nest gaze. "Let
none dare to look upon that which I am about to do," he commanded.

Immediately his slaves fell upon their knees, and with eyes fast shut
and heads bowed to the dust, meekly awaited his pleasure. It was as if
they held their very breath, so deep was the silence of the Cave.

From beneath his cloak the Wizard drew his jet black wand. He waved it
toward the walls and repeated, in a voice so low that none but himself
could hear them, strange words of enchantment. Under their spell, the
Cave walls began to draw slowly together, and before long they stood
firmly closed across the way by whence he had come.

Replacing his wand, the Wizard turned to where his servants still knelt
with guarded eyes. "Arise, and go forward," he commanded them.

With one accord they sprang to their feet, and without one glance behind
to discover what their master had done, they went rapidly ahead of him.

While the Wizard departed in content, Prince Ember made ready to open
the dungeon of the Shadow Witch so that she might go free. With her at
his side he stood before the thick wall that barred the way to the
corridor. He laid his hand upon his fairy sword, and unsheathed it. It
glowed and burned with living fire.

With its bright point he touched the wall in that selfsame place where
the Wizard was wont to pass through, and on its blackness he traced the
scarlet outline of a door.

Breathlessly the Shadow Witch followed with her eyes the moving point of
fire, followed it till the outline was complete, and the sword fell back
into its sheath. Without a word, but with swiftly beating heart, she
waited in her place by Prince Ember's side to see what wondrous thing
that sword could do.

Wondrous indeed, for silently and of itself the door swung open, and
the corridor that led to freedom was before her.

Prince Ember took her hand, and together they crossed the threshold, but
when they had passed it he paused, and spoke one charmed word. As
silently as it had opened, the door closed behind them at its creator's
command, and its outlines vanished, leaving the wall the grim unbroken
barrier that it had been before.

"Ah, my good Prince!" whispered the Shadow Witch looking upon it. "What
magic is yours!"

He spoke no word in answer, but raised her hand to his lips and kissed
it.

Then they began their journey along the windings of the corridor, that
stretched away and away into a gloom that seemed to have no end. Yet the
p