"No, that wasn't me--that was my old man. He was the last one to do that, least as far as I know."

They walked down another hall. Then across a plaza. Then up a set of stairs. Ian frowned.

"Why are we going up?"

The minotaur snorted. "Even after all the hours you've spent here, you're still going to question the logic of this place?"

Ian's face burned. "Yeah, I, uh...I guess not."

"Hey, don't be so hard on him," Barley said, coming to his brother's defense. "He always asks questions--he knows it's the best way to get answers!"

"I suppose," the cop conceded.

Ian didn't speak again, but he bumped Barley's shoulder, showing his appreciation.

And then...

"Here we are," the minotaur announced.

Ian saw the doors, and he was so overwhelmed with emotion that he came very close to crying. Or cheering. Or both. He reeled his feelings in, his whole body trembling. He didn't want to lose it.

Barley, however, had no such reservations.

"FREEDOM!!!"

He bolted from their side and charged straight at the door to burst out into the warm evening air...

...or crash straight into the glass and bounce off of it. He teetered and slumped to the floor with a pained groan. Ian rushed to his side and knelt beside him, resting his hands on Barley's shoulder and back in a weak attempt at comfort.

"I think it's locked."

"Yeah, I just realized that..."

The minotaur stopped for a moment to observe the scene, them stepped around them to the door, pulling out a set of keys.

"You're not gonna turn off the security system?" Ian asked curiously.

"This is the labyrinth, kid," the man responded. "We don't need a security system."

"Do you do this often?" Barley questioned.

Their guide turned to look at them, and for the first time they could see the ghost of a smile on his face. "Very often."

A bit of rummaging, clinking, the sound of metal being inserted...then a click, and he pushed the door open.

Ian couldn't remember the last time he'd been so happy to feel the summer breeze. Barley must've felt the same, if the speed at which he scrambled back to his feet was any indication. The minotaur nodded his head, and the brothers stepped out of the mall. They turned to face the man who got them out.

"You have our most sincere thanks!" Barley stated.

"Yeah, seriously," Ian agreed, "Thank you so much!"

"Don't mention it," the mall cop shrugged, "Just remember your trail markers next time." His voice was gruff...but not unkind. He closed the door.

The boys ran halfway down the parking lot before Barley let out a joyful cry and grabbed Ian, lifting the latter off his feet and swinging him around in circles. Normally Ian would tell him to stop immediately, as he didn't care for his brother's rough playstyle...but this time he just laughed along with him.

Laughter simmering down, he set Ian back on the pavement. "See? I told you we'd get out!" He trapped Ian in a headlock and gave him a noogie.

"Yeah, yeah, you did," Ian panted, wriggling until he could get out from under Barley's arm.

"And you've still got Mom's present," Barley said, his voice softening yet proud. "You held onto it through all of that. That's pretty amazing, you know."

Ian smiled. "Thanks, Barley."

They fell into silence...but a comfortable silence. Then Ian remembered.

"We're outside now. We probably have reception again!" Eagerly, Ian pulled his cell phone out and activated it...and he felt the color drain from his face.

"Barley..."

His older brother frowned at his tone. "What is it?" he inquired.

Ian held his phone out for Barley to see. "Look what time it is."

Barley looked...and grimaced. "Uh-oh..."

12:06 a.m. Midnight. Which meant...

On cue, Ian's phone pinged once. Then twice. Then three times. Then more. A second chime let them know that Barley's phone was doing the same. Even though they knew the cause, they inspected their phones anyway. And just as they thought, it was text messages from their mother. Now that they were out of the building, their inboxes were being flooded that previously couldn't get through.

Ian slapped his forehead. He said despairingly, "She's gonna kill us!"

Fortunately, Laurel wasn't that extreme...but she definitely wasn't happy. When Ian had called her, she had been absolutely frantic, and with all the questions she kept asking them, regarding both where they'd been and if they were hurt, it took them ages to explain what had happened. It had taken her a few moments to calm down, her fear morphing into a bizarre mixture of anger and relief, but in the end she had picked them up (Barley hiding her present in his jacket) and driven them all home. Thankfully she hadn't grounded them; she never came out and said it, but she seemed to believe that their time in the labyrinth had been punishment enough.

Ian and Barley regretted the stress they had accidentally put her through, and Ian at least knew he'd be haunted by their experience for a long time to come. And no matter how many times Barley reassured Ian that he would remember the trail markers, Ian was positive that he would never set foot in that place again.

But he did keep his promise to Barley to make them cookies the next day, which they gladly shared. And when Laurel's birthday came at last, she truly loved the necklace they presented her with...so in the end, maybe it had all been worth it.